How We Take Malaysian Products Global with Alibaba.com

My name is Nicholas Tee. I grew up in Kelang, a Malaysian city home to the world’s 12^th-largest seaport. This is where our family business began. My parents used to take me down to the port. I remember them saying that the containers we saw on those big ships usually belonged to large international companies. I thought maybe I could get into the export business one day.

Our company, LKTEE, is now part of that very world. We’re a fast-moving consumer goods company founded in 1997. What we do is connect brands, channel the products into retailers, and then to consumers globally.

We joined Alibaba.com in 2018 and have since been supplying “made-in-Malaysia” FMCG products to over 40 countries across 6 continents.

Seizing the Moment

Our journey started during the Asian financial crisis back in 1997. There was a downturn for the big chain stores. My parents saw an opportunity in the mini-retailers that made up 70% of the market. So, they quit their jobs, bought two lorries, and started distributing to retailers.

Years later, when I studied in Australia, I was amazed by how many Malaysian products I found there. It hit me then that our local products could sell anywhere. After graduation, I joined Air Asia, doing finance. That job exposed me to how business could be done digitally. I got inspired to digitize my family business in 2017. That was when Jack Ma came to Malaysia to set up the free trade zone.

When I came back, I talked with lots of brand owners. Some were conservative and content with the status quo, while most just didn’t know how to export. Before I connected with Alibaba.com, I had no idea that exporting could be as simple as a few clicks online. Why limit ourselves to local markets when we could reach more than 200 countries?

So, I came up with the vision of connecting brand owners and retailers with the global market. In 2018, I started BULKY.MY, a B2C online grocery store. Like Costco, we offer products in bulk at wholesale prices. We also did B2B, which was not common locally. After launching on Alibaba, we set up a dedicated export team. Back then, there weren’t many players like us in this space. It was a blue ocean, so we dived right into globe trade.

Your Go-To Malaysian Partner

Our business model is pretty straightforward. Malaysia is one of the biggest export hubs in the FMCG industry, and we’re a one-stop gateway to Malaysian FMCG products. We provide a hassle-free way from procurement and distribution to wholesale and logistics, along with sales and marketing support. This is what we call the to-the-supplier chain.

We’re not about one-time sales; we aim to be a growth partner for our clients. When overseas clients buy from us, they get a wider selection of products and don’t have to meet the minimum order quantities set by manufacturers. We also provide market expansion services. For example, we can advise clients on which products might sell better in their countries.

We brought the same methodology to the global trade. It’s easier for us to export because we don’t need to find new manufacturers. We just talk to the ones we already know, assess our synergies, and reach a mutual agreement. This gives us an edge over overseas distributors and wholesalers.

Our Triumph on Alibaba.com

Joining Alibaba.com was a pivotal move, though we got a bumpy start. The first six months were tough—no sales, lots of trial and error, and few trainings and events. But we stuck with it, changing channel partners and learning along the way.

Things really started to turn around in 2019. We got access to more training and proper guidance from Alibaba.com. The client journey roadmaps helped a lot, as well. We began exporting to markets like China, Hong Kong SAR, Singapore, and Indonesia. After we became a verified supplier on Alibaba.com, a client we had been in talks with in China finally closed the deal with us. Trust really does make a difference.

Now, we leverage data and AI to better understand customer behavior and tailor our marketing strategies. The first generation did business by feeling, the second generation do business by analytics. AI helps us respond better to our customers.

Our business took off during the pandemic and our export sales grew exponentially. We’re now exporting to countries we never dreamed of entering like Tuvalu and Baru. The pandemic has shaped procurement behavior. Hybrid sourcing has become the new norm and our sales are still booming. In the current fiscal year, exports contribute almost 60% of our sales.

Now I can easily manage our presence on Alibaba.com. I’ve even become a lecturer myself and done sessions across Southeast Asia.