Leveraging technology to build an omni-channel business

Originally published Mar 2017 | SMB, Digitalisation | 3-min read

Explaining the move into e-commerce from managing physical gym centres, he said, “We wanted a scalable business model which is available round-the-clock and do not require physical manpower to run the retail front.” Most importantly, seeing how other e-commerce platforms were gaining traction fuelled their ambition to get on the bandwagon.

Mr Tan shared that embracing e-commerce has helped them overcome the challenges of high rental, manpower shortage and the dilution of crowd from the oversupply of shopping malls. In fact, in today’s digital economy, he stressed that e-commerce is a necessary avenue for SMBs in the retail space. For SMBs with existing brick and mortar stores which are unsure about going online, his advice is to start with a ready e-commerce platform. The 99% SME campaign, he feels, is a good way for SMBs to try out the digital experience.

The 99% SME campaign allows SMBs to advertise their products for free on its website. Into its third edition, the 99% SME campaign provides an e-commerce platform, 99% SME eMarketplace, for SMBs to sell their products online. This will give them a first-hand experience on digitalising their businesses with minimal changes to their existing store operations. With payment and delivery gateways in place, this eMarketplace is a hassle-free way for SMBs to give e-commerce a try. For companies with their own e-commerce sites, this eMarketplace provides an additional avenue to attract buyers. Mr Tan welcomes this initiative and will be listing FitLion products on the 99% SME eMarketplace.

To Mr Tan, technology does not have to be fanciful. He started off FitLion with simple solutions like an off-the-shelf online template, and slowly introduced enhancements along the way. To manage a volume that grew quickly from 3 to 200 daily orders, Mr Tan implemented solutions to automate and simplify the order fulfilment processes. In addition to automating the packing system, he adopted a GPS-enabled vehicle management solution to easily manage his deliveries from a centralised web portal. The solution also provides alerts to safeguard his goods and vehicles from unauthorised intrusion.

Mr Tan believes in preparing one’s business for the future. SMBs should continuously look at adopting solutions to help their businesses operate more efficiently and stay ahead of competition .