Malaysia aims to inspire startups with e-commerce summit

MALAYSIA, over the past few years, has been ramping up efforts to attract more technology startups to the country and build a “digital economy”.

Yasmin Mahmood, Chief Executive Officer of Government Agency Malaysia Digital Economy Corp (MDEC) told Bloomberg earlier this month that the country’s policymakers are serious about developing the sector that created more than 170,000 new jobs and contributed 18.2 percent of gross domestic product last year.

From establishing the Malaysia Tech Entrepreneur Program to offering tax incentives under the 5+5 year scheme, the country and all its partners are working hard to make sure that entrepreneurs, both local and foreign, give the country a second look when setting up their businesses.

Next month, to inspire existing and prospective e-commerce entrepreneurs to aim for excellence in the industry, Malaysia’s capital city will be hosting the Malaysia E-Commerce Summit 2018.

The event features speakers from the country’s top government organizations like Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (Matrade) commissioner Noraslan Hadi Abdul Kadir; Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) Head of eCommerce Strategy and Industry Development Nurezali Osman; and SME Corp Malaysia’s Information Technology Director Zaky Moh.

Sessions will also be hosted by Google, Lazada, iPrice, Shopback, GoCar, and other key participants.

The organizers have announced that Lazada’s Co-Chief Marketplace Officer, Shah Suriye Rubhen will be hosting a masterclass on the e-commerce strategies Malaysian SMEs can use to stay ahead of the competition in 2018, and another by Heineken’s Head of Commerce, Roger Lau, on how to transform from traditional retail business to online retail.

While day 1 of the event is focused on strategy, day 2 of the event provides slightly more tactical ideas that can be immediately executed – at least that’s what the sessions by Saikat Bose, Display and Shopping Solutions Lead, Google and YuhWen Foong, Founder, SushiVid seem to promise.

Priced reasonably at MYR 200 (US$52 approx), the event aims to attract a large audience to nurture their interest, guide them, and help them prepare to launch, grow, or scale their e-commerce startup in Malaysia and beyond.

According to iPrice, the top five eCommerce platforms in Malaysia Lazada, 11street, Shopee, Lelong and Zalora has created more than 1,000 jobs in Malaysia. The future holds more promise.

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