Communications and Information Minister S. Iswaran yesterday urged Singapore's small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to have a "just try, lah" attitude when it comes to grabbing the digitalisation bull by its horns.
Speaking at a Smart Nation: In Conversation virtual dialogue on the challenges faced by SMEs in their digitalisation journey, he said not every attempt at digitalising will be appropriate or successful, but it is important to keep experimenting to find what works.
"We are all learning new things (about digitalisation), and we always worry about the problems, but we should also think about the possibilities. So the 'just try, lah' attitude must be there," said Mr Iswaran.
"That also means sometimes there may be some mistakes, but it's part of the learning process and we must be prepared to accept that and move forward."
The dialogue was organised by the Smart Nation and Digital Government Group.
Mr Iswaran was replying to an audience member who asked whether the Government has plans for more digital initiatives like live wet market auctions, which were introduced during the circuit breaker period in May at Tekka Market.
He noted that what works in some markets and for some businesses may not work for all, adding that digitalisation is not just a matter of the Government telling people what to do.
"In this case, the market and hawker associations must also be supportive, the stallholders must be actively involved, and then you must also have the consumers prepared to come in," he said.
Hawker Melvin Chew, who owns Jin Ji Teochew Braised Duck & Kway Chap in Chinatown Complex Food Centre and who was on the dialogue's panel yesterday, said one major challenge faced by stallholders and hawkers can be the lack of understanding of what new technology means for their business.
These vendors need more specific support and guidance for initiatives like live auctions, he added.
"For example, if you ask the merchants to do the live (auction) themselves, it's actually a very big obstacle because you need a lot of content (for the show), and they don't know anything about creating the content," said Mr Chew, who founded the Hawkers United-Dabao 2020 Facebook group in April.
"It's not as simple as we may think. We won't just be telling people, 'this fish is very nice, it costs $5, do you want to buy'. That's not enough to attract people."
Language is another barrier for hawkers and consumers who are older and not comfortable with English, the lingua franca of technology, said Federation of Merchants' Associations president Yeo Hiang Meng.
"A lot of heartland business owners are in their 50s and 60s, and non-English speaking.
"When they adopt technology like going on social media, they have to use English to communicate with customers, and they just cannot do it," said Mr Yeo.
But he is optimistic that Singaporeans will be able to adapt eventually.
"It must become part of your life. Take e-payments - the steps are very simple, but you must use it every day so it becomes a habit."
