LAST month, the United Nations warned that the world is facing "the largest cost-of-living crisis" of this century.
Malaysians are facing the brunt of it as well and many are struggling to trim down their grocery bills.
During these trying times, Lotus's Stores (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd has rolled out the second phase of its #ImbasBalik Harga 2019 campaign to help consumers stretch every ringgit.
As part of the campaign, the retail giant is offering consumers pre-Covid prices for 500 types of products, including staple items such as rice, assorted biscuits and coffee powder, across all its 64 stores.
Lotus's Malaysia customer executive director Vivian Yap said the second phase of the campaign, which was launched on June 20, will continue until October 2.
She said the company decided to re-introduce the campaign after the first phase that was launched ahead of Hari Raya Aidilfitri drew overwhelming response from consumers.
"This was the first Hari Raya that Muslims in the country celebrated without restrictions since the Covid-19 pandemic hit our shores.
"We did not want the skyrocketing food prices to dampen the festive mood. So, we launched the #ImbasBalik Harga 2019 campaign for the first time in April this year.
"During the first phase, we identified 20 important grocery items and rolled back their prices to pre-pandemic levels so that our Muslim consumers could relive the Hari Raya spirit.
"The campaign ran for about six weeks to cover the Ramadan month up to the Hari Raya celebrations.
"Our suppliers played a crucial role in ensuring adequate supply of items so that none of our customers returned home disappointed.
"Thankfully, the campaign turned out to be a huge success. Our customer count jumped by nine per cent during the campaign period," she told the New Straits Times.
For the second phase of #ImbasBalik campaign, Yap said Lotus's is on a mission to help consumers cope with inflation by offering them with alternative options at cheaper prices.
"Currently, we are offering 10 to 15 per cent discounts on more than 500 products for the next four months. We purposely made the second phase longer than the first one for the benefit of our consumers.
"Consumers can also purchase items at #ImbasBalik prices through our online stores and other digital platforms, such as HappyFresh, GrabMart and pandamart," she said.
Yap said many consumers are switching from national brands to other affordable store brand options to lower their grocery bills. Lotus's, she said, was seeing the trend as an opportunity to put forward more than 3,000 of Lotus's Own Brand products.
"Consumers are more value-driven than they are brand-loyal these days. For Lotus's, this offers a perfect window for us to promote our affordable and quality Own Brand products.
"Our products are on par with national brands in terms of quality, but are at least 10 to 15 per cent cheaper than the national brands.
"Some of the most sought-after Lotus's brand products include the ultra-high-temperature processing (UHT) milk (full cream and chocolate), frozen nuggets, frozen paratha, Marie biscuits and three-in-one coffee.
"Many cat-lovers also prefer Lotus's Cat Food since it consists of natural ingredients without any artificial colouring," she said.
Yap also encouraged shoppers to take advantage of Lotus's bi-weekly promotions that offer discounts up to 60 per cent for food and other items. Discounts could also go up to 90 per cent for apparels, she said.
Regular customers, she said, can also benefit from the MyLotus's Loyalty programme – a points for purchases initiative that rewarded them for every ringgit they spend at Lotus's stores.
"Customers can download the Lotus's Malaysia App and register via their mobile phones for free to join as members.
"It's a user-friendly and easy-to-navigate application that integrates both the Lotus's Shop Online and MyLotus's Loyalty programme in a single application.
"For every RM1 spent, customers will be rewarded with one point. After accumulating 200 points or more, they can instantly redeem their loyalty points for discount vouchers.
"This will give customers additional discounts off their total purchase value.
"Customers can also mention their registered mobile number to the cashier to instantly earn and spend their points.
"Alternatively, they can spend their points or discounts vouchers while purchasing at our online stores," she said.
In stores, customers may also avoid long queues by using the Lotus's Scan & Shop application to scan the barcodes of the products, track their spending and pay at a dedicated lane.
Yap hoped the #ImbasBalik campaign would ease concerns about supply shortages and soaring prices of raw materials among consumers.
"People are trying to rebuild their lives that have been upended by the pandemic. We want to help our fellow Malaysians make ends meet," she said.