Introduction

Tammy : Hi Ray, today’s discussion is very interesting.

Ray : Really? What is our topic for today?

Tammy : Well, today we are going to discuss “Hottest eCommerce Shopping events in the Philippines”, this would really help those entrepreneurs to prepare and get ready to sell their products. 

Ray : That’s cool, does it mean having items on sale?

Tammy : That’s right, Ray! People usually are waiting for the sale day before they buy the things that they usually want. Unless it’s urgent and they need it soon, of course, they wouldn’t wait for the sale day.

Ray : So is there a particular day or schedule of sale day for the whole year ?

Tammy : Yes, there is. And it’s so simple and easy to remember. Online eCommerce platforms usually are throwing sale items on the same month and day. Example January 1. It’s “1.1” February 2 it’s “2.2 sale day” and the list goes on. It’s really easy to remember the sale day every month. 

Ray : That’s very interesting! I think eCommerce in the Philippines is not as mature as compared to other countries, but it has a big potential and will grow big in the next few years.

Tammy : I agree with you, as you know the population here is big and so 71% of the population are internet users. Later I will discuss more about that hottest eCommerce shopping events in the Philippines and what types of promotion they can offer. 

Ray : Great! Exciting to learn more about the Philippines hottest eCommerce shopping events.

Tammy : I know! But first I want to introduce first the top online shopping platform here, which i already mentioned in our podcast with the title “ Philippine top trending product”. And I’d like to mention it again here, so the first one would be the “Lazada, then Zalora and then Shopee”, but I guess there are also these websites in other southeast countries. 

Ray : Yes, there are also these websites in other countries, but not sure if this one is their top website for eCommerce platforms. 

Tammy : So actually these top 3 eCommerce websites here in the Philippines have the same sale day. Well, most of the time. To add to that, during the pandemic here in the Philippines, Facebook and Instagram are also used in doing business. Entrepreneurs would usually run ads and or boost their ads to gain more audience attention and followers. 

Ray : Yes, that’s normal to companies who have a facebook page or instagram business account to run ads, as there are a lot of people in the world who are internet users. And people spend more time on the internet. 

Tammy : Yes, as long as you are targeting your audience correctly, then you are on the road to success. It’s not actually easy to just run ads or boost ads. You really have to learn how to target your audience. I’m planning to talk about this in our future podcast, because this topic is really interesting.

Ray : For sure, a lot of audience will learn, especially those who are wondering why they run ads and still don’t get enough audience. Because this is not something easy. 

Tammy : That’s correct Ray, this is something you have to learn.

Why sell in the Philippines

Ray : I agree with you Tammy, this is something you cannot learn overnight. But first, can you tell us why people should consider selling in the Philippines or opening an online store in the Philippines?

Tammy : Good question, entrepreneurs are looking for places to sell their products, and the first question that pop up to their mind is, which country is the best place to sell their products? 

Ray : Yes, maybe the second to that is what products is the best to sell, and we have already discuss that to our previous podcast. So now we’re going to focus on “why choose Philippines” and of course our topic for today is “Hottest eCommerce shopping events in the Philippines”.

Tammy : Yes, Ray. Well, why do entrepreneurs consider selling here? It’s simple. you may be surprised to know that among all the people in the world, Filipinos are actually some of the biggest spenders when it comes to digital retail.

Ray : Maybe the reason is that a lot of people have access to the internet, and they’re hooked on the screens for so long each day.

Tammy : And Filipino have the habits of buying from physical to digital shops, so that would be a new world of possibilities for anyone who wants to sell online.

Ray : True, I agree with you.

Tammy : Also, you have to plan where to sell online, like which online platform are you going to use for selling your products. And there are a lot of choices you can use, like the Lazada, Zalora, Shopee or Carousell. These are the famous online platforms here in the Philippines. 

Ray : Yes, I am familiar with the others and we also have a podcast discussion about that Lazada, so they can also consider that one, however, you only have to choose which country you prefer to sell. Because once you sell your products for example in the Lazada Philippines, it means you can only sell in that certain country.

Tammy : Yes, We are not a Lazada expert here, but just giving our listeners options on where to sell their products, they can research more about this, maybe through their website.

Ray : That’s correct, Tammy. So now that you’ve already mentioned on which platform to use in selling. What are the things they need to consider when choosing the online platform?

Tammy : That’s a good question, if you are from overseas and eyeing on selling in the Philippines, best is to check if the online website accepts an overseas bank to receive payment. If not then, it might be an additional expense for you to open a local bank. 

Ray : Of course everyone doesn’t want an additional cost to their business. But payment methods are very important too, like do they accept paypal payment, something like that.

Tammy : Correct, but not all online shopping platforms here have the paypal payment method. So they really need to also check that one. Also, if they are willing to open bank accounts locally, that’s great too.

Hottest eCommerce Shopping events in the Philippines

Ray : Cool, after you have chosen the online platform, how do you sell your products?

Tammy : Well, after that, then to attract customers maybe you can make a voucher like 15% off for first time purchases, or 10% off when a minimum of 2,000 pesos purchase. That marketing strategy is very important as Filipinos are very fond of discounted products.

Ray : Marketing strategy is also very important when you’re doing a business. You also need to attract buyers with different styles.

Tammy : Yes, that is why I’m going to discuss now the “Hottest eCommerce Shopping events” here in the Philippines.

Ray : I’m excited to hear that!

Tammy : Me too, I am excited to share it with everyone, so like I mentioned earlier, there are promotions every month which is very popular here in the Philippines. Every month, there are sales that people are waiting for, like this month it was the 8.8 bounce back sale. 8.8 means August 8. And then next month will be the 9.9 or the september 9. 

Ray : Wow! That’s so easy to remember! Like last month did you have the 7.7 sale?

Tammy : Yes, it runs the whole year! It actually started last year 11.11 which is november 11, I think they got it from China, 11.11 means single day. Anyway, so every month people are waiting for that day of the month.

Ray : That’s so great! Now people are looking forward to those days of the month, where they can finally buy cheaper items than the original price.

Tammy : Yes, but of course, you also have to check those items on sale, because every month discounted items are not the same. Other than that, we have another one, we called it “Pay day sale” 

Ray : Pay day sale? I heard that too. That would always be a nice marketing strategy! But how does it work in the Philippines?

Tammy : Yeah! Well, to give you a little detail, here in the Philippines there are 2 pay days each month, people get their salary every 15th and 30th of the month. So if you are earning 20,000 pesos every month, you get half of it on the 15th and another half on 30th. So for the pay day sale, it usually falls on 15th and 30th of the month. They do this because entrepreneurs know that people have their money on those days.

Ray : That’s a great idea marketing strategy again, Well, knowing that 70% of the people in the Philippines are online shoppers, so maybe this is why they came up with this idea?

Tammy : Yes, Ray. and to add to that, besides the reason that people have cash in their pocket, they would really prefer to buy at a discounted price. Well I personally think that to get more buyers or customers, you can also think of other strategies to attract them, not necessarily should be discounted items.

Ray : I agree with you Tammy, it can also be a “free shipping” or “free returns”, “buy more, save more”, “products giveaway” or “loyalty points”. These are the sample promotions that you could use.

Tammy : Oh yeah! That’s a nice promotion too, I like the “free shipping” idea. Especially if it’s coming from overseas. Then I could save from the free shipping big time.

Ray : Yes, for sure! 

Tammy : So anyway, these are the hottest shopping ecommerce events that start-up companies should watch for.

Ray : Well, of course, besides the Christmas sale, or some holiday sale. What you shared with us about Philippine shopping eCommerce events are a good details for those entrepreneurs who would like to enter the Philippine eCommerce world.

Tammy : Yes, so that’s it! I hope our listeners got ideas with this topic.

Ray : For sure! Thanks Tammy for sharing that with us.

Tammy : Thank’s Ray for today’s discussion, Stay safe there!

Ray : You too! Bye.

Tammy : Bye