THE Selangor government will allocate RM2mil in the form of discount vouchers for its latest Selangor E-Bazaar initiative.
It is to assist small and medium enterprises (SMEs) as well as microbusinesses in the state affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.
The campaign from Oct 26 to Nov 26 will be held on online business platforms Shopee and Lazada and is estimated to benefit 10,000 local SMEs.
State investment, industry and commerce, and small and medium enterprises committee chairman Datuk Teng Chang Khim said the Selangor E-Bazaar was open to merchants with a registered Selangor address.
Those who are interested can join the voucher campaign for free by registering at sitec.com.my/selangorebazar
They can then choose to participate in either or both platforms.
“Each platform will receive RM1mil for the month-long campaign and will dedicate a microsite on each platform (shopee.com.my/selangorebazar and lazada.com.my/selangor) for the campaign,” he said, adding that it would be coordinated by Invest Selangor Berhad and Selangor Information Technology and E-Commerce Council (Sitec).
Teng said this during the online launch of the latest initiative which will be held in conjunction with the Nov 11 Singles’ Day Mega Sales campaign.
He added that Selangor was the only state to launch two major online voucher campaigns to assist SMEs and microbusinesses in embracing digitalisation to survive the challenging business climate caused by Covid-19.
“While it may be overwhelming for traditional businesses trying to find their footing in the digital space within a short time, business owners must possess the right mindset to adopt the best practice to compete in the new norm,” he said.
Both Shopee and Lazada will provide free training for participating merchants to improve their marketing skills, as well as market updates to further help them grow their business.
The previous Selangor E-Bazaar Raya Campaign from May 4 to July 4 saw RM1mil in vouchers channelled by the state government, with merchants successfully generating RM11.7mil in direct revenue.
According to data from the state government, it generated a RM341.5mil ripple effect to SMEs.
“Following the success of the first Selangor E-Bazaar Raya with Shopee, it is only right for us to continue the momentum with the Selangor government on the Nov 11 mega sales,” said Shopee regional managing director Ian Ho.
He added that they were optimistic that Selangor E-Bazaar 11.11 would generate positive results for entrepreneurs in the state and contribute to the state’s economic prosperity while offering essential goods at reasonable prices during these uncertain times.
Lazada Malaysia chief executive Leo Chow said, “With more than 320,000 SMEs joining our platform and increased registration of new local e-sellers of more than 200% during the first half of the year, Lazada has become a major destination for local entrepreneurs to make sure their business is future-proof by selling online.
“With one third of Malaysia’s population buying online through our platform every month, we look forward to continuing working with Sitec through the Selangor E-Bazaar campaign, as the online initiative will help Malaysia’s economy to recover,” said Chow.
Source : https://www.thestar.com.my/metro/metro-news/2020/10/28/shot-in-the-armfor-selangor-smes