Food and beverage operators have to embrace e-commerce and revolutionalise the way they do business in light of the coronavirus pandemic to avoid bankruptcy.
Johor MCA Government and Coordinating Affairs chairman Michael Tay said F&B operators may not earn as much as they used to but at least there would still be income coming in if they offer only home delivery service for now.
“These operators have to promote their business via their websites or other social media platforms if they are not already on FoodPanda or GrabFood.
“They cannot be waiting for the MCO to be lifted to resume their business. I’m glad to see that some have already started promoting on Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, but there are still many who are still just waiting and complaining,” Tay said.
Tay said the government has already tried to help business operators and landlords have also reduced rentals for business premises, so the people should do their bit to ride out the storm just by doing business in a different way.
“Covid-19 looks like a stubborn disease that isn’t going away anytime soon and there are different strains of Covid-19. So even if the MCO is lifted, the public still needs to wear mask when they are outdoors and practice social distancing.
“E-commerce plays a major role in today’s marketplace and Covid-19 may have catapulted some into financial crisis but it has also prompted others to revolutionalise and embrace the new economy,” he said.
On a separate matter, Tay said he has received 5 complaints since the MCO was introduced on March 18 that some members of the public have turned to online gambling to ease their boredom during the lockdown.
“A 26-year-old man recently incurred debts of up to RM8,000 due to online gambling and he had turned to loan sharks to settle his debts.
“What this young man has done is detrimental to himself and his family members. Please do not turn to online gambling,” Tay said.
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