Yeo, who launched his own brand SG Mao Shan Wang in 2021, told Singapore news outlet Mothership that the collaboration was arranged last year by a mutual friend in Malaysia. The fruits are imported from Johor and Pahang, Malaysia’s major durian-producing states.
“[Handling] suppliers can be very tedious. [By] working with Lexus, I don’t have to worry about [that part],” he said.
“Prices are floating every day, sometimes we throw in crazy deals, so please keep a lookout,” he said, adding that the discounts apply only on TikTok and not at Lexus Durian King’s physical outlet.
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Singaporean actor Ben Yeo promotes his durian product. Photo courtesy of Yeo’s Instagram |
This year’s peak harvest season has seen a surge of new online durian vendors, with sellers flocking to platforms like Shopee and Carousell, Channel News Asia reported. Owner Jeremy Chew, owner of Royal Durian, an established online seller, questioned the sustainability of new entrants. “The fact is, can you do it well? Are you doing it as a hobby or can you really do it long term?”
For livestreamer Emily Tan, known online as @EmObsessed, durians have proven lucrative despite the risks of selling perishable goods. She sold a five-figure sum worth of durians — over SGD10,000 (US$7,800) — in her first four-hour livestream in April, slightly more than what she usually earns selling other products, according to The Straits Times.
The rise in online sales for the “king of fruits” has been fueled by convenience, according to Dr. Samer El Hajjar, a senior marketing lecturer at the National University of Singapore Business School.
“The key to stand out is trust (and) to give good prices, good photos, honest descriptions (and) good reviews,” he told CNA.
He also warned that customers’ inability to see, touch, or smell durians before purchase remains a challenge compared to buying at physical outlets.
