International commerce has gone through huge transformations after over the past decade. The rise of China and India markets shifted the centre of the world economics to the east. The strategic implementations of China One Belt One Road initiative and ASEAN Economic Community have geared up economics in Asia. The growth prospect of retail sector benefits greatly from the surge in spending power of consumers, public and private sectors in the region. Moreover, retail sector also flourish amid the advancement in e-commerce and internet platform in Asian countries.

As the leading organisation of Chinese business sectors, FEMACGA constantly lookout for new opportunities to grow the industry and bring traditional businesses into the 21st century.

Therefore, we decided to introduce the online-to- offline (O2O) marketing strategy to the retail sector. It would bring significant improvements to sales and marketing of businesses with the help of information technology and social media platforms. Aside from leveraging on new strategy and technology, we should also gain sufficient insights into the needs of the regional market to grow nurture economic growth in the region.

In view of this, we bring together the 1st Asia Retail & O2O Conference and Expo to discuss new trends and market needs in the retail sector.

Y.B. Senator Dato’ Chai Kim Sen J.P, President of The Federation of Malaysia Chinese Guilds Association (FEMACGA)

When Alibaba Group executive chairman Jack Ma launched Malaysia Digital Free Trade Zone, he said this will be a platform for small and medium enterprises in the next three decades that could bring out the potential of Malaysian SMEs.

E-commerce is an inevitable trend in this era. Brick and mortar stores have gone online, suppliers and distributors also leverage on e-commerce to carry their products across the borders, reviving international trade in the region.

The advancement in online purchasing and payment platforms also change purchaser and consumer behaviours, as these services get more diverse and convenient.

The retail sector is undoubtedly the top gainer and most active in the e-commerce industry. Hence, we bring together traditional retail giants and dominant emerging retail players to give insights on new trends and markets need of regional market. We hope that SMEs could benefit through this platform by sharing resources and strategies. This is in tandem with SAME’s mission to accelerate the growth of Malaysian SMEs.

The platform focuses on East Asia and Southeast Asia, coupled with the strong connections of FEMACGA and SAME in the region, we could provide SMEs a tactical platform to grow their businesses to the next level. We welcome all players in the retail sector and the related businesses to ride on and benefit from the platform.

Mr. Neil Foo, CEO of Secretariat for the Advancement of Malaysian Entrepreneurs (SAME)

E-commerce is one of the most prominent creations in the 21st century. In recent years, the growth of e-commerce industry in Asia has been on par with its counterparts in the west. Some of the “made in Asia” platforms – such as Taobao and 11 Street – are just as prevalent and widespread if compare to prominent players in the western countries, including Amazon and e-Bay.

This is where the trend is heading next. Aside from investing in automation and robotics to improve production line, SMEs should ride on golden opportunities presented by the new trend. These include digitalisation, electronic world trade platform (eWTP) from China One Belt One Road initiative and the “new retail” concept introduced by Alibaba Group late last year.

Back in 2014, I founded SAME in the hope of helping SMEs to seize opportunities and grow further, and therefore contribute to the country’s economy. For most of the Asian countries, SMEs are the main drivers of the economy and would bring positive growth to the regional market.

For that reason, ensuring SMEs stay abreast of and innovate according to market needs would help the industry. As part of the government, we are responsible to create even more opportunities for our SMEs. We should also promote ASEAN and develop it into a strong economy.

Hence, the 1st Asia Retail & O2O Conference and Expo is one of the many opportunities we create for our SMEs. Through this platform, we hope SME players could expand into a greater market and continue to prosper.

Datuk Seri Ir Dr. Wee Ka Siong, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Malaysia