Digitalising Traditional Businesses with Boost: Fook An Medical Hall

Traditional businesses in Malaysia are usually run with brick-and-mortar stores that are carried down from generation to generation, where families rely on cash transactions to run the business. When the pandemic hit, Malaysia saw an acceleration of businesses having to digitalise to stay afloat. However, not many traditional businesses were prepared for the digital switch, while others were just getting started.

Fortunately, Fook An Medical Hall was one of those traditional businesses that started early in their digital business journey. They began accepting cashless transactions via eWallets 3 years ago with Boost as they stayed in tune with how their customers made payments.

The family-owned business was founded about 30 years ago and is now managed by the second generation of the family, Chia Kean. As of last year, Chia Kean decided to go with Boost DuitNow QR, where he finds it very convenient to display a single QR code that accepts payments from eWallets and mobile banking apps. In digitalising Fook An’s business transactions, Chia Kean shared that about 60% of his total transactions are cashless, with QR code-based payments making up the majority of their business.

Just like most Chinese medical halls, you can walk into Fook An and share the minor ailments you have, and the knowledgeable staff will recommend the necessary herbs for you. One of the most nostalgic memories for Malaysian families visiting Chinese medical halls, are the smell of herbs, glass cabinets filled with colorful boxes of traditional Chinese medicine and jars of herbal concoction.

How Fook An stands out from the crowd is that they also double as a mini mart, where you can get simple daily essentials, and their range of herbal teas, desserts, and herbal tablets based on their own family recipes. You can choose from more than 10 different herbal teas, three variations of gui ling gao (Herbal Jelly) and a bird’s nest drink.

Fook An certainly has a different take on their traditional business and has been keeping up with their customers’ payment methods, which makes them one of our top merchants. So, if you’re around the Kuchai Lama and OUG area, do stop by Fook An and support a local business the cashless way.

You can find Fook An Medical Hall at 361 & 362, Jalan Selesa, Taman Gembira, 58200 Kuala Lumpur.

If you’re interested to digitalise your business, register as a Boost merchant here.

This content is provided by BOOST Malaysia