Alibaba Group, in cooperation with Ministries such as Ministry of International Trade & Industry (MITI) as well as agencies including Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC), yesterday kicked off the third edition of Malaysia Week with even more new local brands, products and Alibaba ecosystem partners involved. Hosted on a primarily virtual platform in light of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, this year’s edition will showcase more of Malaysia’s unique culture to consumers in China, building greater affinity and appeal of over 200 brands and 600 products of Malaysia.
First launched in 2018 under the auspices of the Alibaba-led Electronic World Trade Platform (eWTP), the annual Malaysia Week campaign connects and raises the profile of Malaysian brands with Chinese consumers all around the world. To give even more opportunity for Chinese consumers to enjoy the large variety of high-quality Malaysian products, this year for the first time Malaysia “Week” will be 10 days long, from September 9 to 18. This year’s opening ceremony was hosted online on Taobao Live, the livestreaming arm of Alibaba’s e-commerce platform.
The platform currently has a reach of more than 800 million monthly active users in China.
This year’s Malaysia Week will see more online engagement and interaction, with the goal of showcasing Malaysian brands and retailers even more authentically through Alibaba’s digital tools and innovative technologies.
Key highlights will include the debut of a wide array of Malaysian quality and varied products in China, including many new categories of products in areas such as footwear and cosmetics and a comprehensive line-up of livestreaming programmes.
Mohamed Azmin Ali, Senior Minister, Minister of International Trade and Industry (MITI) of Malaysia, said, “We are confident that through continuous promotions such as the Malaysia Week 2020, more Malaysian brands and products will be able to break into the highly competitive retail market in China. The collaboration with the Alibaba Group has introduced a vast range of Made-in-Malaysia products to the huge online Chinese market, ”
Eric Jing, Board Member & Partner of Alibaba Group, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Ant Financial, shared,“In 2017, the first eWTP hub outside of China was established in Malaysia to empower local small andmedium-sized enterprises to benefit from global trade and to support the development of Malaysia’sdigital economy. This year’s Malaysia Week will use the latest in digital technology and online marketing in order to assist with economic recovery and showcase the diverse products that Malaysia has to offer to Chinese consumers.”
Surina Shukri, Chief Executive Officer of MDEC, said, “Malaysia Week being the only week-long national-level campaign on Alibaba platforms, will be showcasing hundreds of Malaysian-made products and specialities. MDEC appreciates the commitment of Alibaba to host the 3rd edition of Malaysia Week to bring digitally-skilled businesses with high-quality Malaysian brands and products to consumers in China, as we work together to drive sustainable export from Malaysia to China. We are proud that Malaysia is fast establishing its position as the heart of digital ASEAN though this event.”
Following the strong success in 2018 and 2019, Malaysia Week has emerged as an ideal and trusted platform for local brands to make their e-commerce debut. One highly-anticipated product is the ambitious first-time collaboration between homegrown footwear brand Fipper and Swarovski Crystal to produce Strappy Crystal – an elegant range of slippers inlaid with Swarovski Crystals.
Apart from the official debut of Black Thorn durian in China as well as online promotions of other best- selling favourites including Musang King durian mooncakes and bird’s nest, Malaysia Week will promote additional New Retail initiatives with well-known beauty and skincare boutique brand Garden of Eden hosting live auctions of their products on Taobao Live.
A Bigger and Better Malaysia Week with Enhanced Local Offerings Malaysia Week will also see brands drumming up their digital capabilities to deepen merchants’ engagement with consumers both locally and overseas. Apart from star livestreamers from China such as ‘Lipstick King’ Austin Li to support the sales efforts of Malaysian brands, promising Malaysian livestreamers and influencers will also be on Taobao Live to support merchants via three local KOL incubation agencies during the 10 days of festivities.
Alibaba Group’s online travel platform Fliggy will also be introducing flexible travel packages for the first time at Malaysia Week, targeted at Chinese tourists to help reboot Malaysia’s tourism industry in the post-pandemic economy. Travel-hungry Chinese consumers will also get to be transported virtually to Malaysia through a series of Taobao Live broadcasts touring night markets, tea plantations and beaches, all from the comfort of their homes.
