In its October 2022 study ‘Winning Malaysian Loyalty on E-Commerce’, Shopee reveals what drives Malaysian consumer loyalty to their favourite brands online. For official brands with storefronts on Shopee Mall, repeat purchases are driven by value-added services and guarantees.
87 per cent of Malaysians surveyed prefer Shopee Mall official brands due to 100 per cent guaranteed authentic products, hassle-free returns, and free shipping. The remaining 13 per cent feel rewarded by exclusive product launches and Shopee Brand Memberships.
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For all other sellers across the platform, five in 10 shoppers repeatedly return to their favourite stores for more than four years due to in-app personalisation and engaging recommendations.
These respondents equated personalised engagements with 25 per cent loved product recommendations and bundles that fit their needs, 14 per cent trusted in safe and secure packaging, eight per cent timely chat responses, and four per cent personal gift surprises. On the other hand, 49 per cent preferred being rewarded with vouchers and discounts over personalisation.
Kenneth Soh, Head of Marketing Campaigns at Shopee Malaysia said, “It’s encouraging for brands to know that Malaysian consumers are very discerning online and will be loyal to brands that can be trusted.
“When faced with two similar sellers, six in 10 customers still choose official Shopee Mall brands because Shopee ensures users receive twice their money back if the products purchased on Shopee Mall are not authentic. Shopee Mall is trusted by over 4,500 partner brands in Malaysia and many of whom are integrating their offerings and campaigns with us to better serve their customers.”
Soh added, “We are pleased to see many sellers driving more engagement with higher levels of customer service, winning customer loyalty as a result. We aim to innovate new in-app features that will provide extra added value for all users and a better buying-and-selling experience on Shopee.”.
When not shopping online, survey respondents indicate that the primary driver of continued in-app engagement is discovering new interests on the platform; 42 per cent of surveyed enjoy exploring new products and trends. 36 per cent play games, and 14 per cent participate in lucky draws. The remainder watches Shopee Live for entertainment or make donations to their favourite NGOs.
According to the study, Malaysian shoppers do not only purchase the things they need and love from brands they are loyal to, they want to be entertained, connect with others, be inspired, and do so with ease of mind.
According to the report, “It is no surprise therefore that 60 per cent of long-time sellers on the platform (over five years) build positive relationships with customers on Shopee through a combination of timely seller support features, market-researched offerings and affiliate networks.
“For example, 14 per cent use Shopee Chat to cultivate and nurture deeper, more trusting relationships. Since 2019, Shopee Live has also seen sellers launch streams to demonstrate products, answer buyer questions, and get real-time feedback from shoppers.”
‘Winning Malaysian Loyalty on E-Commerce’ is part of Shopee’s thought leadership series of year-end consumer and seller trends during big e-commerce campaigns, which are data-driven insights that allow business owners and brands to retain and reward loyal shoppers online.
The 2022 “Winning Malaysian Loyalty on E-Commerce” survey was conducted by Shopee Marketplace, between 19 July to 17 August 2022, which obtained voluntary feedback from over 5,000 Malaysian buyers and sellers. 
