Reference no: EM133035939

Wet markets to Web markets For a fast-modernising society, and a global pandemic keeping everyone at home, more and more customers are seeking more convenient sources for their fresh produce. Footfalls at traditional wet markets have dropped significantly since. Many stallholders, who have been adversely affected by the tightened social distancing measures, standing still is gradually becoming not an option for them. Online, mobile and other channels have disrupted their business models and transformed the nature of customer experience. The National Environment Agency (NEA) noted wet markets in their current form are generally not as popular as before and may not remain viable in the long term due to changes in demographics, consumer behaviour and the availability of other fresh produce options in supermarkets and malls. NEA is considering ways to improve Singapore's market sections. "Some stall holders are already leveraging online sales and delivery models, while others differentiate themselves through the quality of their produce or leveraging long-term relationships with suppliers and customers," said the agency. Shop owners and customers are encouraged to discover new and safer ways of shopping and payment, by taking their businesses online via Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA)'s Stay Healthy, Go Digital campaign. IMDA also enlisted the help of Mr Max Kee, owner of Lian Huat Seafood, to help train the stallholders. Said an IMDA spokesman: "Mr Kee is a seasoned Facebook Live seller and is contributing his time and insights to mentor the wet market merchants at no cost. We are also supporting through marketing and communications of the initiative to drive interest from the public to try a digital wet market experience." There is little to no programming required, though processes such as order-taking and payment are still done manually. In the comments section of the Facebook live-stream, customers can interact with the sellers and ask them more about their products. The sellers can explain and then show them the items through the live-stream video as they would in the actual wet market. Buyers then place their orders, confirm their details via Facebook messenger and make payment via PayNow, an instant funds transfer service offered by various banks. This saves conventional wet market visitors the hassle of handling cash soaked in market produce, and stallholders the trouble of having enough small change in cash, and the separate trip to the bank to deposit the funds. Orders above $20 will also be eligible for free island-wide delivery and the produce will be delivered to them within the day to ensure freshness. There is also a Facebook group called the Pasar United - Dabao 2020, which allows stall owners to promote their products and delivery services for free. Way before the virus outbreak, there were some wet market stalls that took the leap to go online. And these early movers have since seen a surge in orders as consumers staying home orders on Tankfully Fresh, the online arm of these wet market seafood stalls. Orders jumped by more than 80 per cent "instantly" after the circuit breaker was announced. Ms Tan, a fruits stallholder, has been taking orders through a Google spreadsheet, packing them, planning delivery routes and making the deliveries all by herself since taking to Facebook to promote her family's wet market stall. "Fresh grocery is not something you can mark up BUS354 (Online) Group-based Assignment SINGAPORE UNIVERSITY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES (SUSS) Page 8 of 9 prices and given that we are not a high-margin business, even 15 per cent can be insane," she said. "Personal relationships were key in the wet markets and have gotten lost with the emergence of the modern-day store. But reach is also important and if I can acquire more customers than I could have otherwise, then it may not be a bad thing." "When you go to the wet market, you can ask shop assistants to recommend products for your dishes. But if you go online, who is going to teach you? Then when you don't know what to buy, you give up and don't cook anything. Should you do buy something, often you'll cook and the results are not good, and you also give up." says Anthony Leow, who runs the brand Spicemaker, a decade-old spice business. He first picked up what he calls "granny recipes" for spices as a 19-year-old helping out at his parents' stall at Chong Boon market. Today, Mr Leow has assistance - his 25-year-old daughter Min Ling, is helping her father's business go online, and adopt more modern approaches to branding and marketing. They are aware that the wet market scene in Singapore is changing. "Most fishmongers don't even have a signboard, much less a website. Most fishmongers are just known as the 'fish stall near the toilet' or the 'fish seller with blonde hair'," exclaimed co-founder of Dish the Fish, Ms Angeline Ong. "We started Dish the Fish with the aim of being accessible to everyone who wants to eat fish," she said. "Particularly younger consumers, who may not have been exposed to cooking fish growing up. On our website, we provide a lot of information about the fish, and clear-cutting charts, and this information is replicated at our stall. We always make it a point to keep our information online updated and relevant." Ms Ong experimented with different products, study sales volume over time, conduct polls and gather direct feedback from customers. Dish the Fish diversified its offerings and services, catering to the specific needs of those who would otherwise not step into the wet market. For even less fuss, you could buy a recipe pack, filled with most of the ingredients you need for dishes like fish head curry, and sliced fish soup. All that is needed is to drop the contents into a pot and you're practically done. And you can order all of these online, where the products are classified according to type, cooking style and even health benefits. If their customers don't feel like cooking, just head over to the stall's West Coast Plaza "cooking studio", to pick from the day's catch and have someone cook it the way they want it. Adapted for academic purposes only from: Salamat, H. (2019, December 01). Changing the face of the wet market to appeal to new customers.

Question:

There are seven (7) distinct qualities that characterise a genuine business relationship. With changing demographics, consumer behaviour and the availability of other fresh produce options, examine with applicable examples, how the wet market stallholders and their customers can leverage online technology to facilitate the seven (7) characteristics in building a meaningful relationship.