Business at heartland shops has been battered by the coronavirus crisis not only because fewer people are buying, but also because 70 per cent to 80 per cent of them are classed as non-essential, meaning they cannot operate during the circuit breaker period (Heartland shops' business battered by coronavirus crisis, May 7).

The only option is for them to hunker down and plan for the post-circuit breaker period.

Meanwhile, various agencies have been pushing heartland shops to set up e-commerce sites.

However, based on anecdotal evidence, many owners of small businesses believe that the relatively high costs of operating online do not make it worth their while.

What has shown promise is digital marketing, which leverages digital channels such as social media and messaging apps to connect with current and prospective customers.

The heartland shop is still at the centre of the business, but the means to reach out to customers have gone digital without the cost burden of online transactions.

This means that a customer can find out from Facebook or Instagram that a heartland shop in Toa Payoh Central sells great durian ice cream, for example, but he would still need to make a trip to the shop to make a purchase.

Enterprise Singapore (ESG) has recognised this, and expanded its E-Commerce Booster Package to help small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) retailers develop digital marketing capabilities.

There will also be more help for firms to hire people to build in-house capabilities for sustained digital marketing efforts.

I would encourage ESG to consider placing this year's fresh graduates with heartland shops for this purpose.

Last month, the Government announced that it has set aside $100 million for a scheme called SGUnited Traineeships to help new graduates amid a weakening job market due to the Covid-19 pandemic (Thousands of traineeships for fresh ITE, poly and uni grads, April 24).

Members of the class of 2020 are digital natives. They were raised in a media-saturated world.

Get them to spend traineeships with these heartland shops to help set up digital marketing processes by leveraging the digital tools they grew up with.

At the same time, these fresh graduates would get first-hand experience working alongside entrepreneurs who embrace a resilient and adaptive mindset.

This will be a boost to our national strategy to build up our SMEs as the engine of growth for our post-pandemic economy.

Liu Fook Thim