KUALA LUMPUR: The Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism Ministry has called on local retailers to adopt ‘personalisation’ in their retail marketing, as it is key to success.
Its minister Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainuddin said personalisation is about customers being recognised as individuals and treated in a way that makes them feel appreciated, unique and understood.
“Personalisation is when a customer walks into a shop and is recognised. It is human nature to want to be catered to and pampered.
“The size of your store can be small, but as long as consumers can touch and feel items on sale, that makes it different from online stores,” he said after he launching the 18th Asia Pacific Retailers Convention and Exhibition (APRCE) 2017 at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre here today.
Hamzah said local retailers need to be creative, and hopefully, the convention will be a platform where they can learn from the success stories of international retailers.
“When I went to Tokyo, I realised that there was something unique about the shopping experience that I got there, because when I went to their shops, they entertained me… and I left the shops feeling entertained by the retailer. We must take that as an example that we don’t just sell to, but also entertain, our customers,” he added.
Meanwhile, Malaysia Retail Association (MRA) president Tan Sri William Cheng said that he hopes the 2018 Budget, which will be announced tomorrow, will allow for more partnerships between retailers and the government, in an effort to attract more tourists.
“We want to work closely with the government to promote the Malaysian tourism industry.
“We target to attract about three million Chinese tourists next year. Surprisingly, a lot of them come to Malaysia because cosmetics and watches are 30 to 35 per cent cheaper here.
“In China, there is a 10 to 15 per cent import duty and 70 per cent value-added tax (VAT) and here, they get to reclaim the 6 per cent goods and services tax,” Cheng said.
The APRCE convention and exhibition brings together 2,000 retail delegates from 18 countries in the Asia-Pacific region.
With the theme of Transformation, Creativity and Beyond, the gethering will explore insights, trends and strategies in addressing customer engagement, shopping experience, loyalty and retail disruptions in the world of marketing.