Don’t be complacent, embrace e-commerce, SMEs told

KUALA TERENGGANU – The Terengganu Malay Chamber of Commerce and Industry has urged entrepreneurs of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) not to be complacent and study e-commerce seriously to ensure business continuity.

Its deputy president, Tengku Khairi A. Rahman, said some entrepreneurs are enthusiastic only at the initial stage, but give up easily, losing their creativity.

He said the movement control order (MCO) last year has proven that online transactions are able to boost revenue for entrepreneurs.

“For a start, they can participate in basic online business courses offered by the Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation. 

“There are few courses under the Penjana package, which will take between one and five days. Some courses are free. We also offer consulting services to assist entrepreneurs who are interested in learning digital marketing methods and digitising SME operations.”

Tengku Khairi said based on a recent survey, consumers in Malaysia are found to prioritise online spending on food delivery, food items, clothing, beauty products and health supplements throughout the MCO period last year.

He added that between January and September last year, the Companies Commission of Malaysia recorded 299,431 new business registrations, with 86,295 being online businesses.

“This shows that many traders are shifting to e-commerce. SMEs need to survive and compete, especially in terms of achieving their sales target and better quality of services.”

Tengku Khairi advised entrepreneurs to evaluate and improve on a number of aspects to successfully compete on e-commerce platforms during the pandemic.

Among them are evaluating means of communication with customers, updating data, improving financial management efficiency and more efficient delivery methods.

“The readiness to find solutions is very important for entrepreneurs. We call on Bumiputera entrepreneurs to immediately act to change to more flexible business models to suit the current pandemic situation and changes in the consumer market.” – Bernama, January 26, 2021