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MALAYSIA is a mobile-first market with a mobile Internet penetration rate of 65% – the third highest in South-East Asia in 2015 – a figure expected to hit to 100% by 2020, according to Google Malaysia.
 
This makes the country, with over 20 million mobile Internet users, a mature market filled with online-savvy, mobile-first consumers.
 
But Malaysian small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are not buying in, or in terms of business-savvy at least, are not cashing in.
 
Malaysian SMEs are not putting enough priority on their mobile online presence and discoverability, according to Sajith Sivanandan, managing director of Google Malaysia, Vietnam, Philippines and New Emerging Markets.
 
“These SMEs are invisible to two-thirds of the Malaysian population and the rest of the global market which is online,” he said after an SME-focused ‘Go Digital’ workshop in Kuala Lumpur on May 9.
 
The workshop was a collaboration between SME Corp and Maxis Bhd to help Malaysian SMEs take advantage of the Internet to grow their business.
 
Sajith said the battle for customers today is won in ‘micro-moments.’
 
“Micro-moments are spontaneous moments of decision-making and preference-shaping that dictate outcomes throughout the entire consumer journey, and this is happening with consumers who are on smartphones.
 
“We think there is tremendous growth potential for Malaysia SMEs, given the mobile-first nature of Internet users here in Malaysia,” he added.

 

Source: https://www.digitalnewsasia.com/mobility/malaysians-get-mobility-programme-malaysian-smes-way-behind