E-COMMERCE IN MALAYSIA A Guide for Australian Business E-Commerce in Malaysia 1 Disclaimer Copyright © Commonwealth of Australia 2020 This report has been prepared by the Commonwealth of Australia represented by the Australian Trade and Investment Commission (Austrade). The report is a general overview and is not intended to provide exhaustive coverage of the topic. 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Images/iStockphoto Publication date: May 2020 Job: 18-19-367 2 E-Commerce in Malaysia CONTENTS Executive summary 05 Malaysia’s e-commerce landscape 06 Size and growth of the market 06 Market trends 06 Key drivers of Malaysian e-commerce growth 09 Stakeholder insight – TIGAS Alliance Group 10 Major players in Malaysian e-commerce 11 Malaysia’s e-commerce platforms 12 E-commerce marketplaces 13 Specialised e-commerce platforms 14 Integrating with Malaysia’s e-commerce platforms 15 Stakeholder insight – Momentum Commerce 16 Understanding Malaysia’s online consumers 18 What products are people buying? 18 Stakeholder insight – Growth from Knowledge 20 Entry points for Australian business 21 Approaches for accessing the market 22 Logistics 23 Digital Free Trade Zone 23 Stakeholder insight – JANIO Asia 24 Understanding Malaysia’s regulations 25 Product registration 25 Product certification 26 Government policy and regulation frameworks 26 National eCommerce Strategic Roadmap 27 Policy implications for Malaysia 27 Relevant organisations 27 How Austrade can help 29 About this report 'E-commerce in Malaysia: a guide for Australian business' was prepared in consultation with Matryzel Consulting Sdn Bhd. E-Commerce in Malaysia 3 4 E-Commerce in Malaysia EXECUTIVE SUMMARY As Malaysia continues its push towards a digital economy, the digital sector is forecast to make up 20 per cent of the GDP by 2025. With a substantial and growing consumer market and a mobile penetration rate of 144 mobile devices per 100 people (DFAT, 2019), opportunities in e-commerce are significant. Home to the largest e-commerce platform in Southeast Asia (Lazada), Malaysia can be considered as an entry point for cross-border opportunities to other regional markets. Malaysia has built cross-border logistics facilities (Digital Free Trade Zone) in order to enhance its potential to fulfil across ASEAN. Continuous income growth has led to significant growth in online retail sales, which are expected to grow to RM24.9 billion (A$8.7 billion) by 2020, supported by higher income among Malaysians. The top three product categories with the highest potential for Australian businesses are: fashion and cosmetics, sports-related goods, and food and groceries (DFAT, 2019). Austrade Malaysia’s in-house research conducted for this guide found that: Malaysia has the highest rate of smartphone possession Malaysia is facing an upward trend in e-commerce in ASEAN, with smartphones increasingly becoming the for the period 2018 to 2023, with sales for 2019 main driver of online sales. estimated to be worth A$12.1 billion (Euromonitor, Malaysia E-commerce, 2013-2023). Malaysians shop online mainly for foreign brands, with Within Southeast Asia, Malaysians, Thais and foreign purchases outstripping domestic purchases by Singaporeans are most receptive to shopping online for 31.2 per cent (Euromonitor, Malaysia E-commerce, 2013- foreign brands and hold potential for Australian brands 2023). to tap into. There is an opportunity for Australian products under the Understanding the regulatory landscape is important to Malaysia-Australia Free Trade Agreement (MAFTA) – 99 ensuring a smooth trading relationship with the market, per cent of products are tariff free. including import requirements and halal certification. E-Commerce in Malaysia 5 MALAYSIA’S E-COMMERCE LANDSCAPE Size and growth of the market Malaysia’s internet infrastructure, youthful, tech-savvy population and rising mobile/broadband penetration rates all point to strong potential for the country’s e-commerce market. Smartphones will become an increasingly important driver of online sales, however, high-value orders will continue to be mostly transacted via PCs. Malaysia’s e-commerce sector is growing, with consumers beginning to warm up to the idea of technology-enabled payment systems, from traditional internet banking to mobile financing. Consumer purchasing habits are evolving, supported by the Malaysian Government’s National e-commerce Strategic Roadmap, which seeks to promote growth in online retail and attract investment in the sector from global players. Market trends 1. From 2018 to 2019, Malaysia had the biggest increase in total e-commerce activities (46.5 per cent) in ASEAN, followed by Indonesia (28.1 per cent) and Thailand (17.3 per cent). 2. For the period 2018 to 2023, Malaysia is forecast to have the highest growth rate (35 per cent) for total e-commerce activities in ASEAN, followed by Indonesia (26.9 per cent) and Thailand (17.9 per cent). Figure 1 — Online retail value across ASEAN 6,000.0 40.0 35.0 5,000.0 30.0 4,000.0 25.0 3,000.0 20.0 15.0 2,000.0 10.0 Retail value in MYR (million) Retail value in MYR 1,000.0 5.0 0.0 0.0 Indonesia Malaysia Singapore Thailand Vietnam 4,304.9 2,036.9 1,040.8 2,008.8 2,323.3 2,186.2 5,518.5 2,985.3 1,243.2 2,601.0 2,725.9 2,546.5 24.3 32.5 21.3 19.0 14.6 36.8 26.9 35.0 20.5 17.8 17.9 15.8 2018 actual 2019 forecast 2013-2018 CAGR 2018-2023 CAGR Source: Euromonitor, Malaysia E-commerce, 2013–2023 6 E-Commerce in Malaysia 3. From 2018 to 2019, Malaysia had the biggest increase in foreign e-commerce activities (54.9 per cent) in ASEAN. This indicates that Malaysians are increasingly inclined to shop online for foreign brands. 4. For the period 2018 to 2023, Malaysia is forecast to have the highest growth rate (41.2 per cent) for foreign e-commerce activities in ASEAN. Figure 2 — Foreign online retail value across ASEAN 1,800.0 45.0 1,600.0 40.0 1,400.0 35.0 1,200.0 30.0 1,000.0 25.0 800.0 20.0 600.0 15.0 400.0 10.0 Retail value in MYR (million) Retail value in MYR 200.0 5.0 0.0 0.0 Indonesia Malaysia Singapore Thailand Vietnam 215.2 156.8 462.0 873.0 426.3 320.1 1,694.1 178.0 624.2 1,082.9 483.8 38.8 36.1 16.5 20.1 17.7 31.8 39.4 41.2 18.4 21.1 23.2 13.9 2018 actual 2019 forecast 2013-2018 CAGR 2018-2023 CAGR Source: Euromonitor, Malaysia E-commerce, 2013–2023 5. For the period 2018 to 2023, Malaysia is forecast to have the highest growth rate (50.4 per cent) for mobile e-commerce activities in ASEAN. Figure 3 — Mobile online retail value across ASEAN 5,000.0 160.0 4,500.0 140.0 4,000.0 120.0 3,500.0 3,000.0 100.0 2,500.0 80.0 2,000.0 60.0 1,500.0 40.0 1,000.0 Retail value in MYR (million) Retail value in MYR 500.0 20.0 0.0 0.0 Indonesia Malaysia Singapore Thailand Vietnam 3,501.8 720.3 677.9 1,207.3 1,045.5 983.8 4,623.7 1,206.4 836.5 1,651.6 1,308.4 1,196.9 89.0 42.0 63.8 31.7 85.9 150.2 29.5 50.4 24.6 20.8 23.6 19.2 2018 actual 2019 forecast 2013-2018 CAGR 2018-2023 CAGR Source: Euromonitor, Malaysia E-commerce, 2013–2023 E-Commerce in Malaysia 7 6. Mobile e-commerce is one of the future key contributors to e-commerce in Malaysia due to high internet penetration and increasing smartphone possession. Figure 4 — Smartphone possession across ASEAN 100.0 18.0 90.0 16.0 80.0 14.0 70.0 12.0 60.0 10.0 50.0 8.0 40.0 6.0 30.0 20.0 4.0 % of household 10.0 2.0 0.0 0.0 Indonesia Malaysia Singapore Thailand Vietnam 56.7 74.7 56.2 70.2 62.0 60.8 62.2 78.8 61.7 74.9 67.5 66.5 15.2 10.3 15.7 11.5 14.7 15.4 6.9 3.7 7.1 4.6 6.2 6.5 2018 actual 2019 forecast 2013-2018 CAGR 2018-2023 CAGR Source: Euromonitor, Malaysia E-commerce, 2013–2023 8 E-Commerce in Malaysia Key drivers of Malaysian e-commerce growth Malaysia’s internet and mobile connectivity, coupled with public sector support, have seen steady growth in the country’s e-commerce market.