KUALA LUMPUR: For durian lovers, nothing beats the joy of relishing the creamy, golden flesh of the pungent fruit while dining at roadside stalls.
However, ever since the Covid-19 pandemic hit our shores, more people are turning to online platforms to get durians delivered to their doorsteps.
Durian trader, Cheah Kim Wai, prepared himself for this online boom since 2008.
Cheah, who owns the DurianMan SS2 stall in Petaling Jaya, developed his own website to sell durians after many regular customers hesitated to drive all the way to his stall.
Additionally, Cheah also markets his durians through the Grab food delivery platform. Going online, he said, comes with its own set of challenges.
"When I started selling durians online, many customers were unsure of how the durians were priced since each durian varies in size and weight.
"So, to make it more viable for the online business, I changed from selling whole durians to packaging them fresh according to weight per gram.
"That way, customers could gauge the price as well as the quantity more accurately.
"Some customers prefer to enjoy durians in the comfort of their home. Not everyone wants to drive to my stall.
"So, taking my business online has allowed me to access a wider consumer base," he said, adding that he also exports durians to Hong Kong, Macau, Dubai and England.
Another major concern of selling durians online, Cheah said, was having a reliable delivery service.
"Most customers wanted their orders to arrive on the same day and some even insisted to get their durians immediately.
"But, it was difficult to accomodate for all their requests. In some cases, I had to switch the delivery process to a next-day delivery. Of course, this was not ideal for the customers.
"Back then, I relied on cabs to deliver the orders, using the MyTeksi App since there were no food delivery platforms like we have now," he said.
Turning to Grab, he said, has resolved his delivery dilemma and that too, at zero cost.
"Durian sellers should definitely consider selling the fruits online because the demand has spiked since two years ago.
"But, before going online, traders must ensure they have a good delivery service to avoid disappointing their customers," he added.