Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – In observance of the Muslim holiday Hari Raya, Malaysian telco Maxis has partnered with e-commerce platform Shopee in releasing a shoppable holiday-centric campaign, which encourages Malaysians to shop online for their Raya festivity needs in support of local SMEs, whose businesses are greatly affected by the pandemic.
Hari Raya, or also known as Eid al-Fitr, is a Muslim religious holiday that marks the end of month-long dawn-to-sunset fasting of Ramadan. In Malaysia, Hari Raya is a well-known holiday, many Muslims and even non-Muslims return to their family home, known by the term ‘balik kampong’ where they go home to their loved ones a day before the festivities.
Maxis has released the ad ‘Raya Si Sakan’, in collaboration with Shopee, which combines storytelling with technology through shoppable ad features, turning a typical video into a shopping catalogue for entrepreneurs to promote and sell their products.
Maxis is inviting Malaysians to shop for their Raya festive needs in support of a noble cause for online merchants. Malaysians can select from over a wide range of products showcased at Maxis’ dedicated campaign page, from fashion, food, Islamic wares, décor and home items, as well as arts and crafts. In addition, this campaign puts the spotlight on local micro-entrepreneurs to help them unlock their ‘rezeki’ potential through the power of e-commerce.
The narrative follows the quirky tale of a husband and wife preparing for the Raya festivities. While the wife prepares new things for the festivity, the husband has been spending online to buy merchandise from sellers, from beauty products, Raya-centric foods and dresses.
The general theme of the campaign encapsulates a new thought of celebrating Raya, as the husband says that he is spending online so that the merchants as well can earn and enjoy their Raya as well.
For Tai Kam Leong, head of brand and marketing at Maxis, the Raya season has always been personified by acts of generosity and shopping, and they were inspired to blend the best of both traditions, using our shoppable Raya film to turn shopping into acts of giving.
“Bringing sellers and shoppers together in this digital space, we are encouraging people to support local businesses, while giving the latter the exposure they would not ordinarily get otherwise. And as a tribute to their entrepreneurial spirit and contribution to our economy, we want to put the best of technology in their hands to enable them to Always Be Ahead,” Leong stated.
Meanwhile, Kenneth Soh, head of Shopee Mall Malaysia, stated that this partnership with Maxis is another initiative to make e-commerce accessible, inclusive and beneficial for all Malaysians.
“As we further our goal of using technology to empower the communities that we serve in, this joint effort will help local entrepreneurs, particularly B40 entrepreneurs by giving them the opportunity to gain exposure and sales,” Soh stated.
Soh says further, “Beyond sales, the initiative strives to provide livelihoods for the entrepreneurs and help them survive during these trying times. We are humbled to be part of this collaboration and we look forward to greater things that will benefit the country together with Maxis.”
Maxis has been supporting the SME and micro-SME community for several years now. Recently, it launched its eKelas Usahawan, a structured digital marketing program to empower women entrepreneurs in rural communities to develop a stronger digital presence.
