As e-commerce takes on greater importance in Filipinos’ lives, entrepreneurs continue to explore online selling opportunities to reach a new generation of tech-savvy users.

Shopee, the leading e-commerce platform in Southeast Asia and Taiwan, provides an ideal avenue for MSMEs to quickly shift their businesses to e-commerce, the tools to upskill entrepreneurs, and engagement features to reach even more customers. With about 88,000 new online business registrations in 2020,^[1] 86,000 of these businesses registered from March to December when strict lockdown measures were implemented across the country. With many entrepreneurs going digital and turning to online platforms, Shopee shares two business owners’ success stories on the platform.

Jhoanna Tabije (Abubot PH)

Jhoanna Tabije joined Shopee shortly after she lost her job in 2018. It was a low time for her, and it wasn’t easy to find another job that quickly. Seeing her struggle, her friend encouraged her to try selling online. She decided to join Shopee after, and within a year, her ready-to-wear clothing apparel business was thriving. “Being on Shopee helped us a lot. Not only were we able to reach customers from all over the Philippines, but we also got resellers from Mindanao, especially when the lockdown happened,” Tabije said.

Through Shopee and its in-app features like Shopee Feed, Tabije reached more customers and gained better exposure for her store. “I really plan to use Shopee Live soon since there’s probably a market we haven’t tapped into yet.” Tabije also started joining the mega campaigns in 2019 and saw a large increase in sales as a result.

For the upcoming Shopee 4.4 Mega Shopping Day, Tabije and her team stocked up in early March to prepare to meet the forecasted surge in orders. “Last 3.3, we received a total of 41,000 orders and are expecting more this coming 4.4.” Tabije encourages other budding entrepreneurs to try selling online as well. “I think this is e-commerce’s golden era. It’s easier, faster, and safer. Now is the perfect time to sell online. We’ve been on Shopee for three years now, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

Richard Salvo (randashoesofficial)

With over 87,000 followers on Shopee and an overall star rating of 4.92 out of 5, Richard Salvo’s store is on the right path to achieving even more online success. He established his footwear business but ran into financial difficulties. He took the risk of renting a stall at the mall, but the costs were too high. To continue his business without spending too much, Salvo decided to sign up on Shopee in August of 2019.

“I was amazed because joining Shopee was very easy. I started exploring the different marketing tools within the app and used them to gain more exposure to potential buyers. We even utilized the ads and vouchers heavily that time,” Salvo said. After realizing how convenient it was to be a Shopee seller, he ended his contract with the mall as it wasn’t generating as much income compared to his Shopee store.

“In 2019, I started out by storing the stocks in our living room and only had one employee. In that same year, we achieved more than ₱2M sales on Shopee despite the lack of manpower and storage capacity,” he said.

However, 2020 was a challenging year for Salvo. “We were not able to sell because our couriers had to shut down their operations for a while due to the pandemic. Despite everything, we even got to expand our business on Shopee, employing 14 more personnel and renting a bigger space.”

The obstacles did not stop Salvo and his team from achieving even greater success. At the end of the year, Salvo’s business garnered more than ₱23 million in sales with the help of his online store on Shopee.

“We are really growing with Shopee. With our earnings, we invested in a warehouse where we can store our stocks. We also established our own Shoe Raw Material Supply Store. We bought the property where our main footwear manufacturing facility was built. We now have a total of 16 employees for our online shop alone and two footwear manufacturing facilities managed by R&A Shoes, plus seven suppliers,” Salvo added.

For 4.4, Salvo and his team are preparing early for the big sale. Two weeks before 4.4, they make sure that they have stocks ready and they study their business insights data to learn which items will sell the most quickly. “Our team also ensures that we have new products to offer our shoppers,” he added.

This coming 4.4, shoppers can look forward to great deals and new items from Abubot PH and Randa Shoes. Users can also expect other brand deals and amazing promotions at the Shopee 4.4 Mega Shopping Day. For more information, visit https://shopee.ph/m/4-4.

Download the Shopee app for free via the App Store or Google Play. Shop, buy, load, and pay bills using ShopeePay to enjoy more perks.

^[1] Department of Trade and Industry