Digitalisation is the new norm post Covid-19, Johor MB tells businesses

ISKANDAR PUTERI, Aug 5 — Johor Mentri Besar Datuk Hasni Mohammad today said businesses must accept digitalisation as the new way to conduct commerce in the era of Covid-19.

He urged merchants to embrace the chance to expand their market and grow their business for better profits.

“This is part of the new normal of the business world where the potential is huge and needs to be further explored by entrepreneurs to be more successful.

“In fact, the new normal of this business model does not require a large start-up capital, especially in terms of promotion, but it is able to have a bigger consumer reach,” he said at the launch of the Johor E-Marketplace at the Bangunan Datuk Jaafar Muhammad in Kota Iskandar here.

Present was Johor state secretary Datuk Azmi Rohani and senior administration officials.

The Johor E-Marketplace is a micro site that features products by Johor traders that will take place from August 9 to December 31.

The Johor government initiative aims to help more than 3,000 entrepreneurs in the state who have been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic.

Hasni noted the pandemic had acted as a catalyst for businesses to embrace digital marketing and hoped more will make the switch.

“In the first six months of this year, a total of 79,274 small and medium enterprises (SMEs) were reported to have taken advantage of various e-commerce platforms.

“This amount exceeds the government’s target to train 50,000 digital entrepreneurs in a year,” he said, adding that the Department of Statistics had also reported that online retail sales recorded an increase of 39.3 per cent in May compared to 28.9 per cent in April.

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