Scoring a $17 box of vegetables has never made me so excited.
After my fourth attempt at buying vegetables on Tekka Online Market's first Facebook livestream yesterday was finally successful, I screamed gleefully.
Perhaps I've been cooped up for too long at home, or it was the sheer thrill of beating hundreds of viewers to get one out of 20 sets of vegetables from Tekka Market's vegetable stall Chia's Vegetable Supply. The set included a selection of mushrooms, Japanese leek and broccoli.
The new online initiative, which started yesterday, featured six vendors from Tekka Market selling vegetables, fish, chicken and fruit.
It was organised by the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) and creative agency BLKJ, in a bid to digitalise wet market businesses and encourage seniors to stay home during the circuit breaker period.
According to IMDA, peak views per stall ranged from 800 to 1,200 views, and the total views of the livestream sessions numbered more than 28,000.
Chia's Vegetable Supply, fishmonger 81 Sheng Yu and Haji M N Shahul Hameed Marketing - which specialises in goat, lamb and mutton - had about an hour each to sell their goods, one after another.
This was followed by a "bonus hour" that - due to brisk sales - became a 30-minute session, as three stalls sold a few items each in quick succession.
The stalls were Chee Boon & Son Fruits Paradise, Jamila & Family Chicken Supplier and Lim Siew Keow Dried Foods.
The vendors were clearly overwhelmed by the response - views at 81 Sheng Yu's seafood session surged to more than 1,000 - and many people were left empty-handed as some buyers snapped up more than one set of items.
You could watch for hours, and not land a single item.
Instead of waiting for the vendors to finish explaining the item up for grabs, I realised that the solution was to order as soon as the next item was posted in the comment thread.
This strategy worked for my snapper order from 81 Sheng Yu, and I was second on the list of orders.
Each time I hesitated - for dried goods such as ikan bilis, as well as fresh whole chicken - I did not stand a chance at all.
Selling groceries via Facebook Live is fast catching on among food wholesalers, and I hope this is expanded to more wet market vendors.
It has proved successful for Mr Max Kee of seafood wholesale business Lian Huat Seafood, which operates from Jurong Fishery Port.
He started doing Facebook Live sales last year, and is now dubbed a Facebook Live mentor for his ability to sell produce for hours.
He co-hosted the Tekka Online Market in a mix of Mandarin and dialect with three vendors for the first three hours.
The bonus 30-minute session was hosted by Mr Dasa Dharamahsena - better known as Das - of production company Night Owl Cinematics. He impressed viewers by pushing sales in four languages.
At one point, when the livestream got cut off, he quickly explained to viewers that it was his mother who called him - prompting many to click on the video's laughing emoticon in response.
My order was processed before 5pm. As of midnight, it still had not arrived.
Customers who live farther away - I live in Jurong - or whose orders were confirmed after 8pm will get their deliveries today instead.
Delivery costs $5, but is free for orders of $20 and more.
The next Tekka Online Market runs next Tuesday at noon.
There will be new stallholders on board next week.
Just buy what you need. And remember, fastest fingers first.
