Maybank has integrated the Sama-Sama Lokal online marketplace into its MAE by Maybank2u (MAE) mobile banking app in the latest update, in an effort to further assist small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the F&B industry.

Prior to this, the Sama-Sama Lokal platform is available exclusively on the Maybank2u app, with upgraded features such as a seamless payment process and an order tracking function. With this latest development, Maybank customers will now also be able to access the Sama-Sama Lokal online marketplace on the MAE app. To place orders, you can just go ahead and click on the Sama-Sama Lokal banner on the homepage, and proceed to place your orders as usual!

“Existing Sama-Sama Lokal customers will continue to enjoy a smooth food order experience, with their past orders, list of favourite merchants, and personal particulars – such as mobile number and address – automatically migrated to the MAE app,” said the bank in a statement.

This integration of the Sama-Sama Lokal platform into the MAE app is part of Maybank’s continued endeavour to deliver practical digital solutions to both its individual and SME customers. Additionally, it provides businesses with complementary support and solutions beyond traditional banking services.

For context, Sama-Sama Lokal was launched back in 2020 to assist local hawkers and neighbourhood businesses that were struggling due to the movement control order (MCO) put in place to fight Covid-19. Onboarding businesses were not required to pay commission or any other fees. Today, the online marketplace connects approximately 14,000 F&B merchants to the bank’s customer base of 12 million people.

“From the start, our purpose of setting up Sama-Sama Lokal was to help our neighbourhood businesses recover and grow. While the economy has reopened, our intent has not changed, and that is why we will continue to ensure Sama-Sama Lokal remains a zero-commission platform, with no set-up, transaction, or administration fees. By allowing the businesses to keep 100% of their profits, we hope to help them maximise their earnings and recover rapidly from the pandemic,” said the group chief executive officer of community financial services at Maybank, Dato’ John Chong.

Dato’ John also highlighted the rapid growth of food delivery services in recent times, such as the Sama-Sama Lokal platform. He commented that this is a sign that businesses must adapt if they want to survive in the post-pandemic landscape.

“In 2021, we saw a surge in merchant adoption and usage of Sama-Sama Lokal, with a 12-fold year-on-year increase in orders. Even with the reopening of the economy now, we continue to see strong sales in November and December 2021 – which grew by over 18-fold compared with the same period last year,” said Dato’ John, adding that brick-and-mortar businesses need to digitalise to remain visible to customers and future-proof themselves.

You can download the MAE app for free on Google Play, the App Store, or the Huawei AppGallery to try out the Sama-Sama Lokal platform for yourself. Maybank is also currently running a couple of Sama-Sama Lokal campaigns, offering a 50% rebate off your orders via the Kongsi Food with MAE campaign, and another 28% off via the Maybank 28% Off FU-ture Fortune campaign.

• TAGS:
• Dato’ John Chong
• Food Delivery Services
• Local Hawkers
• MAE
• MAE App
• MAE by Maybank2u
• Maybank
• Maybank Sama-Sama Lokal
• MSMEs
• SMEs