ShopeE-commerce: Bridging gaps of Filipino entrepreneurs during the pandemic

The pandemic has made an already exploding trend of online selling. Shopee, Southeast Asia’s top e-commerce site, the Philippines is battling and helping entrepreneurs amidst the pandemic. Despite challenges such as growing unemployment, joblessness and closing of businesses, Shopee seeks to give back to Filipino entrepreneurs by using the power of e-commerce. With unemployment at an all-time high, Filipinos turned to online selling for extra money for them to enter into the online market. The pandemic has a direct impact on people’s lives, ranging from small company owners to individual employees.  The Philippines’ jobless rate reached an all-time high of 17.7 percent, corresponding to 7.3 million Filipinos. Over 75,000 internet companies were registered during the pandemic, which was one of the ways Filipinos survived. However, beginning a business is difficult, especially if you are not tech-savvy or a first-time entrepreneur.

All parts of the world fell into lockdown, causing many businesses and companies to temporarily close down. Countries are steadily loosening their prohibitions, but the future remains uncertain. Even reopened companies have limitations mandating social separation, mask wearing, and limits on how many consumers may access an area at one time. People are increasingly tempted to purchase online when traditional shopping becomes challenging, if not frightening. Assisting Filipino entrepreneurs in reviving their businesses will embrace digitalization and will be of utmost benefit to the online marketplace industry. 

According to the Shopee Philippines Director, Martin Yu, he stated, “With advancements in technology, increasing internet penetration, and a fast-growing population of young, tech-savvy youths and middle-income families, we expect e-commerce to play an integral role in the way we live, connect, and do business,”

Shopee’s carefully designed ecosystem allows sellers to succeed in the e-commerce landscape:

Seller Support Package: The Seller Support Package includes a number of efforts designed to reduce operating expenses and increase sales, such as reduced shipping and administrative fees, coupons, and free advertising credits.

Shopee Seller Education Hub: The Shopee Seller Education Hub has classes on how to build an online presence and increase sales. Running Effective Campaigns and Growing Your Business, Managing Listing Assets, and Improving Your Listings are just a few of the courses available on Shopee.

Seller Masterclass: Shopee created Seller Masterclasses to educate sellers on the benefits of live broadcasting. Sellers can deliver an ‘in-store experience’ while connecting with their consumers in real-time with Shopee Live. 

Seller Center: The Seller Center contains all of the tools that sellers may use to effortlessly monitor, maximize, and optimize sales. Sellers may also tailor their shop campaigns and product promotions to their specific needs.

Aside from these, the Shopee app includes popular capabilities such as the integrated mobile wallet Shopee pay and Shopee live, which allows retailers to engage with consumers in real time. With all of these tools and possibilities, sellers can optimize their approach to their consumers while remaining confident that they are able to try in the online marketplace. In the midst of the pandemic’s loss of livelihood, Shopee’s dedication to assisting MSMEs (Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises) and entrepreneurs through digitization is aligned with its broader aim of linking people and companies and making e-commerce accessible to everyone.

Shopee is only growing bigger and strengthening its mission and that is to support local communities and Filipino entrepreneurs. Under this global climate, Shopee only digs its feet deeper in its stance to help the economy rise and to provide more jobs for Filipinos.