KUALA LUMPUR: MPH Group (M) Sdn Bhd, owner of Malaysia's well-loved MPH Bookstores chain, is transforming its brick and mortar business model.
MPH Group is turning MPH Bookstores into e-commerce to accelerate sales, leveraging on the latest technological advancement.
The transformation, the century-old company said today, was part of its effort to consolidate all non-performing retail outlets, channelling most of its resources to scale up its e-commerce and digital business division.
MPH Group said the approach would also retain profitable stores in key locations as important touch points for loyal customers.
The company was responding to reports that two of its Klang Valley outlets would be closed this week with more likely to come.
This came as businesses across the country adversely affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.
MPH Group said its e-commerce division MPHONLINE.COM had seen a significant increase in sales resulting from the changes of consumer buying behaviour, particularly during the Movement Control Order (MCO).
The company's digital transformation plan was already implemented last year led by a new senior management team, which has been tasked to move the business into the digital sphere in line with the Industry 4.0 era.
MPH Group chief executive officer Donald Kee said it would want to connect with customers through multiple touch points, be it online or offline by adopting an omni-channel approach.
"The upgrading of our online store MPHONLINE.COM which is currently underway and expected to be relaunched in the fourth-quarter of 2020, will have all these omni-channel features in place, enabling customers to have a seamless shopping experience," he said in a statement.
On top of its physical stores, he said MPH Group had also planned to deploy hi-tech vending machines in strategic locations like LRT/MRT stations, universities and hospitals to reach out wider customers.
It will also offer instant gratification for those who cannot wait for their books to be delivered to their homes or offices.
"Imagine a customer can place an order online and choose to pick it up from one of our physical stores or from the vending machine while they are on the go. This is what we aspire to offer to our customers as we switch to a more e-commerce cum digital ecosystem," he added.
MPH Group has also ventured into eLearning solutions and expected to launch the first social interactive eLearning platform in Southeast Asia in the early second-half of this year.
The new platform offers a wide range of eLearning solutions from Video-on-Demand content to ebooks as well as Live Classrooms to cater to the increasing popularity of virtual learning.
The application will also feature a social interactive platform that serves to connect educators and students in a safe environment.