What is the story about?
Artificial intelligence is often associated with software companies, coding assistants and workplace automation. But for one family-run grocery shop in Singapore, it became an unlikely business partner.
Faced with mounting debt, falling sales and the challenge of juggling university with running the family business, 21-year-old Lin Enqi began using ChatGPT to tackle problems that typically consume hours of manual work. What started as an experiment soon became part of the store's daily operations, helping with everything from inventory management to marketing ideas and business research.
According to a report by CNA Insider, Enqi took over the neighbourhood grocery shop when she was just 18. At the time, the business owed more than S$30,000 (around Rs 20 lakh) and needed a way to improve efficiency without adding significant costs.
One of the first tests came after the shop installed a new point-of-sale system. Before it could be used effectively, more than 8,000 products had to be placed into the correct inventory categories, a task that would have taken nearly a week if done manually.
Instead, Enqi turned to ChatGPT. Using the AI chatbot to streamline the categorisation process, she completed the exercise in roughly two days, according to the report, allowing the business to return to normal operations much faster.
The tool soon found a place in other parts of the business as well. Enqi asked ChatGPT for practical ways to increase sales without squeezing already-thin margins. One recommendation was to introduce spending-based vouchers that encouraged customers to buy more while keeping promotions financially sustainable.
She told CNA Insider that suggestions like these played a role in improving the store's performance, although the report does not attribute the turnaround to AI alone.
Over time, ChatGPT also became a research assistant. Instead of spending hours reading industry reports and tracking retail developments, Enqi began using it to summarise information, identify trends and support day-to-day decision-making.
As her confidence in the technology grew, Enqi moved beyond the standard chatbot. With support from Nanyang Polytechnic's Centre for Applied AI, she built a customised GPT tailored to the grocery shop's needs.
The AI assistant was trained using information about the store's previous promotions, operating practices and customer buying patterns. It could then suggest marketing campaigns around festive periods and seasonal shopping trends, reducing the time needed to prepare promotional plans.
The experience highlights a growing shift in how smaller businesses are approaching generative AI. Rather than investing in expensive software or large-scale automation, many are exploring readily available AI tools to simplify routine work, organise information and improve productivity.
For neighbourhood retailers operating with limited staff and tight budgets, even relatively small time savings can make a noticeable difference. Tasks such as organising inventory, analysing customer trends or brainstorming promotional ideas are increasingly becoming use cases for AI platforms such as ChatGPT.
Enqi's story also underscores an important point: artificial intelligence did not replace business judgement or eliminate the challenges of running a small shop. Instead, it acted as a practical support tool, helping reduce repetitive work and giving the business owner more time to focus on decisions that still required human experience.
As generative AI becomes more accessible, examples like this suggest its impact may extend well beyond large enterprises. For many family-owned businesses, the technology's biggest value could lie not in transforming entire operations overnight, but in making everyday work a little faster, simpler and more manageable.
Faced with mounting debt, falling sales and the challenge of juggling university with running the family business, 21-year-old Lin Enqi began using ChatGPT to tackle problems that typically consume hours of manual work. What started as an experiment soon became part of the store's daily operations, helping with everything from inventory management to marketing ideas and business research.
According to a report by CNA Insider, Enqi took over the neighbourhood grocery shop when she was just 18. At the time, the business owed more than S$30,000 (around Rs 20 lakh) and needed a way to improve efficiency without adding significant costs.
How did ChatGPT help?
One of the first tests came after the shop installed a new point-of-sale system. Before it could be used effectively, more than 8,000 products had to be placed into the correct inventory categories, a task that would have taken nearly a week if done manually.
Instead, Enqi turned to ChatGPT. Using the AI chatbot to streamline the categorisation process, she completed the exercise in roughly two days, according to the report, allowing the business to return to normal operations much faster.
The tool soon found a place in other parts of the business as well. Enqi asked ChatGPT for practical ways to increase sales without squeezing already-thin margins. One recommendation was to introduce spending-based vouchers that encouraged customers to buy more while keeping promotions financially sustainable.
She told CNA Insider that suggestions like these played a role in improving the store's performance, although the report does not attribute the turnaround to AI alone.
Over time, ChatGPT also became a research assistant. Instead of spending hours reading industry reports and tracking retail developments, Enqi began using it to summarise information, identify trends and support day-to-day decision-making.
A step ahead: A custom GPT built around the family business
As her confidence in the technology grew, Enqi moved beyond the standard chatbot. With support from Nanyang Polytechnic's Centre for Applied AI, she built a customised GPT tailored to the grocery shop's needs.
The AI assistant was trained using information about the store's previous promotions, operating practices and customer buying patterns. It could then suggest marketing campaigns around festive periods and seasonal shopping trends, reducing the time needed to prepare promotional plans.
The experience highlights a growing shift in how smaller businesses are approaching generative AI. Rather than investing in expensive software or large-scale automation, many are exploring readily available AI tools to simplify routine work, organise information and improve productivity.
For neighbourhood retailers operating with limited staff and tight budgets, even relatively small time savings can make a noticeable difference. Tasks such as organising inventory, analysing customer trends or brainstorming promotional ideas are increasingly becoming use cases for AI platforms such as ChatGPT.
Enqi's story also underscores an important point: artificial intelligence did not replace business judgement or eliminate the challenges of running a small shop. Instead, it acted as a practical support tool, helping reduce repetitive work and giving the business owner more time to focus on decisions that still required human experience.
As generative AI becomes more accessible, examples like this suggest its impact may extend well beyond large enterprises. For many family-owned businesses, the technology's biggest value could lie not in transforming entire operations overnight, but in making everyday work a little faster, simpler and more manageable.
