At the 10th IBEMS Prof. Lennora Putit from Department for Entrepreneurship and Marketing Studies (DEMS), Faculty of Business & Management, Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) delivered a speech with topic: "From Digital Presence To Digital Advantage; Trends, Challenges and Opportunities for ASEAN MSMEs". The participants were all excited to learn new insights from Prof. Lennora Putit, we are welcomed to share their insight or ask question in this forum:
- Q1) Trishna Rani Bhawal : How can institutional frameworks and capacity-building programs support small initiatives in transitioning from mere digital presence to true digital advantage?
- Q2) Muhammad Imran : ASEAN has a $300B+ digital economy and is moving to AI and monetization. How can developing countries like Pakistan with limited digital infrastructure and budget learn from ASEAN to turn digital presence into real digital advantage?
- Q3) Aera Acar : How should an MSME decide when to follow a new digital trend and when to ignore it, especially when its competitors are already adopting it?
- Q4) Hải Nguyễn Hoàng : If creator commerce is a major trend, can we assume that the shift from reach and awareness toward trust, relevance and conversion happens at the same pace across all countries in our research?
- Q5) Mary Absuelo : The ASEAN market is obviously very diverse, and there’s a massive tech gap between urban startups and traditional rural MSMEs. How do we ensure that this push toward gaining a 'digital advantage' doesn't just widen the gap, and actually remains inclusive for smaller, non-tech-savvy business owners?
- Q6) Patricia Mae Rodrigo : How can MSMEs determine whether their digital strategies are actually contributing to business growth?
- Q7) Samantha Joy Ablay : How can MSMEs with very limited budgets measure whether their digital marketing is actually creating real customer value, trust, and growth?
- Q8) Indrawati : Regarding the digital advantage, how can small MSMEs with limited budgets compete with larger corporations that have advanced AI tools and big data analytics? What is the most practical first step they should take?
- Q9) Oki Dwipurwani : Many ASEAN countries provide digital transformation programs for MSMEs. How can statistical methods be used to evaluate whether these programs actually improve MSME productivity, market expansion, and business resilience?
- Q10) Althiea Belle Diosan : As AI and digital tools make personalized marketing more accessible for MSMEs, how can small businesses balance the use of customer data with maintaining customer privacy and trust?
- Q11) Jyreen Lizeth I. Espiritu : In the process of moving from basic digital presence to sustainable digital advantage, what are the most significant challenges ASEAN MSMEs face in adopting and maximizing digital tools, and what key opportunities can they prioritize to overcome these limitations- especially with limited resources and fast changing technologies to achieve long term growth and competitiveness?
- Q12) menale jerome : For a typical small MSME with limited budget and no dedicated tech team, which of these tools or strategies delivers the fastest ROI with the lowest operational overhead?
- Q13) Marijoe Sasota : What statistical indicators can be used to determine whether digital transformation has genuinely improved the performance and sustainability of MSMEs?
- Q14) Hauwa Mahmood : Please can you give your opinion on how to avert marketing manipulation towards building long term high value consumer trust. This is because some brands resort to unethical marketing tactics, such as deceptive design, hidden fees, or data exploitation etc.
- Q15) Darlene Hanna Bugarin : Beyond basic digitalization, how can resource-constrained MSMEs critically evaluate the trade-offs between adopting specialized SaaS tools versus integrated platforms, ensuring that their chosen tech stack optimizes operational efficiency without creating unsustainable maintenance costs or digital fatigue for non-tech-savvy teams?
- Q16) Hauwa Mahmood : In some African countries, digital developments are yet to reach some major rural areas. Can you please suggest the easy and common digital tools that can be introduced to such areas for marketing inclusion?
- Q17) Jecel Ayala : How can ASEAN MSMEs ensure that their employees are prepared to adapt to new digital tools and technologies, especially when there is limited training, technical knowledge, and resources?
- Q18) Jasmin Lanto : For MSMEs with limited resources, which of the six Cs should they prioritize first, and how can they gradually develop the other elements to create a sustainable digital marketing strategy?
- Q19) Rex Fabro : How can ASEAN MSMEs transform their existing digital presence into a sustainable digital advantage, particularly when they face technological, financial, organizational, and digital-skills challenges?
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