#RayaBersamaShopee Virtual Forum shares urgent need for more digital inclusivity
Shopee Malaysia hosted a virtual forum dubbed #RayaBersamaShopee Marketplaces: Towards a More Inclusive and Participative Economy where invited speakers shared how critical technology was to empowering underserved communities to be contributing members of society.
#RayaBersamaShopee Marketplaces: Towards a More Inclusive and Participative Economy forum highlights
In the #RayaBersamaShopee Marketplaces: Towards a More Inclusive and Participative Economy forum, three keynote speakers shared their thoughts on the subject. They were YB Senator Datuk Ras Adiba, Chairman of Malaysian National News Agency (BERNAMA) and President of OKU Sentral, Dr. Mohd Afzanizam Abdul Rashid, Chief Economist of Bank Islam Malaysia Berhad, and Kenneth Soh, Head of Marketing Campaigns at Shopee Malaysia.
“The Internet saved our lives. It gave us access to communication. As many of us are home bound, the Internet is a way for us to reach out and learn new skills, trades and survive. Those of us who did not have money, selling things via the Internet really helped us and lifted us up,” said YB Senator Datuk Ras Adiba with special emphasis on the challenges of the physically challenged community in contributing to the economy.
“In addition, online business classes allowed us to be economically resourceful and see ourselves like any other business person. For those of us who cannot go out, this allows us to do it from home,” added the senator. She believes more must be done to aid the underserved community “The government must give grants, loans and coaching. The training Shopee is providing for online sellers is vital. For those of us who cannot go out, these programmes enable us to work and earn a living from home.”
During the course of the forum, Shopee shared some very interesting facts that were conducted in a recent survey earlier this month. Of the some 2,000 participating sellers in the #RayaBersamaShopee event, 70% were female, 48% were 30 to 39 years old and 35% are under 18 to 30 years old.
In the last Raya period, they made close to RM1,000 each selling women’s fashion and accessories and/or Health and Beauty products. By extension, these individuals provided for more than 3 household dependents on average with the majority residing in the Klang Valley or Johor.
“Our marketplace survey found that every local seller selling Made in Malaysia products supports on average more than five household dependents across the nation. Through our hyper-localised campaigns like #RayaBersamaShopee, sellers in rural areas can promote their products to consumers more easily. Our key differentiator is our localised strategy in digitalising rural communities and digital upskilling. That’s how #ShopeeSapotLokal drives e-commerce growth in a sustainable and inclusive way on behalf of all our sellers and the communities they support,” said Kenneth Soh, Head of Marketing Campaigns at Shopee Malaysia.
To drive additional e-commerce growth, Shopee Malaysia will host their annual Seller Summit 2022 on 16th June 2022 with a ‘Level Up: Driving Growth Together’ theme.