THEY may be traditional businesses, but a few companies here have given a new lease of life to their age-old trades by taking them online.
Websites selling tinned biscuits, durian puffs and even the durian itself have recently popped up.
Four companies my paper spoke to said it was a combination of a need to manage demand for their product and the need to keep up with the times that prompted them to set up online stores.
Biscuit King, which has over 20 years' experience in the biscuit retail industry, has seen a 15 per cent increase in enquiries since it launched its website last December.
Manager Benny Ong, 39, said: "It's early days for us so we have yet to see an increase in sales, but we are definitely seeing a rise in interest."
He added: "We offer over 70 types of biscuits, so it's difficult to tell customers their options by phone. The website acts as a catalogue so they can choose what they want in their own time."
Customers can also purchase biscuits from the website.
Among the 70 choices are cream crackers, chocolate wafers and children's favourite ais jam, or iced gems.
Times have changed, said Mr V. Siva, 38, managing director of a calibration company and a Biscuit King customer.
"Everything is online these days. It could be a good chance for them to expand their business," he said.
The Online Durian Store has been taking orders for butter durians since February.
The self-proclaimed "trendy and new-age fruit retailer" decided to "bring this old trade online" to satisfy the demand for quality durians.
Ms Vic Ho, 27, and her partner Mr Benson Ku, 25, both newcomers to the business, started the site as a hobby. Ms Ho said she spent "a few hundred dollars" on the venture.
According to Ms Ho, response has been encouraging.
She added: "As we started only towards the end of the last season, it's hard to put figures together but I think we have done quite well."
And 717 Trading, a 35-year-old company which already had a website for its cakes and pastries, decided to "diversify", said manager Shann Goh, 30.
"We received a lot of requests for the fruit itself, so we provided an added convenience and an alternative channel for our customers," she said, adding that sales have risen by 10 per cent.
As to whether this new-age twist takes away anything from old traditions, most patrons my paper spoke to disagreed.
Said Mr Damon Yeoh, 27, who is self-employed and a customer of Online Durian Store: "It's great to be able to buy durians this way, without any hassle."
