More than just music, the rhythms of the rebana – a traditional Malay hand drum – represent a wealth of cultural heritage that teacher and musician Mohd Zulhafiz bin Jamaludin, 39, aims to preserve for the next generation.

To make this fast-disappearing art form more accessible, he set up Sutra Nurani, a store selling traditional musical instruments, in Selayang, Selangor, in 2011. Refurbishing and selling second-hand instruments enabled Mr Zulhafiz to introduce them to a wider audience. But it was moving Sutra Nurani online via Shopee in 2019 that truly amplified these traditional sounds across Malaysia – and beyond.

Since 2015, Shopee has offered micro, small and medium enterprise (MSME) sellers in Southeast Asia, Taiwan and Brazil a platform to grow their businesses online. Its innovative features and initiatives have helped sellers to scale brands rooted in their cultures and find success beyond borders.

BUILDING A MUSICAL BRIDGE BETWEEN CULTURE AND PEOPLE

While passionate about traditional music, Mr Zulhafiz has also been quick to innovate. Noting how rebanas often rip easily, he began crafting his own version, replacing the traditional animal skin with synthetic material used in modern drums and pairing it with high-quality wood.

However, foot traffic to his Selayang shop was limited, and customers often had to travel across state borders. During the COVID-19 pandemic, both visitor footfall and sales plummeted further. Determined to keep his music dream alive, Mr Zulhafiz turned to Shopee.

Through targeted Shopee ads and the Shopee International Programme (SIP), his customer base grew to include buyers from bigger cities like Kuala Lumpur, smaller towns in states like Kedah, Sabah and Sarawak, and even Singapore.

In just two months, Sutra Nurani doubled its sales. Since joining Shopee, it has sold more than 68,000 items to buyers outside Malaysia’s major cities.

Shipping instruments can be challenging, but Shopee’s network of third-party logistics partners has enabled sellers like Mr Zulhafiz to ship goods with peace of mind. Today, his instruments travel delivery routes across Peninsular and East Malaysia, reaching a new generation of music lovers.

“It’s so convenient that it can attract people who were never interested in traditional musical instruments before,” said Mr Zulhafiz. “A click here, a scroll there, and they can easily order their first rebana.”

FROM FARM TO CUP: BRINGING ARABICA TO CONSUMERS

While Vietnamese coffee is typically associated with the strong flavour profile of robusta beans, a growing number of connoisseurs are developing a taste for the sweeter, more delicate notes of arabica. The mountainous Cau Dat region in Dalat, 1,500m above sea level, provides an ideal environment for cultivating Vietnamese arabica.

A descendant of two generations of arabica farmers, Ms Dang Kim Dang Thy, 30, was keen to share the taste of arabica beyond a select group of aficionados. In 2020, she and two friends took over DalatFarm and restructured its business model, moving online to sell directly to consumers. Rather than supplying only raw beans, DalatFarm processes and roasts its coffee as part of its farm-to-cup philosophy, celebrating authentic, traceable consumption.

However, its products’ higher prices – which stem from arabica’s smaller yield compared to robusta – and the logistical complexities of reaching customers made it challenging to compete with other coffee manufacturers.

Joining Shopee in the same year allowed DalatFarm to deliver its arabica products directly to consumers in Vietnam and overseas via SIP, reducing logistical delays and costs.

To help grow its consumer base, DalatFarm tapped into Shopee’s marketing tools like Shopee Live, Shopee Video and Affiliate Marketing Solutions. Over the past four years, the farm has sold over 75,400 units of coffee.

“By participating in Shopee campaigns and creating content on Shopee Video, the image of arabica coffee evolved to become more appealing to coffee lovers all across Vietnam, and we’ve even seen demand from abroad,” Ms Thy shared. “Growing arabica and sharing it with the world is how we keep our community alive.”

LOOKING AHEAD

As Shopee marks a decade of supporting MSME sellers across the region, its commitment continues in Brazil, where more than 480,000 new MSME sellers join the platform each year.

Since 2020, Shopee Brazil has driven a 300 per cent yearly average increase in gross merchandise value, fuelled by the rise of interactive formats like Shopee Live, which continue to unlock new opportunities for sellers with orders growing exponentially year on year.

Across Southeast Asia, Taiwan and Brazil, Shopee is helping local businesses ride the digital wave, reach new customers across borders, and contribute meaningfully to their communities.

Watch Shopee’s 10th anniversary docuseries to learn how sellers in Asia are bringing traditional craftsmanship and cultural innovation to the world, or sign up on the Shopee website to begin your selling journey.