Shopee: Malaysians are Taking Self-Care More Seriously

Physical and environmental wellness top of mind ahead of 3.15 Consumer Day. Shopee Malaysia data indicates that Malaysians are better adapted to feeling joy and showing appreciation to themselves in a post-pandemic world. More Malaysians are going online for their self-care needs, according to shopping data observed by Shopee Malaysia. Since the pandemic began, demand for products that help shoppers improve their well-being, reward themselves, and reduce stress has increased by 6 times on the platform.

Shopee: Malaysians are Taking Self-Care More Seriously

In 2021, Shopee has found that physical and environmental wellness rank among Malaysians' top needs when shopping online. In particular, 42% of products bought focused on physical wellness, 26% environmental wellness, 25% social well-being, with the remaining for psychological and spiritual wellness.

Kenneth Soh, Head of Marketing Campaigns at Shopee Malaysia

“These findings highlight how Malaysians' preferred ways of taking care of their well-being have evolved over the last two years, signaling the rise of new opportunities for self-discovery and personal growth. We are pleased to have been able to support Malaysians every step of the way, to help them discover what they need,” said Kenneth Soh, Head of Marketing Campaigns at Shopee Malaysia.

Malaysians are putting physical well-being as their top priority. Compared to 2019, Malaysians were 6 times more interested in purchasing items related to eating well, exercising, personal grooming, and personal hygiene. Personal grooming items were the most popular subcategory for physical self-care, with approximately one-third of these consisting of skincare products such as face masks, face scrubs and peels, makeup, facial oils, essence and serums.   

Malaysians’ appear to be prioritizing more environmental self-care by creating healthier living environments, because demand for home improvement, decoration, and home organization increased the most at 10 times in the last two years on Shopee’s marketplace since 2019. For example, DIY supplies, fragrance and candles, artificial flowers and plants, wallpapers and wall art, shelf racks, desk organizers and storage baskets. This may not be surprising as many people would have had to reevaluate their living spaces if they spent more time working, home-schooling, or pursuing indoor related hobbies at home.

Looking at social well-being growth trends, Malaysians demanded 5 times more products to educate or nurture babies and pets in the last 2 years. Items sold related to pet supplies grew the fastest in this category, with pet toys, pet grooming, pet fashion, pet homes and pet accessories increasing 13 times from 2019 to 2021.

Shopee has also seen Malaysians gaining higher interest in learning new skills and cultivating hobbies such as reading, journaling, playing board games, and playing musical instruments, which provide a form of digital detox and promoting better psychological self-care. Items sold related to such hobbies have since grown an impressive 6 times in the last two years.

Malaysians are also embracing self-care offline, using digital payments. For the full year 2021 compared to pre-covid 2019, the adoption of ShopeePay, Shopee’s integrated mobile wallet, for self-care categories orders increased the most for sports and outdoor products, games, books and hobbies, and health and beauty. The highest uptake was for games, books, and hobbies, with a 60 times increase in adoption.