Kuala Lumpur, 5 October 2026 – One year after the Sumbangan Asas Rahmah (SARA) for All rolled out in August 2025, a Survey of the SARA Effect on Purchasing Behaviour revealed that the government aid initiative has reshaped the way and where Malaysians shop.
The recent survey of 1,000 Malaysians found that three-in-five (59%) SARA users could not use their SARA assistance at their preferred channel in the past year.
- 72% of respondents said they changed their usual shopping store because SARA was not accepted at their usual store. This demonstrates that SARA acceptance is an important factor influencing where consumers choose to shop.
- Neighbourhood proximity has been the key reason that Malaysians patronise retail outlets for everyday essentials. Visiting a store near home was cited by 77% of sundry shop patrons, 74% of minimart patrons, 66% of convenience store patrons, and 51% for supermarkets.
- 44% of respondents travelled further to access a store where SARA could be used.
These findings demonstrate that the SARA initiative influences where recipients shop, and highlight the gaps between the way Malaysians purchase essential goods and the retail qualification.
Product-eligibility and retail gaps
69% of respondents buy fresh vegetables and fruit, and 68% buy fresh meat, poultry, seafood or eggs. With the exception of eggs, items such as fresh vegetables, fruits and meat cannot be purchased using SARA. The respondents identified these as items most wanted for SARA coverage.
Households also rely heavily on other retail formats to buy their daily essentials:
- 56% from convenience stores1
- 55% from minimarts
- 46% from pharmacies2
- 45% from wet markets.
Currently, convenience stores, pharmacies and wet markets are not included as eligible SARA merchant channels. The gap is particularly pronounced for convenience stores as 77% of respondents saying SARA would be more useful if it could be used at convenience stores.
Among those who could not use SARA at a preferred outlet, the most commonly cited reason was that the outlet did not accept SARA (35%), followed by the item not being eligible (29%).
This gap finding was underscored by the strong consumer sentiment for expanding SARA’s retail network:
- 97% support inclusion of convenience stores
- 92% support the inclusion of pharmacies.
“The high level of rakyat support, together with the significant usage of these channels and the impact of SARA acceptance on consumers’ usual shopping behaviour, indicates strong demand for greater choice in where eligible Malaysians can utilise their SARA benefits.”
These findings are particularly relevant as Malaysia continues to expand the SARA merchant network. The Ministry of Finance announced in February 2026 that it was targeting 10,000 small grocery shops as SARA merchant partners by the end of 2026, while in June it reported that more than 13,500 shops nationwide were already registered.
The merchant network is critical to ensure accessibility and true convenience for SARA recipients. We call on the government to ensure a level playing field for convenience store chains and pharmacies too,” Malaysia Retail Chain Association (MRCA) said.
“The Rakyat should be able to utilise their SARA benefit at any place at their convenience – be it convenience stores, pharmacies, mini markets or supermarkets etc.,” Dato’ Liew Bin, President of MRCA said.
Recommendations for the next phase of SARA
The independent survey conducted by Ipsos in Peninsular Malaysia was commissioned by MRCA to examine the effect of SARA on purchasing behaviour. The Social & Economic Research Initiative (SERI) analysed and produced policy briefs based on the independent survey results. It also set out to identify recommendations to strengthen the initiative which benefits 22 million Malaysians and boosts the local economy through its multiplier effect.
The findings provide a useful evidence base for consideration in the next stage of SARA’s development. The survey shows that SARA influences shopping behaviour. It is paramount that the initiative continues to evolve to truly meet the needs of the rakyat.
The evidence points particularly to two areas for consideration:
- The first recommendation is to broaden eligibility to select fresh food such as fresh vegetables and fruit, and fresh meat, poultry and seafood among eligible SARA items. This will help Malaysians obtain nutritious foods for a balanced diet.
- The second recommendation is to qualify convenience stores, pharmacies and wet markets as additional SARA outlets in view of their role as critical retail touch points for the SARA recipients.
The current retail framework creates an uneven environment between SARA-accepted and non-SARA-accepted retailers. The implementation of these two recommendations would enable SARA to ease access and better reflect where recipients shop and the true essential food categories.
Convenience and proximity of merchant networks alongside the relevance of eligible products should remain key considerations. The aim is to address access and eligibility gaps so that recipients can use their assistance more easily for the household essentials at their preferred retail outlet.