Speech by MOS Low Yen Ling at Grand Opening of Nova Furniture Centre

His Excellency Bapak Tommy Suryopratomo, Ambassador of Indonesia,

Dr Tung Chen-Yuan, Representative, Taipei Representative Office in Singapore,

Mr Lim Pok Chin, Founder, Scanteak Singapore,

Mr Julian Lim, CEO, Nova Furnishings,

Mr Ernie Koh, President, Singapore Retail Association,

Singapore Furniture Industries Council (SFIC) friends,

My past and current parliamentary colleagues, Mr Yeo Guat Kwang and Ms Yeo Wan Ling,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

1. Good morning. It is my pleasure to join you for the grand opening of Nova Furniture Centre, which is also Nova Furnishing’s new headquarters.

Celebrating Nova’s 20^th Anniversary

2. Congratulations to Nova Furnishing on its 20^th anniversary. Starting as a 4-man team at Crawford Centre, Nova today boasts of 15 showrooms in Singapore, and aims to grow to 18 showrooms by next year. In addition, Nova has exciting plans to expand beyond our domestic market. Leveraging the trusted Singapore brand, Nova is set to open a showroom in Taiwan by the 1^st quarter of next year. The company is also laying the groundwork to venture into Malaysia by the 2^nd quarter of 2024, starting with a logistics hub.

Harnessing Technology to Grow and Transform

3. It is heartening to see an SME like Nova moving forward in its growth and transformation. The company’s adept moves to innovate and seek new markets set an excellent example for our retailers and furniture sector.

4. Last year, we launched the Retail Industry Transformation Map (ITM) 2025 and charted the plan to create a vibrant, globally-competitive retail landscape in Singapore. The ITM supports retailers like Nova in their growth and transformation as they enter new markets, introduce innovative concepts and step up job transformation. Many companies have recognised the need to change, stay relevant and agile to meet their customers’ evolving needs.

5. Nova is taking significant steps forward as it continually innovates to grow and serve its customers better. At its headquarters here, Nova has introduced for the first time, a robot consultant to improve its customer experience. The decision to offer this new way of customer engagement stemmed from Nova’s insights on its business.

6. Firstly, despite the popularity of e-commerce, many of Nova’s customers still prefer to physically view big-ticket items before deciding to buy, whether in-store or online.

7. Secondly, while Nova can customise its furniture to meet their customers’ design and comfort preferences, its existing chatbots are not always able to cope with customers’ demands.

8. Lastly, like many others in the industry, Nova faces challenges in recruiting and hiring skilled sales persons. Regardless, its most accomplished sales representative cannot be everywhere at once to meet customers in different showrooms or locations.

9. Nova’s new robot consultant will play a key role in tackling these three issues. Each robot consultant will be operated remotely by a sales representative who can address customers’ queries virtually. This sales representative could be in an Ang Mo Kio showroom, but serving customers not only in Changi but also those in Taiwan or another country. What sets this robot consultant service apart is the smooth customer experience it can offer.

10. Customers can easily schedule showroom visits via Whatsapp or Facebook. The showroom doors will unlock 5 to 10 minutes before the scheduled visit, and the robot will ensure that the aircon, ambient lights and music are switched on to offer the customer a comfortable and pleasant environment. The robot would wait at the entrance of the showroom, and be all ready to greet and assist the customer.

11. I encourage our companies to take inspiration from Nova and continue to press on with your transformation strategies. Explore  adopting smart solutions and technologies to improve your offerings and win over more customers. I also urge workers in the retail industry to continue to upskill and gain new competencies as you innovate and leverage technology in your job.

Conclusion

12. The retail sector plays an important role in enriching Singapore’s lifestyle sector and bolstering our economy. I commend your efforts to grow and transform despite challenging circumstances. The Government is committed to supporting your journey to change and improve and enable you to capture new opportunities for the future.

13. To Julian and team, Nova has reached this significant milestone because of your, bold ambition, grit and lively spirit of innovation. Congratulations on your grand opening! I wish you all the best and every success for your business endeavors.