Image credit: Selangor Journal
A total of RM2mil in the form of discount vouchers will be disbursed to small and medium enterprises (SMEs) as well as micro businesses in Selangor under the state government’s e-bazaar Chinese New Year campaign.
The campaign is targeting 25,000 small and mid-size enterprises as well as micro businesses, including 12,500 new e-merchants to participate in efforts to soften the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on businesses.
The vouchers, which will be passed on to consumers by participating merchants, will be divided between the two largest online marketplace platforms in Malaysia, namely Lazada and Shopee.
State investment, industry and commerce, and small and medium enterprises committee chairman Datuk Teng Chang Khim announced that the campaign would run until March 7.
“Like previous rounds of the Selangor E-Bazar campaign, it is to assist SMEs and micro businesses in Selangor in embracing digitalisation to survive in the challenging business environment caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.
“With the current reimposition of the movement control order, going digital has never been this urgent for businesses to ensure continuous cash flow, ” he pointed out.
The campaign is jointly organised by Selangor Information Technology and Digital Economy Corporation Sdn Bhd and Invest Selangor.
Teng said the campaign would only be for businesses registered in Selangor and urged them to take advantage of it.
“The Selangor E-Bazar CNY campaign provides a safe marketplace for people to discover popular festive goods and food, including mandarin oranges, biscuits and hampers.”
Teng said the campaign would hopefully help to ensure Chinese New Year can still be celebrated in the right spirit, albeit in a different way.
“We may not be able to go back to our hometowns this year but buying gifts through the E-Bazar platform shows that our affection for our parents, family and friends will never be disrupted, even by the pandemic, ” he added.
Teng also said the state government remained committed to the digitalisation agenda in assisting SMEs, micro-SMEs and merchants to go digital.
“According to recent research by e-Conomy SEA, which was launched by Google and Temasek, Malaysia’s digital economic growth saw a 6% increase in 2020 with US$11.4bil (RM46.08bil) compared to US$10.7bil (RM43.25bil) in 2019.
“The gross merchandise value (GMV) of Malaysia’s digital economy is expected to grow to US$30bil (RM121.27bil) by 2025.
“Local businesses should make full use of this so that they can increase their income further while increasing our GMV, ” said Teng.
Following the two rounds of Selangor E-Bazar campaigns in 2020, SMEs generated a total of RM1.39bil in ripple effect to the economy through direct sales worth RM43.76mil from the total of RM3mil in vouchers channelled by the state government.
Source: https://www.thestar.com.my/metro/metro-news/2021/02/02/rm2mil-in-discount-vouchers-disbursed-under-selangor-govt-cny-e-bazaar-initiative