E-commerce in the Philippines

March 22, 2008 | Filed in: Household

I am a full time working mom and because of that I only get to do chores, pay bills, shop, buy groceries, fix the house and similar tasks during the weekend. The problem is that is also the time I spend with my kids. Which makes it longer for me to get around to doing some home decorating or fixing for that matter.

At night, when the kids are asleep, is the time I could spend browsing for stuff that I need to buy for the house. But, malls and stores close at 8 or 9PM. That does not leave me enough time to do everything.

Since I spend most of my free time in front of a computer, it would be nice if Philippine stores also have their own websites similar to Circuit City or Ikea or even The Home Depot where you can shop at the comfort of your home. Better yet, I simply wish retail stores here have their own websites even if they are just informational. Take for example furniture. I have been in need of upholstery services for quite some time now but have not been able to scour our neighborhood to find this service. So I turned to the internet. But I have searched until my eyes watered from staring too long at the monitor and I have not yet found anything.

There are tons of online sellers in multiply but most of them cater to clothes, shoes and accessories. Few sell makeup and those that do only sell a limited selection.

There is of course My Ayala but their prices are way higher than what you can get them for if you go to the store. I think they are more targeted towards Pinoys overseas.

I think this country has a long way to go to catch up with the US or even Singapore in e-commerce but I can’t help but wish we would hurry up. In the meantime, better start out early tomorrow so I can accomplish more.

Do you moms have the same experience?

11 Comments so far

I so completely agree and share your pains over the lack of such choices. I bet there is a very big market!

true! but i think it’s gonna be a long way before e-commerce picks up in pinas. i think people also have to be convinced that the mail/delivery system as well as online payment is safe and reliable. if not, naku, di pwede.

i totally agree and i really wish we have IKEA here! I loved going to IKEA in Melbourne when we were still there. Plus, i also hope we can buy groceries online like in safeway and coles in oz. Saves time and stress free!

ruth - I myself am hesitant to trust the mail/delivery system here. I used to have problems not getting my bills even and to prevent that, I have everything routed to my office in Makati. For some reason, there are few mail problems there.

maline - I am very frustrated that we do not have websites like that. I actually shop at amazon but have stuff delivered to my friends or relatives’ houses and they bring it back to me when they return here. Otherwise, shipping costs will kill me.

e-commerce and e-banking is saving a lot of my time and money. i do a lot of online shopping here.. and what’s good is that i have not only france, but most of europe as my market place. lately, i even shopped from amazon US!

analyse - A lot of people I know who live in the US shop online too. And I really envy them. I wish Phils were as ahead as the other countries are.

Hello,

Just chanced upon you blog entry. I don’t usually respond to posts but you seemed pretty sincere. You had some interesting and very real observations. Actually there is a couple of filipino e-commerce sites out there that are worth a look. I can’t vouch for the others 100% but in our case, we run a website called http://www.islandrose.net and we pioneered nationwide flower delivery (online and offline). The flowers (and gifts) are sourced straight from our farm (so its cheaper than most places) and we’ve had the good fortune of having a lot of users.

I agree that most of the online shops are geared towards OFW’s but slowly, companies such ours are moving and pricing for the local market. You can start your search in http://www.pics.org.ph (Philippine Internet Commerce Society) or one of the other e-commerce organizations here. The Filipino auction sites (ebay.ph and auction.ph) are worth a look also . They’ve got tons of people buying and selling stuff. I think e-commerce in the Philippines is beginning to take shape. National Bookstore and Ribbon also launched their websites and they cater to local Filipinos. Like you, I am just waiting for the groceries and electronic shops to go online - that would be great!

Personally, I book flight tickets online, I do ALL my banking and credit card transactions online, I check nearly all my bills online, I don’t subscribe to any off line newsletters, we recruit our staff online, my business operations is online, and my files are kept electronic.

Pretty convenient. Have a great day

Dustin - Thanks for your recommendations. I have heard about islandrose and I wish more and more merchants are encouraged to bring their business online. It is very easy these days and in MNL, millions are online so it should not be said that there is no market for this.

yes, it is way too difficult to get what you need for the house in the Internet. How convenient it would be if we can have worry-free online shopping. I had to put up my bath and body line at multiply since that’s where most shoppers go.

homebuddy - I have the same woes. I am actually a fan and regular shopper at multiply as I treat it like how I would shopping in the US. By the way, I added you as contact at my multiply site. Cheers!

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