StoreHub's Head of Human + AI Performance On DealsClub And Building AI-First Culture Alan Cheah tells Entrepreneur Media APAC the functions of DealsClub and touching on AI-first transformation and the impact StoreHub is driving within the Malaysian SME ecosystem.

For many entrepreneurs, new ventures are often judged by how fast they scale or how quickly they generate revenue. But at StoreHub, the launch of DealsClub follows a different logic altogether. It's not designed as a growth-at-all-costs play, but as a strategic learning platform that deepens how the company understands small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Malaysia.

At its core, DealsClub began with a simple but powerful question: How do we help SMEs access factory-priced essentials without the friction of dealing with multiple suppliers? The answer wasn't just about cheaper goods. It was about embedding StoreHub more deeply into the day-to-day realities of running a business.

Alan Cheah, Head of Human + AI Transformation said: "We see it as a meaningful extension of the StoreHub ecosystem. Every day, thousands of businesses rely on us to run their operations, and DealsClub gives us another lens into what they actually need beyond software especially in cost-sensitive environments."

"We're not positioning DealsClub as a core business today, but as a learning platform that helps us understand merchant behaviour at a much deeper operational level. And that intelligence feeds back into how we build better tools for SMEs across Malaysia," he added.

Extending the ecosystem beyond software

StoreHub already supports thousands of merchants through its POS and business management tools. DealsClub adds a new dimension: insight into what merchants actually need operationally, especially in cost-sensitive environments. While it isn't positioned as a core business today, it functions as a strategic extension of the ecosystem — one that reveals purchasing behaviour, cost pressures, and supply rhythms that software alone cannot capture.

This data loop is intentional. By observing what SMEs buy, how often they reorder, and how price transparency affects decisions, StoreHub gains intelligence that feeds directly back into building better products and support systems across its platform.

A deliberate pause before AI

In an era where "AI-powered" has become a default tagline, StoreHub is deliberately taking a slower, more disciplined approach with DealsClub. The platform is intentionally simple for now. The priority is to validate real-world behaviour, refine operations, and ensure the fundamentals are strong before introducing advanced technology.

That said, the long-term possibilities are clear. Once the foundation is solid, AI could help predict demand patterns, reduce wastage, optimise reordering cycles, improve fulfilment speed, and identify SKU efficiency. But these are viewed as accelerators — not patches. AI will only be deployed when it can genuinely enhance an already sound operational backbone.

Clean behavioural signals, not massive scale

What makes DealsClub an interesting testbed for future AI applications isn't its size, but the clarity of its signals. Early patterns show that SMEs respond strongly to price transparency and logistical simplicity. When merchants know exactly how much they're saving and how fast supplies will arrive, their behaviour becomes highly predictable.

For AI, predictability matters more than volume. Clean, measurable behavioural data creates the right conditions for meaningful automation and forecasting down the line.

Building an AI-first culture from the inside out

StoreHub's approach to AI starts internally. Rather than rolling out flashy customer-facing features, the company is reshaping how teams think and work. AI is already embedded in internal workflows — from documentation and research to decision-making and faster MVP cycles.

"Becoming AI-first starts with people, not technology. We're reshaping how teams think, work, and solve problems. Today, AI is already part of our internal workflows ... from documentation to decision-making to faster MVP cycles. The goal is not to replace people, but to lift the quality and speed of human output. By the time we introduce AI to customer-facing areas, including DealsClub if we choose to, our teams would already be operating with AI-native habits. That foundation matters more than any single AI feature," Alan shared.

Seeing SMEs as they really operate

DealsClub gives StoreHub visibility into a side of SME life that software dashboards often miss: purchasing rhythms, category preferences, delivery pain points, and real-world cost constraints. These insights reveal where friction exists — in logistics, fulfilment timing, and manual bottlenecks — and where future automation could genuinely help.

Over time, these learnings can inform AI-driven improvements across StoreHub's wider touchpoints, from onboarding and support to operations and forecasting.

Leadership shaped by discipline and speed

Coming from both automotive and e-commerce backgrounds, Alan's leadership blends system discipline with experimentation and customer obsession. The focus today is on removing friction, increasing clarity, building repeatable systems, and accelerating execution — with AI as a key enabler.

He added: "Automotive taught me discipline, structure, and the importance of systems that don't fail. E-commerce taught me speed, experimentation, and customer obsession.At StoreHub, both worlds combine. My role today focuses on: removing friction, increasing clarity, building repeatable systems, and accelerating execution through AI."

Alan also further stressed that the company is currently in a transformation phase, and his job is to help the company move with more confidence and speed while preparing for the next chapter of growth.

Humans decide, AI clarifies

StoreHub's stance on AI is pragmatic: AI removes noise, humans provide judgement. The model is simple — AI accelerates and informs, while people decide and lead. This balance allows teams to move quickly without losing accountability.

Internally, AI is already making an impact by speeding up delivery cycles, improving operational accuracy, and sharpening decision clarity. For customers, this translates into faster support, cleaner product experiences, and more reliable operations — even before AI becomes visible on the surface.

"We don't want a world where AI replaces people. We want a world where people make better decisions because AI has done the heavy lifting," Alan said.