Shopee saw its sellers more than double this year as more Malaysians venture onto e-commerce

In 2021, 80 first-time Shopee sellers recorded more than RM1 million in sales within a year

Shopee continues to witness more Malaysians pivoting, or starting their businesses online as it saw sellers more than double in the past year. This shows the increasing involvement of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) in the digital economy following consumers’ growing reliance on e-commerce and digital payments.

Many Malaysian sellers have also been able to fast track their e-commerce growth with Shopee. In fact, 80 local sellers, who joined Shopee in 2021, achieved more than RM1 million in sales in just their first year on the platform. Some of these sellers hail from areas outside of state capitals and main cities such as Hutan Melintang, Perak; Kulim, Kedah; and Bera, Pahang, selling mobile and accessories, home and living, and health and beauty products, among others.

For Liow Chee Kah, 33, who runs the Woohuu Store with his wife on Shopee, he hit the RM1 million mark within the first seven months of joining the e-commerce platform. “Even though my products’ price range is fairly low, it is not impossible to achieve this amount of sales. When we started out, we utilised Shopee Ads and joined Shopee’s campaigns as well as Shocking Sale. This proved to be effective in increasing exposure to my store and attracting more followers. Now, as we continue with our low pricing strategy, customers are coming back for repeat purchases.”

Liow works in a factory that produces furniture in Bera, Pahang where the business was impacted during the Movement Control Order. He then decided to start the online business on Shopee with his wife to support their household income.

Terence Pang, Chief Operating Officer at Shopee said, “As we wrap up 2021, we see another year of Malaysians adapting to the pandemic, and it is now more important than ever for businesses to go online to capture more online-first customers. This year, we saw more local traders and sellers either taking their first step online or continuing their journey with us.

Our sellers' achievements is also a testament of e-commerce's ability to create inclusive and sustainable livelihoods amidst a challenging business landscape. We are glad and humbled to be part of their success stories, and we continue to strive to help more local MSMEs to benefit from technology and have access to the digital economy."

To help more sellers make their mark online, Shopee celebrates local by introducing more campaigns regionally and locally to give them spotlight. Under the #ShopeeSapotLokal initiative in Malaysia, Shopee is hosting the ‘Seller of the Month’ contest where sellers are to share their journey as a Shopee seller on social media. The winning seller, chosen by an internal jury and votes from Shopee users, will receive a Shopee Live stream feature, store vouchers, Shopee ads credits and exclusive merchandise.

Additionally, Shopee’s double digit campaigns such as the ongoing 12.12 Birthday Sale serve to celebrate the achievements of sellers whilst gathering the support of Malaysians towards their stores through attractive offerings.

The most joyful year-end celebration, happening till 12 December, is treating Malaysians to Free Shipping Vouchers with no minimum spend as well as 12 million vouchers. One lucky shopper will walk away with a new car by playing Spin & Win Hyundai Kona, fully sponsored by AIG Malaysia Insurance Bhd. On top of this, Malaysians topping up their ShopeePay mobile wallets from now till 11 December can look forward to winning up to 12,121 Shopee Coins every day.

The e-commerce platform via #ShopeeGivesBack is teaming up with 12 non-government organisations (NGO) and social enterprises including Budimas Charitable Foundation, Hopes Malaysia Welfare Association, Islamic Aid Malaysia and the MyKasih Foundation on a donation drive. It is also joining forces with Mydin, Nestlé, RB Home, Thong Guan Trading and Unilever to offer users the option to donate essential bundle packs between RM30 and RM100. Proceeds from the donations, as well as bundle packs will go to providing necessities such as clean water, food and other basic amenities to rural and underprivileged communities in Malaysia.

“Every 12.12, Shopee comes together with our users - shoppers, sellers and local communities, to celebrate the milestones and achievements over the past year. This year, we would like to show our appreciation to everyone for letting us be part of their daily lives through the various elements, entities and efforts on Shopee. We look forward to celebrating the year-end with all Malaysians as we bring cheer to one another this holiday season,” Pang added.

In celebration of Shopee’s sixth birthday, Shopee will be hosting its 12.12 Birthday Bash TV Show on Shopee Live and TV3 from 9PM on 11 December. The show will feature local celebrities such as Misha Omar, K-Clique, Siti Nordiana and more. Viewers will also be enticed with XBox Series X, Dyson Supersonic Hair Dryers and 12 million Shopee Coins that are up for grabs during the Shopee Shake Battle Mode. The TV show will also feature Timbang & Menang, where viewers can guess the weight of randomly selected objects by the host and win up to RM15,000.