BY THE time “11.11”, Black Friday and Cyber Monday banners go live, many shoppers have already compared prices, shortlisted products and decided which retailers deserve a closer look.
For Malaysian businesses, making the most of the year-end shopping season means preparing for customer needs as carefully as promotions.
Global cloud communications platform, Infobip’s 2026 survey of 1,708 consumers across nine international markets, including India and the Philippines, offers insights into changing shopping expectations.
Conducted around Black Friday and Cyber Monday shopping, it found that 25% of respondents wanted holiday promotions in October or earlier, while 45% planned to spend more than the previous year.
Earlier, not louder
The opportunity to reach shoppers sooner comes with a warning: more messages do not necessarily mean more interest.
In Infobip’s survey, 75% cited excessive messaging frequency as a reason for unsubscribing from brands, while 66% were willing to share product preferences in exchange for more personalised offers.
“Consumers aren't tired of hearing from brands; they're tired of noise. During high-stakes periods, winning over shoppers means respecting their preferences and delivering hyper-relevant, timely suggestions rather than blasting generic promotions,” said Infobip Asia-Pacific and Eurasia vice president and general manager Ruslana Reznikova.
For example, a customer who has shown interest in a particular phone may welcome a timely offer on that model, but repeated promotions for unrelated products are less likely to help.
Retailers could use customer preferences, wish lists and purchase histories, where customers have agreed to share them, to segment audiences and make messages more relevant.
Clear consent and an easy way for shoppers to update their preferences are equally important. Personalisation should make shopping easier, not leave customers overwhelmed.
Channel choice also matters. Email remained the preferred promotional channel among 88% of surveyed respondents.
Meanwhile, Infobip forecasts 252% year-on-year growth in global Rich Communication Services (RCS) traffic on Black Friday, reflecting the growing adoption of interactive messages that can carry images, buttons and other rich content.
The lesson is not to chase every new channel. Email can deliver detailed offers, SMS can carry time-sensitive updates and messaging apps such as WhatsApp and Viber can enable two-way conversations.
What matters is matching the message to the moment, rather than sending the same promotion everywhere.
Service is part of the sale
Getting a shopper's attention is only the beginning. Someone considering a discounted appliance may still need to compare specifications, confirm availability or understand a voucher's conditions before buying.
Here, conversational artificial intelligence (AI) has a practical role.
Infobip found that 73% of surveyed consumers trusted AI to help compare products. Properly connected to product and inventory information, an AI assistant could answer straightforward questions and help customers find suitable options, even when enquiries surge. More complex issues should still have a route to a human agent.
The need for fast, reliable communication continues after payment, as nearly half of respondents (48.4%) expected an order confirmation within a minute.
Delivery tracking, order changes and returns can all generate follow-up questions, particularly when sales volumes rise.
Retailers should therefore plan the entire journey before campaigns begin. Sending another promotion to someone still awaiting an answer about an existing purchase is hardly a good customer experience.
Connecting the experience
Delivering that consistency becomes difficult when marketing, sales and customer support operate on separate systems.
A shopper should not have to repeat an enquiry every time the conversation moves between channels.
Infobip’s AgentOS is designed to bring customer information, communication channels, AI agents and human support together in a unified platform.
Retailers could use it to coordinate personalised campaigns, automate order notifications and maintain context across customer service conversations.
“A seamless customer journey shouldn’t break just because a shopper switches from an Instagram ad to WhatsApp support. Unified platforms like Infobip AgentOS ensure that context is never lost, turning fragmented interactions into fluid, continuous shopping experiences,” said Reznikova.
Gulf retailer Alyasra Fashion offers a real-world example. Working with Infobip, it expanded WhatsApp from a service channel into marketing and shopping, allowing customers to browse a catalogue, contact support and proceed to checkout.
The retailer also reported approximately 30x tracked return on its WhatsApp marketing, attributing online and in-store purchases made within seven days of customers receiving promotional messages.
For Malaysian retailers preparing for the shopping season rush, the priorities are practical: reach interested shoppers before the rush, make assistance easy to find and keep them informed once an order is placed.
Competitive prices may bring customers to checkout, but the experience surrounding the purchase can influence whether they come back.
For more information, visit www.infobip.com.
