Remember when brand loyalty was the thing? You bought your Colgate, drank your Milo, pumped your petrol at Shell and stayed true like a loyal spouse. Your mum used the same detergent for 20 years. Your dad only trusted one tyre shop, rain or shine. Now? Welcome to the Tinderfication of Malaysian consumerism — where every brand is just one swipe (or scroll) away from being replaced. Whether it’s Shopee, Lazada, TNG, or even your telco provider, Malaysians are jumping ship faster than you can say “voucher code.” The question is: why? And more painfully: are brands to blame?
Let’s get one thing straight: price still rules. Malaysians are practical, savvy, and slightly obsessed with value. Throw in free shipping, cashbacks, and an RM8 voucher? You’ve got yourself a customer — for this transaction. But will they come back? Only if you give them another voucher. It’s not loyalty. It’s a situationship. Consumers are no longer wooed by heritage or “Made Since 1954” claims. They want speed, savings, and maybe a bit of TikTok sass. If you can’t offer that, someone else will — by the next mega sale.
Before we shame consumers for being fickle, let’s look in the mirror. Who trained them to behave this way? It was the brands — dangling daily deals, shouting “Last Chance!” every other week, rewarding only new users and ignoring the loyal ones. Like dating someone who only surprises you in the honeymoon phase, then ghosts you till the next birthday. Loyalty died not because consumers changed but because brands stopped investing in relationships.