IN Malaysia, the sale season isn’t a single event — it’s a year-round marathon. From 8.8 to 12.12, Chinese New Year to back-to-school, every few weeks brings another retail flashpoint. What started as bargain-hunting has become a national spectacle, with digital carts filling as quickly as physical ones, and once-ordinary weekdays erupting into shopping frenzies.
For retailers, Malaysia’s shopping festivals are more than marketing moments, they’re the ultimate stress test. Every surge pushes systems to their limits, diversifies payment preferences, and raises shopper expectations for lightning-fast, seamless experiences. And Malaysians aren’t ordinary shoppers.
According to the Adyen Retail Report 2025, 58% already use AI to enhance their purchases, while 57% buy directly on social platforms around six times a month. In other words, local consumers are true omnichannel power users — raising the stakes for any retailer who falls short.
The bottom line: in peak season, even the smallest friction — a lagging checkout, a failed payment, or an empty cart due to stockouts — can mean lost revenue. In fact, 56% of Malaysians have abandoned purchases over delayed checkouts. What this means is that retailers who get their tech and payments strategy right won’t just weather the surge, they can turn it into sustainable growth well into 2026.
Before peak season: Build for speed before the storm hits
Peak season isn’t just about flashy discounts. It’s about preparing for the surges that will test every part of your retail operation, from checkout speed to inventory visibility.
The Adyen 2025 Report shows that 62% of Malaysians shop online to save time, and 54% to easily find what they need. But that promise of speed vanishes the moment checkout lags or payment options are missing. More than half of Malaysians (54%) will abandon a purchase if their preferred payment isn’t available, yet only 15% of merchants plan to enable digital wallets this season, creating a costly disconnect.
Picture this: your site slows under heavy traffic, inventory isn’t synced across channels, or payment options are inconsistent. Shoppers don’t wait — they move to competitors. Preparing now ensures systems, payments, and inventory can handle the peak spikes and deliver the seamless, personalised experiences shoppers expect.
One proven approach is Adyen’s Unified Commerce solution, which connects every sales channel — online, in-store, and social — into a single, integrated system. Unified Commerce allows retailers to deliver consistent, personalised experiences across touchpoints while giving real-time visibility and control over payments, inventory, and operations. Implemented before peak season, it ensures your systems are ready, customers can pay how they want, and your team can focus on fulfilling orders rather than firefighting.
How retailers can prepare:
Stress-test your tech stack across apps, websites and in-store systems to ensure every channel can handle traffic spikes and remain connected.
Offer Malaysia’s top three payment preferences – online banking, e-wallets, and debit cards – consistently across all channels.
Connect inventory across channels to provide a real-time view of stock, prevent overselling, and ensure smooth fulfilment.
During peak season: Deliver speed, choice, and security
When peak season hits, preparation alone isn’t enough. Retailers must deliver fast, frictionless checkout across all channels because every delay or missing payment option can cost sales.
Higher transaction volumes also attract fraud attempts. Globally, fraudulent transactions average 64% higher in value than legitimate ones, and Malaysian businesses reported RM6.29 million in fraud-related losses last year – a 16% year-on-year increase.
The challenge is balancing speed, flexibility, and security. Working with a partner like Adyen, retailers can leverage AI-powered tools such as Adyen Uplift to stop fraud in real-time without blocking genuine customers, protecting revenue while maximising sales.
Operational pressures also extend beyond payments: queues, fulfilment delays, and limited staffing can all undermine the customer experience. Data-driven planning and real-time insights helps teams allocate resources where they are most needed, from checkout counters to delivery slots.
How retailers can execute successfully during peak season:
Monitor checkout flows in real time across all channels to catch and fix bottlenecks immediately.
Use AI tools like Adyen Uplift to distinguish genuine shoppers from bad actors without slowing checkout.
Leverage live inventory and operational insights to reallocate stock, staff, and delivery resources.
After peak season: Turn seasonal shoppers into loyal customers
Peak season may end, but the work doesn’t stop. Smart retailers use insights from the rush to turn short-term wins into long-term growth — from which products and promotions worked best to which channels drove the most engagement. Going beyond single-channel loyalty, retailers can create experiences that follow customers across platforms, keeping them engaged long after the peak season ends.
Post-peak analysis also informs operations: understanding which products, channels, and payment methods drove the most growth helps optimise inventory, promotions, and staffing for future cycles.
How retailers can act post-season:
Follow up with personalised offers based on peak shopping behaviour to encourage repeat visits.
Use payment and sales data to inform inventory decisions for the next big sales cycle.
Simplify returns and chargeback handling to protect margins and keep shoppers happy.
Peak season is just the start
Success isn’t just about slashing prices or driving traffic. It’s about being prepared, agile and connected. Retailers who meet Malaysians where they shop will reduce friction, protect revenue and turn seasonal spikes into lasting loyalty.
This article is contributed by Adyen country manager Malaysia, Soon Yean Lee (pix).
