Keen to carry forward the entrepreneurial spirit of their parents, who had weathered the 1997 financial crisis to launch their venture, sisters Khor Yi Thing and Khor Yi Chen decided to steer the family’s traditional dried seafood business in Penang, Malaysia, from bricks to clicks in 2021.
Inspired by the success stories of other e-commerce sellers, the Khor siblings launched The Fisherman on digital platform Lazada. Said Ms Khor Yi Thing: “We were guided on our journey as new sellers by the Lazada team, which provided invaluable support in driving traffic and visibility to our online store. Though it involved its share of trial and error, we steadily expanded our customer base.”
With Lazada as their compass, the sisters adeptly navigated unchartered digital territory, and now adopt a digital-first approach in managing their operations.
EMPOWERING COMMUNITIES THROUGH DIGITALISATION
The impact of digitalisation is not merely evident in the success of The Fisherman. Indeed, digitalisation has been instrumental in empowering micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) across Lazada’s six markets in Southeast Asia – Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam – to enhance their competitive edge.
To foster digital transformation within its seller community, Lazada organises regular Seller Conferences to facilitate learning sessions on marketing strategies and digital trends. Between last April and March this year, more than 30 such conferences have been convened across the region. Additionally, its Seller Community forum allows members to connect with one another, and integrates support resources such as Lazada University and Help Centre.
For budding entrepreneurs, Lazada’s four-week Buddy Mentorship Programme pairs novice sellers with seasoned mentors, nurturing a peer-support network. More than 1,000 sellers across Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam have reaped the benefits of the programme.
