Brand co-creation: revitalising Bumiputera-owned SMEs post-COVID-19

Undoubtedly, COVID-19 pandemic has changed the global micro and macro environment, causing misery and large-scale loss of human life, spreading fear of uncertainty as well as severe disruptions among smaller operating margins especially small and medium enterprises (SMEs). International and local lockdown including the effective suspension of social and commercial activity across the nations has enormously affects SMEs, particularly Bumiputera-owned SMEs. Therefore, they experience lost in revenues, profits and retrenchment as they need to curtailed or temporarily closed their businesses activity. While being immensely facing the great challenging time amidst the pandemic, the situation nurtures Bumiputera-owned SMEs the emergence of great creativity, innovation and improvisation through social commerce. Social media creates window of opportunity for promotional activity and selling their products to their customers using online method. Due to customers’ pain and difficulties in getting out to the business premises or securing a delivery slot, social media is another way for Bumiputera-owned SMEs to promote their brands through co-creation with their customers. This conceptual paper will discuss the importance of co-creation of brand between Bumiputera-owned SMEs and their customers by using social media as a platform of communication in revitalising their company post-COVID-19