Shopee Malaysia officially unveiled the ‘Championing Inclusive Commerce 2024’ study of over 3,000 Shopee Affiliates. The study discovered that 9 in 10 Affiliates are feeling positive for their e-commerce opportunities in 2024. These affiliates are excited to humanise e-commerce with increased personalisation, engage with more users on posts and livestreams, and drive more traffic for local sellers aligned with their values.
The Rise of Human-Centric Content
When asked on the e-commerce trends they are most excited to embrace in 2024, 75% of affiliates were enthusiastic about creating more personalised content for their audiences. Shopee Affiliates want to have more authentic engagements with their audiences (30%), seek to personalise their content further through product education posts and livestreams (30%), while the remaining want to collaborate with more local businesses to drive awareness (15%).
“Our affiliates are leading the charge in humanising e-commerce, providing users with original content and ultimately, building a stronger competitive edge for our local brands and sellers. This powerful statement tells us that Malaysian consumers are craving something real. They’re tired of the perfectly polished posts on their feeds. They want to connect with real people, with relatable stories, and genuine experiences,” said Kenneth Soh, Head of Marketing at Shopee Malaysia, during the launch of the study yesterday.
Sharing on the importance of authenticity and personalisation, Shopee Affiliate Livestreamer Celeste Phuah believes that developing original content is important when building sincere relationships with their audiences. “As an affiliate livestreamer, I believe it is important to be honest and open with my audience during my product recommendation live sessions. I will share my opinions on the products they are interested in based on my own experiences. When I get questions from the audience, I do try my best to inform them on the various benefits and features about the products,” Celeste said.
Building Communities Through Two-Way Engagement
A resounding 94% of Shopee Affiliates anticipate a surge in user engagement through the power of authentic content and interactive livestreams. This data unveils a crucial shift in audience behaviour, highlighting the growing demand for genuine connections between Shopee buyers and sellers, with affiliates taking on the mantle to digitally bridge this gap.
Andrew Tay in his capacity as the Chief Operating Officer for Val Media, a digital portal that produces influential content, explained that his team is enthusiastic to see more engagements and interactions from their audiences this year. “In the last few years, we have been branching out from just doing product review articles, to creative informative videos and social media postings. It is inspiring to see the different ways Malaysians consume digital content and we look forward to creating more content that drives user engagement and traffic for our local sellers.”
Championing Local Businesses in a Digital World
When Shopee asked the surveyed affiliates on what they want to achieve this year, an outstanding 100% aspire to drive more traffic to local sellers in 2024. Additionally, 96% of them want to collaborate with more local sellers that are aligned with their values, reflecting their digital economies.
“I enjoy working with local brands and sellers as I believe it is important to support our homegrown entrepreneurs. It lights up my heart when I drive traffic and awareness for a local seller selling hand-made or traditional products to my audiences. I can’t wait to collaborate with these sellers in 2024 to create family-friendly content that is aligned with my Muslim culture and values,” said Rita Zafran, Shopee Affiliate (Top Posting Creator).
Shopee Affiliates collectively believe that the age-old phrase ‘Honesty is the best policy’ rings true when adding a human touch to their product insights and brand recommendations. They want to build sincere and genuine connections with their audiences, and aim to partner more with local brands and sellers aligned with their social and cultural values.
The “Championing Inclusive Commerce 2024” study is part of Shopee’s thought leadership series. These data-driven insights showcase how Shopee Affiliates have the unique opportunity to build win-win relationships that drive customer loyalty for local brands and sellers. Further insights on Malaysian affiliates will be shared in greater detail in the coming week.
