Shopee’s 2023 ShopeeSapotLokal Building Connected Communities study finds that 100% of Malaysian women who achieve economic inclusion share their success by uplifting other women in B40 and rural areas. For 1,015 female sellers surveyed on the marketplace this Ramadan period: two-thirds hire single, rural, or impoverished women, or source directly from women-owned suppliers; a third facilitate networking opportunities and training programmes.
These findings demonstrate that Malaysian women in the digital economy are not only supporting household dependents during peak Ramadan e-commerce sales, but are a driving force in giving back by lowering barriers to entry, widening access to customers, and providing more flexibility in time management to other women like themselves.
#ShopeeSapotLokal’s community of women sellers have a sense of purpose and are capitalising on opportunities to drive greater inclusion by appealing to younger generations of Malaysian shoppers who shop purposefully online. When Generation Z choose to buy from women-owned stores, the survey helps them understand why these women think it’s important their business is supported: 60% of respondents are driven by career growth, financial empowerment, and long-term stability. 40% believe in making a positive impact with products that improve lives and by being role models for women and children.
Kenneth Soh, Head of Marketing at Shopee Malaysia, said, “Our belief is that e-commerce should be accessible to all. With this survey, Shopee’s community of empowered business-women are getting their voices heard. They’re advocating for a multifaceted approach to uplift other women and encouraging online shoppers to support them. These women are playing a significant role in Malaysia’s digital economy, and we’re sitting up listening and giving them the platform to succeed.”
Their growing participation in e-commerce allows Malaysian women to give their point of view on how to upskill other women to unlock their growth potential. 70% of women surveyed identified understanding people and delivering on trust as critical to success — 30% prioritise marketing as important to improve store content and deliver on their brand story, 20% focus on engaging shopping experiences to increase orders, and 20% emphasise customer service for star ratings and positive reviews. Only a third think upskilling is needed in navigating the platform features or optimising operations.
“Championing other women’s success means they can help each other define how Malaysian communities are built, communicated with, and how value-based businesses are run. 90% of women surveyed would recommend Shopee as a platform of choice to other women sellers promoting value-based shopping and inclusion,” Soh concluded.
- 2023 ShopeeSapotLokal Building Connected Communities study was conducted by Shopee Malaysia, between 17 March 2023 and 31 March 2023. Voluntary feedback was obtained from 1,015 women sellers on the platform on how their inclusion on the marketplace drives empowerment for other women like themselves.
- #RayaBersamaShopee survey of more than two thousand participating sellers between March 18 to April 18 2022 , 70% of Shopee Sellers, who are female, said they were empowered to provide for their families and more than three dependents on average.
- Past the Starting Line: Adapting to Malaysia’s Digital Consumers in 2023’ Consumer Trends Report between 23 December and 5 January 2023. Voluntary feedback from 2,150 buyers and 1,087 sellers on the platform found 3 rising trends:
- Increased and savvier use of digital services
- Growing adoption of digital services for rural communities
- The rise of younger, more purposeful buyers
