Survey reveals Malaysians are shopping online more than before COVID-19

KUALA LUMPUR: Juwai IQI's latest survey on COVID-19 has found that 57 per cent of Malaysians are shopping online more than they ever did pre-pandemic, leading to an unprecedented boom for online shopping in the country.

In a statement today, Juwai IQI Group co-founder and chief executive officer, Kashif Ansari said that Lazada Malaysia reported a 300 per cent increase in the number of new online sellers.

"Bank Negara Malaysia said that online retail sales have nearly doubled during the pandemic, and our data shows that more consumers are spending more online today than just over a year ago," he said.

He said that the online shopping boom coincides with the rapid acceleration of other parts of the economy, resulting in a surge of cashless payments, super app usage and mobile Internet penetration.

"Retailers and producers are ramping up their online presence so they can successfully sell to consumers who are increasingly buying via their mobile phone rather than in person.

"It's happening in real estate, which used to be considered the most off-line of industries. Buyers can now complete almost the entire transaction without ever leaving their own home," he added.

Kashif said the survey also found that 68 per cent of Malaysians want to go back to working at the office or some other workplace at least two days a week, post-pandemic.

"Some office workers have discovered they can sometimes get more done and have greater job satisfaction working from home, but it's not for everyone. Only 27 per cent of people want to work from home full time.

"The new work-from-home phenomenon during the lockdowns has changed the sort of home that house buyers look for, as buyers are looking for bigger spaces, separate work nooks or home offices and extra bedrooms when they can afford them," he said.

Despite the current troubles, Kashif said 71 per cent of Malaysians believe that life in the country will be back to the pre-pandemic normal by the end of 2022.

"Not everyone is so optimistic. A total of 17 per cent of respondents only expect us to be back to normal sometime in 2023. Smaller numbers predict normalcy will return later than 2023," he said.

-- BERNAMA