What does the Malaysian consumer behaviour look like as CNY nears?

As we head into Malaysia’s first festive season this year, the uncertainty from COVID-19 persists throughout the nation, impacting dozens of industries albeit differently. 

The Movement Control Order (MCO) 2.0 was implemented slightly over a month before the arrival of Chinese New Year causing those who celebrate by visiting or being visited by their relatives, to plan an alternative way to keep the festive mood up. 

But what kind of impact does the current situation have on Malaysians’ purchasing behaviour? There are a couple of different aspects to consider. 

While the purchasing behaviour of consumers have shifted in favour of online retailers and stores since the MCO 1.0, are clearly shifting in favour of online retailers and stores, there has also been an increase in the options for consumers to choose from. 

Based on the pre-CNY mentions of e-commerce platforms on Twitter, it was revealed that the highest number of recorded mentions per day was of Shopee (183) followed by Lazada (84) and Mudah.my (43). 

Seasonal spikes in activities on e-commerce platforms are common and expected, but the effect is compounded with the movement restrictions this time. Malaysians who are not returning to celebrate are resorting to purchasing online and have gifts delivered instead. This makes e-commerce platforms with existing logistic partners and services an enticing option for retailers and manufacturers.

In terms of items purchased, customers are seen spending the most on furniture and decoration; electronic and basic necessities. Unsurprisingly, bird’s nest, abalone, and dried meat are among the top searched items (specifically on Shopee). 

In another recent study from January 13th to 25th, the engagement on retail brands’ social platforms are bustling with activities. As one of the essential industries, retailers are actively posting their festive promotions online and based on the total engagements on the brands’ social media CNY content, Teso is in the lead (73,531) followed by FamilyMart (16,792) and 7-Eleven (15,747). 

However, the difference in audience demography and volume of promotional posts combined with the volume of consumer enquiries and complaints contributed largely to the above numbers, highlighting the connection between engagement and its ability to amplify the visibility of complaints and concerns voiced by consumers. 

Source of information: Wisesight

Wisesight has a multitude of social intel solutions and custom objective research services working with brands across APAC. Drop an email at [email protected] or chat with us on LinkedIn @Wisesight for social intel or industry studies that enable people-centric-data-based decision making.

Main image courtesy of 123rf

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