Post-COVID E-Commerce Shopping Preferences in Urban Malaysia
Surge in Online Shopping Post-Pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic dramatically accelerated e-commerce adoption in Malaysia. By 2023, there were 33 million internet users in the country (about 97% penetration) and nearly 9 in 10 internet users are now “digital consumers” who have made online purchases. This represents roughly 20 million+ Malaysians (mostly urban) engaging in e-commerce, a figure that swelled as pandemic lockdowns pushed consumers online. In fact, 61.9% of Malaysians aged 16–64 had purchased something online as of 2024 , and about 61% shop online at least once per week . This weekly shopping rate is on par with regional trends in Singapore and Indonesia, underscoring that online shopping has become a routine habit for Malaysian consumers. Such habits formed during lockdown have proven sticky. E-commerce usage remains higher than pre-pandemic levels , even after restrictions lifted. During 2021’s peak lockdown, 45% of Malaysians made an online purchase; in 2022 that held...
