By Sherilyn Pang
SHAH ALAM, Dec 3 — A 128 per cent increase has been recorded in the participation of the Top E-Commerce Merchant Awards (Top ECM) this year since the inception of the awards in 2016.
Organised by the Selangor Information Technology and E-Commerce Council (Sitec), the Top ECM is the largest event of its kind in the country.
Sitec chief executive Yong Kai Ping said the growing number of contestants this year reflects the growth of digital awareness among Malaysians especially amidst the Covid-19 pandemic.
“The judges are extremely pleased to note the record-breaking number of participants for this year’s awards. In 2016, we only had 60 participants while this year, we received 162 submissions with 123 participants making the shortlist,” Yong said during his judges’ observation speech today.
“This year, we have seen participating e-merchants coming from diverse backgrounds, ranging from skincare and beauty to retail and hardware parts and manufacturing. Notably, there is an increase in the participation of online grocery merchants, most probably spurred by the new normal.”
Yong added that 68 per cent of qualified e-merchants have their own e-commerce websites, while 86 per cent of them make their sales on digital platforms.
“Submissions came from across the country, but most of the participants are from the Klang Valley, with 41 per cent coming from Selangor, followed by Kuala Lumpur (21 per cent) and Johor (7 per cent),” he said.
The Top ECM Awards ceremony, conducted virtually, was officiated by State Investment, Industry and Commerce and Small and Medium Industries Committee chairman Dato’ Teng Chang Khim.
The awards were presented to winners virtually by Invest Selangor chief executive officer Dato’ Hasan Azhari Idris as well as Affin Bank executive director Enterprise Banking Lim Kee Yeong.
The Top E-Commerce Merchant Awards (Top ECM), through its 14-day Online Sales Contest, saw 123 shortlisted merchants generating a record-breaking total of RM36.6 million in sales, from a total of over 264,284 orders.
E-merchants took advantage of the Online Sales Contest in conjunction with the 11.11 (September 11, 2020) Single Day Mega Sales to increase their sales.
