WITH the various solutions that e-commerce companies have provided to the market, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) is confident these tools will further ignite the passion of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) to grow big in their business.

DTI 7 Assistant Regional Director Maria Elena Arbon told SunStar Cebu that e-commerce has evolved in the Philippines, making consumer buying confidence rise in today’s digital market.

“Consumers are now more comfortable with shopping online,” said Arbon.

She noted that even if there is low credit card membership, there are now a number of options like financial technology solutions like Gcash, Paymaya and the like. There is also the cash on delivery arrangement with couriers becoming collecting agents for the e-commerce platforms and merchants.

Because of this progress, providing convenience to consumers has been the sweet spot for online buying and selling.

“So those in the e-commerce value chain have come up with innovative tech-enabled solutions to deal with our own particular realities,” she said.

The recent 11.11 shopping sale of online store giants Lazada and Shopee have resulted in high online selling engagement in the Philippine market.

Filipinos spent 205 million minutes on Lazada on Nov. 11, 2019. In the first hour, one million shoppers bought one million items in Lazada while Shopee, on the other hand, sold 70 million items during the day.

“There is also the assumption of multiple roles like couriers or logistics companies also becoming payment collecting agents. All of these are possible because of technology applications,” she said.

Arbon saw this as a sign for MSMEs to delve into the platform to reach a wider range of consumers locally and globally.

She said that DTI is now focused on elevating consumer engagement for MSMEs by guiding them in the digital shift not only through awareness but also application in the daily business operations. (JOB)