Source: advicemember.com
Ever since the outbreak of COVID-19, it has negatively impacted many people’s livelihoods. The outbreak did not just affect one nation, but the whole world has come to a halt. The rapid outspread of the virus forced companies to stop working immediately, leaving many jobless in an instant.
There are almost no sources of income for both people and businesses. The public was not prepared at all as the news of ‘lockdown’ for many countries came out of the blue. While some had assistance from their country’s government, many are still facing financial difficulties. The pandemic has left every industry scathed worldwide, crippling both big and small retailers.
However, there is always a ray of hope behind every dark cloud. With the help of the internet, people are using these digital platforms as an opportunity to start a new venture. Many companies are adjusting to the situation and pursuing various ways to ensure that their businesses are up and running by diverting their focus onto social media.
Whether it is to convert and market their previous businesses online, or to completely start a fresh and new business as a potential income, e-commerce seems to be the best way to help individuals that are struggling financially during this pandemic.
Source: Instagram.com
Singaporean sisters, Shafeeqah Rafik, who is a fresh graduate from university and, Sakeenah Rafik, who is a banker and a tuition teacher, also found themselves in a similar situation. The sisters had to rely on their online home-based bakery shop, ‘Withlovebiscotto.co’ on Instagram, to generate side income during Singapore’s circuit breaker.
In April, home-based businesses in Singapore were not allowed to continue operating unless certain criteria are met like not requiring any party to deliver or collect the goods. The sisters had to stop all operations despite already accepting many orders made by their customers, especially since it was Raya season.
“The customers were very nice. They were willing to wait. We gave them the option to wait until the circuit breaker was lifted and then we only deliver the goods to them,” said Sakeenah.
Almost three weeks of suspension later, home-based businesses were finally allowed to resume operation in Singapore. The pair had to rush and meet orders in time for Hari Raya, especially cakes that can only be baked a day before delivering.
“Basically, when that happened, I was panicking internally. I remember calling her at 7am to let her see the article,” expressed Shafeeqah.
In addition, they had trouble finding essential ingredients for their goods as well since the supermarket situation was chaotic at that point. This resulted in them having to invest more money into their goods.
“It was really hard to find basic ingredients like flour. We had to run to so many different stores just to get a basic ingredient. In the end, we had to get some super special Japanese product which costed us a ‘bomb’”, said Shafeeqah.
“There was a bit of loss in terms of our profit during this pandemic. However, people had already ordered from us so it would be really unfair to just cancel their orders,” said Sakeenah.
When comparing physical stores with online businesses, Shafeeqah pointed out a few advantages their e-bakery had over physical shops.
“We don’t have to pay for rent. We operate very small and bake in small batches. We have a supplier. The supplier charges our items at a very low price.”
“Bakeries freeze their products and when a customer orders they unfreeze it. We don’t do that. We always try our best to give fresh products to the customers.”
It is seen that many businesses worldwide are converting online and adapting to the new digital environment to keep their businesses going during this pandemic. Adopting to changes definitely comes with its challenges. Shafeeqah’s main advice to these first time-online-business marketeers is to be patient with the process.
“At first when we started this business, not many people ordered from us. But then once u get one customer, the customer will tell another customer and more customers will come.”
“You just have to be very patient with yourself. Don’t be upset if no one orders at first, sooner or later customers will come running into your store.”