(from left) Saifuddin, MYNIC chairman Dr Mohamed Awang Lah and Hasnul at the recent launch of PRIME in Putrajaya.
THE Covid-19 pandemic has increased the usage of online shopping, which has in turn accelerated growth of the e-commerce industry. In the past few years, the adoption of online shopping has been on a steady rise, but not at the significant level that it is now.
The sharp increase can be attributed to the pandemic, as according to a survey conducted by Standard Chartered, 73% consumers are more positive about online shopping. DataReportal also reported that 80% of Malaysians between age 16 and 64 are already shopping online, revealing that the country's online spending is more than any other Southeast Asian nation.
This is a golden opportunity for Malaysian entrepreneurs to capitalise on the changing consumer behaviour to grow their businesses and increase their market reach.
The new ‘.biz.my’ domain category was recently launched under the Program Realisasi Impian Ekonomi Digital (PRIME) by Communications and Multimedia (KKMM) Minister Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah to help micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) start their digital transformation journey.
MYNIC organised its first-ever virtual event to launch PRIME on Nov 27 at KKMM in Putrajaya.
As such, national level domain name provider, MYNIC, is offering free ‘.biz.my’ domain subscriptions worth RM1.6mil to 20,000 eligible MSMEs.
With a ‘.biz.my’ domain name, businesses can gain a competitive advantage as search engine optimisation will enable users with a local domain to be prioritised, ensuring improved visibility. It also increases credibility and improves the security of the website.
Registration for the free ‘.biz.my’ domain can be made through http://prime.mynic.my starting Dec 1,2020. Eligible MSMEs can apply for one ‘.biz.my’ domain free for one year, throughout the promotion period, which ends on Jan 31,2021.
In order to accelerate the adoption and create awareness, MYNIC collaborated with 10 strategic partners, namely the Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation, the Ministry of Rural Development and the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industries with their agencies, Amanah Ikhtiar Malaysia, the Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation, SME Corporation, Perbadanan Usahawan Johor Sdn Bhd, Pahang Go Sdn Bhd, the Sarawak Digital Economy Corporation and University of Technology Malaysia's School of Professional, and Continuing Education to drive the digital adoption of ‘.biz.my’.
Hasnul: “We hope to spur more businesses to embrace digitisation to help them stay competitive in Malaysia’s digital economy.”
MYNIC chief executive officer Datuk Ts Hasnul Fadhly Hasan said following the introduction of PRIME at the national level, the initiative will also be launched at state level in collaboration with state digital agencies.
Additionally, MYNIC will carry out a digital entrepreneurship training programme for 5,000 registered MSMEs under PRIME in 2021. The development of a digital directory will also be introduced in mid-2021 to provide exposure and empower digital platforms in the country.
"With the introduction of ‘.biz.my’ domain category, we hope to spur more businesses to embrace digitisation to help them stay competitive in Malaysia's digital economy. By offering MSMEs free ‘.biz.my’ domains and an opportunity to create their own unique Malaysian business identity online, we are confident it will help grow their businesses in both the local and international markets," said Hasnul.
MYNIC is an agency under the KKMM that is dedicated to helping Malaysians reach out to the world via the use of ‘.my’ domain names.
