KUALA LUMPUR: A study by Commerce.Asia, an e-commerce ecosystem of technology and big data solutions company, reveals some surprising purchases made by Malaysians during the Movement Control Order (MCO), which include ladies underwear and libido enhancers.
Commerce.Asia saw a surge of 149 percent year-on-year Gross Merchandise Volume (GMV) growth in the first quarter since the MCO was introduced.
According to Commerce.Asia's founder and executive chairman Ganesh Kumar Bangah, e-commerce continues to be one of few industries that would thrive in such challenging circumstances.
The former National Tech Association of Malaysia (Pikom) chairman added that, despite the pandemic, Commerce.Asia’s ecosystem is seeing a very encouraging spike in this first quarter of the year.
“We are seeing significant growth in our merchants’ sales across various product categories. While some were practical purchases of essential items, other purchases were complete surprises to us given that the country is undergoing MCO. This change in buying behaviour shows that Malaysians are adapting to the new living situations,” said Ganesh.
“We foresee a permanent change in consumer behaviour with many opting to make their purchases via digital marketplaces even after the MCO is lifted,” he added.
What Malaysians bought online during MCO?
To answer this question, Commerce.Asia leveraged its database to analyse sales trends (30 days of MCO vs 30 days before MCO) across their merchants and compiled a list of the fastest growing e-commerce product categories with fascinating results.
From the list below, consumers’ purchasing behaviour appears to have embarked on a different curve since the MCO. With health being a major concern, it was no surprise that latex gloves saw staggering increased sales as people try to protect themselves from the coronavirus.
And while essential items such as food, toiletries and baby products surged in sales as expected, surprisingly, the fastest growing product transacted during the MCO was ladies underwear.
A summary of the study, “What Malaysians are shopping online 30 days on MCO vs 30 days before MCO?” is listed below:
NO | PRODUCT CATEGORY | SALES GROWTH (%) |
1 | Ladies Underwear | 909% |
2 | Latex Gloves | 888% |
3 | Frying Pan & Woks | 880% |
4 | Gelatine Powder | 347% |
5 | Hair Shampoo | 325% |
6 | Babies Blankets | 266% |
7 | Salt | 250% |
8 | Black Seed Oil | 243% |
9 | Home Fitness Equipment | 200% |
10 | Apple Cider Vinegar | 200% |
11 | House Carpets | 156% |
12 | Toothpaste | 134% |
13 | Libido Enhancers | 104% |
14 | Babies Clothing | 83% |