Malaysia is situated in Southeast Asia and includes thirteen states and three federal territories with an administrative capital of Putraya. The country is separated into Peninsular Malaysia and Borneo’s East Malaysia by the South China Sea. Malaysia is the 45th most populous country in the world.
Malaysia is also multiethnic, which influences social and political fields. Most of the population is Malay, but there are significant percentages of Indians and Chinese. This is a Muslim country, but there is a significant movement for the religious freedom of non-Muslim residents.
The Malaysian economy is supported by a significant amount of natural resources, but currently it is expanding in such sectors as services, commerce, medical tourism, and education. The Malaysian economic market is newly-industrialized and ranked as the third largest one in Southeast Asia and the thirty-third largest one in the world. Malaysia is a founding member of EAS, OIC, and ASEAN.
Which verticals perform best?
In Malaysia, top-converting verticals are:
iGaming
Even though Malaysia is mostly an Islamic country that follows Sharia, not all forms of iGaming are prohibited there. Also, not all social groups are banned from playing. Horse racing and lotteries are considered legal, while Non-Malays (say, Indian or Chinese) are not bound by the Sharia law. So the restrictions are more religious than governmental, and there are licensed iGaming companies in Malaysia.
eCommerce
Malaysian eCommerce is not as developed as global economies like in Japan or China, but it is one of the most significant in Southeast Asia. Malaysia can boast of a strong cross-border market – locals are frequently looking for beneficial deals and foreign goods. eCommerce is especially popular among the young population.
Utilities
Again, most Malaysians access the Internet via Android smartphones. According to our statistics, they eagerly accept Utilities offers, like cleaners, VPNs, and anti-viruses.
Sweepstakes
Sweepstakes are popular around different countries, including Malaysia, but they rarely have particular GEO-related reasons to be so. In general, Sweepstakes work great in Malaysia just because locals, as everyone else, want to win some money.
In iGaming, check racing and online games, especially those that are licensed in Malaysia
In iGaming, check racing and online games, especially those that are licensed in Malaysia. For other categories, try searching for those that are situated outside the country.
For eCommerce, you should choose Lazada and Shopee offers – in Malaysia, they are more popular than Amazon and eBay.
For Utilities, Android cleaners show the best results.
In Sweepstakes, search for lotteries.
Stats: traffic volumes, turnover growth
Now let’s see which results different ad formats show (1/07/2022 – 30/07/2022):
Push is the leading format in Malaysia, while Interstitial and Onclick show really great growth rates – +17.28% in conversions for Onclick and +9.62% for Impressions in Interstitial. Our Sales team recommends these formats for different purposes and verticals.
Tips on campaign launch
eCommerce and namely – Lazada and Shopee offers – work best with Onclick format and Smart CPM or CPM models.
The same is true for a few iGaming offers. Also, most local brands promote their offers with CPC, targeting high and medium user activity groups. We recommend testing your iGaming offers on Interstitial, as well.
Android Cleaners work great on Push. As for the pricing model, our Sales team recommends CPA Goal.
Let’s also check the best-performing platforms (1/07/2022 – 30/07/2022):
As we previously mentioned, Android works really well in Malaysia and demonstrates +10.32% growth during a month. iOS is less widespread around this GEO, but it still shows significant growth in impressions (+5.63%) and clicks (+24.27%).
Here are your basic campaign settings:
- Vertical: iGaming / eCommerce / Utilities / Sweepstakes
- Ad format: Onclick / Push
- Platform: Android — Mobile
- Pricing model: Smart CPM or CPM / CPC / CPA Goal
Examples of creatives that work
Let’s check the translation. The first one is written in Malaysian, while the second one is in Chinese. Why Chinese? According to Statista, Chinese are the second-largest ethnic group in Malaysia – 22.4% in 2021. Now let’s translate:
Malaysian:
FREE deposit Get a FREE deposit and play!
Chinese:
Get a chance to win a cash prize Participation is free
Conclusion
The best verticals for Malaysia are iGaming, eCommerce, Utilities, and Sweepstakes. For eCommerce offers, our Sales Team recommends Lazada and Shopee offers with CPM and Smart CPM, cleaners perform great with CPA Goal, while iGaming works best with CPC. Push and Interstitial are efficient for iGaming.
Target Android users and translate your banners into Malaysian or/and Chinese.
Apart from understanding the Malaysia affiliate marketing guide, do check out a few more countries, such as:
Affiliate Marketing Guide For Thailand.
