Online sales in Malaysia increase during Ramadan and Hari Raya

In preparation for the upcoming Ramadan and Hari Raya festival celebrations, more Malaysian consumers will explore buying new items online, such as e-vouchers and groceries, in addition to shopping online solely for items such as clothing and electronics, according to online marketplace 11street.

Hoseok Kim, CEO of 11street, said: “Malaysian shoppers keep surprising us. During the Ramadan and Raya period from 2015 to 2016, we have experienced more than 2.5 times uplift in overall online sales. 11street projects that online sales will continue upward by at least 50% throughout the Ramadan and Raya periods this year, thanks to our customers’ evolving shopping patterns.”

Malaysians will continue to shop for sought-after items online, such as electronics, home gadgets and clothing apparels as they prepare for Hari Raya. According to 11street’s findings, there was a significant increase in the purchase of e-vouchers in 2016, upon the availability of more options in the category. The search for food and beverage e-vouchers surged to more than 1.2 million during the Ramadan period for that year.

As the Hari Raya holiday period approaches, 11street also anticipates that Malaysians’ search for car services and road safety-related items to multiply rapidly as they prepare to return to their hometowns. Since its inception in 2015, 11street has witnessed at least a three-fold increase in both searches and online sales for baby car seats and car maintenance packages.

The online marketplace noted these behavioural patterns were driven by the lower prices found online to combat rising cost of living, and also the convenience of online shopping coupled with the abundance in variety.