Factors Influencing Practice of Cashless Purchase During COVID-19 Movement Control Order (MCO) in Malaysian Society

Abstract

The pandemic of COVID19 required Malaysian government to implement the Movement Restricted Order (MCO) to avoid mass gahthering and maintain the physical distancing. The purpose of this article was to analyse the factors of cashless purchase practice in public society during the period of MCO due to COVID-19 pandemic. In restraining COVID-19 from spreading, the World Health Organization (WHO) has recommended steps such as social distancing. This social distancing indirectly causes increased cashless purchase within the society in Malaysia during the period of MCO. A quantitative approach was used to obtain the data for this research. The questionnaire forms were distributed through google form platform and convenience sampling method was used to obtain the respondents. The research outcome found that there is an increase in cashless purchase practice in public society during MCO. The purchase through cashless practice does not only involve necessities such as food and clothings. Apart from that, the main factor why the society chooses cashless purchase is because it reduces the transmission of COVID-19, to comply with the MCO by the government and because cashless purchase has also become the culture in modern society nowadays. The implication of this cashless purchase is it enhances local economic development and makes room for more job opportunities as runner, deliveryman or personal shopper.