Online business is taking over the Brunei’s market
by storm due to the accessibility of internet that provides a platform for selling
goods and services. Facebook, Instagrams and blogs are some of the social media
opted to advertise the products with little to no investment. Online local
businesses could now penetrate wide ranges of market as Brunei has become a
wired society.
“Our customers are 100% from online” said Haziq Sahminan,
the founder of Ministry of Moment Brunei. “Most of them are locals, but
recently we have a foreign customer from Germany,” he added. The company is a franchise wedding photography
services from Malaysia which has started their online business in August last
year. Although home-based, they have utilized the Internet for primary exposure
as well as the cloud system and bandwidth to operate their business. With the
recent success, he hopes to open a photography studio next year.
Online business offer customers with a wide variety of
product choices from fashion to foods as well as interesting services such as
pet grooming. “The reason why I like to buy desserts online is because the
products in the bakery are limited” said Rabiatulaqilah, a frequent online
customer. She would first view the
product via Instagram and Facebook, and then place her order via Whatsapp. According
to her, a customized cake for special events such as birthday or wedding needs to be booked a month or two weeks before the
occasion, but usually she makes the booking on the spot.
“I prefer online shopping to physical shopping”,
Siti Zaleha commented. As an avid online shopper, she shops online three
to four times a month. “Rather than searching for products at a store, I can easily browse through the internet and get the products at the meeting point,”
she added. The usual meeting points include Giant Rimba, Hua Ho Manggis and the
seller’s home.
When speaking of online business, language is one of
the unique topics to be discussed. Abbreviation and acronyms are synonymous to
online shopping. “Book sis” and “MP?” are the common phrase between
seller and buyer which meant “I want to book this product” and “Where’s the
meeting point?” respectively. By understanding the online culture, anyone who
wishes to venture into business could give it a go.
The positive response from local online seller and customers
shows that there is a bright future ahead for local online business. With
better internet connectivity, even a small business with no outlet could
benefit from online business and at the same time boosts Brunei’s economic
growth.
