#SupportLocal initiative launched by Carousell and Unilever to aid small businesses battered by pandemic

A campaign, called the #SupportLocal campaign was launched by Carousell, who is one of the biggest and rapidly-growing classifieds in the world. The campaign aims to help local the operations of local business owners which have been affected by COVID-19.
Both small and medium enterprise (SME) owners as well as small food and beverage (F&B) owners will receive support under this umbrella initiative.
Local F&B owners have seen the contraction in business activities amid the increased social distancing measures, even as they need to adapt to keep their business alive. Support will be given by Singaporeans to smaller F&B establishments and hawkers in the neighbourhood under the first phase of the initiative, #SupportLocal F&Bs.
Carousell will bring onboard over 2,500 F&B businesses onto the newly created Local F&B category on its platform by partnering with Unilever Food Solutions, a key food service supplier with brands like Lipton, Best Foods and Knorr.
The onboarding process will allow business owners to still be able to list on Carousell for increased visibility, even if their owners do not have prior experience with online operations.  Without paying a commission or a premium to external vendors through Carousell listings, F&B owners are able to provide on-demand takeaway services.
With this, Carousellers can directly and conveniently support the nearby F&B establishments. This site has the guidelines on how interested F&B establishments can list on Carousell.
Wei Cheng, who is the Second-Generation Business Owner, 亮光海鲜汤 Liang Guang Seafood Soup, noted that “Many food-stall owners like us are not equipped for delivery services and although the government has provided rental support, our stall does not qualify for the waiver. Right now, we can only work with what we have to reach out to the neighbourhood”.
“We really appreciate Carousell’s initiative to provide a platform for us small local F&Bs. Any visibility during this time is extremely important and we’re banking on local support from those around us,” he added.
Echoing a similar message, Lewis Ng, the Chief Commercial Officer of Carousell said that “Carousell has always been a community-driven platform. This is a moment that is unprecedented in our history, where the community plays a critical role in ensuring the survival of businesses and more importantly, livelihoods.”
“Nothing binds our local community together more than their shared love for food, and we have partnered with Unilever Food Solutions, who are experts in the culinary industry, to help our local F&B owners tide through these difficult times,” Mr Ng explained.
He added that “With 1 in 4 Singaporeans using Carousell, we have the unique opportunity to reach out to a sizable portion of the community and provide them with the means to support local businesses.”
“At Unilever Food Solutions we believe in supporting every food business, big or small. We are happy to collaborate with Carousell to provide our F&B community with an additional option to attract the orders they sorely need,” as stated by Ivan Lu, who is the Managing Director, Malaysia and Singapore, Unilever Food Solutions.
He believed that “Over the next few days, UFS will deploy full resources to onboard F&B establishments so that more can benefit from this initiative. We will also continue to share Covid-19 response resources on topics such as Food Safety, Delivery, Profit Protection and also Immunity-boosting menus to help businesses adjust to the new normal.”
“It’s a tough time, but the Singaporean F&B community is amazingly resilient. With our Kampong spirit, we can weather any storm,” Mr Lu admitted.
Carousell is helping not only the F&B industry, but also local SMEs who have been battered by the pandemic.  Eligible SMEs will receive a business grant from Carousell in the second phase of the initiative ‘#SupportLocal Retailers’.
The grant will award the SMEs will 3 months’ worth of premium services on Carousell, which also includes a subscription of CarouBiz (Carousell for Business). Retailers can grow their business and expand their exposure to buyers during this critical period by utilising the suite of premium seller tools for retailers offered by the subscription service.