Rallying Support For Local Small Businesses

Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) contribute over 18 per cent of Fiji’s GDP and employ approximately 60 per cent of the labour force. While all sectors slowed down due to the pandemic, the impact was particularly heavy on MSMEs dependent on tourism and international visitors. MDF’s research shows that cashflow was a key challenge.

MDF used its in-country presence, capacity for analysis and strong networks to support MSMEs to innovate and adapt to the challenges brought about by COVID-19.

On 2 January 2020, Felisha Tuiloma opened the doors to her new restaurant, The Rotisserie, on the outskirts of Fiji’s capital, Suva. The opening was cause for celebration, as for many years Felisha and her husband had dreamed of starting their own business. Despite a good start, just over two months later, Fiji recorded its first case of COVID-19. In early April, Suva went into a two-week lockdown and business took a turn for the worse.

“There was a bit of a spike in business at first because a lot of people were after deliveries, but then we saw a drop. We were at 50 percent,” explained Felisha. “We knew we had to get creative because we had just opened – there was no way that we were going to close! We had to change our menu, we needed to look at our costs, we needed to look at our pricing and the way we did things. Quitting was not an option,” she added.

Another local businesswoman, Sera Ranadi, who has operated a popular seafood stall in the bustling Nausori market since 2017, shared similar sentiments:

“Before COVID-19, it was smooth. People would visit my stall and I would earn around USD200 (AUD216) during the week. After COVID-19 hit us, it went down to USD100 (AUD130). It was hard and I had to adjust.”

#SupportLocalBusiness

MDF Fiji has been working in MSME development since 2017. Thanks to this experience, the team was able to immediately tune into the challenges faced by the segment at the onset of the pandemic. MDF partnered with the Ministry of Commerce, Trade, Tourism and Transport (MCTTT), a key high-level market actor, to run a national social media campaign under the Ministry’s ‘Fijian Made – Buy Fijian’ initiative. The communications strategy used the hashtag #SupportLocalBusiness and aimed to increase awareness of local MSMEs and encourage consumers to take advantage of new business promotions.

To kickstart the campaign, MCTTT and MDF engaged eight prominent Fijian social media influencers. To assist the influencers, the MDF team built a comprehensive database of local MSMEs that included a description of products, services and offers that could appeal to different audiences. The campaign was launched in June 2020 and ran for eight weeks, with the influencers featuring over 100 small businesses, their products and contact details. Several local entrepreneurs reported an increase in the number of people following them on social media, visiting their premises and buying their products.

To kickstart the campaign, MCTTT and MDF engaged eight prominent Fijian social media influencers. To assist the influencers, the MDF team built a comprehensive database of local MSMEs that included a description of products, services and offers that could appeal to different audiences. The campaign was launched in June 2020 and ran for eight weeks, with the influencers featuring over 100 small businesses, their products and contact details. Several local entrepreneurs reported an increase in the number of people following them on social media, visiting their premises and buying their products.