PETALING JAYA: For batik garments and products company Masrina Abdullah Empire Ventures (MAEV), the Covid-19 pandemic and the ensuing movement control order (MCO) have essentially placed the business on ice.
According to its founder Masrina Abdullah, the restrictions have resulted in its production and retail activities being put on hold and revenue has plummeted to zero, as it could no longer operate its counters across eight vendor boutiques with the closure of malls and non-essential retail operations.
“Furthermore, our online sales also saw a decline in demand as people were worried about the coronavirus and were less inclined to shop,” she told SunBiz.
Simultaneously, the production side of her business saw minimal activity with the work-from-home regime and photoshoots became almost impossible to undertake with the MCO, and so there was not much that could be done to boost Masrina’s online business.
She disclosed that MAEV has already ventured into e-commerce via its presence on Zalora’s platform since a year ago and it is making efforts to get on a few more platforms this year.
“Unfortunately, the MCO has restricted our ability to produce contents for our e-commerce segment, but we have been engaging with a number of new websites and online platforms for the segment,” Masrina said.
However, following the introduction of the conditional MCO, MAEV has seen a reopening of some of its vendor boutiques, but the response has been muted as consumers remain very cautious.
The founder of MAEV took the opportunity to introduce batik masks into the company’s product line-up which has started showing growth.
In regard to the brand’s supply chain, Masrina said her major supplier has yet to resume full operation while other suppliers have resumed partial operations. “This has led into an opportunity to source minor supplies online, which we found to be convenient and easy.”
Meanwhile, on government support and initiatives, the entrepreneur found that there was not much direct support given to small and medium enterprises (SMEs) initially.
However, she noted that the subsequent stimulus measures which saw an injection of RM10 billion of aid for SMEs as well as an additional RM7.9 billion to the wage subsidy programme, was a welcome relief to all SMEs.
To weather the challenges brought on by the pandemic, Masrina listed direct assistance similar to the relief packages received by individuals on top of her wish list.
She elaborated that this should be in the form of monetary support at the end of the MCO period for SMEs to rebuild their businesses from loss or near collapse. She emphasised that it was not meant to solve all of their problems but to put businesses at ease before they strategise on a new approach.
The entrepreneur also applauded the support coordinated by various ministries through direct involvement with the industries and sector on the ground,
“For example, in the craft industry, the National Craft Federation is compiling feedback from the representatives of craft players which will be channelled to the ministry of tourism, arts and culture,” Masrina explained.
Simultaneously, the Malaysian Bumiputera Designers Association has compiled feedback regarding the support needed for the growth of the export sector in the fashion industry, which will be submitted to the Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation.
“It is our great hope to see the Malaysian economy bounce back from the pandemic with the support of the government,” she said.
Being involved in a highly competitive industry, Masrina acknowledged that she has to be extra cautious when it comes to cash flow, as well as the need to conduct thorough forecasts with new product releases.
To the consumer, every single expense is critical at this point due to the cautious sentiment and purchasing behaviour, she explained.
“The restraints on social gathering will translate into lower demand for fashion products, and as a result we will have to increase our uniqueness and price point to gain an advantage over our competitors,” she said.
