Did online shopping ruin Aidilfitri traders? Shopee says top buys were 'baju Raya', lights, sambal and dendeng

KUALA LUMPUR, April 25 — Decorative LED lights have emerged as one of Hari Raya’s most sought-after products, topping the overall sales in two nationwide regions this year, recent consumer activity data from e-commerce platform Shopee Malaysia has shown.

With Hari Raya now behind us, Malay Mail takes a look back at the online shopping habits of Malaysians and the top-purchased products in conjunction with the annual Muslim holiday amid claims by traders that business were tepid this year.

Apart from the simplistic but colourful decorative lights called "lampu Raya" in Malay, cosmetics also emerged as one of the must-haves nationwide as users have demonstrated in their recent buying trends.

Throughout Shopee’s Raya campaign period held from March 19 to April 5, Shopee Malaysia’s Head of Marketing and Business Intelligence Tan Ming Kit said the platform also observed a surge in purchases of fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) such as cosmetics leading up to the recent festivities.

Tan also listed two top sought-after FMCG items, namely sambal or chilli paste — a key cooking ingredient in traditional Hari Raya dishes; and dendeng — a popular local dish made up of thinly sliced dried meat that’s cooked and preserved in a mixture of sugar and spices.

“A notable rise in FMCG such as makeup indicated consumer focus on personal appearance for the celebrations.

“Additionally, a surge in purchases of sambal and dendeng highlighted consumer interest in preparing authentic meals,” he said in an emailed reply to Malay Mail’s queries.

Malaysian Muslims are seen shopping for Hari Raya Aidilfitri celebration at in Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman, April 4, 2024. — Picture by Hari Anggara.

'Baju Raya' sales move online

Earlier this month, Malay Mail spoke to traders at Aidlfitri bazaars, who lamented that sales this year were down as more customers turned to merely window shopping — something they cited was down to the rising trend of online shopping.

This came as online shopping platforms launched campaigns to target customers during the festive period, such as Shopee's “Raya Bersama Shopee”, Lazada's “Jualan Raya Fantastik Lazada” and Zalora's “Zaloraya 2024”.

Tan noted that with Shopee, dominating the fashion category of top purchases were Malay traditional wear such as tudung (headscarf), samping (a short sarong worn after wearing a Baju Melayu) and baju kurung, demonstrating consumer preference for these customary garments and the desire to embrace cultural traditions.

“Search volume for baju Raya, ladies’ shoes, handbags, baju kurung and men’s sandals demonstrated a strong focus on fashion items.

“Notably, baju Raya searches surpassed 70 million during Shopee’s Raya campaign period held from March 19 to April 4,” he said, underscoring a significant increase in consumer demand for Hari Raya apparel in the lead-up to the holiday.

For electronics and lifestyle categories, Tan said consumers made strategic purchases in anticipation of Raya festivities and to enhance their homes for the celebrations based on the top products purchased.

“Portable mini fans were popular for maintaining comfort during family visits, Bluetooth earbuds provided entertainment during travel and phone tripods facilitated capturing cherished family moments.

“Decorative LED lights created a festive atmosphere for gatherings, while money packets ensured a smooth exchange of duit Raya. Additionally, purchases of new carpets suggest a focus on refreshing home decor for the festivities,” he said.

Malaysians have turned to online shopping for Raya, especially for stuff like traditional attire, shoes and packed food. — Picture by Hari Anggara.

What each region searched for

Tan also provided the list of popular purchases in each region, namely dendeng and sambal (central), decorative LED lights and sambal (northern), decorative LED lights and Raya packets (East Coast), dendeng and Raya money packets (southern), baju kurung and gold jewellery (East Malaysia).

He said Shopee’s analysis of online search trends reveals a nationwide focus on Raya-related apparel, with baju Raya, baju kurung, ladies’ shoes and handbags consistently ranking high across all regions nationwide.

Yet, a deeper dive uncovers regional variation, Tan noted further. “In the Central, Northern, and East Malaysia regions, a preference for traditional attire is evident through strong searches for baju kurung, ladies’ handbags and men’s sandals.

“The Southern region saw a surge in searches for tudung and baju kurung,” he said.

While searches for Hari Raya fashion essentials remain strong in the East Coast region, Tan said there was a spike in interest for men’s sandals suggesting a preference for comfortable footwear choices and Raya money packets reflect festive gifting traditions.

Lazada and other online shopping platforms did not respond to Malay Mail's request on the Aidilfitri shopping trends for this story.