Malaysian Sellers Prioritise Trusted Shopping Experiences

A new survey of sellers on Shopee has revealed how sellers are prioritising safe shopping for customers. When 500 Malaysian local and independent online sellers were asked "Which is your platform of choice in operating a safe online business for customers?" in September 2023, 90% chose Shopee out of nine possible other marketplaces to operate on. 

“These findings demonstrate the high level of trust that Malaysian sellers have in Shopee's ability to provide a safe and secure platform for their businesses. Our platform offers a variety of innovative features and protections that help to keep customers safe, such as Shopee Guarantee, secure payment options, and Preferred+ and Shopee Mall verification programs. Shopee also works closely with law enforcement agencies to combat fraud and protect its users,” said Kenneth Soh, Head of Marketing at Shopee.

Tangible Impact on Sellers’ Profitabilities

The #ShopSafeWithShopee survey found that nine in ten Malaysian sellers on Shopee have protected their business from any forms of online scams or fraud in the last year. Providing trusted shopping experiences has directly translated into the following tangible benefits:

53% of sellers have protected their brand reputation with stellar ratings, avoiding loss of followers, and reducing customer complaints of their store. 

24% of sellers have saved expenses from any liabilities that could arise from scams such as order cancellations and processing fees.

23% of sellers have sustained the long-term continuity of their operations because they are able to keep clients loyal and minimise or avoid online business disruptions.

These findings highlight the fact that sellers keenly understand that customers want to be confident that they are buying from trusted sellers and that their purchases are protected. By taking steps to ensure safe shopping, sellers know they can build trust with customers and boost their sales.

Prioritising Online Safety Features to Maximise Customer Trust

By design, Shopee strengthens responsible selling among its community of sellers by incentivizing them to ensure high standards of service to buyers. Shopee University’s Seller Education Hub also drives education through free webinars on Malaysia Brand Protection, Return Policies, and Shopee Mall. 

When asked, “When setting up your online business, what features do you prioritise to ensure your customers' safety?” Malaysian sellers who took the survey revealed:

47% of sellers on Shopee have established strong operational safety standards by complying with Shopee’s safe policies and guidelines, providing excellent customer service, and accumulating customer ratings and testimonials of this record.

35% of sellers have gotten verified as Shopee Mall, Preferred+, Preferred seller with the objective of allowing their customers know that they follow a 100% Authenticity Policy, adhere strictly to the 15-day return/refund policy for all buyers, and have no less than 95% of products listed as ready stock.

17% of sellers ensure that their customers know that Shopee offers a variety of secure payment options and return/refund policies, such as Shopee Guarantee, where payments to sellers are temporarily held by Shopee until buyers confirm that orders are fulfilled and satisfactory.

These proactive measures are in line with the expectations Malaysian customers have when seeking safe online experiences. In a similar survey of 1,000 shoppers earlier last month, Shopee found that Malaysians value the opinions of other buyers when making online purchases. They are also likely to choose sellers who have been verified by Shopee or who have a good track record of customer service.

This 11.11 Big Sale, users can shop worry-free at Shopee Mall. With over 5,000 renowned brands, users can shop from 100% authentic brands, enjoy a 15-day return policy, and benefit from an impressive 8X Money Back Guarantee. Shopee Mall Brand Memberships provides users priority access to the latest products, members-only discounts and promotions, and redeem vouchers and gifts while earning points with every purchase. On 11.11, users can enjoy daily deals and discounts from trusted brands like 70mai, Dessini, Skechers, SKINTIFIC, Vinda, and more, especially on Shopee Live. 

Shopee 11.11 Big Sale: https://shopee.com.my/m/11-11 

100% Authentic Deals on Shopee Mall: https://shopee.com.my/m/100-authentic-deals 

Unlock VIP Privileges with Shopee Mall Brand Memberships: https://shopee.com.my/m/shopee-mall-brand-memberships 

Dubai Chocolates by PHINIX STORE Go Viral on Shopee Live

PHINIX STORE is the local homegrown seller responsible for making Dubai Chocolates go viral on Shopee Live. Deploying a creative and systematic approach to live selling, founders Husman Setta and Khaled Hassan, also known as Abang Ah Ah switched from a social commerce site to Shopee Live in July 2023 and saw Malaysian candy lovers place more than 1,000 orders per day with them, far outstripping their initial targets of 50 orders a day. 

They attribute their rapid growth, of up to 90% uplift in sales, to the fact that Shopee Live has the right audience familiar with the platform and primed to shop on livestream events, compared to other apps in their experience where audiences were seeking entertainment but not shopping.

“At the time, these chocolates were not that well known on social media or other platforms…Now I can say that 90% of our daily sales come from Shopee Live, especially from returning customers. We get to build customer relationships and have good interactions with our customers. Sometimes, our customers have become like friends to us, they join the livestream to ‘hang out’. Even offline, sometimes the customers recognise us and say hi to us, and we talk as well,” Husman said.

For PHINIX STORE in particular, the freedom to communicate with the audience intimately on their new branded content channel, to provide live education about how to store and serve their chocolates, and conduct two-way conversations in real time allowed them to build brand trust quickly. 

Taking advantage of Shopee’s integrated solutions for ecommerce sellers, PHINIX STORE first attracts new audience traffic by offering Shopee Coins, then polls customers on Shopee Live to conduct user research on what products will sell out, uses their sales reports to figure out the best window to livestream, and influences conversion and loyalty by rewarding customers with gifts. 

Khaled, who hosts all livestream events, explains how he drives urgency and spontaneity during the short windows of purchase: “We have a timer countdown for promotion times for the users to come in and rush for the products on special price during game sessions. We also reward loyalty: if they buy a certain quantity of products, for example, we give them free gifts. With every purchase of more than 1kg of chocolate, we give them 100g free.”

Kenneth Soh, Head of Marketing at Shopee Malaysia, said, “We are so happy that PHINIX STORE has found the secret sauce for local sellers to succeed online. Shopee Live has been accelerating as a new and effective way to create two-way, personalised engagements between sellers and buyers to drive on-the-spot sales. We intend to empower even more local businesses to scale online in this way.”

Commenting on plans for the future and aspirations for other Malaysian sellers like themselves, Khaled and Husman agree, “Our plan is to expand our business outside of Malaysia via Shopee International Platform, with our perfume product, Hush, and food products. We call on all sellers to have an online shop with Shopee to expand their market reach. Shopee provides the best platform to sell and promote products. Shopee also can teach us how to sell products for those without any knowledge in live streaming.”

To date, PHINIX STORE has accumulated 74,000 followers on Shopee. These followers have bought 85,714 kilograms of Dubai Chocolate, and 163,000 pieces of Milo Energy Cubes. The store also offers luxury perfumes and sambal, catering to local tastes.

Certainty Adult Diapers For Everyday Confidence

Recently I attended a workshop hosted by Unicharm about one of their brands, Certainty. Certainty is from Japan and offers a full range of diapers for the elderly and those who have incontinence problem. This is a well known brand which has won the Malaysia Health & Welllness Brands Awards 2022.

Incontinence means the inability to control the bladder resulting in urine leaks and this can happen to men and women of any age. However, this happens more often in elderly people. As a mommy of 2 children who has given natural births, sometimes I have small volume of urine leaks when I sneeze. It is often quite embarrassing and I usually use a thin panty liner which I don't think can hold much urine. With Certainty dry pants, I can continue my daily activities with confidence. 

Certainty dry pants are breathable, comfortable, slim and does not show under clothes. It keeps skin dry and comes in sizes M, L, XL and XXL. These dry pants are 2 times stretchable and easy to wear. I would love to use this when I travel for long hours so I don't need to worry too much even if I can't find the bathroom in time.

During the workshop, there was an experiment where blue color water was poured onto Certainty and brand X diapers. At the end of the experiment, I could feel that Certainty diaper was very dry compared to brand X. 

For the elderly folks who need maximum absorption to lock urine for long hours, they can use Certainty Max Pants which has close fit gathers to protect against side leaks. These come in sizes M, L and XL. These are suitable for those who walk, stand and sit with human assistant. Let's recommend these to our friends, parents or grandparents so they can feel confident about themselves.

Certainty also offers the dry tape diapers which can be used with Lifree Lady Extra Dry Urinary Leak Pad for those who are bedridden. These fit perfectly to body, has centre absorption spot, anti-odor with deodorant polymer and comes with side and 3D Gather for more security. 

Besides the dry pants and dry tape diapers, Certainty also offers the antibacterial wipes which are designed to kill 99.9% bacteria without skin irritation, contains aloe vera and Vitamin E that helps moisturize and soothe the skin. These wet wipes are 250mm x 180mm each, very big and thick compared to the regular wet wipes.

If you want to purchase, click this LINK .

For more information, check out Certainty WEBSITE and click HERE for sample request. Let's live life with confidence so we can do more outdoor activities and spend quality bonding moments with loved ones. 

#CertaintyMalaysia #Certaintydrypants #CertaintyxButterfly #ButterflyProjectMalaysia #CertaintyEverydayConfidence

9 in 10 Malaysians Choose Shopee for Safe Online Shopping

Shopee, the leading e-commerce platform in Southeast Asia and Taiwan, today announced the results of #ShopSafeWithShopee survey that found 9 in 10 Malaysians prefer Shopee for safe online shopping. The survey also found that 8 in 10 Malaysians feel that Shopee provides the best scam support when shopping online.

Factors Influencing Buyers’ Decisions

When selecting a platform for online shopping, the top factor that influences Malaysian buyers is their ability to have safe shopping transactions, such as secure payment methods, clear return and money back policies, authentic/verified products, and great customer service resolutions. 

This is especially true for shoppers aged 35 to 49 years old, whereas younger shoppers aged 18 to 34 years old place greater emphasis on the popularity of the platform (assuming if more people use it, it's safe) and the wide assortment of products available.

#ShopSafeWithShopee survey was conducted among 1,000 Malaysian shoppers aged 18 and above. It found that the features that give shoppers the most peace of mind on Shopee are:

• Platform features that allow customers to verify sellers, such as 4-to-5 star store ratings, live demos on Shopee live stream, and seller chat functions (34%)
• Shopee Mall features, such as genuine premium brands, money-back guarantees, and the Authentic Deals Circle (33%)
• Shopee Guarantee, which releases money to sellers only when the customer confirms receipt of goods (29%)

“We are committed to providing our shoppers with a safe and secure online shopping experience,” said Kenneth Soh, Head of Marketing at Shopee Malaysia. “We have a number of initiatives in place to protect our shoppers, including Shopee Guarantee, Shopee Mall, and our dedicated scam support team. We remain committed to building a safe and secure environment for our users for an enjoyable shopping experience.”

Shoppers’ Awareness Levels about Scams

80% of shoppers consider themselves ‘sufficiently knowledgeable’ to ‘very knowledgeable’ about online shopping scams, whereas 20% have encountered situations involving counterfeit purchases, contact from suspicious sellers, or susceptibility to scams. 50% of respondents are worried about data breach (account stolen/hacked, stolen bank details), and 20% are concerned by fake sellers/counterfeit goods.

The survey also found that 30% of survey respondents have been a victim of an online scam in the last year. However, 70% said they were very lucky to avoid being scammed. The majority of those who were scammed were shopping for home and living products, followed by fashion and lifestyle items, and electronics. Both males and females across all age groups were equally susceptible to being a victim – scammers do not discriminate.

Of those who fell victim to scams, 38% reported it to Shopee Chat’s Live Agents to seek timely support. An equal number of respondents also reported to the relevant authorities, namely, the CCID via the Scam Response Center or Infoline, PDRM via SEMAKMULE, and to the National Scam Response Center hotline. 10% posted the experience on social media to inform the public, and 20% do not report these incidences.

How Malaysians Choose Trusted Sellers Online

In addition to the safety features offered by the platform itself, Malaysians also rely on social proof and other buyer endorsements when choosing a seller to buy from online. According to the survey, 7 in 10 respondents said that other buyer endorsements matter, with 33% looking at testimonials and reviews, 24% looking at store ratings, 12% looking at the number of loyal followers of the store, and 4% looking at top sales for the keywords searched.

The remaining buyers surveyed also check seller chat performance, cancellation rates and seller verification such as Shopee Mall, Preferred and Preferred+ tags to pick sellers to buy from.

This data suggests that Malaysians value the opinions of other buyers when making online purchases. They are also likely to choose sellers who have been verified by Shopee or who have a good track record of customer service. Social proof matters especially for buyers of Automotive, FMCG, Toys, Kids and Babies, Groceries and Pets, and Home and Living items. 

Scott’s and 99Speedmart Join Forces to Launch Donation Campaign to Serve Underprivileged Children’s Nutritional Needs

Scott's, the market leader in the kids supplement category, has partnered with 99Speedmart to launch the "BUY1DONATE1" campaign. For every Scott's product purchased at any 99Speedmart store nationwide between 13 October and 13 November 2023, the brand will donate another. The goal of the campaign is to donate a total of 30,000 Scott's products such as Scott’s Vitamin C, Scott’s Multivitamin Gummies, and Scott’s Emulsion, to orphanage homes within Klang Valley.

Bryan Wong, General Manager, Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei (MSB), Haleon, said: “At Haleon, we are committed to do more to tackle barriers that stand in the way of people’s better everyday health. We do so by understanding what holds people back from better everyday health so we can include them in opportunities to improve and achieve better health outcomes. We believe that every child deserves access to proper nutrition and the opportunity to experience happiness. Through our BUY1DONATE1 campaign, we hope to continue our efforts to improve health inclusivity in our communities. We are excited to partner with 99Speedmart and the community to make a positive impact on the lives of these children.” 

The campaign will also include weekly visits to 5-10 orphanage homes in Klang Valley by the Scott's team and its mascot. These visits will include the distribution of Scott's products, creating memorable moments filled with joy and laughter.

Scott’s has been dedicated to advocating for the health and well-being of Malaysian children, including those who face challenges in accessing proper nutrition. In line with the brand’s commitment in spreading happiness and addressing the nutritional needs of children in need, the “BUY1DONATE1” campaign aims to enable simple yet meaningful ways for anyone to participate in collectively bringing a positive impact to our communities. 

For more information about Scott’s BUY1DONATE1 campaign, please visit Scott’s Malaysia Facebook Page.

Lavish Township of Bandar Sri Sendayan, Negeri Sembilan

Last month when I met my one of my former colleagues, he recommended me to dine at a really nice cafe, Jigger & Shaker at d'Tempat Country Club, Bandar Sri Sendayan. This cafe serves delicious local and international cuisines with reasonable pricing. He told me this was the best place to have gatherings with friends as it was famous for their live bands and unique recipes. After convincing me, I decided to try it out and drove there. 

As I entered the Township of Bandar Sri Sendayan, I was amazed by the beauty of the lush greenery, well-designed wide roads, the splendid architecture of the residential properties, many interesting restaurants and a few schools including Matrix Global International School. 

Since I was at d'Tempat Country Club, I decided to visit the Matrix Galleria to find out more about Bandar Sri Sendayan Township.

I was really surprised to see that d'Tempat Country Club was so huge, spanning about 380,000 sq ft and hosting many varieties of family-oriented activities. The first thing that caught my eyes was the Olympic-sized swimming pool. It was very big, clean and suitable for poolside dining too. There was also a wading pool with water slides for children. 

Besides the swimming pool, I never expected to see a really nice mini theatre. I really loved the comfortable and cozy seats there. This cineplex has a seating capacity of up to 30 people with fully equipped latest audio and video equipment for a great movie experience with friends and family. 

If you love to spend some quiet time reading, there's a Reading Room with many books and reading materials for all ages. This is a great place for the whole family to gain more knowledge by reading.

After a long day at work, there's d'SPA where you can pamper yourself to a good Thai massage. The packages offered are reasonably priced and the place looks very clean and comfortable.

For those who love sports, they will never get bored here because they can play badminton, tennis, squash or table tennis with their friends. There's also a large gym room with many cardio and strength training equipment facing a spectacular view of the swimming pool. Besides that, you can also enjoy bowling at the 10-lane bowling alley at The Sphere. 

It seems like I can find everything I want at the Township of Bandar Sri Sendayan. What's better is that there are many extreme outdoor activities at X Park Sendayan such as Go-Kart, Flying Fox, Wall-Climbing and ATV. There is also a golf driving range nearby for golf lovers.

When I was driving around, I saw many restaurants, supermarkets and shops at Sendayan Merchant Square. Staying in this township seem to be a very good place for the whole family because almost everything you need is available here. 

When I was at Matrix Galleria, I found out about the latest residential parcel called Bayu Sutera, Izara which is a stone's throw away from everything that fulfills a great residential lifestyle. Izara is the Lakeside residence with smart home features and is situated between 3.0-acres of Lake Park, resident's park, and 9.5-acres of Central Park. 

Bayu Sutera is a 216-acres of freehold development and Izara is the latest series of 200 units of 20' x 70' double storey link homes with 4 bedrooms and 4 bathrooms. The house design looks very spacious and comfortable. The smart home features include Auto Gate, Digital Lockset, Lighting Module, Aircond IR Blaster, Smart System Speaker.

The living room and dining area look very spacious.

I've always wanted a big kitchen area like this to cook for my family.

What I really love is that home owners can get a 5 years free membership at d'Tempat Country Club! Previous phases in Bayu Sutera were fully sold within a short period of time and this just goes to show how well the houses were accepted. If you are thinking of purchasing a house where you and your family can enjoy outdoor activities, study at a good international school and get almost everything you need in your housing area, you can consider Izara at Bayu Sutera, Sendayan. This is truly the perfect residential area to experience a fulfilling family life.

Northern Malaysia Leads the Way in Shopee Live Streams

 Shopee Spotlights Local reveals that the top performing Shopee live stream sellers from each state across Malaysia sold 4.6 Million ringgit in goods in the last twelve months by hosting more than 2,300 streams*. Shopee Live plays an integral role in driving the success of Malaysian businesses, as demonstrated by the recent 9.9 sales event where local sellers achieved a remarkable 36-fold order growth.  

Shopee revealed that half of the items sold by the most active livestream sellers were fashion, and this was evenly split between new and pre-loved apparel. This was closely followed by jewellery, perfume and beauty products which made up a quarter of livestream goods sold. 

Interestingly, the top four live stream sellers from Penang all sell jewellery, which may explain how the Northern region boasts the highest sales from Shopee Live of all regions with 1.5 million ringgit in goods sold followed by the Central region at 1.2 million ringgit sold. The most active region on Shopee Live is the East Coast with 30% of all streams coming from Kelantan, Terengganu and Pahang sellers. All states except Johor have livestream sellers who sell bundled and preloved goods.

Ranked by sales orders achieved during the live streams all year, top performing sellers in Malaysia on Shopee Live were: firstly, NaNNa Crystal Jewellery from Penang, secondly, ____SSLine29____her’s bag Heanny from Sarawak and third, Miera E-store from Kuala Lumpur selling preloved goods. Momo House from Kedah is a Shopee Preferred + seller with 1 million followers, the most of any livestreamer. 

Shopee Live sellers have benefited from the high levels of customer engagement and wide reach, demonstrating impressive growth. One such seller is Lulu Waniey, the owner of Lulu Resources from Kota Bharu, Kelantan, that offers Muslimah clothing**.

Before Shopee Live, Lulu operated in offline markets like Pasar Malam and Pasar Pagi. Some days, she could barely make RM100, facing constraints like renting a physical store and inconsistent market timings. She changed her own fortunes by embracing Shopee Live, which expanded her customer base, and boosted her sales significantly up to RM100,000 per month. 

Shopee Live's flexible scheduling allowed her to connect with customers at optimal shopping times, while eliminating physical store costs. Personalised content and built-in engagement activities drove strong customer relationships.

Lulu shared, "I am now 100% on Shopee Live. Having learned the ropes and gained confidence, I feel like I have my own large store, where customers eagerly await my broadcasts. What's more, I now have a better work-life balance, spending more quality time with my family. Running my business on Shopee Live has brought me not only joy but also fulfilment."

Meanwhile, Ooi Zhi Wei, owner of Zhi Wei Herb selling Grade-A nutritional herbs and nuts, was an early adopter of Shopee Live in 2019***. Zhi Wei embraced face-to-face interactions with customers, offered real-time product demonstrations, and ensured transparency on every live stream. Zhi Wei let shoppers see exactly what they would get when making a purchase, and developed strong relationships by allowing direct questions and answers.

Like Lulu Resources, Zhi Wei Herb saw immediate results. “My store performance improved markedly. Stronger relationships with my clients translated into higher store traffic. For instance, if we had 12,000 viewers during a session, approximately 70% of them would subsequently visit our Shopee store.”

Shopee Live: https://help.shopee.com.my/portal/article/78854-[Shopee-Live]-What-is-Shopee-Live

*Shopee Spotlights Local - Unveiling Malaysian Gems booklet features top performing live sellers in each state, by top number of livesteams and top sales generated in the last 12 months ended 31 July 2023: 

 https://sites.google.com/shopee.com/prnewsroom/home?pli=1 

**Lulu Resources Shopee store: https://shopee.com.my/luluresources 

***ZhiWei Herb Shopee store: https://shopee.com.my/ooizhiwei1171