KUCHING: Business operators are urged to adopt digital technology in order to cater to the increasingly tech savvy consumer market.
Minister of Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives (Medac) Datuk Sri Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar said consumers nowadays prefer to shop online.
He said a survey conducted by the ministry revealed that 57.74 percent of respondents admitted that they shop more online now after the government imposed the second round of movement control order (MCO2.0) earlier this year – up from 19.23 percent previously.
The survey also revealed 62 percent of the respondents prefer online transaction instead of cash transactions — an indication that local consumers are becoming accustomed to e-commerce.
“It is important for businesses to keep abreast with market trends in order to help them plan out their next course of action especially in overcoming challenges as well as to explore new opportunities.
“Based on the survey, more people are spending time surfing the internet especially now when we are once again placed under MCO. Thus, you need to make sure that you have a strong digital presence so that people can easily search for your products and services online,” he said after launching Medac’s Bazaar Jualan Murah Raya (BJMR) in Putrajaya on Sunday.
The four-day BJMR held from May 6 to 9 at Auditorium Cempakasari in Precinct 2 Putrajaya is the ministry’s first ever hybrid bazaar which enables business owners to sell their products physically as well as online via WarongKu and Jimatbiz e-market platform.
WarongKu is under the hawker and trader development programme spearheaded by the ministry via its SME Corp Malaysia while Jimatbiz is a shopping portal by Angkatan Koperasi Kebangsaan Malaysia Bhd (Angkasa).
Wan Junaidi noted that the BJMR was a good effort by the ministry and its agencies. It could potentially be expanded to include small businesses as well as customers from other parts of the nation including those from Sarawak and Sabah.
“One of the advantages of the e-market place is that it does not require a huge physical space and it is able to accommodate a wide range of products and services which can be easily and efficiently managed.
“In addition to that, we can also utilise our Warong Riders service which is also one of the programmes under SME Corp to deliver the products to customers all over the nation,” he added.
The BJMR aims to provide a safe and conducive trading platform for entrepreneurs who are severely affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.
A total of 57 entrepreneurs, cooperatives and food truck operators participated in the bazaar.
