Matrade, Amazon Global Selling launched year-long collaboration to boost cross-border ecommerce capabilities 

• Both parties will host events to boost cross-border e-commerce awareness 
• Aims to empower M’sian SMEs SMEs to expand on Amazon's e-stores, grow globally

MATRADE (Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation) and Amazon Global Selling are strengthening collaboration to enhance the development of cross-border e-commerce in Malaysia in response to growing demand from Malaysian businesses. In a joint statement, the two parties said they will join hands to offer quarterly outreach events throughout 2024 to raise awareness of cross-border e-commerce and to help Malaysian brand owners start their cross-border e-commerce business with Amazon, while introducing more Malaysian brands and products to customers in the US.

They added that the 2024 activities will include offline events in Kuala Lumpur, Penang, and Johor Bahru with in-person workshops providing valuable insights and guidance to empower local entrepreneurs, as well as enhanced online engagements with tailored training and content designed to equip Malaysian sellers with the necessary tools to help them to be successful on the global stage.

The course contents, provided to Malaysian SMEs, will cover the end-to-end journey of an Amazon seller, including account registration, product preparation, compliance, listing, shipping, advertising, and more, they said.

According to the latest insights from the Access Partnership report of 2023, Malaysia's e-commerce export value is anticipated to surge at an annual rate of 14%, reaching an estimated US$8.6 billion (RM36.2 billion) by 2027. This projection underscores the tremendous potential for Malaysian businesses to expand their reach beyond domestic borders. 

"We are pleased to embark on this strategic partnership with Amazon Global Selling to introduce cross-border e-commerce to Malaysian SMEs," said Mohd. Mustafa Abdul Aziz (pic), CEO at Matrade.

"Through this collaboration, we aim to equip Malaysian SMEs with the necessary knowledge and resources to expand their presence on Amazon’s e-stores and grow their brands internationally,” he further emphasizes, “This initiative perfectly complements the MADANI Economy Framework, the National Trade Blueprint, and the recently unveiled New Industrial Master Plan 2030, all of which underscore digitalisation and cross-border e-commerce as fundamental catalysts in driving Malaysia’s economic growth and resilience."

Meanwhile, Anand Palit, head of Amazon Global Selling in Southeast Asia said, "The promising projections for Malaysia's e-commerce export sector highlight the great potential that exists for businesses in the region. We appreciate the year-long collaboration with Matrade and hope to jointly support Malaysian brand owners to kickstart their global selling journey. By leveraging Amazon Global Selling’s expertise and Amazon resources, and working closely with Matrade, we hope to empower Malaysian SMEs to tap into the opportunity of cross-border e-commerce, driving growth, and enabling local businesses on their journey towards international success.”

Amazon’s Global infrastructure and resources to facilitate this go-global Journey

Amazon is continuously investing in logistics, tools, services, programmes, and people to foster the growth of sellers worldwide. The company has its global presence in 22 countries and can ship products to customers in over 200 countries and territories. It has more than 400 fulfilment centers across the globe and through Amazon stores, sellers, including those from Malaysia, can directly reach over hundreds of millions of active customer accounts worldwide, including more than 200 million Prime customers overseas.

Take Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) for example, it can enable sellers to scale more easily by helping them pick and ship products, while also taking care of customer service and returns for products. Today there are nearly 2 million SMEs who are selling on Amazon, and these third-party paid units represented more than 60% of total paid units in 2023 Q4.

Dedicated team to empower global expansion and customer reach

The new team based in Singapore is dedicated to introducing Amazon's innovative tools and resources to Malaysian sellers, guiding them through the journey of expanding globally and reaching customers all over the world. Amazon’s dedicated team will be proactively engaging with Malaysian entrepreneurs, manufacturers, and resellers, actively organising workshops, events, and conferences across Malaysia aimed at fostering market awareness and facilitating cross-border e-commerce initiatives.

Advancing cross-border e-commerce step for Malaysian SMEs

According to Amazon, there are already Malaysian sellers who have benefited from this emerging opportunity and one of them is Galano Furniture.

Alisha Tan, marketing director at Galano Furniture said, “Our journey with Amazon Global Selling has been nothing short of transformative. With a keen focus on excellence and innovation, we've developed a global business, forging direct connections with consumers internationally. We have adopted Fulfilled by Amazon (FBA), which has offered us peace of mind in terms of customer service and last-mile delivery. Additionally, FBA consistently proves to be the optimal choice, particularly for newly launched items. We have seen remarkable business growth in 2023, with sales increased from 5-digit USD to 6-digit USD.”