KUALA LUMPUR, May 16 — Malaysian retailers are no longer debating the necessity of digitalisation, but rather focusing on how to optimise growth by merging e-commerce with physical stores.
The country’s comprehensive internet infrastructure and public-private support have flattened entry barriers for businesses of all sizes to participate in the digital economy.
Local MSMEs across Malaysia have demonstrated how TikTok Shop’s ecosystem helps unlock new income streams, increase store visits, build communities, and enhance customer experience.
According to Al-Cataly co-founder Nik Nur Adzuan, operating offline limited the business to the store’s location.
“Expanding would require significant capital to open new locations, including upfront costs for rental deposits, renovations, inventory stocking, hiring staff, utilities, and more.”
Within just two months of joining TikTok Shop, Al-Cataly attracted nearly 10,000 followers and saw sales multiply twelvefold, even drawing international customers to their physical location.
E-commerce let traditional durian vendor Pak Ali transform from a roadside stall operation struggling with unpredictable sales and waste to a recognised brand selling 1,500 kilograms of durian daily.
Through TikTok Shop’s livestreams, Pak Ali builds customer trust by demonstrating product freshness in real time, opening durians on camera for online customers.
“Going online did not just help us reach a wider market, but also enabled us to deepen the loyalty of customers that visited our physical stalls too.
“Many of them started following our TikTok Shop account after their first visit, and we continued receiving repeat orders digitally through livestreams and shoppable videos,” said Kamarul Zaman, founder of local durian business Pak Ali.
Family-owned Frisha Classic Desserts and Bakery evolved from seasonal bazaar appearances and word-of-mouth marketing to achieving consistent five-digit monthly sales figures.
Frisha Fazara Ishak credits TikTok Shop’s livestreams and shoppable videos for transforming her parents’ 1990-founded micro-business into a thriving enterprise with over 4,300 loyal followers.
The TikTok Shop LIVE Hub x TEKUN Nasional in Kuala Lumpur provides businesses with training and professional equipment for producing high-quality content and livestreams.
For Malaysian retailers, the future of sustainable growth lies not in choosing between online or offline channels, but in strategically integrating both to create resilient business models.
