(From left) Phoong, Azahar, Li and Chua, at the launch of S-Mart Sabah by Shopee yesterday.
KOTA KINABALU: E-commerce platform Shopee is expanding its presence in East Malaysia with the launch of its Sabah-dedicated online store called S-Mart Sabah yesterday.
The move is expected to serve the local market with greater convenience and help reduce cost of living on daily essentials for Sabahans.
S-Mart Sabah, which can be found on Shopee by searching for “s-mart sabah”, offers one-stop access to a range of groceries and household necessities from leading brands including MILO, Maggi, Nescafe, Oral-B, Harpic, and Downy, with more coming on board such as PetPet and Genki.
According to Nielsen, Malaysians are becoming more financially prudent and seek to save on daily necessities. In 2019, 88% stated that they are adjusting spending to save on household expenses1, while 4 in 5 are seeking the lowest prices on necessities. S-Mart Sabah caters to the need for greater value by offering quality products at competitive prices, with up to 10 per cent savings daily and up to 40 per cent during special campaigns.
Sabahans will also enjoy greater convenience on S-Mart Sabah in the form of faster delivery, as products will be shipped directly from Shopee’s fulfillment warehouse in Kota Kinabalu. Locals will now be able to receive their items within one to three days, down from five to seven days when they purchase online from sellers based in Peninsular Malaysia.
On top of that, Sabahans can also enjoy free shipping on orders weighing up to 5kgs when they spend at least RM40 on the S-Mart Sabah store, an upsize from the usual 1kg if they purchase from Shopee sellers based in Peninsular Malaysia. This caters to the growing preference among Malaysians to shop for groceries and necessities in bulk online.
“Having engaged with the East Malaysian market for four years now, the feedback that we constantly receive from consumers is that it is difficult to find what they want and need in the state, and goods tend to also be costlier. When Shopee was introduced in the market with our assortment and nationwide reach, we filled that gap for East Malaysians. However, there is still room for improvement in terms of how the retail sector is able to provide for this market. S-Mart Sabah continues our efforts to meet these needs.
“With our strong partnership with leading brands and retailers, as well as our third party logistics partner Pos Laju, we are now able to offer unbeatable convenience and value to Sabahans via S-Mart Sabah. We are happy to be able to put more money back into the pockets of consumers,” said Zed Li, Head of Seller Management, Shopee Malaysia.
The launch of Shopee S-Mart Sabah was held at Kota Kinabalu Marriott Hotel, and witnessed by Kenny Chua, Assistant Minister of Sabah Finance Ministry and Ginger Phoong Jin Zhe, Sabah Minister of Youth and Sports.
“For years, Sabahans have been experiencing high cost of living. With S-Mart Sabah that comes with attractive discounts, Sabahans are able to purchase household necessities whilst enjoying prices similar to those in Peninsular Malaysia.
“We also see S-Mart Sabah to be providing a positive economic impact to the state through other areas such as employment. We welcome Shopee’s investment and expansion in our state and look forward to more collaborations that would benefit Sabahan consumers and even entrepreneurs,” said Chua yesterday.
The Sabah state government recognises the need for e-commerce adoption to boost Sabah’s digital economy, and Shopee’s expansion to Sabah comes at an opportune time to support efforts and plans by several ministries including the Youth and Sports Ministry.
At the event, Shopee also announced its partnership with Pos Malaysia Berhad’s courier arm Pos Laju, as its third-party logistics partner for S-Mart Sabah. Last mile delivery is one of the most crucial elements within the e-commerce ecosystem, and Pos Laju has been appointed to support Shopee in delivering parcels to the entire state of Sabah.
“Pos Malaysia is proud to become the official logistics partner for Shopee’s S-Mart Sabah. With the launch of the new online store, we expect an increase in demand for deliveries from customers in Sabah,” said Azahar Ariff, group head of corporate planning and transformation at Pos Malaysia.
“As a committed partner, we will establish new operation hubs to cope with the demand and continue to provide customers with high quality services and support their retail experience.”