Sidec’s ECM Awards 2025 saw participants rake in RM158mil in sales—here’s the top 10 brands

[This is a sponsored article with Selangor Information Technology & Digital Economy Corporation (Sidec).]

Since its inception back in 2016, Sidec’s Malaysia Top E-Commerce Merchant (Top ECM) Awards has always been about celebrating the success stories of local businesses in the digital space. And for good reason, as ecommerce contributes an estimated 36.7% to Malaysia’s GDP.

Over the past decade, the Top ECM Awards has empowered more than 2,000 high-impact entrepreneurs, generating over RM500 million in total sales and processing close to 10 million orders nationwide.

2025 marked the 10th running of the Top ECM Awards, seeing 511 participants out of 1,060 applicants.

But it wasn’t just about the RM250,000 prize pool, the 2025 Top ECM Awards also hosted training sessions on data analytics, livestream optimisation, and creator training for participating merchants.

One of the most evident trends from this year’s Top ECM 2025 programme was the growing reliance on livestreaming and affiliate marketing as key drivers of sales and customer engagement. 

Many participating merchants leveraged TikTok Shop aggressively, integrating real-time selling with creative content, which helped them connect with audiences more authentically and instantly convert interest into purchases.

All in all, the end result was RM158 million in sales collectively generated over the course of the campaign. 

The winners of ECM 2025 were selected based on several criteria which included:

With that, here are the 10 brands who came out on top.

1. Desince Sdn. Bhd.

Finishing third place in ECM 2024, Desince returned in 2025 as the 10th ECM Awards’ grand prize winner.

Founded back in 2017 from a small rented room, the company is a wholesale retailer for fashion products. It features an extensive catalogue ranging from sports and formal wear to shoes and accessories.

Now serving over 100,000 customers on a monthly basis, Desince particularly prides itself on affordability. Aside from its walk-in boutique at Sungai Kapar Indah, Klang, the brand has a strong focus on TikTok Shop, Shopee, and Lazada.

According to Sidec, Desince hosts daily livestreams, engages in affiliate partnerships, and creative content to fuel its growth. Their advice? “Let data lead,” and “Start small, move fast.”

Desince took home RM10,000 for its victory.

2. NFH Boutique Gallery Sdn. Bhd.

Founded by siblings, NFH Boutique Gallery grew from a family venture to a multi-channel clothing brand specialising in traditional Malay clothing for women. 

The twist, however, is that their designs are meant to be more contemporary, without sacrificing modesty and comfort.

For the Top ECM campaign, NFH Boutique Gallery employed three main tactics for their operations. These were strategic livestreaming during promotion periods, offering bundling discounts, and collaborating with creators and micro-influencers to drive organic traction and brand trust.

Sidec noted that these strategies increased traffic and helped maintain sales momentum even after the festive season. 

As the first runner up, the company won RM8,000 for their efforts. Their advice to other entrepreneurs is to understand your audience and be ready to adapt.

3. Armila Berhad

Armila Berhad finds its origins in 2018 where it was founded by one “Kak Ell,” suffering from skin pigmentation issues since childhood.

Under it are beauty and hijab brands Kak Ell and Keklaa, which offer both skincare products and hijabs.

As second runner up, Armila Berhad was awarded RM5,000.

4. Masdora Jewellery (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd.

Masdora Jewellery’s name is made up from the “mas” in “emas” and “dora,” the Greek word for gift. And as its name implies, it indeed specialises in gold jewellery.

The company was founded in 2020 during the pandemic, with its focus on gold stemming from the fact that it was a safe asset for investment at a time where the economy was volatile. 

After starting as an online business, the brand later opened its first physical store in Penang in 2021 and Gombak in 2024. 

During the Top ECM campaign, the brand noted that building consumer trust over livestreaming was key to their success. “As gold is a high value item, customers need to have high trust to purchase online,” Masdora Jewellery shared.

The company won RM2,000 alongside the other finalists below.

5. Hulmers Malaysia Sdn. Bhd.

Based in Shah Alam, Hulmers is a local household appliance brand with products ranging from flasks to air purifiers and stoves.

They are especially active on TikTok where their best video currently sits at 2.7 million views.

6. Allure Exclusive (Iqbal & Hirani Sons Sdn. Bhd.)

Allure Exclusive is a baju kurung brand under Iqbal & Hirani Sons.

They are particularly active on TikTok Shop where Sidec noted them to be “top seller” during Raya 2023.
However, they are not exclusive to TikTok and can be found on Shopee as well.

7. HETCH (In & Ex Holdings Sdn. Bhd.)

The second appliance company in the top 10, Hetch is part of In & Ex Holdings, a group of companies that’s been around since 1994.

Hetch’s products in particular include vacuums, kitchen appliances such as ovens and air fryers, air purifiers, and weighing scales, just to name a few.

8. IGL Coatings (Ominent Sdn. Bhd.)

For those unfamiliar, ceramic coating is a chemical polymer solution that’s applied to vehicle exteriors to protect paint from damage, usually made for cars.

This is IGL Coatings’ bread and butter.

With distributors in the Americas, Europe, Asia, Africa, Oceania, and the Middle East, the company’s lineup also extends to the marine and industrial industry.

A particular highlight of their products is their low to zero-VOC nature, which essentially means that they contain less harmful chemicals than usual coatings or paints.

9. Charms International Sdn. Bhd.

Charms’ founder, Nur Bashirah Hussin, started her entrepreneurship journey operating out of a car in schools.

She would go on to start Charms in 2012 whilst still working as an economics lecturer at the Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) in Shah Alam.

The business itself is a women’s cosmetic and skincare company that’s halal-certified.

10. Eijal Collection

And rounding out the top 10 is Eijal Collection, a carpet company in Seremban.

Their offerings include velvet carpets and prayer mats, with the company having made quite a name for itself on TikTok where they’ve amassed 371,300 followers.

Paving the way

In a white paper by Blackbox Research released on December 31, 2024, it was found that Malaysia ranked second in Southeast Asia in terms of regional ecommerce performance.

And reflecting government support for the continued growth of this industry, the 2025 Top ECM Awards was graced with the presence of YAB Dato’ Seri Amirudin Shari, YB Ng Sze Han, and Tuan Haji Ts. Saipolyazan M. Yusop.

“Sidec is grateful for the continued support and collaboration from a diverse group of stakeholders who have been instrumental in the success of the 10th Malaysia Top E-Commerce Merchant Awards,” said the company.

Government backing aside, a special shoutout was additionally given to AFFIN, the “Strategic Banking Partner” for this year’s running of the ECM awards.

There was also TikTok Shop who facilitated their five-day “livestream battle” as well as Dattel Asia and Business Synergy who welcomed ECM 2025 merchants for visits and provided business insights.

Through celebrating the success stories of Malaysian ecommerce brands, the ultimate hope is to inspire others to follow in their footsteps.

A spark of inspiration, after all, can go a long way. Perhaps 10, 20 years down the line, the next one standing at the top step of the ECM podium will be someone who looked at one of its past winners and thought to give it a try.

Featured Image Credit: Sidec