(June 22) till a social media influencer lamented that many Malay/Muslims have momentarily forgotten their boycott pledge against Jewish/American brands following the Oct 7 invasion of Gaza by Israeli forces.

And all for the sake of the Appler tote give-away bag in conjunction with its maiden store’s opening which many have since re-sold on online marketplace like Carousell for a hefty profit.

Interestingly, the topic of euphoria as to how a brand can spark a global frenzy to the extent that fans would not mind spending hours to queue up let alone camp out in the cold to get their hands on a particular product has sparked eye-opening exchanges on the Entrepreneurs and Startups in Malaysia Facebook page.

One netizen suggested that the crowd is mostly made up of KOLs (key opinion leaders) who are there for their social media content. “Surprisingly, the first person step into the Apple Store was a KOL from China”.

Another netizen revealed that the store is Apple’s first in Malaysia while others are merely resellers. As such, there is the curiosity to see if products at the store are cheaper or boast more variety given they are sourced directly from the Apple headquarters.

Consumer behavioural-wise, the entire spectrum of the sea of people phenomena can be explained based on the FOMO (fear of missing out) logic, according to some netizens. This goes hand-in-hand with the KOL instinct of wanting to be the first to upload the content on social media.

Some netizens wondered if Malaysians are indeed doing well judging from the sea of people at TRX.

One netizen was surprised that there are still people using Apple products in this time and age when the Android-platform smart phones have become more popular and affordable.

This is when a fellow netizen explained that there are many people who buy into the Apple branding, hence the perception that “if you’re an Apple user, you’re classy, in an exclusive club and somehow ‘richer’.”

One netizen provides an excellent conclusion to the entire euphoria. - June 23, 2024

https://focusmalaysia.my/enterprising-malaysians-stunned-by-sea-of-apple-fans-swamping-malaysias-first-apple-store-at-trx/