Lazada aims to help 50,000 SMEs through 'Pakej Kedai Pintar'

By Rosemarie Khoo Mohd Sami

KUALA LUMPUR, April 23 -- E-commerce player Lazada Malaysia which recently launched its own stimulus package named ‘Pakej Kedai Pintar’, hopes to aid about 50,000 local small and medium enterprises (SME).

The effort is in tandem with the government’s economic stimulus mission and pledges to support e-commerce entrepreneurs and SMEs.

It said the package cash fund which runs from April to June 2020, with an allocation of RM10 million aims to get the SMEs to sell online, stabilise jobs and support the country’s economy during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“This initiative is targeted to assist SMEs via a series of customised benefits, especially those in the fresh food and groceries categories, new and existing e-commerce sellers, including those who were planning to set up stalls for Pasar Ramadan,” it said to Bernama.

Eligible SMEs will be able to enjoy free shipping services, access to micro loan facilities and fixed weekly payments, as well as services of a dedicated support team to train and develop customised sales campaign with them through Lazada University.

“We want to reach out to anyone who has a business. Without any payment or charges, they can continue to run their business while benefitting from Lazada’s e-commerce expertise and robust logistics infrastructure,” said chief executive officer (CEO) Leo Chow.

He said local SMEs are essential to the nation’s economic growth and people’s livelihood and by helping them, it hopes to bolster Malaysians’ confidence amid the COVID-19 situation.

“We believe it is the responsibility of all platform operators to lend support in times like this to the merchants who have made us successful,” he added.

Through the initiative, Chow said SME retailers that are new or have little experience in e-commerce could expect 100 per cent costs of selling online covered and swiftly diversify their revenue streams beyond traditional bricks-and-mortar model on a platform where one in three Malaysians are Lazada's user.

Commenting on the initiative, the Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) CEO Surina Shukri said it was timely as the Movement Control Order (MCO) has been the impetus for a large number of SMEs and businesses to gravitate towards e-commerce adoption.

“I am confident that this initiative will complement MDEC’s programmes to accelerate e-commerce adoption amongst local SMEs through eUsahawan and Go-eCommerce programmes and at the same time catalyse more high-value digital jobs for the nation,” she said.

As for SME Corporation Malaysia (SME Corp) CEO Noor Azmi Mat Said, he said, while SMEs are grappling with uncertainties, they could quickly pivot their business by going digital.

He urges SMEs' seeking to set up stalls for Ramadan or thinking on how to diversify their revenue streams, to explore the e-commerce at zero cost through Lazada’s Pakej Kedai Pintar.

From April to June, SMEs can sign up at www.lazada.com.my/sell-on-lazada and have 100 per cent capital costs waived.

Lazada Malaysia has pivoted over 160 brands from various categories like fashion, beauty, groceries and home and living and onboarded them with newly minted e-commerce storefront on Lazada’s platform since last month including brick-and-mortar retailers like Senheng, Bata, Fujifilm, Triumph and Din Tai Fung.

Due to the increasing demand of online shopping in the country, it is also leveraging on technology to host digital recruitment to match and upskill Malaysian talents with the right role in the company and its partners.

Lazada Malaysia is expected to launch a digital job fair page in early May.

To date, close to 50 companies will leverage on Lazada’s traffic to reach out to Malaysians seeking for job opportunities. 

-- BERNAMA