Shoppers back in droves as festive spirit returns

 

Retailers have reported increased sales as the holiday season approaches.

PETALING JAYA: The festive spirit is back, and shoppers are all over town or hovering over the keyboard.

Online and offline, retailers have reported increases in purchases especially for the Christmas season, and many are expecting the mood to extend to the Chinese New Year holidays in February.

As Malaysia Retail Association (MRA) managing director Tan Hai Hsin told FMT Business, shoppers are back to embrace the festive spirit.

As a result, retail purchases have bounced back, recording a 2.7% growth in the third quarter of 2023 over the same period in 2022.

Homemaker Annie Tang, 49, is a reflection of the shopper that retailers love. She allocates a higher sum of money to spend on food for family gatherings during the Christmas season.

This is in spite of the continued economic uncertainty that has led to elevated prices.

As a matter of fact, the shopping has picked up steam as Christmas Day approaches, a demonstration of Malaysians’ resilience in the face of economic challenges.

Tan said the average Malaysian’s propensity to shop has returned to pre-pandemic levels.

“In fact, there has not been a major shift in behaviour and pattern in the shopping habit of the average Malaysian consumer this Christmas compared with the days before the pandemic,” he said.

However, Tan said, the MRA expects a significant number of consumers to now opt to do their Christmas shopping online.

He also expects the shopping mood to prevail into the new year as Malaysians of Chinese descent start to make purchases for Chinese New Year-related items.

Tan said shoppers are also attracted by the great discounts offered by retailers. “Regardless of race and religion, everyone wants to buy all kinds of goods and services,” he added.

He said majority of consumers shop for clothes, accessories, electronics and toys.

According to the MRA quarterly report published in November 2023, retailers specialising in children and baby products did not experience any disruption in the supply chain, indicating that sales could record a notable improvement over the same period in 2021 and 2022.

However, the pandemic years remain a reminder to all Malaysians that it is best to be prudent.

Despite her enthusiasm, Tang will not get carried away. For her, the pandemic continues to be a reminder of how events can easily take a wrong turn, and spoil every festive spirit.

“I would think that one has to always be flexible and creative in adjusting spending patterns and purchase only the priorities,” she told FMT Business.

“This year, I will spend only as much as I did last year because the family income remains the same while spending on household essentials has been rising since the pandemic,” she added.

On the other hand, personal driver Samnese Samikannoo, 55, said he would curtail his Christmas spending this year, attributing his decision to the impact of high prices of many necessities.

“I’m thinking of cutting my Christmas spending to around RM500 from RM700 last year,” he added. - FMT