GEORGE TOWN: Online shopping has transformed consumer habits, forcing traditional market traders to adapt while leveraging the advantages of physical stores.
At the Tun Sardon market near here, fishmonger Eddie Ashraft, 27, has seen shopping habits change significantly over the past eight years.
“When I started selling fish at 19, everything was done in person. To stay competitive, we moved online and expanded delivery services during the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Today, about 70% of my business comes from online orders, while only 30% of customers shop at the market,” he said.
Eddie said younger customers preferred the convenience of ordering through their app, while others used WhatsApp to place orders.
He charges only RM1 or RM2 extra for vacuum-packed frozen seafood, with delivery costing RM7 to RM13 depending on location.
Despite growing online sales, Eddie said many customers still valued the market experience.
He also livestreams his business daily on TikTok, allowing customers to see operations and interact directly.
At Chowrasta Market, clothing trader Khoo Eng Lai, 80, said physical stores still offered advantages e-commerce could not.
“Customers cannot try on clothes or feel the material when shopping online,” he said.
He said many tourists still preferred shopping in person for the satisfaction of choosing items themselves and taking home keepsakes from their visits.
Nearby, snack trader Edmund Saw, 44, said his business offered customers an experience, not just products.
“We have more than 200 local products under one roof. Customers can compare items, ask questions, sample products and check expiry dates before buying,” he said.
Third-generation snack trader Christine Teh, 65, said customers continued returning because her products were fresh.
“We stock fresh tau sar pneah (mung bean biscuit) every day, so customers know exactly what they’re getting.
“Online purchases may arrive broken or close to expiry dates,” she said.
Teh, who runs the family business with her sister Shirlyn, 58, said physical stores remained important for first-time buyers.
“Many customers want to see products, ask questions and build confidence before buying. Once they know what they like, many return to order online later,” she said.
Northern Malaysia Coalition of Hawkers Associations vice-chairman Seaw Hean Teik said traders’ experiences reflected a wider shift in Penang’s markets.
“About 70% of night market traders used to sell clothes and other non-food items. Today, most sell food because clothing and household goods have moved online,” said the 78-year-old former night market trader.
He said rising costs also added pressure, with stall rentals increasing from RM5 a day about 20 years ago to around RM30 today.
He said the decline was especially evident at the Farlim night market, which had more than 500 stalls in the 1990s, but only about 100 remain now.
Seaw said many traders moved to morning markets because there is guaranteed customer traffic.
Others, he said, open permanent shops, or source products online before reselling them.
