THE ease and range that e-commerce affords buyers is catching on fast in Malaysia.
According to the DataReportal website, about 80% of Malaysians between ages 16 and 64 are already shopping online. In fact, the website stated that Malaysians’ online spending is more than any other Southeast Asian nation.
Although this might look significant, apparently the average e-commerce revenue per user (ARPU) in the country is still barely a quarter of the global average.
Perhaps the reason that saturation is still not yet achieved is that quite a number of buyers still look to online shopping for only cheap and brandless items.
Some certainly fear online frauds, which could be the major barrier that online shopping has to overcome. Other than that, some would say items that require fitting, such as shoes and clothes, need to be physically handled and tried on before buying.
Also, you have to wait for the item you bought, and at times delivery might even end up being delayed for months. Others cite being unable to bargain, hidden costs and unforeseen shipping charges – the list goes on.
Yet it was during the height of the pandemic that online shopping took off, especially in the food delivery segment, but certainly online shopping for grocery items or others have observed a sizable spike.
With that, it seems that there is still room for growth, something that new industry player Vettons Sdn Bhd is eyeing.
This e-commerce and retail company has plans that will make waves in the online shopping world locally and abroad by reinventing the retail ecosystem, starting locally.
Vettons has two apps available, one for buyers, which provides a cleaner and less cluttered user interface (UI) for online shoppers to navigate, and one dedicated for merchants.
These apps are both readily available on both Apple App Store and Google Play.
Cleaner, more intuitive user experience
The items that Vettons’ User App hosts are fully assured of their brand quality.
With that in mind, the app will only recommend fully original products, which are backed by authentic brand owners as well as verified distributors and resellers.
Vettons has adopted smarter delivery options that at best will offer the same-day or 24-hour delivery. Users can also choose to purchase from merchants or resellers who are closest to their location.
The app integrates smarter, more intuitive AI technology that takes the user’s experiences even further, by introducing an easier and more meaningful shopping journey.
An example is how the algorithm sources the instant best prices for individual users.
The Vettons User App integrates smarter, more intuitive AI technology that takes the user’s experiences even further.
Merchants’ tool to excel in performance
Vettons Merchant is a separate tool that aims to assist merchants to sell better and smarter.
Right from the start, it has a ready platform for merchants that enables product and content to be uploaded in an easy manner, a feature that is a boon for first-time online sellers.
The app creates a trusted marketplace environment for merchants to sell, which in turn secures their brand integrity as well as for the products.
The app also supports full logistics when it comes down to shipping.
Envisioning smarter retail methods
Vettons is a homegrown brand and is certainly poised for overseas expansion.
With the simple yet focused objective of aiming to ease the everyday life of consumers, Vettons is consistently improving its technology and user experiences with its apps, in order to declutter and simplify the choices of shopping online for its users.
Soon it plans to develop an ecosystem of apps that focuses on the brand, trade and fleet segments.
Vettons has also put in place a programme that helps motivate its merchants, through incentives and other means.
The company is continuously working to attain a “win-win” situation that will benefit all, including merchants and consumers.
The Vettons apps are readily available on both Apple App Store and Google Play.
