40-Year-Old Family Business in Singapur Doubled Its Revenue with E-Commerce

Located in the Tampines area of Singapur, Etronin Home is a 40-year-old family business that has managed to thrive in the shadow of giant retail chains. Selling approximately 1600 different home appliance products ranging from refrigerators to ceiling fans, the store proves that there is still room for small businesses alongside the major players driving the industry. The company was founded in 1983 by Khoon Seng's family and has become a fixture in the area over the years. Today, the company is headed by 31-year-old second-generation owner Khoon Seng, who has made it his mission to modernize the family business. By bringing e-commerce and digital payment systems to the core of the business, Khoon Seng has successfully increased the company's monthly revenue to 500 thousand Singapur dollars (approximately S$500K).

The business's digital transformation story began in 2019 when Khoon Seng was a senior student at Singapur Yönetim Üniversitesi. The shift to online classes due to the COVID-19 pandemic gave him plenty of time to get involved in the family business. Long before coming to the store, Khoon Seng realized the e-commerce wave was approaching, but he observed that his family was unfamiliar with the digital process because they had been accustomed to cash for decades. The young entrepreneur first tried listing products on the Qoo10 platform but failed in his initial attempt due to his family's lack of trust in digital payments and insufficient interest. However, instead of giving up, he changed his strategy by turning to emerging platforms like Shopee and Lazada, where transaction fees were only two percent.

The period when pandemic restrictions increased and people were forced to stay at home opened an unexpected window of opportunity for Etronin Home. With people staying at home, Singapurlular realized their aging and insufficiently cooling air conditioners and broken home appliances, turning to new products. While keeping his parents at home to protect them from the virus, Khoon Seng had to manage the entire online operation alone. He personally took charge of every detail, from listing products to pricing strategies and delivery coordination, laying the foundation of the business. Having celebrated selling just 10 fans on the 11.11 sale day in 2019 as a success, the young entrepreneur learned the power of e-commerce firsthand during this period.

Modernizing this traditional business, which his parents had run with cash for years, has not been easy at all. The older generation remained cautious about digital payment methods and credit card transactions for a long time. However, Khoon Seng proved how critical the low commission rates and increased customer reach provided by digital platforms were for the business. E-commerce has significantly increased sales potential by offering customers the opportunity to pay by credit card without having to visit a physical store. Thanks to Khoon Seng's innovative approach, the company has transformed from an ordinary neighborhood shop into a modern retailer generating significant revenue in the digital ecosystem.

Khoon Seng's successful transformation story demonstrates the great success traditional businesses can achieve when they adapt to the digital age. It has been proven that even in markets dominated by intense competition and large chains, such as in Singapur, small players can survive when the right strategies are implemented. Moving beyond being just a physical store, Etronin Home has adopted an omnichannel business model that conducts both online and offline sales. The company's achievement of raising its monthly revenue to the S$500K level stands out as concrete proof referencing the power of digital transformation. This story is a unique success story born from the combination of determination and strategy, serving as an inspiration for all family businesses trying to adapt to the digital world.