Nanta gestures as he takes a closer look at ShopeePay’s pushcart for small business. At left is Alan Yee from Shopee explaining on the component of pushcart to Nanta.
SIBU (Nov 29): The Retail Digitisation Initiative (ReDI) initiated by the Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry (KPDNHEP) is a move in the right direction to ensure petty traders are not left behind in the mainstream and to help small businesses in remote areas to be involved through the new digital business models.
Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Dato Sri Alexander Nanta Linggi officiated at the ReDI at Teresang Market in Kapit yesterday – a reflection of the growing importance of the use of the digital platform to conduct business activities, in particular for rural communities.
The event was organised by KPDNHEP in collaboration with Kapit Resident’s Office.
The use of e-wallets and e-commerce, among others, enables business transactions to be conducted hassle-free.
Additionally, the launch of ReDI in Sarawak marks the ministry’s continuous collaboration with the Sarawak government, Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) and strategic partners from e-wallet providers, namely Sarawak Pay, Maybank, Touch ‘n Go, GrabPay and ShopeePay, to encourage retail industry players to involve themselves in the mainstream development of digital payment transaction technology.
The launching ceremony is part of the ReDI framework, which will be implemented nationwide to ensure retail sector industry players are ready and accept the digitalisation wave, especially traders at micro and small-scale level particularly those in rural areas.
Supporting MyDIGITAL and country’s Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) policy
The ReDI initiative also supports the MyDIGITAL implementation framework and the country’s 4IR policy for the retail sector in helping the multi-level trader community revitalise the post-Covid-19 pandemic economy.
From the very beginning, the ministry was of the view that these traders should be assisted in the business world of digitalisation at least through the use of e-wallets and e-commerce which includes orders, purchases, payment and delivery.
Noble initiative
In addition to the launch of ReDI yesterday, ShopeePay is also contributing 20 pushcarts to traders in Sarawak.
Nanta (third left) receives a mock cheque from GrabPay’s representative Kelvin Lam. With them are (from left) KPDNHEP state director Dato Stanley Tan, Nanta’s wife Datin Sri Angeline Celestine Ujang, BNM Kuching CEO Mohamad Irman Mohamad Din, and KPDNHEP secretary-general Datuk Seri Hasnol Zam Zam Ahmad look on.
ShopeePay’s collaboration with the ministry is a noble initiative, where it provides opportunities to small traders to start or grow their business with digital infrastructure as well as more attractive and organised branding.
Grab meanwhile contributed RM200,000 toward the initiative to help provide smartphones and incentives for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) that accept cashless payments, as well as a special GrabPay promotion to encourage consumers to shop and support SMEs in Sarawak.
Assisting youths in Kapit
In addition, to support the implementation of this ReDI programme, the ministry through the Secretariat of the National Action Council on Cost of Living (NACCOL), implemented a non-cash contribution programme for Kapit youth.
The programme involved e-wallet contribution worth RM50 each to over 400 youths and traders in the Kapit district who had used the application for transactions.
It was hoped that this contribution would provide encouragement to youths in Kapit district not to be left behind in the wave of digital technology.
At the same time, the ministry also continued with the campaign on the cultivation of Covid-19 new norms for the retail sector in Teresang market.
One of the approaches used in the campaign, was through the installation of a Digital Broadcast System, which is a strategy to make it easier for all parties to receive information quickly and easily.
Nanta (right) listens as Judson Jarrau (second left) explains on the harvested ‘kelulut’ honey.
The road ahead: KPDNHEP targets 15,200 rural traders to use e-wallet by 2022
To achieve the target, Nanta said KPDNHEP in collaboration with local authorities will further expand ReDI in every state.
He said based on Department of Statistics Malaysia records, e-commerce transaction revenue had jumped 30 per cent to RM254.6 billion in the first quarter of 2021.
“Based on Bank Negara records, the use of e-wallet also showed an increase of RM600 million in 2020 compared to the previous year which only recorded RM300 million,” he said, adding the increase was very significant and reflected the level of acceptance in the use of cashless transactions in the country.
So far, a total of 1,734 traders in Kapit district have registered their businesses with the e-wallet providers.
“The implementation of ReDI is also seen as being capable of providing momentum to the national digitalisation agenda, especially to the retail sector industry players,” he said.
In another development, a two-day Youth Consumerism Advocacy Carnival was organised for the first time in Kapit by KPDNHEP, which was graced by Nanta on Saturday.
The carnival was KPDNHEP’s initiative to create better awareness on consumerism and to explain the ministry’s role and its agencies to especially the youth.
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