SHOPEE Marketplace collected voluntary feedback from over 5,000 Malaysian buyers and sellers on its platform for one month, from July 19, 2022 to Aug 17, 2022, collecting data for one of the largest market research studies for e-commerce. Based on the survey results, Shopee published a study titled "Winning Malaysian Loyalty in E-Commerce".
Eighty-seven per cent of Malaysians surveyed said they prefer Shopee Mall official brands e-stores due to the 100 per cent guaranteed authentic products, hassle-free returns, and free shipping while the remaining chose these official storefronts for they feel rewarded especially with exclusive launches as well as with Shopee Brand Memberships.
For all other sellers across the platform, five in 10 shoppers repeatedly return to their favourite stores for more than four years due to in-app personalisation and engaging recommendations.
These respondents equated personalised engagements with 25 per cent of respondents saying they love product recommendations and bundles that fit their needs, 14 per cent (trusted in safe and secure packaging), timely chat responses (8pc), and personal gift surprises (4pc).
On the other hand, 49 per cent claim they prefer being rewarded with vouchers and discounts over personalisation.
"It's encouraging for brands to know that Malaysian consumers are very discerning online and will be loyal to brands that can be trusted. When faced with two similar sellers, six in 10 customers still choose official Shopee Mall brands because Shopee ensures users receive twice their money back if the products purchased on Shopee Mall are not authentic. Shopee Mall is trusted by over 4,500 partner brands in Malaysia and many of whom are integrating their offerings and campaigns with us to better serve their customers," said Shopee Malaysia's head of marketing campaigns, Kenneth Soh, adding that Shopee is very pleased to see how sellers are driving more engagement as well as better customer service to win customer loyalty.
When not shopping online, survey respondents indicate that the primary driver of continued in-app engagement is discovering new interests on the platform where 42 per cent said they enjoy exploring new products and trends; 36 per cent enjoy playing games on the platform, and 14 per cent like to participate in lucky draws.
Looking at how interactivity keeps buyers returning to the site, Soh said, the e-commerce platform is continuously looking at ways to innovate their app, adding more features for better, wholesome experience.
The study also finds that Malaysian shoppers not only purchase things they need and love from brands they are loyal to, they also want to be entertained, connect with others, be inspired, and do so with an ease of mind.
It is no surprise therefore that 60 per cent of long-time sellers on the platform (over five years) build positive relationships with customers on Shopee through a combination of timely seller support features, market-researched offerings and affiliate networks. For example, 14 per cent use Shopee Chat to cultivate and nurture deeper, more trusting relationships.
"We aim to innovate new in-app features that will provide extra added value for all users and a better buying-and-selling experience on Shopee," said Soh.
Since 2019, Shopee Live has also seen sellers launch streams to demonstrate products, answer buyer questions, and get real-time feedback from shoppers.