Wholesaler in Malaysia? Avoid these E-commerce Mistakes

The explosive growth of e-commerce during the pandemic left many business owners scrambling to keep up. As a wholesaler in Malaysia, this means that digital solutions are not just ‘nice to have’ anymore, they are a ‘must have’ for business continuity. Not only can wholesalers sell more online, they can also sell smarter with deeper insights on bestsellers and customer behaviour. 

Despite these tough times, the country’s e-commerce outlook remains positive – Malaysia’s e-commerce income was up 23.3% YoY in the second quarter of 2021. But with businesses flocking to the digital landscape, it has become a highly competitive market.

So how can you ensure a smooth digital transformation? Here are e-commerce mistakes a wholesaler in Malaysia should avoid when moving online.

Mistakes To Be Mindful of as a Wholesaler in Malaysia

Choosing the Wrong Platform

Without the right direction, resources and education, transitioning online is a slow and tedious process. Getting your online store up and running in as little time as possible should be the main priority in a rapidly growing market.

Luckily, there are existing digital solutions to help you build an online presence in no time. For businesses that are just starting to digitise, an online marketplace is the best option. You can leverage tried and tested technology while tapping into an existing pool of customers with minimal effort. 

However, choosing the right marketplace is where many businesses go wrong. There are plenty of options out there but not every marketplace will suit your business. Wholesalers and B2B businesses must also consider their unique needs to trade effectively.

What You Need to Do

1. Analyse online marketplaces’ customer demographics and core offerings to determine if they match yours. If you are selling wholesale goods, a marketplace like Dropee is best to get relevant buyers.
2. Look for features you need in an online marketplace. For wholesalers, this could be customisable pricing and payment or shipping options for a seamless customer experience.
3. Determine the marketplace’s reliability. Is it known for prompt delivery? Does it offer enough support? Ensure that the platform can facilitate efficient processes for you and your customers.

Not Transitioning to a Branded Online Store

You can establish an online presence and increase sales with the right marketplace. However, there are some drawbacks to sticking to marketplaces and not transitioning to building a branded online store. 

Sales performance and customer data are powerful tools in understanding demand and consumer behaviour. With these valuable insights, you will be able to: 

• Determine which stocks to buy and how much based on what sells.
• Launch the right products to meet current demand.
• Move stocks of bestsellers to the right place.
• Spot opportunities and threats quickly.
• Personalise and improve customer experience.

Even if you are already bringing in profit from online marketplaces alone, starting your own online store opens the door to even more opportunities.

What You Need to Do

1. Build your own branded online store. You don’t need to start from scratch, there are platforms like Dropee Direct that offer a one-stop B2B business suite to grow online in no time.
2. Look for the right features. The platform should offer these capabilities:
   • Customisation of the store.
   • Personalisation of product, pricing and promotion.
   • Integration with existing softwares.
   • Actionable sales and customer analytics.
   • Security and back-end support.
3. Increase sales with a data-driven approach. Leverage bestsellers by moving stocks to the right place and quickly address slow-moving stocks by running promos.

Do you want to build your own branded online store? We have partnered with MDEC for the Go-eCommerce campaign to help B2B businesses go online – enjoying up to RM3,200 funding when signing up on Dropee Direct! Click the banner above to learn more.

Forgetting About the Customer Experience

Bringing in customers to your online store is just the first step. The next is to provide a seamless customer experience, be it on a marketplace or on your own online store. A great experience encourages customer loyalty and will drive more traffic to your store.

Wholesale buyers and B2B customers want more autonomy in the online buying process. This means being able to place orders without having to speak to sales representatives or go through processes that are time-consuming and prone to error.

For this reason, any friction in the online customer journey will discourage them from purchasing. A wholesaler in Malaysia must curate a seamless journey and provide the necessary tools to enhance the buyer experience.

What You Need to Do

1. Optimise your website for mobile.
2. Increase page loading speed.
3. Properly organise and categorise your product listing.
4. Take high-quality pictures of your products
5. Include detailed descriptions of products.
6. Offer simple checkouts and easy site navigation.
7. Create a dedicated FAQ section.
8. Highlight customer testimonials.
9. Offer recommendations of relevant products.

Not Optimising Your Digital Marketing Efforts

When it comes to e-commerce marketing, a targeted approach is needed to stand out in a saturated environment. It is crucial to direct resources to channels that actually house your target audience. Otherwise, you’ll waste all your efforts and won’t see a positive return on investment.

Why should business owners optimise their digital marketing efforts?

• Potential customers need the right information and more of it to move down the sales funnel.
• Your content is not reaching the right audience without optimisation.
• You need to understand what your audience is interested in and what behaviours lead to purchase.

What You Need to Do

1. Understand your target audience. Having a clear idea of what your target audience wants will help you tailor your content and boost returns on ad spend.
2. Ramp up social media marketing. Find out which channel your customers use and create engaging content tailored to the different audiences (e.g. Audiences on Instagram prefer video and visually impactful content).
3. Prioritise SEO (search engine optimisation). Bring more traffic to your store by improving your website ranking.
4. Run digital ads. Target specific audience demographics and behaviours with digital ads.
5. Create insightful content. Provide your customers information that they can’t get anywhere else including articles, videos, e-books and webinars.
6. Track marketing performance. Analyse open or click rates as well as engagement, then fine-tune your messaging for different audiences.

E-commerce Mistakes To Be Mindful Of as a Wholesaler in Malaysia

Embracing the e-commerce industry is a tall order. But the benefits in terms of costs and time savings outweigh any potential setbacks. Being aware of and avoiding these e-commerce mistakes can ease your transition and limit costly errors.

Need help to kickstart your digital transformation? Get a free consultation here to learn more about how Dropee empowers wholesalers to scale their business online.