PIKOM has announced the formation of the new E-Commerce chapter aimed at creating a vibrant E-Commerce ecosystem in Malaysia that is globally competitive.
The new chapter is a timely initiative as E-Commerce in Malaysia is at the cusp of incredible growth said PIKOM chairman Chin Chee Seong at a press conference held at PIKOM’s office today.
In their 2014 report “Lifting the barriers to E-Commerce in Asean”, AT Kearney stated that the online retail market in Asean 6 is worth US$7 billion with Singapore accounting for about 25 per cent of all online sales in the region at US$1.7 billion, followed by Malaysia and Indonesia each at about US$1.3billion.
With this new chapter, aptly named E-Commerce Malaysia, PIKOM will be the voice of the E-Commerce industry in Malaysia, said Chin. Its objectives will include promoting the Malaysian E-Commerce players through regional and global initiatives. The chapter will also be the point of contact with the government on E-Commerce-related matters and play a role in increasing the awareness on the ease of online shopping.
“With the advent of ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) in 2015 and the move towards a single market, it is ripe to take advantage of this huge market of over 630 million consumers,” said Chin.
The new chapter will work closely with the National E-Commerce Council (NECC) and MDEC. The initiatives and programmes of the chapter will be aligned closely with the pillars of the National E-Commerce Roadmap.
Membership of this chapter will comprise E-Commerce merchants, marketplaces, payment providers, logistics and fulfillment players.
Members will be able to decide on activities for the chapter with PIKOM providing governance and secretariat support. The E-Commerce chapter will be headed by PIKOM Deputy Chairman Ganesh Kumar Bangah, who has extensive experience in the area of E-Commerce.
Another piece of exciting news today was the introduction of industry veteran
David Wong Nan Fay as the new ASOCIO chairman, effective January this year.
Wong was PIKOM chairman for the council years of 2008 and 2009 and is currently an Advisor of PIKOM. He is also the Co-founder and Emeritus Chairman of Outsourcing Malaysia (OM), an initiative of PIKOM and a consortium representative of the outsourcing industry.
Chin in welcoming the election of Wong as chairman of the apex body for ICT in the region, said the new role bodes well for PIKOM and the new chapter.
“PIKOM as a member of ASOCIO will also position the chapter to support the regional initiatives of the organisation, especially ones related to E-Commerce,” he said, adding that this move will benefit PIKOM’s members.
The Asian-Oceanian Computing Industry Organization (ASOCIO) is a grouping of ICT industry associations representing economies in the Asia and Oceania region.
It was established in 1984 with the objective to promote, encourage and foster relationships and trade between its members, and to develop the computing industry in the region.
Presently, ASOCIO represents the interests of 31 economies, comprising 24 members from Australia, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei, Cambodia, Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Macao, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, New Zealand, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, Korea, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam and seven guest members from USA, UK, Canada, Spain, Russia, France, and Kenya.
Today also saw the formal partnership of local and regional E-Commerce players to be part of the ASOCIO E-Commerce alliance which was formally launched during the ASOCIO ICT Summit in Myanmar in November 2016.
The purpose of the alliance is to foster collaboration among E-Commerce companies to strive and grow in cross border trade in ASEAN and beyond. The Alliance will consist of companies in the business of online marketplace, e-fulfillment services, e-payment services, merchants and other eCommerce related businesses.
The alliance is an important platform to promote and encourage cross border activities, said Wong.
“ASOCIO will work closely together with the industries and governments of the member countries to address issues and challenges faced by the market players,” he added.
