SINGAPORE - Smaller local firms which want to offer online shopping services for their customers but find it too onerous or costly to do so will soon get a hand from the Government.

They will be able to tap on a common e-commerce platform developed by Spring Singapore and other agencies for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), Minister of State for Trade and Industry Teo Ser Luck said in Parliament on Monday.

The platform will allow SMEs to carry out e-commerce activities across various online marketplaces, and will include integrated warehouse functions, inventory management solutions and order fulfilment capability, Mr Teo added.

Participating SMEs can also cut down on the time taken to process and manage orders by up to 45 per cent, due to the streamlined logistics chain.

Another common platform that will be set up for SMEs will offer shared human resource (HR) systems and services.

SMEs can benefit by outsourcing their administrative HR activities, which will allow them to focus their limited manpower on core functions, Mr Teo said.

The moves are part of ongoing efforts to encourage collaboration among SMEs, he added.

"Collaboration helps our SMEs build track records, pool resources, share best practices and create new business opportunities."

Spring aims to enrol 50 companies for each of the projects, which will be open for sign-ups from April 1.