“I almost lost 60% of sales at the beginning of the pandemic,” Zakaria bin Allaham, a meat butcher recalled.
Fortunately, the 61-year-old from Georgetown, Penang explored the opportunities online with an open mind and found his way out.
A Passion for Learning
With the heart of a learner, Zakaria has always been eager to learn new things. In fact, before venturing into his current vocation, he worked as an administrator in a car workshop.
His interest in the meat business was sparked by a conversation with a customer. They discussed on importing meat from Thailand to the local market.
I didn’t have the capital, but I was really inspired by the idea. Hence, I researched and discovered that I could obtain livestock from Perlis instead.
As a complete novice to the industry, Zakaria had to learn everything from scratch. This included the different types of meat, its grading system and various methods of cutting the meat.
It was challenging at first, but I soon fell in love with the meat business.
With the encouragement of a friend, Zakaria applied for a stall at the then newly opened Pasar Batu Lanchang.
Much to his surprise, the interviewers were customers of the automobile workshop! With the situation in his favour, Zakaria successfully secured stall.
Without realising, it has been almost 30 years since I started this business.
Improvise, Adapt, Overcome
The full lockdown in March 2020, severely affected Zakaria’s business.
In an attempt to keep the business afloat, his wife joined a WhatsApp group to take orders from small business owners in need of meat.
However, the income from them were insufficient for him to make ends meet.
As an alternative, the 61-year-old decided to join GrabMart. He believes that this transition will be lucrative for his business.
I had no choice but to learn how to move my business online step-by-step.
Despite many his age struggling to adapt to technological advancements, Zakaria perseveres to keep up with the trend.
A Silver Lining
I believe that all these online delivery platforms are capable of not just sustaining my business during the pandemic, but also growing it.
As he wished, things got much better after Zakaria is familiar with using online delivery APPs. He is on a few platforms and realised GrabMart is helping the most.
Sales improved significantly as Zakaria became more accustomed to online business. He realised that he was able to reach a wider range of customers.
Zakaria acknowledges the online platform for helping his business grow.
Grab has organised various promotions and campaigns to help drive demand for merchants on GrabMart.
Campaigns such as Peniaga Kecil are organised for small businesses to enable them to reach a wider range of customers.
Additionally, these small businesses are more accessible to customers as they are able to have the items delivered to them.
As a result, we manage to sustain our business and continue serving our customers despite the prolonged MCO restrictions.
Regardless of strict lockdowns, Zakaria is determined to keep his business afloat. He plans to leverage Grab’s marketing initiative to sustain and grow his business.
Cover Images via BCW global
Author: Jin Wen Chan
Proofreader: Grace Choong
