69 PERCENT MALAYSIAN ONLINESELLERS HAVE GOOD UNDERSTANDING OF AI - LAZADA

KUALA LUMPUR, April 9 (Bernama) -- A total of 69 per cent of online sellers in Malaysia show a high level of understanding of Artificial Intelligence (AI), according to research conducted by eCommerce platform, Lazada.

Lazada said in a statement that the number is in line with the regional average of 68 per cent which proves online sellers in Malaysia are aware of the existence of AI.

Lazada said the research also found that sellers in Malaysia, estimating 30 per cent of the adoption rate of AI in their business operations, but the implementation based on the research was only 26 per cent, lower than the Southeast Asian average of 37 per cent.

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"While 89 per cent of sellers in Southeast Asia acknowledge the role of AI in increasing productivity, only 77 per cent of Malaysian sellers share the same sentiment.

“This is a different perception of its usefulness, with only one in two sellers in Malaysia lacking confidence in its benefits, compared to almost two-thirds of sellers in Southeast Asia.

"In addition, while 87 per cent of sellers in Malaysia agree that AI can generate cost savings in the long run, almost two-thirds cite high costs and time-consuming implementation as barriers to adoption," he said.

Lazada today published its research report titled Bridging the AI Gap: Online Seller Perceptions and Adoption Trends in Southeast Asia (SEA) in collaboration with Kantar which surveyed 1,214 eCommerce sellers in Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam to examine AI adoption trends, challenges and opportunities.

According to Lazada, in Malaysia, the importance of upskilling for AI is at 89 percent, although the majority of sellers at 67 percent still indicate that their employees are more comfortable using ways of working that have been proven to be effective and commonly used.

Lazada Group CEO James Dong said the research revealed a gap in the Southeast Asian eCommerce ecosystem, and showed that most sellers in the region actually understand the transformative potential of AI, but many are still in the process of transitioning.

"As a leading eCommerce platform in Southeast Asia, we aim to bridge the knowledge and adoption gap by developing AI solutions that are accessible and capable of addressing the unique challenges faced by sellers in various markets to make this technology more accessible," he said in the statement.

To support sellers to leverage AI, Lazada also launched the Online Sellers Artificial Intelligence Readiness Playbook which is specially designed as a strategic guide based on the level of AI maturity of each seller.

"Research shows that sellers are starting to leverage key AI-driven solutions on the Lazada platform to improve their efficiency, thus confirming the importance of Lazada's investment in the latest AI innovations and cutting-edge tools that facilitate eCommerce operations," according to Lazada.

Lazada said with 67 per cent of sellers expressing high satisfaction with the existing AI features on its eCommerce platform, several new features based on Generative AI were also introduced to facilitate sellers and customers such as AI Smart Product Optimization, AI-Powered Translations and Lazzie Seller.

-- BERNAMA