Creative Idea Powerhouse

Philippines is a very interesting country when come to everything related to Internet and Digital. Filipino is one of the top 3 countries for reading blog online, texting SMS, posting photo, and top countries with Friendster usage, and growth from below 50th country for Facebook usage to top 8th in just a 12 months period, with more than 2000% growth, topping to more than 8million users. 24million internet users in Philippines right now, aproximately 34% of them are in Facebook now.

While we seeing everything is green in Filipino digital and internet development, there is one single sector that are not been fully develop; or perhaps we should say, has been in ground ZERO since it start. That is the e-Commerce sector. The Philippines e-Commerce has merely reach Peso 5billion (US$ 100M) transaction in Year 2009. Lack of secure payment option, high risk control been installed from Banking Sector to ‘Prevent’ online transaction fraud by impose higher % of transaction, pay the money to merchant after 30 days of transaction, and impose a strict 10% witholding for 90 days period. In short; if you sell something online through VISA or MASTER, you will recieve your payment after 30 days (only 90%) and the balance 10% will pay to you after 90 days. Is this impressive in fraud control? Yes! And think what, which merchant is willing to use your online payment services in this way?

On the other end, integration with Philippines logistic company is time consuming and challenging, and huge fees been imposed for integration charges. So what is the end result. We see some creative merchants who eager to do e-Commerce setting some creative pricing in their product. It set a different price tag for different zoning of customers in term of location. If you from Manila, Cebu or Davao, you all have different price tag of 1 single same product. What else, if you are from USA, you have a new price tag because the merchant need to cost in not only the shipment, but also the additional currencies conversion fees into the price.  

As result, we see a very huge potential for e-Commerce in Philippines. Only 4% of Internet users or less than 1 million internet users in Philippines buy online; where 96% more does not buy online due to payment or logistic challenge. Just imagine, can you accept the concept of meeting up face to face and trade product called as e-Commerce?

Starting from Year 2010, we think we should have a new vision for e-Commerce, where we called it ‘Bridging the e-Commerce Divide for Filipino’. In next 5 years, we wish to close the e-Commerce adoption rate of Philippines as par as in Hong Kong, Singapore and Taiwan. On top of that, we also aims to let Filipino exports their local products to the world through the B2C model. Every merchant should easily setup their own e-Commerce webstore, having complete payment gateway that pay them in less than a week, not a month, and not to say a QUARTER! Every e-Commerce webstore should have integrated with e-Logistic calculator to calculate the shipping fees automatically, regardless then consumer is from Philippines, or other part of the world.

In early Year 2010, we make our first announcement during 2 days ago. SMilDS.COM, is now making a call for action. A call for Action for all SME/SMIs to deeply considering to expand their business to Internet. The consumer market is mature, the payment is ready, and the logistic is here to support you.

In conclusion, we have sum up 3 key points to share with you why we believe that in Year 2010, the e-Commerce in Philippines will rise, of course, with SMilDS.com presence and the efforts of our big group of partners to awake this market and make it reborn. It is not 10 years ago in Year 2000 where Internet bubble is booming; not 5 years ago where friendster is making every Filipino crazy about ‘sharing their life stories and photo’; but it is now, this year, where the consumer are seeking for a change, a transformation will rise.  

1. Internet consumer is reaching the point where it is enough to create a strong demand to consume any product sell online. More over, we are introducing our SMilDS VISA card in this coming months, where it will allow any of the consumers to access to a common and easy online payment method.

2. The merchants are more prepared compare to Y2000 or Y2005. Further more, the availability of internet marketing experts and digital experts are widely available in the market. Courses and training can easily find to asssit and develop the merchant into a competence e-Retailer.

3. SMilDS.COM will facilitate a complete e-Commerce platform for Filipino merchants and retailers who looking to expand their business into e-Commerce era with limited budget. If you seek for a simple to use and easy to manage; yet complete e-Commerce solution; SMilDS.COM can offer you a complete solution with only at the price of 1 Starbucks Frap Coffee a day only; which is easily 90% cheaper than any of your daily outlet operating expenses.

To find out more about how SMilDS.COM offers the Filipino merchants a new way to expand their business with very effective costing structure, feel free to contact us at sales@platform2u.com.ph or follow our slide below to understand more!

I share a new term of Heropreneurs to a group of Internet evangelists in Philippines tonight, and I am excited by the passion of these groups of Internet veteran in Philippines, and thanks to all of them for taking out the time from their busy schedule to rush for our event in Intercon Hotel, Makati.

When I asked about how many of them (there are around 40 over Internet experts attending our SMilDS Connect event) are NOT Entrepreneur right now, only less than 3% raise their hand, which means majority of the Filipino internet evangelists are Entrepreneurs. Recent report of global entrepreneurship index, Philippines ranked at top 40th in term of growing entrepreneurship index out of 104 countries been survey.

I think by nature, the Filipino are entrepreneurs (base on what I get responses from the group). And true enough, every year, there are millions of people who fired their boss and be their own boss by pursuing into the entrepreneurship journey. As proved the Pareto rules are correct, 80% failed during the first years, and the balance, another 80% failed to survive. Only handful number of entrepreneurs survive the top and enjoy the fruit of glory, enjoy the respect and title to be a long term successful entrepreneurs, and we call them as Heropreneurs! The deserved the respect from all of us to be a hero, a hero in the business world. We learn their success stories, we learn their experiences so we do no mistake in our entrepreneurship path.

 It is always easy to motivate 1000 graduates’ students to jump into pursuing their dream like Steve Jobs, or Bill Gates, or even Larry and Brin from Google, by sharing some of their speeches delivering during Stamford U. Like once Steve Jobs said to the students, Do what you like, like what you do. You will able to have many students to jump into the entrepreneurship journey, and to have successful one who can last for more than 5 years, very little. They are the HERO of business, they are the HERO of entrepreneurs, and they are what we are looking up to, believing and respecting in as our role model, as our idol, they are our HEROPRENEURS!

Today, we are making a commitment to raise the Heropreneurs together with the group of Internet evangelists in Philippines. This is a long journey, and it is going to be a fruitful journey. As I love what quote from HEROES TV show, we are all connected. What we do it past determine our present. What we decide for our present, and commit to it, and putting 100% into making it happen, will be our results for future. Raising future HEROPRENEURS, starting from TODAY, NOW!