From street to search: New platform Tekka.sg seeks to put Indian businesses in S’pore on the map

SINGAPORE – Take a trip to Little India on the weekend and one is likely to see crowds milling about, from people scouring Tekka Market for fresh produce to tourists soaking in the sights and sounds.

But for many smaller Indian businesses, such as lesser-known eateries, costume jewellery stores and other home-based businesses, visibility no longer depends only on foot traffic or loyal regulars.

Increasingly, their names need to pop up when customers search online.

Recognising this shift, Mr Kumaravelu P, 44, quit what he described as a “high-paying MNC job” three years ago to focus on building Tekka.sg, a digital discovery platform aimed at improving the online visibility of traditional Indian merchants, home-based operators and small-scale entrepreneurs across Singapore.

According to him, traditional businesses refer to owner-operated or family-run businesses, businesses with limited or no structural digital presence, and businesses that rely primarily on footfall, word of mouth, or legacy customer bases.

The platform was launched on Feb 28 and he aims to house 500 businesses on it by Deepavali in November. It currently lists some 120 businesses, with another 100 expected to be added by the end of June.

As at May 5, the selection includes 27 food and beverage businesses, 30 fashion merchants, 49 lifestyle and six household businesses. Another 67 home-based businesses are also included.

Mr Kumaravelu, the founder and chief executive of Tekka.sg, said he funded the platform, its technology solutions and events largely through personal savings, angel investments from friends and returns from previous investments. To support himself during that period, he took on part-time consulting work for start-ups and also worked as a Grab driver part-time.

The website’s landing page comes in a user-friendly layout and displays four categories – eats, wear, life and home. Each clickable category brings the user to a list of related businesses. For example, clicking on “eats” leads the user to a list of featured eateries and a collection of all eateries.

While the platform takes its name from Tekka and Little India, not all the businesses listed are physically located within the precinct. Mr Kumaravelu said the platform includes Indian and Indian-facing businesses across Singapore.

Tekka.sg is not the only community-led digital platform to emerge recently. Tiong Bahru Kakis, which was launched earlier this year, similarly aims to connect residents and neighbourhood businesses through a digital platform focused on community engagement.

The idea for Tekka.sg emerged as more consumers became “search-first and mobile-first”, while many traditional businesses struggled to keep pace digitally.

Mr Kumaravelu said the issue was often not resistance to technology, but barriers such as low digital literacy, limited resources and time constraints among owner-operated businesses.

Many traditional and smaller businesses have struggled to keep pace with the shift towards digital and mobile-first consumer habits, often because of limited access, time and resources rather than resistance to change, he said.

Instead of relying on social media posts or e-mail to get businesses onto the platform, the Tekka.sg team visits merchants at their shops and helps them set up their listings in person.

The platform operates on a “freemium” model. Basic verified listings are currently provided at no cost, while paid tiers with additional visibility and dedicated business pages may be introduced later.

Among the established names on the platform is Jothi Store and Flower Shop, the Little India retailer known for flowers, traditional items and Indian merchandise.

Founded in 1960, the business joined Tekka.sg in April 2026.

Mr Regunarth Thyagarajan, director of sister company Jothi Impex and an authorised spokesperson for Jothi Store, said the business wanted to support the platform’s efforts.

“We wanted our presence there to serve as a role model for other businesses, as we are pioneers in Little India,” he said.

He added that the platform had helped direct more traffic to the store’s website and described its search function as being “like yellow pages for Indian businesses at your fingertips”.

The platform has also attracted smaller and home-based businesses.

Ms Aysha Iqbal, 43, founder of ABCs of Tamil, which creates Tamil educational resources for children aged two to 12, said she joined the platform shortly after its launch.

Her business has operated primarily online for about 12 years and has also run pop-up booths at schools and events since 2018.

“My business mainly caters to the Indian population and I felt like this is a great portal to be on,” she said.

She added that she has noticed more new customers and enquiries since joining the platform.

“It’s been beneficial as it’s been easier for potential customers to find businesses like me and they can get in touch right away,” she said.

Ms Neelambigai, 40, who runs events company GN888, also said she has seen more food orders and networking opportunities since joining the platform on its launch day.

Her business began as a home-based saree and catering operation before expanding into an events company with an office space.

For Ms Aysha, the platform represents more than just visibility for businesses.

“I also see the portal as a way to unite us with the Tekka spirit that many of us grew up with,” she said.

Source : https://www.straitstimes.com/business/economy/from-street-to-search-new-platform-tekka-sg-seeks-to-put-indian-businesses-in-spore-on-the-map