The COVID-19 outbreak undoubtably disrupted the lives of both individuals and businesses. The circuit breaker implemented by the government was a necessary step towards curbing the communal spread. However, those who were digitally unsavvy struggled to cope with the new normal.

For the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA), building a digitally inclusive society to enrich lives has always been a key agenda. And this proved to be an important one, especially during the pandemic’s peak.

So, in early 2020, IMDA launched the ‘Stay Healthy, Go Digital’ campaign:

• To enable individuals (especially seniors) to stay home, go digital and avoid exacerbating communal spread, i.e., by shopping, working and playing online.

• To empower businesses to go digital and overcome the commercial constraints of stay-home orders.

Objective:

Help Singaporeans go digital so as to cope effectively with the circuit breaker, while leading the way in creating a digitally inclusive society.

What if we used something dear and familiar like the wet market to inspire Singaporean seniors to go digital during the pandemic?

INTRODUCING TEKKA ONLINE MARKET (TOM)

Hacking one of Singapore’s oldest wet markets to create the first-ever web marketplace for seniors.

To encourage seniors to stay home, skip the crowds and shop online, IMDA digitalised the famously overcrowded Tekka Market… in less than a week.

To roll out the platform swiftly, we integrated Facebook Live, e-payment platform PayNow and more. This allowed us to build a seamless supply chain, complete with cashless payments and contactless deliveries. And of course, to make the user experience authentic, we got market sellers to host live-stream auctions – and engage in their usual banter with customers.

By combining rudimentary technologies and simple processes, we helped the digitally uninitiated enjoy the wet market from the safety of their homes.

Challenge:

IMDA needed an engaging idea that would catalyse digital adoption especially among the digitally uninitiated (seniors), at the onset of the pandemic.

Strategy:

We didn’t have to look beyond our neighborhood wet markets, for an opportunity to bridge two groups that were in dire need of digital guidance. The creative strategy therefore addressed:

• Seniors, the most vulnerable population, who continued to visit wet markets at the height of the pandemic.

• Wet market sellers who saw a decline in revenue of up to 80%, pushing many businesses to the brink of closure.

Solution:

The popular Tekka Market was chosen to go digital. Facebook was picked as the e-commerce platform, with PayNow as the digital payment gateway. These were selected as they had mass appeal and were easy for sellers and seniors to use independently.

Here’s how IMDA launched Tekka Market’s first-ever e-commerce platform:

Phase 0: Market Seller Mentorship

Within a week in May 2020, merchants were trained on live-stream selling, inventory planning and product packaging.

Phase 1: Education and Excitement

The TOM Facebook page quickly grew to several thousand followers. How? By introducing each seller with an exciting profile as well as educating fans on how to shop via the upcoming live streams.

Phase 2: TOM Goes Live

Each merchant hosted their very own live streams on 5 and 12 May. Exclusive produce and bento sets were auctioned off, with same-day, contactless delivery offered for free.

Phase 3: Sustenance and Engagement

TOM welcomed new sellers onboard after the activation, and continues to promote them to this day. The e-commerce platform was subsequently acquired by TADA Fresh, who have expanded it to more wet markets nationwide.

The primary objective of the TOM e-commerce platform was to help less savvy seniors and market sellers go digital. These results indicate that we did all that and more.

Resounding Organic Reach, Engagement and Media Impressions:

- 18,000+ TOM community members

- $500,000+ earned media coverage (including all major newspapers and media outlets)

- 2,400+ direct messages expressing interest to participate

- 1,000,000+ people reached during campaign period

Each live stream activation garnered avg.

- 1,254 unique viewers

- 51,459 people reached

- 5,637 likes and reactions

- 18,194 comments

- 1,848 shares

Over 100% in Sales:

Tekka merchants sold out within as little as 10 minutes of going live. More than 800 deliveries were fulfilled in 2 days, generating over $20,000 in revenue.

Sustained Digital Literacy:

After the initial success, more stalls came onboard TOM: fulfilling orders via WhatsApp/Facebook, hosting online giveaways and even running their own live streams!