E-commerce takes off in Malaysia this Raya season

E-commerce marketplace 11street said more Malaysian consumers will be buying new items online, such as e-vouchers and groceries. This is in addition to shopping online for items such as clothing and electronics in preparation for this Ramadan and Hari Raya festival celebrations.According to 11street’s findings, there was a significant increase in the purchase of e-vouchers in 2016 as there were more options in the category. The search for food and beverage e-vouchers surged to more than 1.2 million during the Ramadan period for that year.Hoseok Kim, CEO of 11street said, “This year, we expect consumers to purchase more of e-vouchers especially for buka puasa (break fast) buffets, encouraged by the fact that more five-star establishments and restaurants have hopped aboard 11street to offer their delectable spread.”This year, 11street expects its online sales to increase by at least 50% compared to the last year, during this Ramadan and Raya period.That said, Malaysians are expected to continue shopping for sought-after items online, such as electronics, home gadgets and clothing apparels as they prepare for Raya, said the company.“Malaysian shoppers keep surprising us. During the Ramadan Raya period from 2015 to 2016, we experienced more than 2.5 times uplift in overall online sales. 11street projects that online sales will continue upward by at least 50% throughout the Ramadan and Raya periods this year, thanks to our customers’ evolving shopping patterns,” Kim said.As the Hari Raya holiday period approaches, 11street also anticipates that Malaysians’ search for car services and road safety-related items to multiply rapidly as they prepare to “balik kampung.” Since its inception in 2015, 11street said it has witnessed at least a three-fold increase in both searches and online sales for baby car seats and car maintenance packages.The online marketplace summarised that these behaviourial patterns were driven by the lower prices found online to combat rising cost of living, and also the convenience of online shopping coupled with the abundance in variety.Interestingly, some Malaysians saw the necessity in 2016 to boost their Raya preparation through the purchase of some unexpected items – gaming laptop and sports jersey. Kim further added, “It is endearing to live in multi-cultural Malaysia, as everybody celebrates all festivities here.”In conjunction with this year’s Raya, 11street also just announced its latest campaign called Gila-Gila Raya in partnership with brands such as Firefly, F&N, L’Oreal, MamyPoko, Nestle, Unilever and Samsung, as well as, local designers such as Remy Ishak, Amar Amran, MariBeli Butik to offer a slew of promotional deals from now until 23 July.The company said the promotion page will be in English and Bahasa Melayu, featuring popular items, key brands and renowned ready-to-wear designer apparels starting at prices from RM1.  Throughout the campaign period, consumers can also enjoy credit cashback up to 22% for every purchase storewide, and instant shipping and free delivery for selected items.