Tag: Philippines

Manila, Philippines – In line with the upcoming 8.8 Mega Flash Sale, Shopee has launched the new ‘Livestream Flash Sale’ and ‘In-app Business Insights’, features that aim to help sellers gain more viewers and boost their sales during streaming sessions on Shopee Live, the e-commerce’s dedicated in-app live streaming feature where merchants promote their shops and products directly to shoppers.

For the consumers, the new ‘Livestream Flash Sale’ in-app feature enables bargain hunters to land more deals and real-time discounts offered by shoppers online. On the seller side, they can now easily view their live stream data to acquire useful insights to help them strategize and further enhance their live streams. 

In addition, the new ‘In-app Business Insights’ feature allows live streamers to view their live stream data to acquire useful insights to help them strategize and further enhance their live streams. It also lets streamers gauge what their viewers like and what the best-selling products are, so sellers can cater their product selection to viewers’ preferences and achieve better sales.

Shopee Philippines’ Director, Martin Yu, was quoted “We will continue to support them by providing the necessary tools to help them engage with their customers more. Shopee will continue to offer Filipinos a fun and interactive experience.” 

Shopee said that the newly launched features are just two of the many things users can look forward to the nearing 8.8 Mega Flash Sale. Until 8 August, users can also get free shipping vouchers, enjoy daily flash promos, and exclusive deals when checking out using in-app e-wallet ShopeePay.

Manila, Philippines – More consumers are now relying on e-commerce platforms for their daily needs amid the pandemic, and with this, RUSH, Globe’s 917Ventures loyalty and e-commerce solutions provider, has partnered with GrabExpress, to be its logistics partner for the merchant deliveries.

RUSH enables SMEs to grow their presence in the digital space by providing customized and easy-to-use programs. According to RUSH, its white-label apps and services are utilized by over 100 companies with 27 million registered users. In addition, RUSH’s eStore allows merchant partners to do more than just selling and engaging customers, as it also looks for proactive solutions to improve business’ operational processes including logistics.

The partnership entails that GrabExpress will now be integrated into the RUSH eStore platform, allowing businesses to book a delivery partner, meet orders, and do cash-on-delivery (COD) – which is still the most preferred mode of payment in the Philippines. 

According to RUSH, one of the features of its RUSH eStore is the ability of merchant partners to expand or reduce their kilometer radius coverage with just one click. This allows businesses to reach more customers and gauge their distance, giving merchants control over coverage and delivery pricing. The new partnership will be amplifying this important feature since Grab deems to have the widest reach in Metro Manila and key cities all over the country.

Paolo Castaneda, RUSH’s chief operating officer, shared that RUSH understands how the last mile delivery experience can highly affect one’s repeat purchase behavior, and logistics is not just a nice-to-have, but a must for businesses going digital.

“Our partnership with Grab is a testament to our commitment to ensuring that our merchant partners meet their on-demand orders and keep their customers happy,” said Castaneda.

Meanwhile, Stephanie Kubota, the CEO of RUSH, said, “RUSH remains steadfast in helping businesses enter the e-commerce field easily by providing the best-in-class technology and impactful synergies, at a fair price point against the market. With Grab on the RUSH eStore, we are making it seamless for our merchant partners to manage last-mile delivery.”

Jacqueline Maye Lim, Grab’s head of GrabExpress for the Philippines, commented that the partnership with RUSH is a clear expression of their long-term commitment to supporting the growth of many businesses, while providing meaningful livelihood opportunities to many delivery partners. 

“We are grateful for the trust and the opportunity to work alongside RUSH in this meaningful endeavor and we look forward to continuing supporting many Filipinos towards the recovery of our community and our economy,” said Lim.

Manila, Philippines – In its ongoing mission of helping micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in the Philippines reach more markets, local-based export platform 1Export plans to export products to 60 countries by the end of 2022. 

With the help of its business-to-business-to-consumer venture, Caravan, 1Export is ready to take on the world and empower more Filipinos to resell products proudly made in the Philippines to other markets.

The tech-enabled exporting company has distributed a total of 3,000 tonnes of products to 23 different countries, generating around US$500k or ₱25m in export sales as of June 2021.

Moreover, 1Export offers all-around exporting services, covering compliance documentation, product labeling, logistics, export facilitation, and marketing services. The company also provides its clients with intensive business matching services to determine which of their products fit certain markets. By doing so, local businesses can seamlessly expand abroad, boost their brand awareness, reach their target market, and grow their sales.

“It goes without saying that the pandemic has and continues to significantly affect the Philippine economy. But as we move forward and accept the business landscape in the new normal, 1Export is happy to contribute to the country’s recovery by circulating business transactions through exports and helping businesses expand their horizons,” said Mel Nava, founder and CEO of 1Export.

Founded in 2016, 1Export promises to help MSMEs in the Philippines to grow their business and expand in different countries using digital tools and platforms. The company currently has markets in the US, Australia, Canada, UAE, Kuwait, UK, and more.

Part of its unique features that sets it apart from either an e-commerce or logistics platform is that it takes third-party exporting to the next level by vetting local products to be cross-border compliant, allowing local businesses to follow the laws of the market they want to explore or expand to.

“When you’re a business owner, you want to be working ‘on’ your business rather than ‘in’ your business as the saying goes. We enable Filipino entrepreneurs to achieve just that―instead of spending so much time and effort learning about the complexities of importing in different countries, they can focus on the core business activities that will enable them to scale,” Nava added.

On another hand, Caravan by 1Export provides aspiring Filipinos entrepreneurs living or working abroad a catalog of unique and authentic Filipino products―ranging from food to clothing to beauty products―which they can choose from to start their own business where they are. If entrepreneurs want to sell items not available on the catalog, Caravan by 1Export is ready to assist them in finding their preferred goods, as long as they’re export-compliant.

1Export and Caravan provides Filipino entrepreneurs various opportunities to expand their business in new markets, as well as spread and empower the Filipino culture across the world. Entrepreneurs need only to sign up on 1Export’s website as a supplier partner to start their business journey.

Manila, Philippines – The nation’s central bank, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), has issued a statement requesting the suspension of operations of Lyka, a Hong Kong-owned social media platform, as well as inviting them to be registered with the central bank as an Operator of Payment System (OPS).

Lyka operates under the premise of allowing its users to purchase, exchange, and use gift cards in electronic mode or ‘GEMs’ as payment for goods and services.Said platform is designed for both individuals and businesses that encourage engagement and content creation by compensating users for time and creativity.

Based on these premises, BSP has ascertained that these activities make Lyka an OPS and is thus required to register with the BSP, which is needed before it is allowed to continue with its OPS activities.

In response, Lyka has expressed their willingness in registering as an OPS, BSP confirms.

As a word of reminder, BSP reminds entities operating a payment system to comply with the requirement under the National Payment Systems Act (NPSA) and BSP Circular No. 1049 to register with the BSP. Said central bank circular provides for the rules and regulations on the registration of Operators of Payment System. Registration of an OPS allows the BSP to have oversight of the payment system it operates to ensure that it functions safely, efficiently, and reliably by itself, consistent with the central bank’s objectives of consumer protection and financial stability.

In addition, OPS that are required to register, but are found to be operating without registration, shall be directed to comply with the Circular’s registration requirements. Those that fail to comply may be ordered to stop operations until immediate action is taken to register with the BSP.

“This is without prejudice to other enforcement actions that may be taken against the OPS and its directors/officer and/or employees in accordance with the BSP’s authority over payment systems under RA No. 7653, as amended (The New Central Bank Act) and the NPSA,” the central bank said in a press statement.

The BSP also reminds the public to transact only with BSP-registered OPS that are listed in the BSP’s website. According to them, an OPS may be cash-in service providers, bills payment service providers, and entities such as payment gateways, platform providers, payment facilitators and merchant acquirers that enable sellers of goods and services to accept payments, in cash or digital form.

Manila, Philippines – Zilingo in the Philippines, the technology platform that powers brands, wholesalers, and distributors, as well as retailers, and factories, has announced its latest partnership with the country’s Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), in order to strengthen the MSME industry in the country by taking part in the latter’s ‘CTRL+ BIZ Reboot Now Zoom Shows’ initiative – a series of online lectures, webinars, and masterclasses.

The ‘CTRL + BIZ Reboot Now Regional Zoom’ webinar series has already started last June and will run until September 2021, targeting specific regions of the Philippines. Through the sessions with enabling partners across the entire e-commerce ecosystem, local entrepreneurs will learn to take advantage of the digital space.

Zilingo said that it recognizes the continuous growth of the local e-commerce industry, and with this partnership, it aims to provide services to further help the local Filipino businesses to expand their reach and revenue, as well as to help them be competitive in the market.

Shiela Mauricio, Zilingo Philippines’ country manager, shared that Zilingo would like to help solidify the stature of the MSME industry in the country to provide a sensible measure for Filipinos to earn a living through the usage of digital and online platforms like theirs.

“At Zilingo, we want to dedicate our expertise by providing our target audience a wide array of goods and services from a business-to-business standpoint. May it be through sourcing quality goods for their online business, Financial Technology assistance, or even Marketing services, Zilingo is here to help our local MSME grow their business exponentially,” said Mauricio.

Aside from Mauricio, the webinar session was also attended by Zilingo’s Business Development Head Heintji Tobias, who introduced and presented the benefits of the Zilingo platform for all the attendees from several regions of the country. 

The platform’s PR and Influencer Marketing Manager Edryan Lorenzo have also shared his expertise through a masterclass session, where he discussed the basics of digital marketing and how it will help online businesses.

During his masterclass session, Lorenzo said, “Guided by your passion and goals, as a business owner, you must learn how to identify, engage, and assess the proper ways to touch base with your customers and convert your efforts into leads generation and sales.”

Interested partners and participants may connect with their local DTI office to learn more about the program.

Manila, Philippines – Tier One Entertainment, Philippine-based esports entertainment company for SEA, has partnered with global in-game advertising channel Admazing Co., to launch its in-game advertising service.

Admazing Co.’s proposition is offering retention of the brand to its target audience segments, citing its high games inventory and a strong penetration from the Gen Z’s and millennials as well as from Gen A’s, which is the demographic said to come after the Gen Z’s and those born in the 21st century.

The partnership will enable Tier One Entertainment to access Admazing Co.’s games inventory for its brand partners. It has also earned the right to cater Admazing Co. within the SEA region.

According to global technology research and advisory company Technavio, the in-game advertising market is expected to grow by US$11b in 2024. This growth is driven by the increasing popularity of mobile gaming, the growing adoption of smartphones, and the increasing availability of high-speed internet. 

With this, Tier One Entertainment believes that adding in-game advertising to its core advertising services is essential to strengthen its gaming ecosystem, as well as push further its dominance in the mobile gaming industry with its esports team, Blacklist International.

Tier One Entertainment’s Chief Commercial Officer Joanne Llavore commented that this partnership with Admazing Co. enables Tier One Entertainment to close the loop in terms of serving the advertising needs of brands, and their ultimate goal is to provide clients with solutions to efficiently penetrate the hard to reach Millennials and Gen Z audiences.

“Admazing Co. is a superior platform because it is the only one that has a direct connection to game developers hence, providing premium inventory. We are fortunate and glad to have a truly top-tier partner like Admazing Co.,” said Llavore.

Meanwhile, Edward Castillo, the managing director at Admazing Co., said that they recognized Tier One’s expertise in the gaming industry and they are especially proud of this collaboration because it highlights how they are working together to change the advertising era through mobile game advertising, and help build the next generation audience experience in a brand-safe environment. 

“This partnership also represents a major milestone in the growth of Mobile Gaming as an effective territory in the region,” added Castillo.

Singapore – In a bid to position itself as a peer-to-peer platform where every user ‘wins’ off their purchase, classifieds platform Carousell has released a new campaign made of multiple ads, to be shown across Singapore and the Philippines, and is made by creative agency 72andSunny Singapore, which they recently appointed as creative partner recently.

The new works runs across digital and social touchpoints, featuring separately diverse and incredibly human scenarios where Carousell’s community and its products and services come into play. From plumbing emergencies at three in the morning that require home services to growing families bursting out of their apartments looking for properties, the multi-ad campaign cements Carousell as a true multi-vertical offering. 

The new campaign speaks volumes of the continuation of the work between Carousell and 72andSunny Singapore, showing how Carousell has ‘every kinda thing for every kinda person’ so ‘everyone wins’.

Speaking about the campaign, Cassandra Leong, brand lead at Carousell, commented that the work really brought Carousell user pain points to life in a ‘relatable and human way in such a snappy format’.

“It was great to reunite with 72andSunny as a partner at this important stage of our business growth, where we’re continuing to leverage our strength in general goods such as fashion and electronics, but also want to highlight just how comprehensive our offerings are across the board with home services, autos and property,” said Leong.

Meanwhile, Daniel Ko, creative director at 72andSunny Singapore, commented, “Every brief from Carousell reminds us that the work is always a pleasure when there’s partnership between client, agency, production and media. I hope these short (but sweet) spots are a testament to that.”

Manila, Philippines – Taking bold and creative risks pays off: this is one of the main mantras evident in the first-ever YouTube Works Awards in the Philippines, as it awarded the brand content, campaigns, and channels that stood out in effectiveness and creativity in 2020. 

The YouTube Works Awards are a staple instreaming platform YouTube which celebrates and champions the brilliant minds behind producing the most innovative and effective campaigns on the platform in the past year. This year, the awards finally landed in the Philippines, done in partnership with market research firm Kantar.

Despite being a year fraught with challenges, brands in the Philippines set the bar high on effectively using YouTube to deliver results and tell stories that resonate with local audiences. 

“As the pandemic changed life as we know it, the way we tell brand stories and engage audiences evolved too. YouTube Works Awards saw that despite the restrictions in creative production and reaching consumers, brands in the Philippines rose above the challenge and expanded the possibilities with YouTube to effectively drive results and tell stories that resonate with Filipinos,” said Gabby Roxas, head of marketing at Google Philippines.

This year’s top award went to local soft drink brand RC Cola, whose ‘Basta’ campaign made by independent creative agency GIGIL, was lauded for being brave enough to take creative risks and in making effective use of Gen Z’s surrealist humor. To date, the video has more than seven million views on YouTube.

For Roxas, RC Cola’s bizarre story of a family who served up the message of the value of embracing and enjoying one’s differences is consistent with the campaign’s approach: the pursuit to unapologetically stand out in a sea of formulaic content to achieve marketing and business objectives.

Meanwhile, Leigh Reyes, chair emeritus and product officer at MullenLowe TREYNA, and jury head at YouTube Works, commented, “At a tumultuous time when it would normally be considered unconventional to experiment, bravery in exploring the bold and the new pays off. advertising approach, tapping into absurdism to cut through repetitive and mundane lockdown content.”

Meanwhile, local telco Talk N’ Text or TNT won the ‘Best Multi-Video Storytelling’ award for their ‘Free Games for All’ series, which capitalized on Filipinos’ love for gaming mixed with hugot lines or heart-pulling one-liners to tell the story of four friends bonding over online games via a triad of spots. Driving a 165% increase in revenue versus the previous year, the campaign proved that YouTube viewers keep coming back for episodic content especially if it offers a compelling narrative.

For the ‘Best Brand Channel’ category, local beer brand Red Horse won the award, whose YouTube channel looked beyond product marketing to create content that its target market would watch and engage with especially over a bottle of beer: online concerts, variety show sketches, and entertainment-led videos. This then led the channel to see a growth in subscribers, from 26,000 in October 2019 to 54,000 in 2020, garnering 3.4 million views last year in total. The channel continues to grow, with a subscriber base that now stands at more than 87,000. 

Meanwhile, instant noodle brand Lucky Me! Pancit Canton won a ‘Best Collaboration’ award for its work alongside social media influencer Mimiyuuuh for the campaign ‘Pinakahihintay NaThin’, which puts a light-hearted spin for the brand’s comeback to its original thin noodles in production. With this, Lucky Me! saw a lift in purchase intent and brand favor, achieving a view-through rate (VTR) of 18%, higher than campaigns without creator collaborations. 

YouTube Works Awards also featured two heartfelt campaigns that show how brands with purpose can drive impact in times of uncertainty.

First on the list is consumer goods conglomerate Procter & Gamble, whose heart-warming campaign on the real, raw sacrifices of our frontliners while being away from their families to care for the sick won the brand a ‘Force For Good’ award.

Meanwhile, Globe Telecom’s ‘A Star Wars Experience For All’ campaign won the ‘Best Long Form Storytelling’ award for its heartwarming story about two young boys who created a special viewing experience for their deaf friend. The campaign shows the importance of inclusivity by representing and uplifting persons with accessibility challenges.

Gary de Ocampo, chief executive officer for insights division at Kantar Philippines, congratulated all the winners of YouTube Works, adding that their campaigns are truly inspiring and speak volumes about the future of advertising in the Philippines. He also noted that from taking bold, creative risks to playing meaningful roles amid the pandemic, the brands listed in the awards have effectively harnessed insights and stories to use YouTube in driving desired results.

“While there were many great campaigns this year, the Best Personalization award went unclaimed, nonetheless. This brings an opportunity for brands and agencies to challenge themselves further about contextual targeting and fully unlock this potential. I’m excited to see how they will take this challenge to bag the award next year,” de Ocampo concluded.

Manila, Philippines – Coming fresh from its recently-concluded pre-series A funding, local mom-centric e-commerce platform edamama has reached US$5m in total, which will be used in the company’s new endeavors in automation, product development, and innovations, as well as the company’s warehouse and logistics operations. 

Said investment round was led by venture capital Gentree Fund, together with Foxmont Capital Partners, Robinsons Retail, and Kickstart Ventures, Inc. a wholly-owned subsidiary of local telco Globe Telecom. 

Edamama was established amid the pandemic by its founder Bela Gupta D’Souza, alongside her husband Nishant, to address the issue of quality, as well as the other challenges common among today’s e-commerce platforms, such as channel fragmentation, non-established brand trust, the lack of a discovery-led buying experience, and poor customer service. 

Furthermore, D’Souza also found pain points of mothers as consumers when purchasing online. She said that it is common for mothers to spend many hours in search of the best products for their children only to end up with mediocre items that have the inferior quality from untrusted sources.

“E-commerce is a scale game and we’re very excited about scaling up. Our goal is to continue being vertically focused, so we could gain and build the trust of more mothers in the country,” she said.

Edamama services mothers nationwide, although it acknowledges the need for further upgrades on its logistics operations to cope with the increase in orders coming from all over the country. It hopes to use part of the funds raised to expand its warehouse capabilities and further improve its delivery services for customers to receive their goods more quickly.

Apart from this, the company is also working on omnichannel expansion and providing new mediums of direct-to-consumer communication, such as selling through a live stream.

In addition, there are many features within the platform including ‘Gift Registry’ for creating gift wish lists for special occasions, ‘Subscribe and Save’ which is an online diaper subscription service, and ‘Explore’ which is a one-stop destination to book online events and activities for children.

“The edamama team constantly works towards creating innovative features for moms to use, staying true to their mission of simplifying decision-making and reimagining online shopping for mothers,” the company said in a press statement.

Singapore – Within the recent period that digital has seen a surge in adoption, the format of live streaming has proven to be a powerful channel in offering audiences a new and exciting way of engaging with brands. The most prominent being is the emergence of live streaming specifically in e-commerce. This time, we see another brand take on the trend and probably a one-of-its-kind – Wattpad, the global platform for user-generated stories that we’ve come to love, has partnered with kumu, the fast-growing live streaming platform in the Philippines.

Kumu is a live streaming platform that is rising in popularity among Filipino viewers. Aside from presenting creators and performers opportunities to be a live streamer, the platform also runs game shows where users can win cash prizes. Through the partnership with the platform, Wattpad looks to diversify its stories into exciting digital formats such as live streaming, audio streaming, and social commerce. 

Facilitated by marketing agency Culture Group, the partnership will give some of Wattpad’s most popular influencers the opportunity to connect with their fans in the region, developing a slate of interactive social streaming content exclusive to kumu. 

Starting 16 July, exclusive Wattpad live streams will be held at the official @WattpadPH account on kumu. Through this, fans and aspiring writers can come together to discuss their passion and appreciation for all things storytelling. Every Friday at 7pm PHT, viewers can tune in to join the ‘Write With Me’ livestream series, a special live show where fans can meet and interact with Wattpad stars.

According to the two platforms, the tie-up is also their answer to the digitally-savvy Gen Z consumer.

“The Gen Z community on Wattpad is passionate and highly engaged, and we’re excited for this new opportunity to connect readers with their favorite indie writers,” said Chris Stefanyk, head of brand partnerships at Wattpad.

Meanwhile, Angelo Mendez, co-founder and chief of content at kumu, added, “Wattpad is a big part of Gen Z Filipino culture, and this partnership will allow us to broaden our audiences by giving them an opportunity to foster authentic connections with their favorite Wattpad stars and new ways to enjoy their favorite Wattpad content.”

Kumu will also be allowing audiences to send virtual gifts to their favorite Wattpad stars. Furthermore, the partnership will be enabling social commerce, and will see upcoming opportunities for ticketed events, merchandise, and apparel in the near future. Said other initiatives will be unveiled in the coming weeks. 

According to Wattpad, it now records 90 million readers globally where more than 6 million are in the Philippines. A number of original stories from Wattpad have already been turned into films in the country such as She’s Dating the Gangster, Diary ng Panget (Diary of the Ugly), and Just The Way You Are, which featured some of the brightest stars in the country. 

Just recently, kumu announced a new type of event hosting in its platform – the kumu ‘Live Events’. The new platform aims to replicate the real-life live events and concerts complete with being ticketed and gated as well as coming with post-show engagements. This is in contrast to the standard kumu live stream shows that are open to public viewing.

MARKETECH APAC reached out to Michael Patent, founder and president of Culture Group, who shared exclusive bits on the upcoming engagements of Wattpad on kumu, including a fan-centric mega event in the future that would involve kumu’s ticketing, social commerce, and social streaming features.

MARKETECH APAC: What makes this partnership different? Was there a specific rise in demand for stars and fans’ engagement?

Patent: We (Culture Group) recognized that Wattpad and Kumu play a critical role in the creator economy; Wattpad on user-generated content and Kumu in the formation of creator-driven communities. We knew a marriage of the two would lead to greater exposure for creators and greater engagement for the Wattpad fandom. It’s a first of its kind between a live-streaming platform and a creator platform.

The success of the partnership is rooted in the behaviors of Gen Z in Southeast Asia. They are the ‘creation generation’, and this partnership allows both brands to engage deeper with their community. The intersection of content, community, and commerce allows Wattpad’s fandoms to support the creators they love.

MARKETECH APAC: How will this specific engagement go about on kumu? What must users and fans do in order to be part of this? 

Patent: Wattpad’s leading stars will have a presence on Kumu with unique content formats such as ‘Write with Me’, ‘Wattpad Fan Quiz Show’, and ‘Ask me Anything’. This means there is a deeper level of engagement, never previously seen before for kumu fans. The fans will have more control over the narrative. What makes this great is that any member of Wattpad’s fandom can log into Kumu and engage with their favorite writers through social streaming. 

There’s also a significant ‘gamification’ of the program. This means fans who engage with Wattpad Stars can now win unique prizes and access. This is a key feature and is available via Kumu.

Highlights of the features include: 

Write with me Livestream: While writing, the Wattpad Star will ask viewers to vote on specific choices to determine what happens in the story. Imagine being able to decide what the character is wearing, where the scene will occur, or even the time of the day for a critical location. 

Fan Quiz Show: Fans will play a quiz with their favorite stars on their stories. The host will have the ability to ask fans to send as many virtual gifts (VG/diamonds) as they can while they play music. When the music stops, one of the hosts will take a screenshot of the stream to reveal a winner. They will be gifted signed books and other Wattpad merchandise.

MARKETECH APAC: What other upcoming projects can we expect in line with this new initiative? 

Patent: There’s a fan-centric mega event planned that involves Kumu’s ticketing, social commerce, and social streaming features. There’s also the possibility for capsule collections of merchandise and apparel from Wattpad IP to be sold on Kumu. 

Recognizing the power of fandoms and communities, I think we’re likely to see much more from Wattpad and Kumu, two of the hottest engagement platforms for Gen Z consumers in the Philippines.