PIKOM MOVES TO BOOST E-COMMERCE
SMEs to be partnered with technology enabler companies such as payment gateway and logistics providers
THE National ICT Association of Malaysia (Pikom) recently signed memoranda of understanding (MoUs) with five associations to further empower them in the e-commerce segment.
The MoUs are in line with the government’s National E-Commerce Strategic Roadmap, which aims to double the number of ecommerce small and medium enterprises (SMEs) from 180,000 presently to 350,000 by 2020.
The five associations are Malaysia Retail Chain Association, Malaysia Wholesalers Association, Malaysia Digital Chamber of Commerce, Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents and SME Association of Malaysia.
Under the MoUs, Pikom will assist members of these associations by partnering them with Pikom’s technology enabler member companies, which include payment gateway, logistics and ecommerce platform providers.
“Pikom will act as the platform to link local SMEs to more than 100 of our technology enabler members via our new Pikom eCommerce Fair,” said Pikom chairman and E-Commerce Malaysia Chapter chairman Ganesh Kumar Bangah in a statement.
“Through the Pikom e-commerce fair and the five respective associations’ networks, we can reach out to more than 700,000 local SMEs to help them tap the knowledge and expertise of Pikom’s wide range of technology enablers to be successfully onboarded to e-commerce.”
The signing ceremony was held during the Malaysia Digital Economy Forum 2018 and witnessed by International Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed.
The five MoUs are expected to help generate greater consumer demand, both locally and from abroad, for the associations’ eCommerce merchant members via the #MYCYBERSALE 2018.
“As evidenced from #MYCYBERSALE 2017, Malaysian SMEs can become global exporters via eCommerce. I am positive that Pikom can help our SMEs make the transition into digital retail and be part of the growing e-commerce market,” said Ganesh.
Meanwhile, gross merchandise value rose 47.4 per cent to RM311 million in the country last year, compared with RM211 million in 2016.