KUALA LUMPUR – Most shopkeepers in Brickfields here saw lower sales for this year’s Deepavali celebration as consumers tightened their belts and sought better deals from online shopping platforms.
Several shopkeepers here told Scoop that fewer customers came to buy items for Deepavali and said they believed consumers were being more frugal this year, besides finding cheaper deals online, including on TikTok.
Sumanthi Subramani, a 55-year-old shopkeeper at a clothes boutique, acknowledged that shops like hers were facing stiff competition from e-commerce platforms.
“Customers still come to our shops but want to compare the price with the online platforms where prices are lower.
“They don’t care so much about product quality, but instead, want to see the price,” Sumanthi told Scoop.
She said her customers had told her they found good deals for clothes from sellers on TikTok.
Sumanthi said the boutique’s owner worked hard to survive in the highly competitive clothing industry by travelling all the way to Mumbai, India, to personally pick outfits that appeal to customers. Her store draws Malay, Chinese and also foreign customers.
Sweets seller Sasikala Arunachalan, 38, attributed this year’s low sales to people losing their jobs and stagnant wages, causing consumers to be more careful about how they spend their money.
“Compared with last year, we didn’t make much sales. It is because people don’t have work and their salary is not enough,” she said.
The situation has eaten into her profit margins, as besides lower sales, the price of raw materials for her sweet business has also increased. She only earns 40 sen to 50 sen for each sweet sold.
“Now, everything has increased in price and even if we sell three pieces of sweets for RM2, people still won’t buy,” Sasikala said.
An 18-year-old shopkeeper, who wanted to be known as Thachaaini, said the men’s boutique she works for has had to raise its prices because its clothes are imported from India.
“Since all of our products are imported from India, we have had to increase our prices because of taxes,” she said.
Due to this, Thachaaini believes consumers prioritise other spending, rather than buying new clothes, in order to save money.
However, textiles retailer Sheik Mohammed, 39, said he did not observe much difference in sales for Deepavali this year compared to last year, as his store has managed to keep its items affordable. – November 15, 2023