Shopee's tools like Shopee Live and Shopee Ads are offered to help MSMEs enhance customer engagement and achieve sustainable growth.
WITHIN the Malaysian economy, micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) play a crucial role.
These businesses form the nation's backbone, accounting for 97.4% of all enterprises and contributing a significant 38% to the country's GDP1.
MSMEs drive innovation, preserve cultural heritage, and foster local prosperity by creating jobs and engaging communities.
However, they face challenges such as rising competition and resource constraints, especially for businesses outside major urban centres.
Digitalisation offers a promising solution, with e-commerce platforms reducing overhead costs, transcending geographical limitations thus unlocking new customer bases for MSMEs.
These platforms also offer tools that enhance customer engagement and foster brand loyalty, creating a more interactive and personalised shopping experience.
By embracing e-commerce, MSMEs can become more competitive and achieve long-term success.
Transforming customer interactions
Started off as a small business in Selangor and Kedah, ZEKE Store aimed to showcase their distinctive designs to a broader audience.
However, like many MSMEs, they had limited resources and fierce competition challenged their growth. Choosing the right platform was crucial, and for ZEKE Store, Shopee was a game-changer.
Lai engages with customers through Shopee Live, showcasing unique clothing designs and fostering real-time connections.
ZEKE Store's success is partly due to its strategic use of Shopee Live, a live streaming feature that transformed their customer engagement strategy.
This dynamic allowed instantaneous interaction, fostering trust and nurturing lasting customer relationships.
"We're not just selling products—we're forging meaningful connections with our customers through Shopee Live," shared ZEKE Store founder Lai Ya Long.
Shopee helped ZEKE overcome barriers to purchase, such as wanting to test or feel the product before purchasing, resulting in a 65% increase in overall store performance and an 85% growth during the 6.6 campaign in 2024.
Bringing books to every corner
In 2020, Yong Kon Teck, transitioned his beloved local physical bookstore to an online one called Funbook, offering a vast array of books nationwide.
Transitioning to the digital world was challenging due to limited online visibility and lack of digital marketing expertise.
Yong proudly displays a selection of children’s books, showcasing the extensive range available on his store on Shopee.
Recognising the need for a different approach, Yong partnered with Shopee, using its seller features to propel growth. Shopee Ads significantly increased Funbook's visibility, resulting in a remarkable 2,789.52% increase in sales within a year.
Today, Funbook continues to flourish, offering an even more comprehensive selection of books thanks to Shopee’s extensive logistics network.
"Shopee has been absolutely transformative for our business. Thanks to Shopee Ads, we've gained unprecedented visibility and reach, allowing us to grow exponentially and connect with readers across Malaysia,” remarked Yong.
Funbook's journey isn't unique. Shopee helps SMEs thrive in the digital age by offering tools, resources, and support.
From seller features to marketing tools like Shopee Ads and integrated logistics support, the platform provides solutions for businesses like Funbook to build an online presence, reach customers, and grow sustainably.
Robust tools for MSMEs
Shopee prioritises developing strategies to help local Malaysian businesses overcome challenges.
Innovations like Shopee Video provide customers with entertaining short videos from content creators, helping sellers generate positive word-of-mouth and increase brand awareness.
"At Shopee, we're all about empowering local businesses like Funbook and ZEKE Store," says Shopee Malaysia marketing and business intelligence head Tan Ming Kit.
"We're not just a platform, we're a partner. We provide them with tools such as Shopee Ads, Shopee Live, integrated logistics, and features that help them elevate customer service, like fuss-free returns and delivery guarantees.
Happy shoppers, thriving businesses
For many MSMEs, fostering strong customer relationships is vital. Shopee’s recent launch of customer-centric programmes ensures both shopper satisfaction and seller growth.
Since March, Shopee has expanded its Change of Mind policy, offering hassle-free returns on a wider range of products to give customers peace of mind when exploring new offerings while ensuring sellers retain satisfied customers with quick and easy returns.
Additionally, Shopee’s Return and Refund process is efficient, completing payments transactions within two days via ShopeePay —significantly faster than the industry average of seven days.
Fast and reliable deliveries are another priority. Programmes like Instant Delivery, Next Day Delivery, and the On-Time Guarantee offer customers a RM5 voucher if an order arrives late.
In partnership with its network of third-party logistics partners (3PLs), Shopee is rolling out platform-wide free shipping from July, enhancing the customer shopping experience.
“Customers are the lifeblood for both MSMEs and Shopee. Delivering a high level of service benefits the sellers on our platform by providing greater customer satisfaction, loyalty and repeat purchases,” said Tan.
By prioritising customer satisfaction, Shopee enables Malaysian MSMEs to reach a broader customer base and achieve sustainable growth, creating a win-win situation for both sellers and shoppers.
Reference
1. Building MSME Resilience in Southeast Asia United Nations Development Programme
report 2024
