The WeMall e-commerce platform co-founded by Touch Socheata (right) and Heang Omuoy was launched on Saturday. Supplied
Motivated to introduce local products to the international market, two Cambodian women entrepreneurs on Saturday launched the WeMall e-commerce platform in their mission to integrate the Kingdom into the regional and global supply chain.
The e-marketplace was co-founded by Touch Socheata and Heang Omuoy.
Socheata told The Post on Thursday that central to the platform’s objectives is linking products made by Cambodian women to the world.
“We want to ensure that our local products have a strong market and are readily accessible and easy to find once uploaded to the platform,” she said.
WeMall currently has a catalogue of more than 600 local items, ranging from bamboo handicrafts, metal sculptures, jewellery, silk weaving, shoes and bags.
She stressed that the quality of Cambodian products is comparable to that of imported ones and that the platform provides access to items that would be difficult to find elsewhere.
At the same time, she said, Cambodians in recent years have been turning to the internet in record numbers, and more so during the Covid-19 era.
“I’ve seen a huge surge in online shopping. We believe that the launch of the e-marketplace will garner a lot of support from local and foreign buyers, and we hope to see orders from abroad post-Covid-19,” Socheata said.
Australian ambassador to Cambodia Pablo Kang, who participated in the launch ceremony on Saturday, voiced his support for the entrepreneurial ladies and their endeavours.
He tweeted: “Honoured to help this morning with the launch of the new #WeMall e-commerce platform for female business entrepreneurs selling products only made in Cambodia.
“Great to meet strong women role models, including some Cambodian alumnae making a difference during #COVID19,” he said, replacing the word “Cambodia” with “flag of Cambodia” e-mojis and adding “woman technologist [light skin tone]” and “thumbs up [medium skin tone] e-mojis.
The e-marketplace platform can be accessed at wemall.shop.
Den Mas, president of the Silver Sculpture Village Association and owner of the Den Mas Handicraft business in Kandal province’s northwestern Ponhea Leu district, which features on WeMall, told The Post that the platform will widen the market for her products.
Though popular among Thais, she said, domestic sales of silver and copper sculptures remain lacklustre.
“I call on Cambodians to embrace domestic products and do their part to preserve this ancestral form of metal sculpting,” Mas said.
Socheata added that WeMall will focus solely on non-food products in its first phase.
With the support of all stakeholders, producers will be provided the opportunity to capture a large market share, she said.
“We want our youth to support Cambodian products and then use our e-marketplace to bring them to the international market.
“We are working with our partners to guarantee that our products comply with relevant standards,” Socheata said.
The government passed its e-commerce law in November to contribute to the rapid development of the sector in the Kingdom, including online shopping.
The Ministry of Commerce recently approved a strategy to implement the law, paving the way for the promotion of a digital business model in line with the government’s goal of leapfrogging into the fourth industrial revolution, or digital economy.
Minister Pan Sorasak on July 23 said the plan is key to boosting competitiveness and streamlining business processes and will lead to improved productivity, increased exports, job creation and economic growth.
