18/08/2025

BIZ & FINANCE MONDAY | AUG 18, 2025

15 M’sians tap AI to enhance shopping experience

LAC Med has SC approval for IPO, Main Market listing

PETALING Malaysian consumers are adopting artificial intelligence (AI) in their shopping habits at a rate far higher than the global average, positioning the country as one of the fastest growing AI-driven retail markets in the world, according to the Adyen Retail Report 2025. The study, released recently by global financial technology plat form Adyen, revealed that 58% of Malaysian shoppers now use AI to enhance their shopping experience, compared with 37% globally. The findings are based on surveys of 41,000 consumers and 14,000 merchants across 28 markets, including 1,000 consumers and 500 merchants in Malaysia. AI tools, ranging from chatbots such as ChatGPT to intelligent search engines, are becoming integral to how Malaysians discover and purchase products. The report found 71% of local consumers use AI for inspiration on JAYA:

Half of respondents also value the broader selection available online, particularly products not found in local stores. Social commerce is gaining traction too, with 57% of Malaysians shopping directly via social media platforms an average of six times per month. With shoppers demanding convenience, personalisation and seamless experiences, retailers are re-evaluating how they operate. The report noted that 57% of Malaysian businesses plan to invest in technology to enhance customer experience, including self-service kiosks and new payment options, while 58% are focusing on streamlining checkout with features like one-click purchases. A further 34% intend to ramp up investments in social commerce this year. AI is central to these efforts, extending beyond marketing to fraud prevention, payment optimi sation and operational efficiency. “Retailers generate large volumes of payments data daily, and AI helps unlock this value to drive conversions at scale,” Lee said, referencing Adyen’s recently launched AI-powered payment suite designed to reduce fraud and improve transaction success rates with minimal friction. As retailers diversify their channels, integrating them effec tively is becoming crucial. The report highlighted that only 52% of Malaysian businesses currently offer unified commerce, which merges online, in-store and social channels into a single system, though another 26% plan to adopt it within the next year. Unified commerce enables con sistent pricing, real-time inventory management and seamless cus tomer journeys, such as browsing online, buying in-store and re turning via an app. For businesses, it offers deeper insights into consumer behaviour and operational efficiencies that reduce costs and complexity.

o Adoption rate in country outpaces global average: Adyen report

PETALING JAYA: Medical devices and solutions provider LAC Med Bhd has received approval from the Securities Commission Malaysia (SC) to proceed with the initial public offering (IPO) and listing on the Main Market of Bursa Malaysia Securities. Founded in 2003, LAC Med has established itself over the past two decades as a solutions provider of end to-end services for supplying and integrating medical devices. The group currently supports more than 300 active clients across Malaysia’s healthcare sector, including private and public healthcare institutions, universities and local health offices, medical device suppliers and concessionaire companies. Group CEO Liew Yoon Poh said: “For the past 20 years, our growth has been nothing short of extraordinary, shaped by the challenges we have overcome. The first decade forged our resilience as we built trust in the highly stringent medical industry, while the second decade cemented our foothold as a trusted solutions partner for healthcare institutions.” He added that the SC’s approval for LAC Med’s IPO puts the group on a journey of greater growth opportunities, as the group taps into the capital market to establish new business segments and expand its market presence in Indonesia. As an authorised distributor in Malaysia, the group supplies third-party brands of medical devices comprising medical equipment and associated products, which include medical con sumables and provision of software and system integration. LAC Med has an extensive support network across Peninsular Malaysia and East Malaysia to support its clients, comprising nine business/project managers, 11 clinical application specialists, 24 sales and account management professionals, and 19 field service engineers and technical personnel in Malaysia to carry out maintenance services and provide prompt and reliable technical support. RHB Investment Bank Bhd is the principal adviser, sole underwriter and sole placement agent for LAC Med’s IPO.

meals, outfits and purchases, while 69% credited AI for introducing them to brands they would not have encountered otherwise. Nearly one in five (18%) said their best product ideas came from AI, and 60% indicated openness to making purchases directly through AI platforms in future. “We’re seeing a shift from digital convenience to digital intelligence,” said Adyen Malaysia country manager Soon Yean Lee. “AI is increasingly acting as a personal stylist or shopping assistant, curating outfits, surfacing new brands and tailoring sug gestions to each individual.” Despite Malaysia’s strong embrace of AI and e-commerce, physical retail remains resilient.

More than half of consumers prefer in-store shopping because they value sensory experiences: 57% want to see and feel products before buying, 49% like to try items beforehand and 53% enjoy the instant gratification of walking away with their purchases. However, shoppers expect more than just product interaction. The report found 55% of Malaysians want brick-and-mortar stores to offer more engaging experiences, such as augmented reality or virtual reality features, in-store cafés or exclusive events, to keep pace with evolving expectations. Online platforms, meanwhile, appeal for different reasons: speed (62%), convenience (54%) and better deals (53%).

AI tools are becoming integral to how Malaysians discover and purchase products. – AFPPIC

WARRANTS WATCH

HSI-CWGX top traded for second straight week THE Malaysian warrants market recorded a total turnover of RM453.6 million last week, reflecting a 10.7% week-on-week (w-o-w) decline. Hang Seng Index (HSI) warrants continued to dominate, contributing over RM309.9 million, or 68% of the total warrants turnover. on Thursday after reaching a weekly high of 25,766.62 and declined by 1% on Friday following the release of better-than-expected US producer price data, which dampened hopes for imminent interest rate cuts by the US Federal Reserve. Despite the late week pullback, the HSI ended 1.7% higher on a w-o-w basis. with a turnover of RM50.5 million. On the bearish side, investors anticipating a retracement in the HSI actively traded put warrants such as HSI-PWJF, HSI-PWH4, and HSI-PWH2, which rounded out the list of the most popular warrants last week. Among local underlyings, name

Top stock warrants by value traded: Warrant Value Issuer Exercise

Expiry date

(RM mil)

level

HSI-CWGX HSI-CWIC HSI-PWJF HSI-PWH HSI-PWH2

62.6 50.5 41.5 29.0 22.5

Macquarie Kenanga Macquarie Macquarie Kenanga

30,000.00 28,000.00 22,000.00 23,000.00 22,000.00

29 Sep 2025 29 Sep 2025 29 Sep 2025 29 Sep 2025 29 Sep 2025

The HSI began the week on a strong note, rallying by more than 700 points during the first three trading days. This rally was mainly driven by optimism surrounding the profit ability of local technology enterprises, and the announcement of a 90-day extension to the tariff truce between the United States and China by US President Donald Trump which pushed the deadline to Nov 10. However, the index reversed its gains

Gamuda, YTL Corporation and YTL Power were the top performers last week. Bullish investors traded over RM19 million in Gamuda call warrants as the construction giant’s share price hit an all-time high of RM5.63 on Monday. The stock later retraced slightly to RM5.60 by the end of the week, closing 1.8% higher. Structured warrants have gained significant popularity among retail investors in recent years. These

Call warrant HSI-CWGX once again stole the spotlight, recording the highest turnover among all structured warrants at RM62.6 million. Bullish investors were actively accumulating this call warrant on Monday and Tuesday before locking in profits over the next two days as the HSI traded higher. Meanwhile, call warrant HSI CWIC, with an exercise level of 28,000, secured the second spot on the list

not been reviewed by the Securities Commission Malaysia. It is not an offer or recommendation to trade and is not research material. Past performance is not indicative of future performance. You should make your own assessment and seek professional advice. The warrants will not be offered to any US persons.

instruments offer leveraged exposure to large-capitalisation stocks at a fraction of their share price. To view the full list of structured warrants available on Bursa Malaysia, visit malaysiawarrants.com.my. Provided for Malaysian residents’ information only. This commentary has