Overseas Filipinos invited to explore e-commerce, start online businesses

The Department of Trade and Industry is inviting Overseas Filipinos (OFs) and returning OFs to learn more about e-commerce, effective online sales, and digital marketing in an upcoming Trabaho, Negosyo, Kabuhayan (TNK) webinar on Dec 4, Saturday, 2 to 4 p.m. (Philippine Standard Time) via Zoom Conference.

The final installment of the four-part TNK webinar series will discuss opportunities in e-commerce, selling products using leading online platforms, and how to get started on digital marketing.

According to DataReportal, as of January 2021, the Philippines has an estimated 152.4 million mobile phone subscriptions and 73.91 million internet users.  In addition, there are about 89 million social media users, which accounts for 80.7% of the total population.

In terms of e-commerce adoption, the Philippines rose to 10th place in 2021 with 80.2 internet users purchasing an item online. According to the e-Conomy SEA 2021 report by Google, Temasek and Bain, the Philippines has become the fastest growing digital economy in Southeast Asia, with 12 million new digital consumers purchasing items online at the onset of the pandemic.

In the same report, it noted that the e-commerce sector ensured continuity of livelihood with 39% of digital merchants saying they believe they would not have survived the pandemic if not for digital platforms.

This presents the perfect opportunity for Overseas Filipinos to explore income sources to counteract the negative economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, while speeding up the post-pandemic recovery by creating jobs and contributing to local development.  E-commerce platforms will continue to play a vital role in the new normal, as Filipino consumers become more technology savvy as further possibilities arise in the digital space.

Mr. Bob Gantuangco, co-founder and director of the Digital Commerce Association of the Philippines will provide an introduction to the vast world of e-commerce, while resource persons from Lazada and Shopee will teach participants how to set up an online business and sell products on their platforms. A presenter from Google will also talk about Google Ads and how it could help fuel the growth of an online business.  The webinar will also feature the success story of digital e-commerce startup, ECFulfill.

The upcoming webinar is organized by the Philippine Trade and Investment Centers (PTIC) in Bangkok, Dubai, Jakarta, Jeddah, Kuala Lumpur, New Delhi, Singapore, and Sydney. To register, please go to bit.ly/TNKeCommerce. For more information about the TNK webinar series, follow DTI-FTSC page on Facebook.