IMDA digitises Tekka Market specifically for seniors

The Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) has launched a Tekka Online Market initiative to equip Singaporeans, including vulnerable seniors, with the digital know-how to shop for their groceries online without physically heading to the market. Done in collaboration with Max Kee of Lian Huat Seafood and creative agency BLKJ, the project aims to create a new kind of relevance for the digital lifestyle by mashing up the wet market with the digital world.

Beyond improving digital literacy among consumers, the Tekka Online Market initiative is also designed to help wet market sellers who have been adversely affected by tightening restrictions to digitise their business. Participating stalls will receive guidance in putting their businesses on digital platforms such as Facebook and WhatsApp, as well as to try out innovative new ways of selling online.

Tekka Market was selected for the project as it was identified as one of the worst-affected wet markets.

One of the market’s oldest stalls Haji M N Shahul Hameed Marketing, which is a poultry wholesaler, will be participating in the live streaming initiative. The father-son duo has previously begun digitising their business by introducing cashless payments. Haji M N Shahul Hameed Marketing, together with five other other stalls, will be selling their produce via Facebook Live for the first time tomorrow, under the guidance of mentor Max Kee of Lian Huat Seafood. Max is one of Singapore’s live streaming sellers, garnering thousands of comments and views as he auctions fresh seafood five nights a week from Jurong Fishery Port.

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Separately, BLKJ recently rolled out an initiative to share messages of love with Singapore’s migrant workers in their own native languages amid the rising number of COVID-19 cases among workers. Called “Love Translated”, the movement calls for Singaporeans to WhatsApp their messages of encouragement for migrant workers. The messages will then translated into Bengali, Tamil, Hindi, Burmese and Mandarin, and forwarded daily to the workers via their WhatsApp groups and through targeted promoted posts on Facebook.