100 Go Digital in Ipoh, Perak

The 100 Go Digital nationwide workshop was held in Ipoh, Perak yesterday. Initiated by the Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) and organised by the Malaysian Association for Women in Digital & Technology (MAWiD), the primary goal of 100 Go Digital is to onboard women to the digital sphere, one hundred at a time.

Prior to arriving in Ipoh, the workshop kickstarted in the Klang Valley in June, followed by Johor Bahru in July. After this, the team is headed to Penang. In Ipoh, the venue was sponsored by Quest International University (QIU).

Puvanesvari Subramaniam, President for Malaysian Association for Women in Digital and Technology(MAWiD)

Malaysian women in general are still slow to adapt to the advancement of technology. Thus, those who do not incorporate technology in their businesses or maximise the use of social media in the advertising and branding of their businesses will lose out, especially with the threat of artificial intelligence.

100 Go Digital empowers women with access to free-to-use or almost-free tools, plus the sharing of know-how to apply these solutions to their businesses. Those who are looking to generate a new income stream can also explore the TikTok Shop affiliate programme, which is useful for people who do not already have their own products to sell.

During the 100 Go Digital event in Ipoh, Cherise Ling from TikTok Shop Malaysia was on hand to guide the 100 participants, who comprised MAWiD members, owners of Small & Medium Enterprises (SMEs) as well as Startups, to utilise TikTok beyond getting a laugh or two from silly videos.

TikTok has seen massive growth following the unfortunate incident of the COVID-19 global lockdown, and the trend is not waning anytime soon. As of 2022, the Global MAU (monthly active users) exceeds a billion. 75% of these users access TikTok on their smartphones, with an average daily time spent on TikTok, 79+ minutes per user. That’s more than an hour! Needless to say, it’s not surprising that TikTok remains the most downloaded mobile app.

As a survey has shown that 4 in 5 purchases by Southeast Asian online shoppers were driven by video content, especially among TikTok users, it makes sense to bring our business to TikTok and its vast active user base through TikTok Shop. Beyond expanding one’s reach by riding on TikTok’s enormous and still-growing user base, TikTok Shop facilitates impulsive buyers by reducing shopping friction.

TikTok Shop is not all about selling, though – it is also a platform for branding. As quality content is still king, Cherise also shared with us the creative best practices that would drive performance. The main factor to bear in mind in short-form video creation for TikTok is placing entertainment (or education) first to motivate the act of making the purchase.

Besides reaching an audience through such bite-size videos, sellers are also encouraged to live-stream, for at least two hours per session. There are Dos and Don’ts, of course. Such policies and other information are readily available at the TikTok Shop Seller University. Click HERE.

Carol Fung (3rd L) Senior Manager for Business Digitalisation at MDEC, surprised to receive a gift of appreciation in the form of a kacang putih gift pack

Carol Fung, Senior Manager for Business Digitalisation at Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC), is the big sister of eCommerce in the country. She shared with us the objectives of 100 Go Digital, which was established in 2019. Besides workshops such as this one in Ipoh, 100 Go Digital also provides business advisory to entrepreneurs, business matching with solutions providers, and supports the Government’s Goal under the RMK12 (12th Malaysia Plan) on Accelerating Business Digitalisation for MSMEs.

Areas of digitalisation can include Digital Marketing/Sales, Digital Payment, HR Payroll/CRM Systems, Accounting & Taxes, Digital Signature, Cybersecurity, and Internet of Things (IoT).

one of the solutions providers at 100 Go Digital Perak to assist those in the F&B business

Funding is one of the main headaches for any business. Carol brought good news by revealing two new digital grants for eligible companies: 2023 Digital Grant PMKS Madani and 2023 OHSEM Digital Advertising Fund. For further information, click on the respective links. Keep abreast with MDEC on Facebook HERE.

Erik Chang, a participant, has the opportunity to pitch his business card digitalisation business course

100 Go Digital organised by MAWiD is a fully hands-on workshop that has “homework” for participants. That’s not all. Support is provided even after the day’s workshop has concluded, whether it is from MAWiD, MDEC or TikTok Shop, either through Facebook or a dedicated WhatsApp group.

a token of appreciation for Cherise Ling (4th L), TikTok Shop Malaysia

Malaysian Association for Women in Digital & Technology (MAWiD) was founded in 2021 by a group of ardent ladies who are passionate about providing a platform for Malaysian women to connect, collaborate, and together, rise to the challenges of being future-ready. Driving digital and technology transformation for Malaysian women across the country, MAWiD empowers women by creating opportunities for upskilling, resource sharing, networking, and collaborating within the digital eco-system in Malaysia. Connect with MAWiD on Facebook HERE.