Products that are highly sought after include laptops, smartphones, tablets, network components, keyboards and printers

by AZALEA AZUAR / pic by TMR FILE

GADGETS and electronics have been selling like hot cakes during the lockdown period this year compared to the same period last year.

According to Shopee Malaysia senior manager (business development) Zed Li, the demand for consumer electronics has increased threefold during the recent Full Movement Control Order (FMCO) and Extended MCO (EMCO).

“Demand for consumer electronics such as smartphones, computers and accessories has been growing consistently over the past year with higher demand noted since the occurrence of the country-wide lockdown due to the Covid-19 pandemic as Malaysians transitioned into the new norm of working and studying remotely,” he told The Malaysian Reserve (TMR).

Products that are highly sought after include laptops, smartphones, tablets, network components, keyboards and printers.

Li said within the first 10 minutes of the Shopee 11.11 Big Sale last year, Huawei Technologies Co Ltd recorded more than RM1 million in sales just with its Matebook D15 laptop.

Moreover, eight out of the top 10 performing Malaysian small and medium enterprises (SMEs) were electronics retailers who clocked in average sales of over RM800,000 each.

“During the first five days of the second MCO (MCO 2.0) was announced, items such as laptops, smartphones, tablets, network components, keyboards, printers and audio systems saw over 550,000 units sold in five days, marking a growth of four and a half times compared to the same period in MCO 1.0,” he explained.

The Yes Kasi Up SIM cards sold close to 20,000 units in five days as Malaysians sought for affordable Internet connectivity solutions to increase bandwidth at home.

With Malaysians already getting used to the new norm and adapting to working, studying and shopping online, Li expects the demand for gadgets to increase.

“Even before the pandemic, we have noticed an increasing demand for consumer electronics online as it offers users the convenience of shopping from home while enjoying all the same warranty and authenticity benefits,” he explained.

Li added that Shopee customers need not worry as all of their transactions are protected by the Shopee Guarantee Policy, where it withholds payment in escrow until they confirm that the goods received are genuine and in good condition before the money is released to sellers.

Users are able to go through a refund and return, which only takes 15 minutes once it has been approved.

“Besides that, we are also working with local SMEs such as Ninjaz, GadgetPro and GadgetHub via our unique feature called ‘Deals Near Me’ to help drive our online traffic into footfalls for these IT and gadget retailers,” Li said.

“Deals Near Me” is supported by location-based services that will efficiently connect Shopee users to offline merchants from all industries, where they can enjoy the best deals nearby.

Both users and merchants can simply purchase ShopeePay’s vouchers on the Shopee app via “Deals Near Me” and redeem them immediately at the stores to enjoy attractive cashback when they pay using ShopeePay.

“By featuring relevant deals, it leads to higher conversion and tangible sales for merchants. “This is important for business recovery amid the lockdown, where retailers are suffering from a dip in foot traffic to their stores during challenging times.”

The feature also creates a win-win situation for both users and current merchants as they strive to enable a convenient, seamless and rewarding shopping experience both offline and online.

An earlier report from TMR also revealed that parents felt one or two devices are insufficient for the entire family’s needs.

National Tech Association of Malaysia chairman Danny Lee said every child needs access to the Internet so they can sit for online classes with their teachers.

“According to statistics from the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission, the penetration rate for mobile is more than 130%, which is similar to some developed countries,” he was reported as saying.

Hence, Malaysians are more connected to the Internet while the statistics for broadband penetration at home is about 30%, which translates to one-third of all homes having access to broadband Internet.