The RM279 billion in sales was also a 4.3% increase over the RM267.6 billion registered in the previous quarter.

In a statement, the department of statistics said e-commerce activity had largely been driven by states like Selangor, Kuala Lumpur, Johor and Penang, with industrial, manufacturing and services the most prominent economic sectors.

It said the “new normal” that came about during the pandemic also played a key role, as digital adoption accelerated during the various rounds of movement restrictions.

Despite most businesses reporting lower overall income during the movement control periods, chief statistician Mohd Uzir Mahidin said that “for e-commerce income, 19.1% of establishments experienced an increase during the MCO, and 26.1% during the RMCO (recovery movement control order)”.

He said that barring a steep decline in the fourth quarter, Malaysia was likely to record RM1 trillion in e-commerce transactions by the end of the year, having already recorded RM801.2 billion between January and September.