Exporters who do not have online presence have expressed plans to
do so, with the overwhelming majority of firms calling for faster internet
service and lower shipping costs to improve competitiveness, according to the
results of a recent survey.
The survey was conducted
during the General Membership Meeting of the Philippine Exporters
Confederation, Inc. (PHILEXPORT) attended by around 200 members to find out the
state of Philippine e-commerce, as domestic and cross-border e-commerce surges
worldwide and is set to become the future of business and trade.
Of the 83 respondents, 42 are
engaged in e-commerce, 37 or 88% said they intend to continue, while 29, or
71%, of the 41 non-practitioners said they have plans of starting, said the
report.
Among those who are into
e-commerce, 22 cater exclusively to the domestic market, 10 are exclusively
cross-border sellers, and six do both markets.
Social media is the most utilized
tool in online selling, used by 30% of the surveyed, followed by online
marketplaces Shopee and Lazada for domestic e-commerce, and Amazon and Alibaba
for cross-border e-commerce.
There are also other
e-marketplace platforms that respondents use, most notably BeautyMNL,
Adobomall, and the companies’ own websites.
For both practicing and
aspiring online merchants, the biggest challenge is internet connectivity,
followed by seller protection, and electronic payment system/facility. Other
issues on the list are logistics, government policies, cybersecurity, data privacy,
and intellectual property rights.
For e-commerce practitioners
in particular, seller protection is the biggest concern, indicating that the
security of their online transactions is of paramount importance.
Meanwhile, cybersecurity
garnered the lowest rating in terms of efficiency of vital components in
Philippine e-commerce.
On recommendations to improve
Philippine e-commerce, the biggest call is for faster and more reliable
internet service.
“E-commerce relies on
internet connection, hoping that the gov't can do something for a cheaper and
faster connection,” said one commenter.
Several other recommendations
are variations of this theme, ranging from “give more access [to] internet” and
“more sufficient net reliability and friendly user system” to “improve internet
connectivity, logistics cost” and “a fast internet connection nationwide.”
Other suggestions include
internet in public areas; enhance ISPs or internet service providers; policies
on regulations/security; business-friendly policies; internet connection should
be shouldered by the government; simplify permits and clearances; better IRR
for cybersecurity; implement regulations; improve, expedite infra project to
ease up congestion in the metro; third telco should be utilized ASAP; more teeth
to existing laws; minimize red tape transactions in gov't agencies; and better
logistics environment.
Majority of the 83
respondents belong to the associate, housewares, chemicals, and holiday decor
industries of PHILEXPORT.
E-commerce refers to the buying
and selling of goods or services using the internet and the transfer of money
and data to execute these transactions. E-commerce is often used to refer to
the sale of physical products online, but it can also be used to describe any
kind of commercial transaction conducted through the internet. (PhilExport
news)
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