WITH the announcement of the second movement control order, online shopping is once again in the spotlight.
Shopee observed that there was increased traffic on its platform but with no signs of panic buying compared to the first MCO in March last year.
Ho says during the first five days of MCO 2.0, Malaysians were buying more tech gadgets and home decor items.
Back then, there was a spike in orders for food, face masks and hand sanitiser.
Now, tech goods, home improvement tools as well as dry, processed, fresh and frozen food, and health and cleaning products are being sought after.
Shopee regional managing director Ian Ho said this was probably because Malaysians were more prepared for MCO 2.0.
“Data shows that Malaysians are purchasing items to adapt to working and/or studying remotely as well as to spruce up the home as reflected in the growth recorded for non-groceries categories.”
The online platform compared and analysed consumer trends for five days, namely March 16 to 20 last year against Jan 11 to 15 this year.
Five times more snacks such as biscuits, chocolates, dried fruits and nuts, as well as keropok amounting to half-a-million units were purchased.
Demand for meat, fish, vegetables and fruits almost doubled to 85,000 units while pet food and treats tripled with over 330,000 units sold.
With consumers spending more time at home, home improvement and decor products saw over 900,000 items sold.
Malaysians were also on the lookout for electronic items such as laptops, smartphones, tablets, network components, keyboards, printers and audio systems, which saw over 550,000 units sold.
They sourced Shopee as well for affordable Internet connectivity solutions to increase bandwidth at home. As a result, the YES Kasi Up SIM cards saw close to a 20,000 uptake in five days.
With the upcoming Chinese New Year celebrations, it seems that the festive shopping spirit remains undaunted.
Chinese New Year decorations, soft drinks, bakkwa, bird’s nest, abalone, ox family-matching T-shirts and cheongsam were among the top 30 keyword searches.
Shopee anticipates these searches will trend upward, especially with the shopping platform’s 2.2 CNY Sale until Feb 13.
The platform will be providing Malaysians with an array of products so they will be able to get their essentials safely from home with daily 88% discount vouchers, free shipping with a minimum spend of RM10 as well as bargains priced at 8sen.
The sale will also bring users daily RM8,888 Shopee Fortune Box with cash prizes ranging from 88sen, RM8.88, RM88.88 and RM888.88 all the way to the grand prize of RM8,888.
Increase the chances of winning prizes by tuning in to live-stream sessions.
Malaysians will be treated to upsized deals to mark the start of the campaign, a Pay Day Sale and its first-ever flagship 2.2 CNY Sale.
On special dates, users will receive additional 88,000 free shipping vouchers applicable for purchases from as low as RM8,50% Shopee Coins Cashback vouchers and more discounts.
Additionally, get up to 80% off on Limited Time Huat Huat Deals happening at midnight, noon and 8pm on Jan 18 and Feb 2.
In keeping with its agenda to offer its users entertainment alongside shopping, Malaysians can play games such as Shopee Farm, Shopee Bubble, Shopee Candy and Spin & Win to win from a pool of 18,888,888 Shopee Coins.
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