Malaysian retailers told to prioritise technology, consumer-centric approaches

Key strategies include embracing sustainability and exploring international markets.

Retailers in Malaysia should prioritise integrating advanced technology and adopting consumer-centric strategies to remain competitive in an increasingly digital and demand-driven market.

These trends took center stage at the Retail Asia Summit 2025 in Malaysia where industry leaders gathered to share insights and strategies on navigating this new retail landscape.

S. Jai Shankar, senior director and sustainability lead at MATRADE, opened the summit by highlighting the critical need for Malaysia’s retail sector to innovate, embrace sustainability, and explore international markets in order to remain competitive in a rapidly changing global landscape.

Opal Wu, associate partner at McKinsey & Company, highlighted the importance of customer experience, leveraging technology for personalisation, and focusing on customer needs over technology. “Whilst we're talking about technology, it's really about customers and people first- not technology,” he said.

A key highlight was the session by Low Ngai Yuen, Chief Merchandise & Marketing Officer of AEON Co., who posed a critical question to the industry: “Is omnichannel just retail’s way of saying ‘we’re lost’?” The session challenged businesses to rethink their approach to customer engagement across digital and physical channels.

AI’s growing role in retail was the focus of the first panel session, “AI-Driven Retail: Enhancing Efficiency and Personalisation. Industry leaders Phillip Yong, head of AEON Ventures, AEON Malaysia; Yen Thng (Ostwin) Paw, sustainability & impact officer of Alpro Pharmacy and CEO of Alpro Foundation; Sharon Choe, head of digital at Baskin-Robbins, discussed how AI tools are being used to improve customer experiences and operational efficiency.

‘In retail, we have a lot of repetitive tasks like marketing planning demand planning, visual merchandising, strategies and all that stuff,” Yong said. “All these things can be AI assisted. Not AI replaced.”

Rakesh Mani of PwC, also provided insights into navigating regulatory and economic changes, and Hugo Texier of Roland Berger, who discussed winning strategies in Asia’s consumer markets.

In the second panel, “Scaling E-Commerce in Malaysia,” Jie Sheng Khoo, head of retail and seller service at SPX Express; Sachin Suresh, business head of Southeast Asia at Babyshop, Landmark Group; Ben Chin, country director of strategy at Grab, shared strategies for driving growth in Malaysia’s e-commerce space, with a focus on logistics, digital partnerships, and customer-centric platforms.

Moreover, Nur Azri Abdul Aziz, director of strategic partnerships at TikTok Shop Malaysia, noted that trust, authentic content, and strong customer operations are key to driving e-commerce growth from discovery to purchase.

Jane Lattimore of Ipsos Malaysia also presented data on changing consumer trends shaping Malaysian retail.

The afternoon continued with insights from Yuichi Ota of YCP, who explored Malaysia’s retail market through a global lens, followed by Selena Chua, CEO of PARADIGM REIT Management, who underscored the importance of embedding ESG principles into retail strategies for long-term impact.

The final panel, “Reinventing Retail Business Models: The Future of Shopping in Malaysia,” brought together Azwan Ahimmat, director of property & finance and director of marketing & customer experience at Mydin Mohamed Holdings Bhd; Allison Chong, regional head of apparel at ZALORA; and Azry Rasyeqa Rafflee, group head of customer experience at FashionValet, to explore how retailers are innovating to stay relevant in an increasingly digital, experience-driven market.