With the rise in popularity of mobile shopping, moms, siblings, and students have now found a new avenue that can help them contribute to their household incomes without sacrificing time away from their family. Shopee, a C2C mobile-first marketplace, has opened doors for entrepreneurs like Eunice Hirakawa of Kering Keri Store who admits, “It was difficult to manage my time between my family and business since I am a mom, wife, and a student, but I’ve been able to conveniently do that thanks to Shopee and its features.”
Shopee makes selling quick, easy, and doable anytime, anywhere just take a picture, write a short description, and set a price. These features focus on helping small businesses and budding retail entrepreneurs grow by solving key challenges such as high capital, stiff competition, and lack of business knowledge. Shopee has seen many success stories unfold on its platform and they hope these inspire more entrepreneurs to manage businesses conveniently through their mobile phones.
Starting her business with P2,000 capital, new mom Helen Borabo of The MakeUp Hub PH has managed to both focus on her family and boost her sales at the same time with the help of Shopee. “I have been an entrepreneur when I was younger, but staying at home to care for my newborn child turned out to be a blessing I could take care of my baby and earn at the same time by selling online! It was so easy to sell on Shopee compared to Instagram and Facebook, and my sales went through the roof!” Borabo was able to better organize her inventory, manage her buyers, and measure her online store’s performance with Shopee’s Seller Assistant feature which is accessible on her mobile phone.
The risks involved with building a business did not discourage veteran online seller Vanessa Tinitigan of The Purpektion Shop. She found early online selling success which helped put her and her siblings through college and even got her featured in national TV shows, but stopped in 2014 when it took a hit. A year later, she decided to try selling on Shopee and has remained an active seller since. “I had to give online selling one more chance. Now, I’m back to where I was but with even more to offer and gain!”, Tinitigan shares. Addressing concerns about fraud and transaction risks is Shopee Guarantee, where Shopee confirms to the sellers that payments have been made, but do not remit these until their buyers acknowledge receipt of their orders. This makes mobile shopping more worry-free for both buyers and sellers at no additional cost.
“Shopee understands the difficulties our sellers encounter from the moment they set up their shops all the way to when they expand their business. We work closely with our Shopee community to address their changing needs, grow our businesses, and encourage other aspiring entrepreneurs to start as well,” said Macy Castillo, Head of Commercial Business for Shopee Philippines.
Stories from these successful sellers show that mobile platforms are at the forefront of helping small businesses grow sustainably, with Shopee leading the way for mobile shopping in the Philippines. This September, Shopee celebrates the success of its sellers and the welcome addition of mobile shopping into Filipinos’ buying and selling habits with special events on their mobile app.