KUALA LUMPUR: THE Covid-19 pandemic has not left any business globally unscathed, devastating small and big-time retailers.
In Malaysia, the pandemic has forced many retailers, especially those in shopping malls, to diversify to make up for losses during the Movement Control Order (MCO) period.
Antonio Ng, 39, a senior director stylist of Eight Days Salon at IPC Shopping Centre in Mutiara Damansara, wasted no time in drawing up a contingency plan when the losses began to pile up.
He began using e-commerce sites such as Lazada, Shopee and social media to sell hair products. And now, although things are nowhere near as good as before, he is making a slow recovery.
"To drum up excitement, we even created hair game challenges that our customers could participate in from home."
He said ups and downs in business are inevitable, even on this scale.
"But most importantly, we need to maintain a positive mindset and adapt to life under the new normal," he said.
He encouraged his staff to take up online courses to improve their skills.
"I hope my staff will be better prepared when the shop reopens in the near future."
Vanilla Mille Crepe chief executive officer Nelson Liew, 38, who manages 23 outlets in malls, including Mid Valley Megamall, Pavilion KL and Sunway Velocity, said it was making its online presence stronger by investing in digital marketing.
He said the business was in "survival mode".
"We believe digital marketing will be the future. Since MCO, and now CMCO, we've been diversifying our business by making home deliveries to ensure our brand stays relevant in the market."
Managing 23 outlets in such trying times is a challenge for Liew but he remains optimistic.
"I see it as a challenge to prove that our brand is capable of overcoming this tough time and emerging stronger as one of the most sustainable brands and business in the F&B market."
Online deliveries, he said, had helped him sustain his business.
"We've found ways to cope with our difficulties.
"MCO and CMCO have had a negative impact on our business since most of our outlets are in shopping malls.
"But every cloud has a silver lining. It forced us to come up with new and fresh ideas to ensure our survival."
Tanamera, a local brand synonymous with spa treatments, has been experiencing a gruelling time with the MCO, with most of its outlets in malls temporarily closed.
"The MCO halted all our point of sales as malls and department stores were closed.
"Sadly, our wholesale operations had to cease as well because it affected our supplies to spa and hotels," said Faridah Ahmad Fadzil, the brand's spokesman and co-founder.
Faridah is thankful that her suppliers and service providers continue to support her business.
"It's challenging for us but we had no choice but to find alternative ways to cut costs without affecting our workforce," she said.
Faridah said when the second phase of the MCO was announced, she knew they were in it for the long haul.
"Online sales portals are our only venue to generate sales and we took measures to strategise on how to make Tanamera more visible and drive consumers to buy online."
She said one of the ways to increase its presence among customers was through customer assistance.
"We appointed personal shoppers and personal consultants from our sales staff to assist customers to shop via WhatsApp and Facebook. And that means answering our customers' queries even at 2am," she said.
Its strategy paid off and in April and May, its online sales tripled.
"We are thankful that there is an increase in international orders as well, which has played a huge role in sustaining our business.
"The only way to stay afloat during this global pandemic is to step out of our comfort zone and be creative when it comes to implementing marketing strategies."
Garmin Malaysia spokesman Ivan Ong said that there was a spike in demand for health and fitness trackers as more Malaysians became interested in exercising at home.
This led to the company moving its trade online.
Ong, who is sales and marketing manager of Aeco Technologies, said most customers preferred to try on the smartwatches before buying them.
But since it was not feasible in this situation, it had had to rely on social media platforms such as Instagram Live to share and demonstrate the watches' functions, addressing questions and encouraging the public to stay healthy.