CTM Macau has officially launched its e-commerce platform, Macau Good Hands.

CTM (Teleco Companhia de Telecomunicações de Macau) commercial department VP Ebel Cham Pou says the platform aims to support local SMEs, who are unable to receive enough support and help from such companies as China’s online shop Taobao.

With the platform, she says, SMEs in the city will receive 24/7 support to help them more easily grown their e-commerce business.

Cham says the competition between shops on Taobao is tough, with Macau SMEs having to compete against thousands of shops from Mainland China.

CTM will be able to advertise and promote local SMEs that are already customers to other groups of CTM customers.

Following a year-long trial, Macau Good Hands has accumulated about 50 merchants offering more than 100 commodities on the platform, including digital products, daily necessities, health products, and food and beverages.

CTM’s chief executive Vandy Poon Fuk Hei last year said the online shopping system was targeting both residents and tourists, as well as helping local SMEs during the economic adjustment phase.

Cham says the platform is handling more than 10 transactions a month, with the average monthly transaction amount increasing last year from thousands of patacas to tens of thousands of patacas. The platform accepts payments via Mastercard, UnionPay and Visa, and the use of Alipay as well as Macau Pass is being discussed.

To help draw more attention to the platform, CTM is handing out a MOP1.5 million (US$187,000) in coupons to new subscribers of the CTM Home Internet Service.

“From now until May 31, customers who subscribe to or upgrade to the service will receive a MOP100 coupon to make purchases on the platform,” says Cham.

Also, via CTM, shops from the platform are offering at least a 20 per cent discount.

Cham says the group aims to attract 150 more shops to join the platform by the end of this year.