Insights &amp; Trends

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Insights &amp; Trends Archives - The M Makers

<h3>The brands that win will not be the loudest. They will be the smoothest.</h3>
Malaysia is not short on digital attention. The real bottleneck is friction.
Too many customer journeys still break in predictable places. The product page is unclear. Reviews raise doubts. Delivery expectations are uncertain. People want to ask a quick question, but the brand is not there when it matters.
In 2026, the opportunity is not to generate more content faster. It is to use AI to make buying easier, especially in the parts of the journey Malaysians already rely on: marketplaces and messaging.
<h3>Why does Malaysia have a different advantage than Singapore</h3>
Singapore is moving into orchestration because its maturity is high. Malaysia can leapfrog because consumer behaviour is already digital-first, but many brand workflows are still fragmented.
If you want a simple way to think about it:
Singapore brands are building systems that learn across the funnel. Malaysia brands can win by building systems that remove friction where purchases actually happen.
<h2>1) Messaging is not just customer service. It is your conversion layer.</h2>
Most brands still treat WhatsApp like a support queue. That is a missed opportunity.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone wp-image-688" src="https://dev-tmm-wp.themmakers.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/my-ai-for-commerce-img1-300x225.png" alt="" width="700" height="525" srcset="https://dev-tmm-wp.themmakers.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/my-ai-for-commerce-img1-300x225.png 300w, https://dev-tmm-wp.themmakers.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/my-ai-for-commerce-img1.png 400w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px" />
Source: <a href="https://ph.pinterest.com/pin/1104718983606526400/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Pinterest</a>
According to Kantar’s 2024 <a href="https://international.astroawani.com/malaysia-news/whatsapp-connects-businesses-consumers-most-malaysians-prefer-messaging-meta-485315">Business Messaging Usage Research</a>, cited in Malaysian coverage, seven in ten people in Malaysia prefer messaging a business rather than calling or emailing, and nearly eight in ten message a business at least once a week.
This means the channel is not the question. The workflow is.
<h3>The 2026 play</h3>
Stop building chatbots that answer questions. Start building messaging flows that help people decide.
What that looks like in practice:
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">product matching based on budget and needs</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">“Best for you” recommendations based on usage</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">intent scoring, so high intent leads get routed to a human fast</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">helpful follow-ups, not spammy</li>
</ul>
If your WhatsApp experience cannot move someone from “I am curious” to “I am confident”, you are leaving conversion on the table.
<h2>2) Marketplaces are not distribution. They are the main stage.</h2>
In Malaysia, marketplaces are where trust is built and lost quickly. Your listing is your landing page. Your reviews are your brand reputation. Your response speed is part of your customer experience.
A key regional signal: <a href="https://thelowdown.momentum.asia/new-report-southeast-asias-platform-ecommerce-gmv-reaches-us128-4b" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Momentum Works</a> reported platform-based e-commerce in Southeast Asia reached US$128.4 billion GMV in 2024, and the top three platforms, Shopee, TikTok Shop, and Lazada, together hold over 84% market share across the region. Malaysia was also highlighted as one of the fastest-growing markets.
And TikTok Shop is no longer a side story. <a href="https://www.marketing-interactive.com/top-ecommerce-platforms-southeast-asia" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Marketing Interactive</a> reported that it nearly quadrupled annual GMV in 2023 and became the second-largest ecommerce platform in Southeast Asia.
<h3>The 2026 play</h3>
Build an AI-assisted marketplace operating system.
Start with a weekly loop:
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">mine reviews by theme</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Identify the top 3 objections this week</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Update listing copy and creative modules to answer them</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">refresh short video assets to match what people are asking</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Tighten voucher logic only where it is needed, not everywhere</li>
</ul>
When marketplaces are this competitive, optimisation is not a quarterly project. It is a weekly habit.
<h2>3) Reviews are performance signals, not just reputation</h2>
Reviews are not for your brand team only. They are for your media team.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone wp-image-689" src="https://dev-tmm-wp.themmakers.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/my-ai-for-commerce-img2-300x169.png" alt="" width="701" height="395" srcset="https://dev-tmm-wp.themmakers.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/my-ai-for-commerce-img2-300x169.png 300w, https://dev-tmm-wp.themmakers.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/my-ai-for-commerce-img2-1024x576.png 1024w, https://dev-tmm-wp.themmakers.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/my-ai-for-commerce-img2-768x432.png 768w, https://dev-tmm-wp.themmakers.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/my-ai-for-commerce-img2.png 1080w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 701px) 100vw, 701px" />
Source: <a href="https://ph.pinterest.com/pin/842102830352405931/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Pinterest</a>
A simple truth: people do not read reviews when they are bored. They read reviews when they are deciding.
<h3>The 2026 play</h3>
Use AI to cluster review themes every week, then turn them into creative and retargeting.
Examples: 
If reviews keep mentioning delivery speed, then your next creatives should lead with delivery clarity and proof. 
If reviews keep mentioning authenticity concerns, your product page should surface authenticity signals sooner, and your retargeting should address those concerns directly.
It is not complicated. It is just rarely operationalised.
<h2>4) Governance is not optional anymore</h2>
Malaysia’s <a href="https://www.pdp.gov.my/ppdpv1/en/akta/personal-data-protection-amendment-act-2024/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Personal Data Protection (Amendment) Act 2024</a> was published on the official PDP site. It states that the Minister will set commencement dates by Gazette notification, and that different provisions may come into effect at different times.
Even if teams are still figuring out timelines, the direction is clear: AI use in marketing needs discipline around data, accountability, and documentation.
<h3>The 2026 play</h3>
Treat governance like part of your campaign checklist:
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">What customer data can be used in which tools</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Which outputs require human review</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">What needs to be logged and documented</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">How vendors handle your data and what leaves the country</li>
</ul>
Brands that build this early will move faster later, because they will not need to pause every time risk questions appear.
<h2>The bottom line</h2>
Malaysia’s marketing opportunity is no longer about using AI to produce high volumes of top-of-funnel content. Instead, the brands that dominate the landscape will use smart systems to eliminate friction and build smoother buying journeys.
By turning messaging channels into high-converting decision layers, running agile weekly marketplace optimization loops, and using customer reviews as active media performance signals, organizations can build an unshakeable competitive advantage. Building strict data governance early ensures that these AI frameworks can scale safely as regulations evolve.
Malaysia does not need to wait for a distant maturity stage. Brands can leapfrog the competition by auditing their workflows and engineering a friction-free commerce flow today.
If you missed our regional ecosystem analysis, read our strategic piece on how <a href="https://www.themmakers.com/news/singapore-2026-shift-from-ai-adoption-to-orchestration">Singapore is Moving into AI-Powered Orchestration</a> to see how cross-border market dynamics are shifting, or explore <a href="https://www.themmakers.com/news/ai-media-predictions-singapore-malaysia-2026-brands">2026 AI Media Predictions in Singapore &amp; Malaysia</a> to map out digital touchpoints that convert curious browsers into confident advocates.
Ready to smooth out your own commerce flow? Let’s talk.

Stop using AI just for content. Learn how Malaysian brands are using AI to eliminate friction, optimize marketplace flows, and boost conversions in 2026.

The brands that win in 2026 won't be the loudest; they will be the smoothest. Learn how to use AI to build friction-free commerce flows across WhatsApp and marketplaces in Malaysia.

Stop Using AI for Speed. Start Using It for Commerce Flow.

Malaysia 2026: Stop Using AI for Speed. Start Using It for Commerce Flow

Malaysia 2026: Shift AI Strategy from Speed to Commerce Flow

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Ariane Goo

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collaborate with us, or simply have a chat.

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Malaysia 2026: Stop Using AI for Speed. Start Using It for Commerce Flow

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