We have recently collected information from local food suppliers whom we have business with, regarding the latest market of Japanese products sold in Malaysia and the demand changes pre and post covid-19 through a questionnaire. We have included at the end of the survey, a section on impressions of local food suppliers when we had business meetings with Japanese food producers.

We have received cooperation from 11 companies for question 1~5 and 19 companies for question 6.
 

1. Details of buyer’s industry

Participants of the survey are classified based on the industry they belong to as seen in the graph. We have surveyed a wide group of vendors and most buyers of Japanese products range from small retailers to restaurants.

 

2. How were the sales of your Japanese food product after Covid-19?

When asked “how were the sales of their Japanese product in Malaysia after Covid”, more than half said it was dependent on the product kind. About 36.4% answered that sales were good.

 

3. Do you wish to expand your Japanese product sales channel even during the Covid calamity?

More than half answered, “depending on the product”. About 36.4% answered “Strongly agree” while none answered “Disagree”.

 

4. What media channel do you use for promotion of your product?

Among the participants, 11 companies rely on “Facebook”, 9 companies use “Instagram”, and 7 companies rely on Website and Blogs as social media channels in marketing their product. Other options include “Whatsapp”, the main channel of communication among Malaysians.

 

5. Which Japanese products do you think are popular in the market these days?

We interviewed respondents to find out which items among a variety of selections, are doing well recently. The one with the most votes are sweets and confectionary with 8 votes, followed by instant noodle with 7 votes, and in third place, frozen foods with 6 votes.

Summary of buyer responses:

Response from general wholesaler of Japanese product ①:
Japanese curry, frozen food, seasonings

Response from general wholesaler of Japanese product ②:
Side dishes, cake, ice-cream, Japanese curry, instant noodles, wagyu beef, fruits, seafood, frozen food, coffee, green tea

Response from general wholesaler of Japanese product ③:
Sweets and confectionary, Japanese curry, instant noodle, seasonings, coffee, green tea

Response from fruits and vegetables wholesaler ① :
Side dishes, sweets and confectionary, wagyu beef, vegetables, fruits, fishes, rice, frozen feed, seasoning

Response from fruits and vegetables wholesaler ② :
Sweets and confectionary, cake, fishes, frozen food

Response from restaurant owner ① :
Sweets and confectionary

Response from restaurant owner ② :
Sweets and confectionary, instant noodle, wagyu beef, fruits, frozen food, beer, whiskey

Response from restaurant owner ③ :
Sweets and confectionary, cake, ice-cream, Japanese curry, instant noodle, coffee, green tea

Response from wholesaler of health food ① :
Sweets and confectionary, instant noodle, vegetables, fruits, frozen food, seasoning

Response from wholesaler of health food ② :
Instant noodle, vegetables, fruits, coffee, green tea

Response from wholesaler of alcoholic beverages :
Side dishes, sweets and confectionary, instant noodle, wagyu beef, vegetables, fishes, coffee, sake, beer, whiskey, plum wine, shochu (Japanese distilled alcohol)

 

6. Issues faced during import of Japanese product

What are the main obstacles/issues faced when importing Japanese food and beverage products into Malaysia?。
  Most of the participants answered, “Short shelf life”. The second most popular answer was “Issues with logistics and contractors”. Followed by answers such as “Lack of halal certificated food products” and “Insufficient marketing support”.

 

Comments from buyers

Lately, regulations on food produce in Malaysia has gotten stricter, making importation of produce harder due to issues with raw materials. There are expectations for more product variation in the Malaysian market.

Based on seller and manufacturer’s answers, knowledge on the local rules and regulations for exportation is necessary for exporting into Malaysia.


We hope this article will be useful for Japanese companies who are considering of expanding into Malaysia.
 

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This article has been prepared in collaboration with ASIA INFONET (M) SDN BHD, a provider in support services for food exportation from Japan. Main business profile

Consulting services for Japanese affiliated food companies in exports to Malaysia, marketing・business activity support.

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