We are creating some awesome events for you. Kindly bear with us.

Tech could boost Malaysia’s retail industry

It is undeniable that retail is extremely profitable in Malaysia; it accounts for 10 per cent of the nation’s GDP, according to a recent report.

The sector is doing so well that the country will be able to boast of up to 700 shopping malls by the end of next year, which is roughly equivalent to a whopping 170 million square footage of the net lettable area.

Moreover, as the country’s economy increasingly more service-focused, and in line with Malaysia’s rapid digital transformation journey, local retailers and mall operators are adopting innovative future technologies to enhance customer experience and boost sales.

These technologies include facial recognition and shopper tracking system to obtain data that could be used to derive valuable insights.

In conversation with local media, the general manager of a Kuala Lumpur-based mall noted that the mall is currently trialling a new shopper tracking system that is capable of identifying shoppers’ unique mobile phones.

Noting that the project was in its initial phase, the GM stated that the tech enables developers to determine how many times a person comes to the mall and where they go while concurrently providing information on the number of shoppers at the mall. The tech is also able to provide an accurate account of the weekly and monthly foot traffic.

The data will be then be analysed to differentiate the shoppers to provide them customized notifications and promotions based on their shopping pattern, dwell time, travel history, and frequency.

The GM stated that the tech would allow analysts to automatically detect if it is a customer’s birthday and then notify them of special promotions in certain outlets. It was noted that this will be worked on in the second phase of developing the tech.

According to him, the technology was first rolled out by Sunway Pyramid in Kuala Lumpur’s suburb of Petaling Jaya.

The GM reportedly stands by the robustness of the system that also features functions that track children and avoids double ­counting. The tech also serves as a tool to measure the effectiveness of promotional campaigns.

It was noted that there are 55-56 sensors throughout the mall which cover different zones. They track where a person goes to, from one zone to another, and capture how many people are there at a particular time and how many people are there in an atrium – analysts are then able to generate reports using this information.

The set-up cost for the system ranges from RM115,800 to RM 148,900 with about RM10,340 being the monthly recurring cost. The tech is already widely adopted in malls in Malaysia’s neighbouring country, Singapore.

Meanwhile, Malaysian Retail Chain Association (MRCA) via its training arm MRCA Academy has been on a quest to promote digital transformation and adoption of future technologies such as facial recognition and data analytics among its members to increase efficiency and maintain a competitive edge.

The MRCA Academy deputy chancellor stated that technology will catalyse the retail industry to unprecedented growth, and enterprises should take advantage of the cutting edge solutions that are based on future technologies.

The Personal Data Protection Act makes it unlawful to record images of shoppers, but according to him, facial recognition technology could be utilized in other ways, to create a profile of individual shoppers based on their age group and gender.

The deputy chancellor noted that facial recognition can tell whether the person is a staff or supplier. If a customer walks past a store but doesn’t walk in, it can also tell the store owner how many people didn’t come into their store.

The tech is a way for store owners and operators to understand why customers don’t come in, and how to rectify this issue.

While cost will always be a significant stumbling block in any new digital initiative, traditional retail players must work on digital solutions consistently in order to keep customers coming back to the stores.

PARTNER

Qlik’s vision is a data-literate world, where everyone can use data and analytics to improve decision-making and solve their most challenging problems. A private company, Qlik offers real-time data integration and analytics solutions, powered by Qlik Cloud, to close the gaps between data, insights and action. By transforming data into Active Intelligence, businesses can drive better decisions, improve revenue and profitability, and optimize customer relationships. Qlik serves more than 38,000 active customers in over 100 countries.

PARTNER

CTC Global Singapore, a premier end-to-end IT solutions provider, is a fully owned subsidiary of ITOCHU Techno-Solutions Corporation (CTC) and ITOCHU Corporation.

Since 1972, CTC has established itself as one of the country’s top IT solutions providers. With 50 years of experience, headed by an experienced management team and staffed by over 200 qualified IT professionals, we support organizations with integrated IT solutions expertise in Autonomous IT, Cyber Security, Digital Transformation, Enterprise Cloud Infrastructure, Workplace Modernization and Professional Services.

Well-known for our strengths in system integration and consultation, CTC Global proves to be the preferred IT outsourcing destination for organizations all over Singapore today.

PARTNER

Planview has one mission: to build the future of connected work. Our solutions enable organizations to connect the business from ideas to impact, empowering companies to accelerate the achievement of what matters most. Planview’s full spectrum of Portfolio Management and Work Management solutions creates an organizational focus on the strategic outcomes that matter and empowers teams to deliver their best work, no matter how they work. The comprehensive Planview platform and enterprise success model enables customers to deliver innovative, competitive products, services, and customer experiences. Headquartered in Austin, Texas, with locations around the world, Planview has more than 1,300 employees supporting 4,500 customers and 2.6 million users worldwide. For more information, visit www.planview.com.

SUPPORTING ORGANISATION

SIRIM is a premier industrial research and technology organisation in Malaysia, wholly-owned by the Minister​ of Finance Incorporated. With over forty years of experience and expertise, SIRIM is mandated as the machinery for research and technology development, and the national champion of quality. SIRIM has always played a major role in the development of the country’s private sector. By tapping into our expertise and knowledge base, we focus on developing new technologies and improvements in the manufacturing, technology and services sectors. We nurture Small Medium Enterprises (SME) growth with solutions for technology penetration and upgrading, making it an ideal technology partner for SMEs.

PARTNER

HashiCorp provides infrastructure automation software for multi-cloud environments, enabling enterprises to unlock a common cloud operating model to provision, secure, connect, and run any application on any infrastructure. HashiCorp tools allow organizations to deliver applications faster by helping enterprises transition from manual processes and ITIL practices to self-service automation and DevOps practices. 

PARTNER

IBM is a leading global hybrid cloud and AI, and business services provider. We help clients in more than 175 countries capitalize on insights from their data, streamline business processes, reduce costs and gain the competitive edge in their industries. Nearly 3,000 government and corporate entities in critical infrastructure areas such as financial services, telecommunications and healthcare rely on IBM’s hybrid cloud platform and Red Hat OpenShift to affect their digital transformations quickly, efficiently and securely. IBM’s breakthrough innovations in AI, quantum computing, industry-specific cloud solutions and business services deliver open and flexible options to our clients. All of this is backed by IBM’s legendary commitment to trust, transparency, responsibility, inclusivity and service.

Send this to a friend