STUCK overseas because of the Covid-19 pandemic and unable to meet loved ones in person, Malaysians abroad are pumping up business for gift-basket sellers as they send hampers to their families and friends at home.

Traders told The Malaysian Insight overseas orders have increased ahead of Chinese New Year, which falls on February 12 and 13.

Nick Lin Yoke Hoong, manager of Xin Yi Hamper, said they provide “all-in” services, including card-writing and deliveries.

“Overseas locals will request to write wishes to their parents, with a message they will not be back for a reunion but urge families to take good care, with hopes they will meet again soon after the pandemic,” said Lin.

Most online orders from overseas are to parents and family members, he said.

A hamper starts around RM100 or less to several hundred, depending on the content.

Despite the uptick in overseas orders, overall orders are still down by 50% this year, due to drop in local demand, Lin said.

“In previous years, many companies would send large hampers to clients or other companies, but this year’s orders have been reduced by half.

“This is understandable because the epidemic has caused many people to lose their business.”

Xin Yi Hamper began in 2008 by selling Chinese New Year hampers in shopping malls.

For many years, the sales volume from its physical stalls were much higher than online sales, thanks to the heavy foot traffic in malls.

But few people are visiting malls now because of lockdown rules and the call to stay at home during the pandemic.

“We were initially worried about losing our main customer base, which includes Singaporean tourists and also Malaysians working in Singapore, because of the closure of the border to casual travellers.

“Fortunately, we have a network. So, business overall has only declined by about 30%, which is considered good during such an unfortunate time.”

Xin Yi Hamper is also not raising expectations too high and is focused on making small profits because of the current economic condition, Lin added.

Another retailer, Soon Thye Hang, said gift basket sales have dropped by 20% to 30% this year across their 19 stores.

Chief operating officer Bobby Chua Chin Wan said the market has been relatively slow due to the pandemic but picked up last week.

Orders for Soon Thye Hang’s hampers can be placed through its website or other e-commerce platforms.

“If online sales are compared with store sales, the increase is 100%.

“We’ve received more orders from overseas, including the United Kingdom and the United States, from people wanting to send gift baskets to their parents.”

Chua advised local consumers to buy from physical stores, as ordering online might result in late deliveries due to overseas demand.

“There are less than two weeks left and there may be transportation issues resulting in late deliveries.”

Another retailer, HAMPER2U, also said its online sales were good while physical business at supermarkets and malls has fallen by half.

Its manager, Jason Tan Chee Huat, said online orders are mainly from companies sending gifts to employees and customers, including Singaporean companies to recipients in Malaysia.

Numerous orders are also coming in from Malaysians overseas who want gifts delivered to parents and relatives.

HAMPER2U’s gift baskets are priced from RM60 to RM3,088.

“The popular ones are in the mid-price range, which are RM298 and RM498,” said Tan.

Although the economy has been hit and consumer spending power is limited, gift-giving is always a matter of the heart, Chua added. – February 3, 2021.