WhyQ Introduces Free For All Mobile Digital Tools To Elevate Local Businesses

Kuala Lumpur: A first-of-its-kind vendor digitalisation service platform, WhyQ, has recently expanded into the Malaysian market with the aim of digitalising micro-small-and-medium enterprises (MSME) in Malaysia by providing modern and advanced solutions necessary in running a business. With WhyQ, these businesses will be able to continue servicing and connecting with their customers in a hassle-free manner, ensuring continued survival amidst Malaysia’s most recent movement control orders.

Established in Singapore in 2014, WhyQ enters the Malaysian market to support businesses in transitioning into the digital space while offering simple accounting and bookkeeping services to assist in streamlining business management. Completely free to use, the platform is fully equipped to seamlessly integrate onboarded MSMEs, allowing them to go online with their personalised e-stores, track sales and expenses, record debit and credit transactions through convenient WhatsApp reminders while reaching out to customers through customised marketing tools. For greater convenience, merchants can access WhyQ’s mobile application on their personal smartphones as WhyQ’s mobile application is compatible with even the most basic Android operating system. This ensures that communities of every income bracket are catered for. The application will also be available for iOS version in the coming months.
Despite demonstrating a high smartphone and tablet penetration rate at 90-95%, MSMEs record a significantly lower rate of usage of digital tools such as financing and accounting tools at 23-30% along with POS systems and inventory management both at only 17-25%. Noticing this big gap in the market, WhyQ has created an all-rounded mobile application that serves as an ecosystem to support the micro and Instagram businesses with free tools. This follows a successful digitalisation of more than 5000 MSMEs across various industries in Malaysia and Singapore. WhyQ played their role by building a marketplace specifically targeted at hawker vendors as well as small eateries equipped with digitalisation tools that satisfy their needs during the shift while also ensuring to charge the cheapest delivery fee in Singapore.

“Currently, we are focused on building a support system to onboard more merchants nationwide and this is being executed through a stage-by-stage rollout of our mobile application across all states. This allows us to gradually penetrate first, second and third-tier Malaysian cities as part of our strategy to execute mass digitalisation for micro and small businesses across Malaysia. Ultimately, we aim to successfully build a micro-ecosystem where we will incorporate more robust and complete financial, HR and operational features in the future,” explained WhyQ co-founder and director, Mr. Rishabh Singhvi.
WhyQ’s innovative move is the first of its kind to be executed nationwide in the country. A rigid and healthy ecosystem will benefit its consumers, while simultaneously bridging the gap between consumers and MSMEs. With modern and advanced solutions constantly being integrated, the platform carries the potential to eventually support features such as micro-lending with the option of either from institutional banks or alternate lending as well as invoice payments in the long run.

A Flexible, All-in-One Ecosystem Within A Single Mobile Application With Complete Bookkeeping and Marketing Solutions
Among WhyQ’s core services are their free to use bookkeeping solutions, an e-store platform, stock management tools and Customer Relationship Management (CRM) solutions. These services are reflected in their WhyQ Store Manager mobile application that has already been launched, equipped with a complete set of digitalisation tools catered to MSMEs in Malaysia. By providing convenience at every stage from buying raw products and taking orders to deliver the products, WhyQ serves as a perfect platform for MSMEs to run their business and sell online independently with a seamless marketplace and delivery integration.
Straight-forward and user-friendly, merchants can conveniently set up their e-stores on the platform in less than 60 seconds. Upon verification, they will gain access to over 50 payment and delivery options at no extra charge. WhyQ also offers its services with a zero commission and zero onboarding fees policy, a stark comparison to other food delivery platforms that charge a commission of 30% on average. This helps to ensure merchants are safeguarded as much as possible in terms of cash flow.
Known as WhyQ 3PL Hub, the delivery integration operates on a third-party logistics (3PL) service that allows MSMEs to opt for express and same-day deliveries with partners such as Grab Express and Lalamove or next-day and postal couriers using services such as Pos Malaysia and Ninja Van. The liberty of choosing delivery partners provides a level of flexibility to MSMEs across a wide range of businesses.

Additionally, WhyQ’s services extend to allow merchants to create a digital record of their sales and expenses with the purpose of keeping track of every single transaction. Data collected will then be used to create a ledger that will generate performance and accounting reports. MSMEs are also provided with the ease of transferring money via integrated financial services such as e-wallets, payment gateways and bill payment services.
Besides that, there are stock management tools that are programmed to provide alerts for re-ordering of stock to help with inventory management. When checking out items, the respective barcodes of each item can be scanned to track inventory. On top of that, reminders will also be sent via WhatsApp for consumer credit collection purposes.

Taking into account that merchants might find it difficult to comprehend the more technical aspects of the platform, the platform is equipped with e-learning tools like video step-by-step guides. In addition to that, the platform is free for all to use forever. Only requiring a one-time registration, the platform and all of its featured digital tools will be permanently available for free.
Moving forward, WhyQ aims to introduce WhyQ Mart which is scheduled to launch in Malaysia within the next few months as part of its many services benefiting their merchants. Through this, merchants will be connected directly to a list of different larger suppliers that they can personally choose to work with in a more systematic and convenient manner, allowing them to order raw materials such as meat and poultry according to their own needs from suppliers of a larger scale. While serving as a marketplace for suppliers, at the same time the platform also forges connections between MSMEs and WhyQ’s partner Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) companies.
Moving forward, WhyQ hopes to welcome a total of 2000 local MSMEs onto their platform by the end of July and 20,000 merchants by the end of the year.

Press Release
Malay News