SINGAPORE: Shoppers who like the products on offer at Little India’s stores but are less keen on the crowds and traffic jams are likely to welcome one of the newest entrants to Singapore’s online retail space. 

About 50 vendors, who make up about a quarter of the shops in the area, have decided to make their products available on an online marketplace called Dei, which stands for “Daily Everything Indian”. The website, dei.com.sg, sells everything from clothes to cooking utensils to fruit.

The website’s founder G Jayvarman said that, along with a team, he started the website to ease the pain felt by shoppers of being “squashed by massive crowds, facing unpredictable weather, carrying huge bags and standing in long queues just to get back home”.

What was worse was that we saw the elderly like our parents going through such inconvenience just to get their shopping done.

He added that while young people are adept at navigating the online space, shopping for Indian products is another matter. The online marketplace bridges the gap between being tech-savvy and knowing Indian products. He added that more than 10,000 products are listed on the website.

Dei partnered with the Little India Shopkeepers Heritage Association (LISHA) in early 2016 to get the website off the ground, and the collaboration has borne fruit, as far as LISHA chairman C Rajkumar is concerned. He believes that the online shopping has cut down the number of shoppers at the heritage site on weekdays.

“Weekdays see a higher number of tourists having the ability to move around more freely without constraint caused by shoppers,” he said. On weekends, locals still make trips down to Little India, but more for dining or to places of worship, he noted.

One consumer who has benefitted from using the website is accounts executive Puvan Alagan, who used to make two trips to Little India every week to buy prayer items. She did that as a responsibility she took over from her father, who died two years ago, she said.

The 32-year-old, who is also studying part time, said that the journeys to and from Little India left her exhausted, and she is glad that her mother suggested she try it.

Mr Jayvarman said that currently the majority of customers are local and non-resident Indians between the ages of 25 and 54.

“We are also noticing a steady growth of consumers of other ethnicities, especially from the Chinese community,” he said.

E-COMMERCE EFFORTS NOT WITHOUT CHALLENGES

Mr Rajkumar said that while it was not difficult to bring retailers on board, it was a challenge to keep them interested enough before their store became profitable.

“When we first approached the vendors in Little India, they were a tad hesitant to come on board as they were not used to technology and how it will benefit them,” Mr Jayvarman said. However, when they realised that the website could be an additional channel of revenue, they were more willing, he added.

Mr Rajkumar said that one of the initial challenges retailers faced was managing their online inventory and physical inventory at the same time. The more difficult challenge is getting on board retailers who do not even use a Point-Of-Sale system, which makes it harder to track inventory, he added.

Many retailers seem to be keen to experiment. “Though they might not have the clearest of understanding about e-commerce, most of them understand the significance of the online space,” he said.

Mr Rajkumar said he is keen to help these “old-school” vendors, adding that they should be able to see higher profits now that they have a different channel of customer acquisition and sales.

One retailer who has experienced this is Mr S Manimaran, owner of Raghvendra Enterprise, which sells banana leaves and fruit.

Up until last year when he made his products available on the website, Mr Manimaran had been supplying to hospitals, supermarkets and temples. Sales have increased 15 per cent since going online, he said.

It was difficult initially to fix the prices of fruit as the fluctuate frequently, he said, but eventually settled on selling at the lower end of a possible price range.

“The website has given us bigger reach. I have totally new customers, because for the first time, I am able to directly deliver my products to consumers,” he said. In order to cater to consumers, he now counts his stock by the piece instead of by the pallet. Delivery is done by Dei’s 10 full-time and freelance drivers. 

Meanwhile, although online shopping has eased some of traffic and clutter, Mr Rajkumar feels more can be done to enhance the Little India experience, even as he hopes to further increase online commerce.

“An accessible parking option in the form of a multi-storey car park would do a whole lot of good. Also, getting rid of the lots along the roads would be a good option too in our opinion,” he said.

SINGAPORE: Imagine a class of 30 or so students buzzing with anticipation and trepidation as they wait to hear their names called out. 

Their parents stand outside, peering in, wringing hands and clutching their phones.

This is reality for a lot of people today, when this year’s Primary 6 cohort receive their PSLE results. Once the results slips are handed over, elation, relief and disappointment will be on full display across primary schools in the country.

And so begin the questions from inquisitive relatives and kiasu colleagues.

Many 12-year-olds will be fearful of being asked about their three-digit scores. For them, these form a permanent mark on their lives – until the next major national examinations that is.

They will detest the comparisons. They will battle with feelings of pride, envy or inadequacy. Some may even shun family or social gatherings until the buzz dies down. With the festive season lying ahead, this could be a good long while.

Whatever your family’s culture and values may be, the PSLE score looks set to be the elephant in the room.

REMINDER: PSLE IS JUST ONE EXAM

With the emphasis on the PSLE year and the stressful lead-up to it that often starts much earlier, one would be hard-pressed to believe it is not the be-all, end-all of a Singaporean student’s life.

Remember last year where Singaporeans shared their PSLE scores on social media to demonstrate how three digits have a tenuous link to their eventual success in life and encourage those who had received less than ideal results? One only hopes a resurgence occurs today.

My daughter is only in Primary 2 this year and already I’ve heard her mention that she’s afraid of the PSLE. Seeing as I haven’t discussed these four letters with her before, where does she get it from?

Many students view this examination with an extreme sense of dread. 

But far from being the defining moment of their young lives, it only marks the beginning of a lifetime of learning.

How then can we instill a healthier perspective on learning in our young?

Jasmine Koh, owner of MapleBear preschool at Hillview, whose eldest child sat for the PSLE this year, said she had open conversations with him to help him understand that it is just one exam and he just needed to work hard and try his best.

For Koh, building a strong work ethic and a positive learning attitude was far more important than which secondary school he ends up in.

NOT PROXIES FOR ONE-UPMANSHIP

As parents, we know we should celebrate our children’s achievements and share in their sorrows.

But more importantly, we must do so from the perspective of focusing on our children as individuals, and not proxies for one-upmanship. This makes it easier to resist the urge to ask other parents or relatives how their children did.

When we’re busy comparing our kids’ achievements to others’, we neglect being grateful for what we have. We may forget to appreciate how much our children have grown through the process.

A friend with a Primary 6 child shared that the stress of waiting for the release of results has been further exacerbated by the peer comparisons her son faces in his class.

She wishes that the results could be released in a more private and sensitive manner, perhaps via snail mail or online. This way, students will feel more at ease, receiving their results in the privacy of their homes.

DOWNPLAY RESULTS, FOCUS ON THE PROCESS

If your child has excelled, by all means, celebrate. But refrain from saying “I always knew you were smart” and making it all about the grades.

Studies show that praising good grades and intelligence can do a child more harm than good. Stanford University researcher Carol Dweck has shown that such generalised praise creates learners with a “fixed mindset” – those afraid of making mistakes, and unwilling to put in extra effort or try something new.

Instead, offer specific praises, highlighting certain study strategies that your child employed, or affirming attitudes such as perseverance.

According to Michelle Choy, co-founder of The Little Executive and whose older four children have gone through the PSLE, the PSLE offers an important opportunity to have conversations about the process, instead of merely focusing on the end result. The PSLE may be once in a lifetime, but these lessons will always be relevant.

DEALING WITH FAILURE

Another important lesson our children can take away is that of bouncing back from failure and disappointment.

Children today face greater pressure to achieve than ever before, and in more areas than just mere academics alone.

When they underperform, we should not be rubbing salt in their wounds. 

Rather, we should affirm that they are not defined by their PSLE score, nor any other test score, and assure them that a viable solution can be worked out together.

As Choy advises, “As parents, how we guide them to view failure and success is crucial. They need to know that one failure does not define them; if they build resilience and tenacity, they will go far in spite of early failures.”

Choy further urges parents to refrain from blaming the child and from talking about the PSLE until their child is ready to do so. Instead, she says parents should spend quality time with them to let them know you continue to believe in them regardless of their results.   

BEING OPEN TO THE DIFFERENT PATHS AHEAD

Parents should try to keep an open mind to the different options their children can take, regardless of PSLE score. There is no surefire route to success – which, by the way, should have different meanings for different people – and often the attitudes we carry toward life and learning are more important than the schools we attend.

For those who did well and didn’t alike, children need to know that if they learn from the mistakes made, apply better strategies, and put in more effort, they will have a good shot at their own brand of success.

For the coming days and weeks, endeavour to choose our reactions and words wisely, and be a pillar of support for our children.

As author Eloise Ristad once said, “When we give ourselves permission to fail, we, at the same time, give ourselves permission to excel.” 

June Yong is a mother of three, an educational therapist and owner of Mama Wear Papa Shirt, a blog that discusses parenting and education in Singapore.