Over 13,000 heartland merchants adopt e-payment platforms

Smaller businesses may be hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic, but they are strengthening their "defences" with e-payment methods and e-commerce solutions.

As at the middle of last month, more than 13,000 heartland merchants have adopted e-payment platforms while over 7,500 have embraced digital commerce solutions, since efforts were launched last year to help them keep pace with digitalisation.

The figures were shared by Minister of State for Trade and Industry Low Yen Ling, who was speaking at the seventh edition of the Singapore Heartland Enterprise Star Award ceremony at Chui Huay Lim Club yesterday.

As part of the Heartlands Go Digital programme launched in October last year, solutions adopted by such businesses include the development of e-commerce platforms and use of social media to engage customers.

The programme is led by Enterprise Singapore and the Heartland Digitalisation and Revitalisation Committee, which Ms Low co-chairs.

She said: "Labour flows and supply chains were disrupted due to border closures and restrictions arising from safe management measures.

"These changes affected both large and small businesses, but smaller heartland businesses were especially affected."

Ms Low added that it is heartening to see The Federation of Merchants' Associations, Singapore (FMAS) and the Heartland Enterprise Centre Singapore taking the initiative to help heartland businesses innovate and adapt their operating models.

Organised by FMAS, the awards recognise achievements by heartland businesses, with 40 submitting entries to vie for the honours.

Awards for promising enterprises were given out across categories such as best visual merchandising, best customer service and most franchisable business.

Among the winners was Chang Cheng Group, a 27-year-old company that operates more than 230 traditional mixed rice stalls and has adopted digital payment channels since 2017.

It took home the operational excellence award under the luminary enterprise category.

Through a 30,000 sq ft central kitchen, it developed a structured system to optimise work processes and automate manual procedures, in order to improve supply chain operations.

Said Ms Low: "Digitalisation and business transformation is a journey, and the Government is committed to support our heartland merchants in exploring new ways to grow their business.

For instance, the Community Development Council voucher scheme, which allocates $100 worth of vouchers to every household, was developed with FMAS.

The vouchers, which are valid till Dec 31 next year, can be collected digitally and used at about 10,000 participating hawkers and heartland merchants.

Ms Low said: "Christmas and Chinese New Year are fast approaching. We hope to encourage more Singaporeans to make good use of the vouchers to support our heartland merchants and hawkers, and boost the vibrancy of our HDB towns and neighbourhood centres."