The year 2020 had been ground-breaking and unpredictable on several fronts. It is not wrong to state that many events that happened last year were not good at all. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, economies across the globe crashed as several companies were forced to close down operations.
The year was filled with challenges, and on top of all of this, there was a surge in cyber security incidents.
In 2021, early in the year, Tesla had been informed by an internal employee of an offer that was quite unusual. This employee was offered a sum of $500,000 to install ransomware into Tesla’s network.
However, the employee was alert, and he went on to inform the management in time. Later, the FBI stepped in to take over the case, and the matter was taken care of.
Even with big companies, cybersecurity is a vulnerable issue. Thus everyone must put in place the best ways and methods to deal with it effectively.
Now, this is just one of the several cyber security cases that have been recorded in 2021 so far. Among all the most popular cyber-attacks, ransomware is one of the most severe and dangerous of them all.
It is generally spread via infectious attachments and emails. If anyone clicks on this infected link, the ransomware gets installed into the system he/she uses.
Moreover, it blocks all access to files and data unless the ransom is paid to get the decryption key. Last year, in 2020, there were several incidents of ransomware attacks and other cyber threats.
DBA specialists from esteemed companies state that this cyber-threat landscape is evolving rapidly, and it is becoming the top concern of Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs) and IT managers across the globe.
There is no guarantee of what might occur when any business system is attacked by ransomware or any other malware. However, the following are some effective cyber-security tips that you can embrace to protect your critical business data with success.
Precaution is better than cure
This is the most fundamental and first step in your pursuit of cyber security for your system. Note that even the most sophisticated and complicated phishing and ransomware attack becomes successful because of a tiny mistake.
Now, the question here is in your personal life, do you share the details of your credit card and PIN with everyone?
You need to safeguard it as you would do the same with your assets and documents. Your government identification number, DOB, and most important of them all, your mobile number can even be used as a ransom for the extortion of money.
Cyber hackers create email addresses and websites that are fake but appear legitimate to everyone. They can gain access and control of your social media profiles and drop messages to your network that seem genuine.
If you click on any URL that they post or share, you will fall into their traps and be in deep trouble.
Authentication is the key
Authentication must be your topmost priority if you want to safeguard your business data. For example, if you are working from home due to the pandemic (or if you are an IT manager or CISO), you must go the extra mile to protect the company’s data.
When it comes to your details and data, or for that matter, your private messages and pictures on social media, the process for authentication will make everything extra secure.
If you check closely, you will find that cloud storage providers and social media platforms give all their users the benefits of two-factor authentication for protection. It adds an extra layer of cybersecurity protection to the account.
Protecting personal data should never be overlooked. Cybercriminals can also use you to be the bait to get through the organization’s confidential information. If you work in the company, you can always request your IT manager or administrator to take you on a Virtual Private Network or VPN connection.
This will ensure that you connect to the WiFi in a private and safe environment when you work from home. When dealing with sensitive or private information, always avoid using any public or free WiFi connection.
Stay away from emails and pop-ups from suspicious and unknown people
When you surf the Internet, you will find pop-ups appearing now and then. They are very common and often seem harmless. Business marketers use these pop-ups to prompt a specific service, discount, brand, or offer. IT administrators and skilled DBAs recommend checking or even opening any of these pop-ups if they appear suddenly on your screen.
If you are not careful, you might become prey to a phishing attack when you click on any pop-up. However, they also state that not all of these pop-ups are bad. Therefore, you must have the knowledge and skills to detect fake ones to protect the system.
You should follow one golden rule, and that is to avoid pop-ups that appear on unidentified web pages. For instance, if you are randomly surfing through websites and suddenly a pop-up appears displaying a warning on false security, you must close this window.
Unfortunately, several users online fall prey to the above tricks and innocently reveal their identities to cybercriminals.
The Bottom Line
If you believe that you have accidentally clicked on any suspicious link with malware, you should immediately contact the authority concerned. In case it is the company system you work on, contact your IT team.
If it is your personal computer, seek help from an IT security expert you know. You can also seek help from cybersecurity specialists in your state. Last but not least, you should disconnect the Bluetooth, WIFI, and other devices you might have been using for storage as you do not want this attack to spread.
If you use cloud storage like Google Drive or Dropbox, check for versions of your data files and documents in them.
For a brand to successfully implement Online-Merge-Offline (OMO), various types of integration, including system integration, business integration and marketing integration must take place within the organisation.
In other words, digital transformation for businesses of various nature and industries always depend on organisational transformation.
When brick-and-mortar retail brands adopt OMO, the integration of OMO is usually just a first step.
The more important things are the integration of “business” and the integration of “marketing”.
System Integration
System integration (APP and online store, in this regard) should always be the first step for any retail business that wishes to undergo digital transformation. Brands extend their presence to online channels, and customers connect with the brand online. When a customer joins as a member online, the physical store must be identifiable so that he or she can visit the physical store and accumulate shopping points when shopping.
The same must happen when a customer joins as a member at the physical store and later goes shopping online. This is to ensure members are able to enjoy the same membership benefits and rights online and offline.
But when the system is ready, OMO will not happen just yet. In fact, the system must be used by people. If no one uses it, the system will not transform the business in any way. The results of OMO will start to show when the system and organisation are ready at the same time.
The Important Role Of Shop Assistants
The first problem a brand will face is resistance from the shop assistants or store representatives. The shop assistants have their own performance commission system where the commission comes from store performance so it’s highly probable that they might think ‘what does online shopping have to do with me?’ They might even think that the brand’s online store and APP will affect the performance of the physical store.
If the commission system doesn’t change, the shop assistants will become an obstacle to promoting OMO. This can be solved by distributing online sales revenue to the physical store, and the sales assistants will get the commissions or incentives when they promote OMO to physical customers.
The participation of store assistants will accelerate the implementation of OMO, whether it is to encourage in-store customers to download the APP, shop online or pick up their purchased items from the physical store. As long as the effort of the store assistants helps in generating more online revenue, their performance should be rewarded.
After brands start operating online (online store and APP), it is necessary to make online and offline marketing activities consistent. Otherwise, customers will feel distressed and store assistants will feel discouraged.
Align Offline Marketing Strategy With Online Marketing Strategy
When the brand’s marketing strategy expands to promote its online store, attractive discounts should be offered to all online customers in the initial stage. However, after the initial stage, the marketing strategy between offline and online must be aligned. Doing so will definitely prevent awkward situations in which an in-store customer asks the sales assistant why the brand offers a discount for its online customers but not to its in-store customers.
The physical store will have to offer the same discount, otherwise, customers would only go shopping online. This can hurt the profit of the physical store.
Thus, the marketing strategy must be planned consistently and aligned between the online and offline channels in the long run. However, in the short term, in order to kick-start the online channel, operational flexibility is encouraged.
Business Integration
If the top management or the boss wants to implement OMO, like it or not, the shop assistants will still have to cooperate. In other words, the top management or the boss plays a much more important role here.
If the boss hasn’t figured out the plan to successfully implement OMO and has the mentality of ‘just trying’ instead of working hard on it, the shop assistants will just follow without any passion.
To ‘just try and see’, most bosses will establish a special department to implement OMO, the eCom department. However, with this mentality, the success rate of the eCom department will be rather low.
The Role Of The Store Managers
For the store manager, establishing a new eCom department doesn’t bring any benefits to the store performance. In fact, it feels like someone is grabbing the sales from the physical store. This will be a challenge when it comes to encouraging the store managers to coordinate with the eCom team to make adjustments to the physical store.
Different Physical Stores Of The Same Brand Are In Competition With Each Other
Moreover, store managers are concerned about the stock they can get from the HQ. This is because different physical stores of the same brand are in competition with each other to get the hot-selling goods to sell.
This is also true among the physical stores of direct sales and franchise brands (especially in the clothing industry), to fight for hot-selling goods, especially for seasonal new arrival items. Most often than not, the flagship stores or the large stores would get the hot-selling seasonal goods to sell first before other smaller physical stores.
Thus, the store manager is often annoyed enough to fight and argue for the stocks. Now there will be an online store and APP that would make the fight for the hot-selling goods even harder? The store manager would be even less willing to accept the idea of OMO. The scenario creates much unpleasant internal politics, which can make the implementation of OMO even harder.
The newly setup eCom department will also be in this unpleasant politics. The department can easily be treated as another ‘store’ in the organisation. Eventually, the so-called ‘online store’ won’t even have the stock, let alone generating sales.
Therefore, for OMO to run well, the key to the second step is “business integration”. In this regard, all business units must be consolidated, regardless of online or offline sales and performance, they must be handled by the head of sales. The online and offline departments must belong to the same business unit, and all online and offline performance must be dedicated to all sales personnel evenly. Bear in mind that OMO is about business integration, not a competition between the online and offline channels.
When it comes to the sales performance after the implementation of OMO, the boss can set a “magic number” for the sales objective and calculate the ratio of online sales to the overall sales. Setting 5% as the magic number can be a good start. One year later, if this “magic number” is achieved, the OMO magic will begin to realize.
Marketing Integration
The traditional marketing direction and marketing strategy of a brand are usually only workable with offline channels to improve sales performance. When the aforementioned strategies are used on online channels, these strategies might not perform well as expected. In fact, the growth of eCommerce has created many new digital marketing platforms and channels to shift the traffic from traditional media to digital media.
When we talk about promoting a business or brand on Facebook, Google, WhatsApp, Remarketing Ads, social media community and Chatbot (these platforms are what we call the “MarTech”), many internal marketers are only familiar with traditional marketing and how physical stores should operate. This unfamiliarity is a challenge faced in the traditional marketing department of many companies. And that’s why “digital transformation” is important when it comes to the implementation of OMO.
What is MarTech?
MarTech (also known as Marketing Technology) refers to the software and tech tools marketers leverage to plan, execute, and measure online marketing campaigns. MarTech tools are used to automate or otherwise streamline marketing processes, collect and analyze data, and provide various means of reaching and engaging with your target audience effectively.
These Martech related tools focus on the “effectiveness” of marketing plans and they have become the essential tools for effective advertising from a marketing perspective nowadays. Data is the root of digital marketing evolution.
Data that are important in the digital marketing evolution are Cost Per Click (CPC), Click-Through Rate (CTR), Conversion Rate (CVR) and Return on Ad Spend (ROAS). With these data, ads performance and sales performance can be clearly defined since everything can be calculated and trackable. Unlike traditional marketing, these powerful tools enable businesses to evaluate advertising costs (traditional advertising/media, on the contrary, are not able to do so).
On the flip side, with the availability of these data, it is easy for brands to become obsessed with sales performance. In the end, brands might only care about the result and overlook the process. In other words, brands only care about how much sales they get, instead of focusing on the customers — what they like and how to serve them well. The fact is, brands will not go very far if they are limited by their obsession with the sales figure.
Martech Digital Tools Are Like Magic Rings
No matter how Martech changes and improves, the essence of branding and marketing remains the same. To create a successful brand, a large number of loyal customers are needed. The brand must form a deep relationship with its customers, something similar to creating a meaningful human relationship.
Your customers must know you, understand you and trust you, and vice versa. After the first interaction, if the feeling is right, they will always want to come back to you. These processes are important, and only time can establish a profound relationship.
Martech is not a shortcut to marketing, but a tool.
This is why, in recent days, the effectiveness of Facebook and other advertising has begun to decline and eCommerce brands have generally become more and more anxious. While physical store-based brands are not concerned about the effect of the changes in the effectiveness of Facebook.
The main concern for digital marketing is “effective advertising”, while traditional retail marketing cares more about “brand advertising” and customership management. People from these two groups will think they do not understand each other due to the differences they have in concepts and language, and they may end up cooperating in an unhappy way. This can certainly affect the successful implementation of OMO.
Going back to the basics of brand marketing, it’s a good idea to make good use of these digital tools and integrate new methods of retail OMO marketing to create a new competitive advantage for the retail brand
Final Thoughts
In short, for a brand to successfully implement OMO, system integration, business integration, and marketing integration must all take place within the organisation.
Many conflicts and oppositions between the old and new concepts; between virtual and reality, require organisational reorganisation, the design of new systems, and the development of new processes.
Just like the common saying — the success of the digital transformation of any company or brand always depends on organizational transformation.
‘Uncovering eCommerce Trends & Opportunities in Malaysia’ is the last topic of Series 2.
The Malaysian eCommerce industry is quickly expanding, and the trend will shift from time to time.
Therefore, it’s crucial to understand the current eCommerce trend to grab opportunities for effective eCommerce business growth.
This workshop discussed the current eCommerce trends in Malaysia, including the suggestion and idea on how to stand out and grow your eCommerce business in the Malaysian market.
The moderator (Calvin Yeap) and panelists (Lim Ben-Jie, Tang Siew Wai & Vivienne Chin Ee Kwa) of the event.
eCommerce Trends & Opportunities in Malaysia
Let’s go through the main points of the topic:
1. More eCommerce solutions
People have been shopping online to buy what they want.
eCommerce provides users various benefits such as time-saving, speed, affordability, and more.
With these benefits, users are beginning to have more trust in eCommerce (in terms of security, product quality and more).
As the number of people who use eCommerce grows, new solutions, such as flexible payment methods, are being developed for the industry.
Today, customers can buy products from international merchants thanks to the emergence of new platforms that help accelerate the eCommerce industry and make cross-border eCommerce more accessible.
2. More challenges
More merchants and retailers are venturing into the eCommerce industry.
Because eCommerce has grown to such a scale, it could mean more challenges for the industry.
On various eCommerce platforms, many eCommerce sellers are selling the same products, which could create some sort of barrier for new sellers to enter the market.
As a result, new merchants and retailers who are interested in entering the eCommerce market should be aware of the entry barriers and what to do to set them apart from their competitors
3. Identify the Right Channel
eCommerce retailers must take a step back, understand the kind of product they are selling, and choose the right channel to start selling products.
Do not blindly sell your products on every channel just because you know omnichannel is good.
You need to identify the kind of products customers buy from you before you can choose the right omnichannel strategy.
4. Use a Mobile-Friendly App
Nowadays, everyone purchases items via mobile devices instead of opening their laptops, going to the website, and purchasing the product they want.
When we know this reality and have a development budget, we can consider spending that budget on developing more mobile-friendly apps, making it easier for consumers to buy products from us.
5. Offer High-Quality Customer Support
Customer support is an important part that eCommerce merchants and retailers need to focus on.
If you have a good product but your customer support is poor, you might chase your customers away.
Try to put yourself in your customers’ shoes.
Make sure they can find you through multiple channels and that you can respond to them as soon as possible to keep your response rate high.
Top-notch customer support service is one of the most effective ways to keep your business competitive.
If you are an eCommerce merchant or retailer, you must constantly update your knowledge of the eCommerce trends in Malaysia.
With the right knowledge, you can tailor the strategies and tactics that are most suitable for your products and services to reach more people and increase your conversion rate.
In this panel discussion, Lim Ben-Jie, Head of e-Commerce, AirAsia super app; Tang Siew Wai, Country Manager at Carousell Malaysia; Vivienne Chin Ee Kwan, Head of SME Banking Business Development and Marketing of CIMB shared their insight based on their own personal experiences so that the audience have a clear picture on how to utilize today’s trend to their advantage.
Check out the full video of this session to learn more about the current eCommerce Trend and opportunities in Malaysia.
When the pandemic hit, people changed their purchasing behaviour to start buying most things online.
To safeguard their own business, Malaysia’s retailers had started to seek new opportunities to run their business and eCommerce store became popular.
Today, digitalisation in retail is not only putting all the products into the eCommerce platform and waiting for customers.
Nevertheless, it is more than that.
There is a new future for all the retailers out there with new digital experience to bring retail to a different level.
The moderator (Wintson Tham) and panelists (Lee Wei Hong & Leow Kok Han) of the event.
The key notes of topic 2:
1. Fastest way to sell products
The fastest way to sell your products is to sell through an eCommerce platform.
It is not only the fastest way but also a marketplace where retailers can run their business at the lowest cost.
To reach out more customers and gain more sales, retailers should use Facebook as well, as it is one of the effective platforms to do your marketing and attract more customers to purchase your products.
2. New retail
Digitalisation for retails is not only to set up a website or set up a marketplace in an eCommerce platform.
The new retail is online merge offline (OMO), it is to blend online and offline together in order to better serve our consumers.
When consumers visit offline stores, we are able to serve them based on the data collected from online, providing them personalised shopping experience.
Online and offline should be merged as they complement each other.
3. Not owning loyal customers
It is fine to start your eCommerce business from a marketplace, as this will bring traffic to your business and the entry level and barrier is relatively lower.
However, the problem faced is you are not actually owning your loyal customers when only operating on an eCommerce platform as there are so many sellers, the competition is high.
4. Control customer journey
Building an app or website for your business can better control your customer journey, at the same time lessen the cost as you are conducting business passively.
Your customers will find you by themselves via your website or apps when they need your products or services to fulfil their needs.
You can track your customers and analyse the findings to design a more targeting copywriting or discount for your member, allowing them to have a more positive customer journey.
5. Utilize mobile apps for customer retention
Nowadays, some of the eCommerce merchants are doing Facebook marketing in order to build their brand awareness, but how does it increase the conversion rate or how to make sure the customers will come back to support you again?
Having a website and app is an effective way to get your customer back as it allows sellers to interact with the customers easily.
Set up exclusive apps to your members that enable the business owners to control the customer journey which you can notify them with special promotion and also track your members.
6. Cost-effective method to launch new business
If your business is just a new startup and has a limited budget, you may sell on an eCommerce marketplace first, to understand how to manage your inventory, customer service and payment.
When you have some recurring sales from the same customers and your own established membership, start to set up your own website.
Therefore, you can have better control over customer journey, marketing or copywriting on the things that you wanted to sell.
7. Strategy in retaining the customer to increase sales
Design a creative notification is one of the effective ways to retain your customers.
People are not only interested in promotion, but also informative content that is related to your products.
For promotion, other than doing discounts or sales, retailers may also conduct other attractive promotions such as ‘spend and win’ to attract people to purchase from you.
To retain customers, it is important for retailers to constantly engage with customers, especially new customers in order to build brand attachment.
Digital technology is revolutionising retail, only having an online retail store to sell products is just a start as there are many areas that need to be considered in order to stand firm in the competition.
Setting up an online store does not mean you should not run an offline store anymore. Both online and offline stores are complementing each other which will bring benefits to your business.
During this panel discussion, Lee Wei Hong, Senior Business Consultant, 91APP and Leow Kok Han, Director, Dr. Douxi (COOOLGO BEAUTY SDN. BHD) had discussed how retailers today can utilize digital technology to gain more customers and sales, and how to utilise both online and offline stores to improve customer retention.
Watch the full video to learn more from this insightful panel discussion!
Series #2 of eCommerceFest 2021: eCommerce Trends is now complete!
This series covers issues related to Malaysian eCommerce Trends.
The audience learnt a lot from the speakers who were all seasoned and professional.
It was also inspiring to witness everyone’s enthusiasm for engaging with the panellists.
There are three topics in Series #2, each of which focuses on a distinct area of eCommerce.
Entrepreneurs, eCommerce merchants, and SMEs will benefit from the three-panel talk and learn how to expand their eCommerce businesses more efficiently.
The moderator (Samantha Tong) and panelists (Sumit Ramchandani & Christopher Lowe) of the event.
Let’s cut the chase and go into the key points of the first topic:
1. Leveraging user data
While a user is browsing your website, you may need to gather and analyze user data to anticipate and understand the kind of products they are looking for.
We can create a personalised website based on the information provided by the user.
This will give consumers a personalized experience to increase conversion rates while also making it more user-friendly.
2. Developing an internal approach
During the pandemic, Air Asia used their chat platform as a publisher, distributing information about its clients who were travelling.
Because everyone may provide knowledge about other nations, the chat platform maintains relevance and interaction with their consumers.
Customers’ problems are also transferred from social media to the chat platform, where they are resolved.
This is how Air Asia establishes a relationship with its consumers on an internal level.
3. Chatbox to create a personalized experience
Chatbox is one of the ways to create a personalized experience for customers, especially for eCommerce businesses.
Marketing
You can fulfil your business marketing with the help of a chatbox.
Chatbox can drive and enhance customer engagement by exposing them to the right content or content that is relevant to them.
This will be helpful.
Sales
The most common way for many businesses to promote sales is to spam on social media and Google.
However, doing so can be expensive and hard to drive loyalty to your brand.
It’s necessary to find a balance between promoting sales and creating loyal customers.
Chatbox provides notification on the chat app, with the chat app, we can save lots of costs.
Customer support
Chatbox makes it easier to engage with customers.
Customers will find it easy too as they know where to find you when they have any enquiry.
It is a way to foster and maintain the relationship with your customers, building customer trust for your brand.
4. Create personalized ads and content
To create personalized ads content, you need to understand your target audiences.
You could conduct some surveys, leveraging technology like using machine learning or AI to understand customer preferences and tailor content that is relevant to them.
Capturing customer behaviour and preferences before designing your personalized content will drive conversion more effectively.
5. Build brand awareness
For some companies or brands that would like to build brand awareness, it is not right to only target a specific segment of audiences. To build awareness is to get your brand and products to reach as many people as possible.
Personalisation is only relevant to certain brands that would like to target specific audiences, and it could cost a lot of money to convert a specific group of people and not generate widespread awareness.
As a result, creating personalized content to raise brand awareness is not recommended.
6. Personalized content across different channels
Personalisation is not limited to apps only, it can be applied on different channels that you use to reach or engage with your customers.
Making personalised content consistent across different platforms such as website, email, SMS or even WhatsApp can drive positive experiences for your customers.
7. Try to run ads on different channels
We’ll never know whether our advertising on different channels can drive people away until we put them to the test.
No fixed standard dictates how often you should or should not promote on various networks.
All you have to do now is try, examine, and analyze the information gathered.
‘Feeling it’ is not the right approach when it comes to choosing which channel to promote your products or services.
Instead, we must rely on data to determine which method is the most effective.
For businesses that want to keep their customers or improve conversion, providing a personalized experience is essential.
It is useful in building the link between your brand and your customers by offering a personalized experience since it creates brand attachment.
In this session, both panellists, Sumit Ramchandani, CEO, AirAsia Media Group, and Christopher Lowe, Regional Head of Partner Success, Insider shared how to create a personalized experience for customers in eCommerce, and how personalized experience will help you in your eCommerce journey.
Wish to learn more?
Watch the full video of this session and start to create a personal experience for your customers!
WordPress is one of the most popular website-building platforms. The platform is beginner-friendly, making it simple for beginners to create websites besides being robust for advanced web developers.
It’s simple to make a good-looking website on WordPress. Building and developing a great website is no longer a tough task thanks to the numerous WordPress plugins and courses available online.
However, if the design of your website is amazing, but the page speed is slow or the user experience is poor, will your visitors come back to your website again?
In fact, the performance of your WordPress site has an impact on its Google ranking. And if your website is used for business purposes, it has an impact on the conversion rate too, which represents revenue. But how can you tell whether your WordPress site is running smoothly and offering a good user experience?
What can you learn?
By attending this webinar, you will learn about Google’s latest work on WordPress, which includes Site Kit (an all-in-one Google services toolbox) and core web vitals (a web performance indicator). It will assist you in better managing the performance of your website and providing a better user experience.
Event Details:
Date: 15 July 2021 (Thursday)
Time: 2.00PM to 3.00PM
Venue: Zoom Webinar
We are pleased to have the following esteemed speakers at the webinar:
Ian Hung, Web Ecosystem Consultant, Google
Ian works as a Web Ecosystem Consultant at Google, guiding partners and developers to adopt the latest Google concepts and technologies which improve the overall mobile experience and make websites look modern. Before joining Google, he worked as a frontend developer in a startup where he found enthusiasm and established his background in the online world.
Shu Hirasaka, Strategic Partner Development Manager (Chrome & Web), Google.
Shu works with CMS platforms and hosting providers in APAC on web product partnerships. His goal is to help site owners succeed by working together to enable and accelerate the adoption of web best practices and modern technologies.
Join the exciting webinar now to learn how to improve your WordPress site performance with Google!
Two decades ago and longer, companies invested thousands of ringgit on billboard ads, radio, television and print advertising every year to spread brand awareness.
While these advertisements have led many brands to success, the truth is that it is difficult for brands to stand out and generate lots of revenue by solely depending on advertisements.
Perhaps that’s the reason why today, these advertisements (aka traditional advertisements) are rather ineffective and obsolete.
In fact, marketing has evolved so much from the last decades to today’s digital age.
Affiliate marketing, for example, is an important aspect of digital marketing.
Nowadays, many people make money by joining an affiliate marketing program (or more).
Here are the Top 5 Popular Affiliate Programs in Malaysia:
As a large technology company, Microsoft provides its own affiliate program, which is said to be one of the best affiliate programs in Malaysia.
Microsoft Target Audience
Microsoft 365 targets almost all audiences in the market — individuals, teams and businesses, as long as they are involved in technology and the Internet.
Microsoft 365 for Business Affiliate Program:
The program offers a bounty for each seat of a qualifying new customer sale. The bounty amount varies depending on the product purchased.
For example, if you refer a customer who buys 10 seats of Microsoft 365 Business Standard, you earn $150 in commission for that order.
Here are the bounty amounts per seat for various products (in USD).
Commission Rate:
Microsoft 365 Business Basic: $6.00 (MYR 27.80)
Microsoft 365 Business Standard: $15.00 (MYR 128.81)
Microsoft 365 Business Premium: $20.00 (MYR 92.67)
Microsoft 365 Apps for Business: $10.00 (MYR 46.33)
Microsoft 365 Apps for Enterprise: $15.00 (MYR 69.50)
Office 365 E3/E5: $20.00
Office 365 E1: $5.00
Exchange Online: $12.50
Project Plan 3 and Plan 5: $12.50
Project Plan 1: $5.00
Visio Plan 1 and Plan 2: $5.00
SharePoint Online Plan 1 and Plan 2: $5.00
OneDrive for Business Plan 1 and Plan 2: $5.00
By participating in the Microsoft 365 for Business Affiliate Program, you have the opportunity to earn commissions based on the products purchased by referred customers.
Microsoft provides a dynamic range of tech-related products, such as Windows, Microsoft office, Games and many more and its popularity ensures the products are easy to promote.
Click here to find out Microsoft Affiliate Program and commission tariff chart.
2) Exabytes Malaysia Affiliate Program
Exabytes is a leading local web hosting service provider and cloud service provider in Southeast Asia.
The company has specialized in providing All-in-One Business Cloud Digital eCommerce solutions to help Malaysia SMEs grow online easily and effortlessly.
Exabytes has one of the highest paying commission affiliate programs in Malaysia.
Exabytes Target Audience
Exabytes targets all Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in Malaysia.
Backed by strong branding efforts, Exabytes has a huge market share in web hosting, a service needed by all online businesses to take their business to the next level.
Exabytes Affiliate commission
Commission rate: RM 150 – RM 350 per sale
From domain name registration to web hosting / Dedicated server, email hosting, website design, SMS marketing, eCommerce solutions and digital marketing, whatever you think about digital, they have it.
As an Exabytes affiliate, you can get priority support for your Exabytes account, as well as free Exabytes content to promote to your audience.
Click here to find out more about Exabytes Affiliate Program and commission tariff chart.
3) Shopee Affiliate Program
Shopee is the largest B2C eCommerce platform in Malaysia.
Shopee is a place where you can easily find different types of products and earn a commission from them.
It provides a fast, safe and convenient online shopping experience.
Shopee Target Audience
Every Malaysian who has an internet access.
Shopee provides a wide selection of product categories ranging from household, food, home appliances, office equipment, fashion, toys and many more.
Shopee Affiliate Commissions
Commission rate: The commission rate begins at 4% and is calculated based on the checkout price, also referred to as the Net Promo Price.
Shopee is considered one of the easiest to promote affiliate programs in Malaysia.
Local and international affiliates will be able to promote Shopee on a cost-per-sale basis, and affiliates can earn high commissions for each successful sales.
Canva is the most popular graphic design application in the world.
It enables users to create social media graphics, infographic, presentations and many more.
Users can use the free templates on Canva to create eye-catching posters and banners for their advertisements.
Its mobile app, which is an Editor’s Choice app on the Google Play store, is well-received.
In addition, in 2019, Canva acquired Pixabat and Pexels, two most popular free photo marketplaces.
Canva Target Audience
Canva’s target audience ranges from design novices to design influencers; the free version provides enough design features, while the professional version has many additional features for charges.
Canva Affiliate Commissions
Commission rate: Earn up to $36 (MYR 166.81) for each new Canva Pro subscriber who signs up.
The main benefits of Canva are easy to promote and a high-paying commission.
Hence, it is also the most popular affiliate program in Malaysia.
However, this affiliate program not easy to join.
Canva has certain requirements, which is why they prefer to look for these people:
Design Influencers
Design Educators
High-traffic design-related bloggers
If you have a passion for design and would like to turn it into a side gig, then there’s enough motivation to get started.
Semrush is an all-in-one digital marketing toolkit used by more than 6 million people around the world.
The reason for its popularity is its massive database of keywords, domains, backlinks, and popular features like domain analysis, keyword research tool, and backlink analysis.
SEMRush Target Audience
The SEMrush marketing toolkit is the best marketing tool for all marketers, digital agencies, content publishers, SEO specialists, and especially those who want to take their online business or website to a new level.
SEMRush Affiliate Commisions
Commission rate: $200 (RM 926.70) per sale, $10 (RM 46.33) per trial activation, and $0.01 (RM 0.046) per account registration
The subscription plans offered by Semrush are Pro, Guru and Business.
As a member, you will receive commissions from the sales of all these programs.
Affiliate marketing is one of the oldest types of digital marketing, in which you refer someone to a business website and earn a commission when that person buys the product or service based on your recommendation.
You must have heard of Amazon, right?
Amazon is actually the largest affiliate marketing program in the U.S.
Affiliate marketing is one of the best ways to make money online, and affiliate marketing strategy is becoming more and more popular in Malaysia.
Whether you are a university student who wants to earn some passive income, or a full-time mother or housewife looking for ways to make additional money, affiliate marketing can meet your financial needs.
As of June 2023, we have updated the information to bring you some of the high-paying commissions and easy-to-promote affiliate programs in Malaysia.
We are excited to present these opportunities to you.
Let’s dive in and explore these affiliate programs.
HUBBO POS is an online ordering platform that allows restaurant customers to order their meals in advance and make payments via the app.
Customers can also choose whether to dine-in or takeaway from the restaurant.
HUBBO POS works via an app that is integrated with the POS system of the F&B outlet.
To know more about Aliments, visit the website.
5. Oddle
Oddle Online Ordering System can be used on multiple platforms.
It comes with automated orders management where you can confirm your order, let the kitchen prepare and send confirmation emails to customers all in one button.
You also can state your delivery time, charge, and your area of coverage for your business.
Oddle Online Ordering System is integrated with multiple payment gateways you can choose from.
Visit the website to know more.
6. dinlr Online Order
dinlrOnline Order provides an online website that customers can order from.
dinlr Online Order supports dine-in, pickup, and delivery orders.
Customers can also schedule their pickup time and date directly from the website.
It also comes with a delivery management system and real-time tracking, so customers can keep track of their order status starting from kitchen preparation up till delivery.
As for dine-in, dinlr Online Order uses QR Codes to place orders and make payments without having to call the waiter.
7. Storehub
Storehub POS System is integrated with accounting software that handles sales transactions, inventory management, and bookkeeping, helping you work more efficiently.
Moreover, Storehub eCommerce is also integrated into the POS System, allowing you to easily fulfil your orders and manage your online business systematically.
It offers everything from sales monitoring, guest count, sending orders to the kitchen, seating serving, peak hour performance queueing, and receipt printout.
Moreover, iChef POS is able to function offline. Visit iChef website for more information.
9. IRS Restaurant POS System
IRS F&B POS System helps you manage your table plan, inventory, sales, customers, suppliers, reports, staff, and more.
It also allows you to keep track of your daily transaction and stock tracking.
It is an easy-to-use software. Visit the website to know more.
10. FoodChow Online Ordering System
FoodChow Online Ordering System is built for small restaurants.
You can create a website for your F&B business and start to take orders online.
FoodChow also has order options such as pre-order or takeout, all can be done over the phone.
Moreover, FoodChow has features for catering orders where restaurant owners can provide orders at a discounted rate.
Lastly, it allows you to receive instant payments from customers without having to use a third-party delivery portal.
11. Xilnex LiveOrder
Xilnex LiveOrder is a cutting-edge order management system designed to revolutionize the way businesses handle online and offline orders.
With LiveOrder, businesses can seamlessly manage orders from multiple channels, including websites, mobile apps, and in-store, all in one centralized platform.
It offers real-time order tracking, inventory management, and delivery coordination, ensuring efficient order fulfillment.
LiveOrder also provides valuable insights and analytics to help businesses make data-driven decisions and optimize their operations.
With its intuitive interface and customizable features, Xilnex LiveOrder empowers businesses to streamline their order processes, increase customer satisfaction, and drive growth in today’s competitive marketplace.
12. Slurp! Point-of-sale
Slurp! is a powerful point-of-sale (POS) system designed specifically for restaurants and retail stores.
It offers a comprehensive set of features to streamline operations, enhance customer experiences, and boost efficiency.
With Slurp!, businesses can efficiently manage orders, process payments, and track inventory in real-time.
Its user-friendly interface and intuitive design make it easy for staff to navigate and serve customers seamlessly.
Slurp! also provides valuable insights and analytics to help businesses make informed decisions and drive growth.
Whether it’s a restaurant or a retail store, Slurp! POS empowers businesses to optimize their operations, improve customer satisfaction, and increase profitability.
Finally, we come to the last topic of eCommerceFest Series #1, ‘The Ultimate Tips to Pitch Your Business Idea to Investors Successfully’. This was an interesting topic that provides tips and advice for business owners to pitch to their investors successfully.
Getting investors successfully is not based on how good your presentation skills are or how pleasant your pitch deck looks.
There are many areas that investors are looking for from a business owner to decide whether the business is worth investing in. And this session focused on how to impress the investors effectively with your pitch.
The moderator (Puan Juliana Jan) and panelists (Liew Kei Yan, Ben Lim, Yi Chung Ng & Zer Ken Yap) of the event.
Let’s dive into the keynotes of Topic 3:
1. What are the investors looking for?
a. A strong team
When a startup pitches to the investors, it is crucial to show that it has a strong team. A strong team is able to choose a market that has higher potential, determine the business model, and figure things out and get things done.
b. Capture the market
When you pitch to the investors, show them that you are able to capture your target market. When your plan has the potential to capture the market, at the same time producing adequate revenue, it justifies that you can be a successful startup.
2. What to prepare before pitch your business idea to investors?
a. Prepare psychologically
Before you pitch to the investors, sit back and calm yourself. Go through your presentation deck and understand clearly what you are going to say for your pitch.
It is important for you to really understand and be clear on the points you would like to pitch to your potential investors.
b. Prepare answers for investors’ questions
After pitching to the potential investors, they will have some questions to ask you regarding your business. Imagine what questions the potential investor might ask and try to prepare a Q&A on your deck.
Preparing the answer beforehand will definitely give potential investors a good impression of your company.
c. Make sure you know your numbers
Having clear and holistic numbers like the metrics and profits is important. It is a crucial part of showing all the numbers in your pitch as this shows that you know your business well.
This is also a good indication to the investors whether you are a good company that is worth investing in. Moreover, numbers generate the interest of potential investors in your business.
3. Storytelling Vs. Metrics
a. Both are important
It is better to balance storytelling and metrics when you pitch your business idea to investors. Most of them are founders who have been through their own journey and have their own stories.
However, a business is not always about the founder. The team matters too! A team that complement each other is a strong team that is capable of overcoming different challenges.
Some people are good at storytelling, some at metrics. Both are important.
4. Just be yourself
When you pitch to potential investors, it is important to just be yourself. You need to be real when pitch your business idea to investors because if the potential investors eventually decide to invest in your business, establishing a good relationship and trust is important.
You will not want the investors to find out a different you before and after investing in your business as this will affect your credibility.
There are many competitors out there who want to seize the chance to get funded. To stand out and convince the investors to invest in your business, you need to be well-prepared.
Be prepared so that you can make the investors become interested in your pitch.
Experts who joined this panel discussion included Liew Kei Yan, Founder & CEO, PARKIT, Ben Lim, Managing Director of NEXEA, Zer Ken Yap, Co-founder of Plush Services and Kapas Living and Yi Chung Ng, Partner, ACV — all are experienced investors and business owners.
The tips and advice shared during the discussion were based on their experience and insight. Apply the valuable tips and pitch successfully.
Wish to know more? Watch the full video of this session and learn all the details!
When we think of online shopping, we usually think of clothes, travel accommodations or maybe even something interesting you saw while browsing through the endless listings.
But with the pandemic now, many of us are not going out as much as we used to.
Many have even chosen to start shopping online for essentials as well.
The results?
Many businesses, especially small businesses going online to adapt to the changing consumer behaviour or preferences.
Tune in as the Founder and CEO of Exabytes, Mr Chan Kee Siak speaks to Freda Liu from BFM89.9 on the challenges businesses face when going online and how to tackle them.
Freda:
Good morning, this is Freda Liu. You are listening to Open For Business.
More small businesses are adopting and moving to online businesses due to the pandemic.
As eCommerce is a fast-moving scene, old ways of doing business online are also quickly becoming stale.
It is no longer a matter of having an online presence.
But how do you turn it into a seamless shopping experience for your customers?
Founder and CEO of Exabytes Network or Exabytes, Chan Kee Siak is here with me as we speak and navigate around the new retail revolution and I’ll find out what the new retail means in just a while.
Good morning, Mr Chan.
Mr Chan:
Very good morning, Freda.
What Has Been Happening With Exabytes Before and During the Pandemic?
Freda:
What’s been happening with Exabytes before the pandemic and during the pandemic?
And I say before the pandemic because we have spoken before.
But that was like, you know, a long time ago.
So maybe a quick summary of the milestones and then the pandemic.
Mr Chan:
Sure, regardless it is a before or currently, during the pandemic, we only do one same thing, which is helping the businesses to grow online.
So of course, helping businesses grow online is a very broad scope.
Okay, but this is basically what we do since day one where we start to offer the business with their domain name and website.
Then slowly we have evolved to offer really large leverage of cloud solutions.
And today, we also are supporting a lot of enterprises in terms of enterprise eCommerce needs as well as enterprise cloud requirements.
Yeah, but all this has one thing in common.
You see how can they grow online by making good use of cloud eCommerce or digital.
What are Small Businesses Coming to You Now?
Freda:
Right, so what are small businesses coming to you now?
Mr Chan:
Of course, we see more and more interest and also enquiries. As well as small businesses embark on a journey of eCommerce.
In the past, when we faced more eCommerce wanted to do eCommerce, you probably think of like, you know, a young chap wanted to like sell products online.
But today, when we talk about eCommerce, especially the pandemic, you will probably see a lot more of the traditional brick and mortar business wanted to actually also make good use of digital eCommerce.
From selling groceries until like restaurants who want to have not just a website for the restaurant, but also some ordering capabilities.
So this is a trend that is happening very rapidly now.
What is New Retail?
Freda:
And you know, when you talk about the new retail, right. This is something that Jack Ma spoke about. So what is this new retail?
Mr Chan:
Right, new retail. You see how the traditional retail, the brick and mortar retail business is from into the so-called new generation, or in software terms, we call it a new version.
But I think what it really means is how the behaviour of the consumer evolve, transform and change over the years.
And how the retailers need to actually adapt themselves to make sure they are still able to connect and continue to be relevant to the new generations of retailers.
So I gave some scenarios as an example here, right?
I think in a very traditional way of maybe like 10 years ago, 5 years ago, or even today, most of the retail or retailers, they are very disconnected with the digital.
There may be a trace in retail and in retail, right?
And the mundane digital thing that they have is probably the point of sales in terms of the retail space.
Some of them may have an eCommerce division or have online stores or maybe even start selling in marketplace.
But a lot of time, most of them they see that as a marketing element.
Because every business has an eCommerce store, they need to have it. When you have a website, they need to have it.
And probably in terms of how the business grows and all that, the one managing the so-called physical retail versus the one managing the eCommerce business or the online business is entirely disconnected.
So there’s a lot of mismatch or experience that is happening.
One example is let’s say, you shop in the physical retail, you earn points as a customer but your account that you logged in you can’t use it online.
So the experience is totally disconnected and in turn, the online business unit and also the retail business unit, you are also fighting with each other.
Because totally different team managing it.
So these are the current issues that are happening in retail but I think that is normal. That is part of the transformation journey.
So when things start to get evolve, and especially accelerated with pandemic lockdown and all that right, there is stronger needs and desires for the consumers.
Consumers wanted to have a more seamless shopping experience.
Other than that, the consumers are also evolving from like, you know, going online, I want to shop for cheap or cool stuff.
Now they want to also look for their favourite brands or the brands or retailers that they are familiar with. They want to be able to buy it online, right?
So that is one of the requirements and needs that started to grow.
Then there is an urgent need for all.
The very conventional traditional retailers will start to look into how to bridge their online and offline business, how to merge it together.
So that is where, you know, the new retail starts to happen.
Why is New Retail Emerging? Is Our Mindset or Behaviour Holding Us Back?
Freda:
So it’s mostly actually when you think about it is not a technology issue. It is a mindset, an organisational issue that needs.
Mr Chan:
Behaviour.
Freda:
Behaviour, right? That needs to change. Right? This whole new retail, of course, is very successful in China you know and it is an emerging year now.
And so why is it still emerging? So is this a reason why it is holding us back? Because of the mindset, because of that behaviour that we still have not adopted?
You know, obviously, China is also the big brother telling you what to do. So but yeah? Right?
Mr Chan:
I think this is a part of the consumer shopping evolution. When you started, you may be started with like, buying discount deals in groups.
These are the Groupon era and all that.
Then slowly, people that get involved in like eCommerce buying from like malls, marketplaces and all that.
Then they started to look into the online sellers.
Right, then they started to look for certain brands that they are familiar with.
Then they started to expect all these traditional brands and retailers, in their list or neighbourhoods should have an online presence.
Then later on they will expect the online presence should connect with the offline presence.
So I think that is the evolution of consumer behaviour.
Does New Retail Involve a lot of Investment?
Freda:
So you gave an example.
You said imagine intelligent mirrors or virtual clothing try-on, virtual businesses stores and pop up stores, or simply the ability to watch 3D advertising of a luxury car driving with a QR code to purchase it immediately.
Now, when you hear this, this is seamless. This is frictionless.
But you know, is that something that involves a lot of investment?
Mr Chan:
I will say all these are part of the mix in terms of some of the new retail experience. But it does not entirely represent the new retail.
All these are very frictionless. And also, it looks very cool when it is shown.
In terms of costing, during the early days, these may cost a lot of money.
Because you need a special team who are very skilful in these techniques or technologies to be able to help you do the rendering design.
But today, because of it, in many developed markets right, it is quite normal. And because of that, the tools are widely available.
A lot of the sellers or marketplace or platforms already made some of these tools as part of their standard offering.
This means either you do not pay additional costs, or even you pay a very minimal fee, you can have access to all these features.
For example, QR code is absolutely free. You can generate QR codes easily.
I think the challenge or issue or rather say the gap here is how can the retailers especially the traditional retailers, be innovative enough and bridge the gaps.
As well as put all the components together to integrate the online versus the offline shopping experience to be as seamless as possible.
I think one of the important points to take note of is that, while we are talking about all these cool new features, right?
We have to make sure it is not too technical or hard. So it is not like you have to go download or install another software in order to enjoy that feature.
Absolutely not cool at all if you need to install something.
Freda:
And I think it’s a process of when you work with your customers. You take them through the process.
This is the end result we would like but let’s start slowly by slowly you know that kind of thing, right working with them.
And I want to talk about your acquisition of 91APP in just a moment. I’m here with Chan Kee Siak here from Exabytes.
Stay tuned to open for business BFM89.9.
How Does the 91APP Work?
Freda:
Good morning. This is Freda Liu if you have just joined us. I’m here with Chan Kee Siak, from Exabytes and we’re talking about the new retail revolution.
Now EasyStore which is a subsidiary of Exabytes has acquired 91APP, which is an omnichannel commerce solutions provider in Asia and that provides a seamless multi-channel experience.
So tell me how does the APP work?
Mr Chan:
Right, instead of calling it an acquisition, I will probably rephrase it as a very strategic joint venture partnership.
And the entity or the party that we joint venture with is actually the 91APP, their Malaysian subsidiary.
So a little background of 91APP, they are actually a company founded in Taipei, Taiwan and specialise in so-called the omnichannel or the new retail eCommerce in Taiwan for close to a decade now.
And the founding teams before they founded 91APP, they also got involved in the eCommerce industries for almost the past 20 over years, I think the very early days of eCommerce.
So I think in general, perceive it the simple is that in a more developed market, like Taiwan or even China or even US.
Their eCommerce is actually more developed and more matured than other developing markets such as Southeast Asia.
So this means because of their more mature markets and their requirements from the consumer and seller side, they have developed themselves to enter into new areas in terms of all these eCommerce related.
So the relationship is started with or we know each other for quite some time.
We also noticed and are aware that they are doing these new retail solutions in Taiwan very successfully.
So on our site, as you also know, I have my eCommerce and also cloud because I deal with a lot of SME enterprises, who always wanted to bring their business online and start doing eCommerce.
And even we are seeing people asking how to also integrate or link my online and offline business.
So we thought, 91APP solutions we have here is a very good solution. It is not just because the concept is good.
But it is also the places they sell the 91APP solution itself. As we validated and proven in Taiwan, we were used by tens of thousands of all the different retailers in Taiwan.
In fact, today, the day they are going IPO officially in Taiwan. A very solid company with the enterprise.
So with our business relationship with this company in our entity, we saw a lot of potential synergies.
This new retail solution and experience are exactly what we are lacking in this region.
We have the capabilities to do the product, but we do not have the full experience behind running the whole new retail enterprises business for 5 years, 10 years, right.
So I thought through that very strategic joint venture partnership, not only we can bring onboard their technology, their solutions, we can also tap into the experience that they have.
So that can actually help all our fellow Malaysians, especially the retailers who are interested to venture into new retail to shortcut or cut short their learning curve.
Instead of trial and error, we can directly take what they have learned in the past 10 years, and directly pick up those relevant and apply them to the scenario here in Malaysia.
Are There Any Success Stories of Businesses Using the 91APP?
Freda:
Right. So this is very new.
So are there any cases, stories, case studies that we can talk about in Malaysia, but if not in Taiwan, how they have used this APP, a business that has used this APP successfully?
Mr Chan:
Sure, I can share some examples from Taiwan that I am familiar with using their solution.
One of which is one of the retail chain convenience stores which is very popular in Taiwan and also in this country.
So how they actually been able to bridge their online and offline business, they actually advertise to all the walk-in customers to all the convenience stores to actually download their mobile APP.
Of course, you know, their eCommerce stores and all that can also be accessed through the browser on mobile.
They encourage them to download the mobile APP.
And the moment you download the mobile APP and register yourself within two clicks as a member, you actually get welcome points, right?
So with the welcome points, that is where they can start shopping at home using the APP. So, you see, this is how it changed the whole business model and also the user behaviour.
In the past, only you will be physically in the convenience stores then only you are able to transact with the convenience store by buying items or snacks and all that right.
But if you are outside the convenience store, that means there is no business deal anymore, right.
But imagine right with the APP which the mobile APP used as a medium as a platform to connect the convenience stores with the consumer.
So that means the consumers while they are at home, when they see good offers interesting products, they can continue shopping, right?
So that means that the business model is now truly 24/7 anywhere.
In the past, it is only 24/7 if you are in the convenience store.
So that experience is even more interesting by allowing the consumers when they do shopping at home, they can choose to actually pick up the products they order from the convenience stores, or they can have the products shipped to their doorsteps.
But not only that, through the APP, and the 91APP new retail solutions, they can also introduce special promotions or offers that drive the consumers back to the retail store.
For example, I will send you, Freda, a free coffee voucher.
Freda:
Okay.
Mr Chan:
But you can only claim the coffee voucher if you are in the store.
Freda:
Right.
Mr Chan:
So this is how they actually you know, someone goes offline in the retail, they continue to drive them to buy online.
When they are buying enough online, they will drive them back to the retail.
Freda:
I see.
Mr Chan:
So that is how it can maximise the entire spectrum and opportunities of what retailers possibly can do.
The only limits are really the imagination.
Freda:
Right, okay. And I guess like, when you actually physically turn up in the store, you never just go there for a cup of coffee, you will always get something else?
Mr Chan:
For sure, right and grab something.
Freda:
To eat with the coffee
Mr Chan:
Maybe a drink or something.
What has the Pandemic Taught You?
Freda:
Right. You know, as a serial entrepreneur, you know, what has this pandemic taught you?
Mr Chan:
I think there is a lot of interesting things that we learnt in the past, I think almost one and a half year now, unfortunately.
But what we can observe here is that businesses that have more digital components or capabilities can actually survive through and a lot of them actually doing quite well, during this pandemic.
Compared to those that rely on the traditional approach business, most of them are totally disconnected, right?
They do not have any digital presence. It is actually quite hard for them because once the lockdown is announced people can’t move around.
Even when there is no MCO, I think easily half of the population is actually very careful.
They don’t go out, they don’t go to the mall, they don’t go to the shop, basically.
So you can imagine the level of business that is affected.
But I also see, on the other side, regardless, they existingly, they already have the digital capabilities or eCommerce capabilities, or they only adopt it during the pandemic.
But so long, they have the eCommerce options or the digital options, a lot of them actually the business continues to grow, right.
For example, I always love this classic example, my neighbourhood grocer. In the past, they only are able to serve whoever walked into the market, right.
And that is probably limited to that Taman or neighbourhood.
But now he also has his online store and he takes orders from WhatsApp as well. So basically it is covering the customers from throughout Penang island.
So this is how making good use of digital or eCommerce can actually break the physical barriers and limitations.
It is whether you want to take that extra effort to figure out how to operate in the digital world eCommerce world.
And it is actually not hard at all, it is actually not expensive at all. A lot of them use a lot of free tools and free resources out there to help them.
Is There an Ideal Mix or Ratio of Offline and Online Presence for Businesses?
Freda:
You know, when you talk to businesses that have a physical presence, do you tell them like in an ideal situation, it should be 5050?
You know, the ratio of your businesses?Is there an ideal mix?
Mr Chan:
That won’t be like so-called best practices or the right mix. I think it varies from business to business.
But what I can see is that right, at least you have multiple channels, or at least you have retail plus you have an online channel, right?
That is where you can diverse your reach, right?
So in case, if lockdown again, but if you’re online, still operating you can still take orders vice versa.
And having it online, I think the true potential I can see even I myself or as a business owner running multiple businesses like this is that the one good benefit is by leveraging on online, my so-called, my business operation is not constrained to currently where I am located.
I can be speaking to you from Penang Island but I am doing business with customers around the world.
I think that is the beauty of having an online presence.
Freda:
Okay and you are only locked down physically but not locked down virtually.
Thanks for spending the morning with us.
I have been speaking to Chan Kee Siak, the founder and CEO of Exabytes
You have been listening to Open For Business BFM 89.9.
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