This blog was updated on 15 April 2025, for more information connect with our team: https://www.easystore.co/contact 

5 Key Insights from Malaysia’s Top 50 Ecommerce Platforms in Q1 2018

The digital economy has become a major growth driver in Malaysia, contributing 18.2% to the country’s GDP in 2016 — equivalent to RM290.9 billion.

 Since then, ecommerce has grown rapidly, supported by both government initiatives and private sector investment.

To track this fast-paced growth, the Map of eCommerce was created to identify Malaysia’s key ecommerce players and reveal important trends. 

Here are five key findings from the top 50 ecommerce platforms in Malaysia during Q1 2018.

1. Lazada Strengthens Its Lead in Malaysia

Comparing Q3 to Q4 2017, Lazada saw a significant increase of 13.8 million average monthly visitors, further widening the gap between its closest competitors — 11street, now known as Presto Mall (up 5.9 million) and Shopee (up 5.3 million).

Backed by Alibaba’s US$2 billion (RM7.83 billion) investment, Lazada’s dominance is expected to grow unless competitors can close the gap.

 Meanwhile, Shopee has shown strong momentum, climbing past Lelong to become the third most visited ecommerce site in Q4 2017, fueled by SEA Group’s US$550 million (RM2.1 billion) funding round in September 2017.

2. Shopee Overtakes Lazada as Malaysia’s Top Mobile Shopping App

While Lazada continues to lead in website traffic, Shopee has overtaken Lazada on mobile, ranking as the top shopping app on both Google Play and iOS.

This is especially significant in Southeast Asia’s mobile-first market, where 74% of Malaysia’s online traffic comes from mobile devices. 

As a mobile-centric platform since its launch in 2015, Shopee’s strategy continues to pay off.

Other top-ranking mobile shopping apps include Lazada, Presto Mall, Zalora, and Lelong, ranked based on download volume, retention, engagement, revenue, and customer ratings.

3. Year-End Promotions Drove a 30% Traffic Surge

Malaysia’s top 50 ecommerce platforms experienced an average 30% increase in online traffic during major year-end sales in 2017.

Key online sale events included:

• #MYCyberSale (9–13 Oct)

• 11.11 Singles’ Day (11 Nov)

• Black Friday (24 Nov)

• 12.12 Sale (12 Dec)

The 12.12 Sale was the biggest, followed closely by Singles’ Day, with the highest surge in searches and promotions on Lazada, Shopee, and Zalora.

4. Top Ecommerce Platforms Created Over 1,000 Jobs

The five leading ecommerce platforms — Lazada, Presto Mall, Shopee, Lelong, and Zalora — collectively created over 1,000 jobs in Malaysia.

This figure was estimated by identifying staff working in these companies via LinkedIn, though the actual number is likely higher. 

This highlights the sector’s growing impact, supporting the government’s aim to raise digital economy employment above the global average by 2025.

5. Local Fashion Brands Dominate on Instagram

Local fashion ecommerce brands outperformed regional and international players on Instagram. 

The three most popular Malaysian fashion ecommerce brands were:

• Bella Ammara

• Naelofar Hijab

• Fashion Valet

Among these, Fashion Valet stands as one of the pioneers, operating since 2010. 

Malaysian fashion ecommerce brands remain highly active on Instagram, consistently creating engaging content and collaborating with celebrities and influencers to reach wider audiences.

Article credits to Jeremy Chew, Senior Content Marketer at iPrice Group. LinkedIn Facebook Website 

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