Malaysia’s shoppers love Chinese e-commerce. Its factories pay the price
In hindsight, it was only a matter of time before Esha Yusof joined the growing ranks of Malaysian shoppers being drawn to Chinese e-commerce giant Pinduoduo. Esha is a relative newcomer. She signed up in July, more than half a year after the platform launched in Malaysia – and has been smitten with it ever since. Rock-bottom prices, a vast range of products and seamless payments through a…
In Malaysia, shoppers are increasingly drawn to Chinese e-commerce giant Pinduoduo, with 32-year-old Esha Yusof joining the trend in July. She spends around 500 ringgit (US$122) monthly on various items, citing cheaper prices and easy payment options. Pinduoduo's arrival in Malaysia has sparked complaints from local businesses, who claim that direct shipments from China undercut their prices.
Chin Chee Seong, president of the SME Association of Malaysia, reported an 80% increase in operational costs for the sector, with 76% of respondents facing cash-flow issues. As local retailers and manufacturers struggle to match Pinduoduo's prices, the country's manufacturing sector could suffer. E-commerce's popularity surged during the pandemic, and Malaysia now deals with an estimated 900 million parcels annually, straining its limited landfill capacity.
Written by urgent.news from South China Morning Post's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
