More ad-hoc durian vendors popping up on e-commerce platforms ahead of peak harvest
SINGAPORE: With peak durian harvest just around the corner, more enterprising ad-hoc vendors are popping up online, mainly on e-commerce platforms such as Shopee and Carousell.
Many such vendors jump on the bandwagon during increased seasonal demand to make a quick profit.
However, veteran durian retailers warned that the gamble could backfire, as recent erratic weather could squeeze supply and push up prices.
COMPETITIVE MARKET
Royal Durian, which has been selling the king of fruits online for the past six years, said the Singapore durian market is crowded.
During the harvest season, there could be about a dozen durian sellers doing TikTok livestreams at the same time, said the business' owner Jeremy Chew.
The local durian industry is 'very easy' to enter, he added. But he questioned if such sellers are able to maintain their venture: 'The fact is, can you do it well? Are you doing it as a hobby or can you really do it long term?'
Besides selling the fruit to consumers, the company also sells durian products such as desserts and mooncakes. Additionally, it supplies durians to other vendors.
'It sounds very weird that I'm still supplying my competitors. In other industries, it doesn't make sense, but (in ours) it is very common,' said Mr Chew.
'Let's say I have fruits but you do not, I can give you some. And we help each other out.'
Meanwhile, home-based stall Dukrian gets its customers from e-commerce platforms as well as delivery apps such as Grab.
The shop said it sets itself apart by buying directly from plantations instead of wholesalers.
'It makes a very big difference in terms of the durian quality,' noted the firm's owner Daren Chan.
'For example, the plantation owner will choose the good ones first for his direct customers, like me, and then the rest will be thrown to the market for wholesalers.'
Mr Chan also gets requests from other businesses, which buy his durians and resell them.
'It happens quite a lot, especially when the prices are very cheap. That's when they can make a profit,' he added.
ONLINE COMPETITION
The online durian game has grown partially due to the convenience of delivery, said Dr Samer El Hajjar, a senior marketing lecturer at the National University of Singapore's Business School.
'The key to stand out is trust (and) to give good prices, good photos, honest descriptions (and) good reviews,' he added.
'So, a reliable online source with good prices … will stand out in this competitive online space now.'
He warned that there are downsides to online retail, as consumers cannot see, touch or smell the pungent fruit before making a purchase.
'No one wants to pay a premium for an item that's not good enough, and that's actually the fundamental of purchasing behaviours in the online game,' Dr El Hajjar told CNA.
'That's why they go to the more trusted sellers.'
Physical businesses such as Combat Durian appear unfazed by online rivals.
The family-run firm, which has been selling durians for 60 years, said it is more than just price and quality – it is also about giving customers an experience.
'For online (vendors), they don't have physical shops. For us, people can come into our shops, sit down, relax, and (enjoy the) feeling of opening a durian,' said Combat Durian owner Linda Ang, who is not looking to venture online.
'If there's anything wrong, we can change (the fruit) immediately, whereas online, I heard that you can complain but no replacement is done,' she added. 'It's a one-time business. For us, it is long-term.'
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