Category: Ecommerce

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Product trends to expect this 2022

Marketing

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E-commerce has been on overdrive for the past two years, resulting in a major shift from brick-and-mortar stores to digital ones. Naturally, this has enticed more merchants to utilize the digital space and sell products and services online.

It also triggered a massive change in consumer behavior, and both brands and E-commerce enablers saw how it pulled certain products and services into the spotlight. This gave merchants an opportunity to pivot and innovate when it comes to their product and service offerings.  

If you’re wondering which products will be a hit among shoppers this year, here’s something to give you an idea: 

Focusing on self-care

It’s undoubtedly been a stressful time for everyone, so looking after one’s self has never been more important. That’s why self-care and self-love products are gaining popularity these days. 

From the usual skincare routine essentials such as facemasks, and serums to essential oil diffusers, massagers, and calming teas, people are looking for products to turn their work-from-home (or just stay-at-home) life a little more relaxing.

Creating better spaces

Home improvement products are also among the top picks for online shoppers, especially since homes these days can also be used for remote working and learning. Just like in recent years, people will continue to give their living spaces new, refreshing looks that are more conducive for the new normal. 

Products that’ll make a huge impact on one’s house ambiance — pillowcases, wallpapers, organizers, and small kitchen appliances — will still dominate the E-commerce scene.

Helping kids fend off boredom

Parents are always thinking of creative ways to keep their kids engaged while they work. And this often involves buying more toys and games, not just to distract them but to also spark their creativity. 

As an E-commerce merchant, you can take this opportunity to present both parents and kids with an array of toys like dolls, remote-controlled vehicles, puzzles, modeling clay, and a whole lot more! Plus, it’s even better if your products can be used for both recreational and educational purposes.

Finding an arts and crafts hobby 

Arts and crafts, DIY, and hobby materials continue to be the top-of-mind-choice of shoppers as they scroll through E-commerce platforms. As many of them are cooped up at home, Filipinos are trying to find creative and playful outlets. That’s because it can be quite therapeutic plus they can get a sense of fulfillment from finishing their work.

Just make sure to provide a variety of materials and designs if you want to start selling DIY and craft products. This will help you attract more customers in the long run!

Giving our furry friends some TLC

Let’s admit it: A lot of Filipinos have become furrents during the pandemic. And yes, our furry friends will continue to affect our shopping habits. Pets are also part of the family, and buying things to ensure that they are well-cared for makes sense. 

From food and toys to bedding and clothes, there’s almost no expense that a pet owner will spare for their beloved pets. It’s safe to say that the popularity of pet products won’t be dying out any time soon.

Embracing an eco-friendly lifestyle

According to PwC’s Global Consumer Insights Pulse Survey, half of all global consumers say they’ve become more eco-friendly in 2021 — proof that sustainable and eco-friendly products are gaining popularity. Consumers, particularly millennials and Gen Zs, are always on the lookout for businesses that do their part in helping the earth.

If your business hasn’t made the move to be more eco-friendly, now is the perfect time to do so. Just make sure you follow through with all of the sustainable practices you claim to do!

These are just some of the products that are going to be a hit among Filipino shoppers this 2022. Doing research on what shoppers want to buy is an important part of running a business. However, knowing the trends is just one part of the equation. For your online business to flourish, you must also level up your entire E-commerce game as a whole. That’s something that Payo can help you with!

As a leading E-commerce enabler in the Philippines, Payo can help local and international merchants ship smarter and scale faster. With solutions such as Multiple Warehousing, Fulfillment Service, and Marketplace Optimization, we’ll help your brand stand out in the Philippine E-commerce scene.

Want to know more about how Payo can help you? Sign up or send us a message at info@payo.asia today!

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Payo Feature: Learn about Payo’s new Marketplace Solution with Kim Casaje

Althea Kalalo

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If you’ve visited websites such as Lazada, Shopee, or Zalora, then you’ve experienced being on an online marketplace. Marketplaces have grown tremendously in the past few years, especially with how reliant customers are now on E-commerce. 

Because Payo is one of the leading E-commerce enablers in the Philippines, the company wanted to introduce a new solution dedicated to helping online merchants thrive in local marketplaces. 

In this feature, Kim Casaje talks about this solution and her experience so far as Payo’s Head of Marketplace.

1. Please tell us a little about your journey with Payo. How was your first few months like? How long have you been with the company now?

I joined Payo in November 2021, so I’ve been with the company for roughly three months. I have come to love Payo’s work culture and environment. Business Development, Marketing, and Operations helped me tremendously even with the work from home set-up. I’ve never felt alone even if I’m currently the only member of the Marketplace department.

2. What enticed you to join the company and get into E-commerce? 

I’ve worked with some E-commerce companies in the past, and I’ve seen how fast E-commerce has grown here in the country. It has also helped a lot of businesses become more efficient and improve their processes. 

The mission of Payo is to uplift the E-commerce industry and continuously improve online selling processes was what enticed me to join the company. It is fulfilling to help merchants make better decisions and scale their businesses through Payo’s solutions. 

Additionally, joining Payo means I get to work for a company that shares the same passion and beliefs that I have in life; one that challenges me, stimulates me, and inspires me to give back to the community. In this case, that means helping merchants and their customers.

3. Payo has officially launched its Marketplace Optimization solution. Can you tell us more about it?

Our Marketplace Optimization solution was created for local and international merchants who want to focus on selling their products across the country’s top online marketplaces. These include Lazada, Shopee, and Zalora. 

Our solution offers a holistic approach that gives merchants a competitive edge when it comes to attracting customers in these marketplaces. Ultimately, we want to help them penetrate various marketplaces, expand their customer base, and reach their brand and profit goals. 

4. How does it feel being the point person for this completely new solution?

It has been very fulfilling. Even if I felt a bit of pressure in the beginning, I’ve been fortunate enough to work with Payo’s other teams. Their help has been essential in launching this solution and setting our marketplace goals. Furthermore, they inspire me to do my very best.

5. What was the most challenging aspect of launching this service? How about the most rewarding aspect?

The most challenging aspect of launching our Marketplace Optimization solution was having self-doubt. This was inevitable, at least in the beginning, since I was working alone. The feeling slowly crept up on me and I felt like the service wasn’t growing as fast as I wanted it to. 

Overcoming my self-doubt was definitely rewarding, which I was able to do with the support of the other departments. It helped me focus on the work at hand, and it made me feel optimistic about achieving our marketplace goals. 

6. Why is it important for E-commerce merchants to have access to Payo’s Marketplace solution? 

Now is the best time for merchants to be part of local marketplaces since there is enormous growth in the digital space, especially considering that each marketplace has its own infrastructure. Selling on platforms like Lazada and Shopee would definitely scale their online presence.

7. How does your work contribute to making E-commerce simple, which is Payo’s goal?

My work reduces the complexity of E-commerce for merchants. We are here to help them by providing end-to-end support. Our goal is for each merchant to be able to sit back and relax while their marketplace store grows.

8. What’s one thing you want to achieve with Payo this 2022?

One thing I want to do with Payo this 2022 is to fulfill our goal of being the official partner of Philippine marketplaces. I also want to help both local and international merchants thrive across different marketplaces, and help them grow by at least 50%. 

Curious about how Payo, an E-commerce enabler in the Philippines, can help your business? Check out our website for more information, or sign up with us today! 

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How to level up your E-commerce customer service

Marketing

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Excellent customer service in E-commerce can’t be overstated. Nearly three out of five customers believe that good customer service is key for them to be loyal toward a business. This only shows one thing: product price is important, but service is ranked as a close second.

E-commerce enablers in the Philippines believe that customer service is crucial to the success of an online business. Being one of the main pillars of E-commerce, merchants should pay attention to customer service, especially since shoppers today have sky-high expectations.

If you’re an online merchant, it’s time to level up your E-commerce customer service with these best practices!

Speed is essential

According to one study, around 12% of customers said that they would get frustrated when businesses didn’t respond quickly to their needs. That’s because customers demand shorter response times now more than ever. 

As a merchant, you should look into your processes, specifically when it comes to your response time. Are you too slow to respond? How much time do you spend answering a query? If you see that these are things you can improve on, then maybe it’s time to see how you can do so.

Go omnichannel

Meeting your customers where they are should be on your list of ways to level up your E-commerce customer service. This is why setting up a robust omnichannel strategy is important in ensuring improved customer experiences.

Offer different contact methods to make the interactions between you and your customers as seamless and efficient as possible. Customers should be able to reach you via any platform they prefer, whether it’s via email, chat, social media, or your website. By doing so, your omnichannel approach will increase your visibility and help you connect with more customers.

Offer a platform for feedback

Allowing your customers to provide feedback will help you understand what they love and don’t love about your business. Listen to them to know more about their needs. By doing so, you can also resolve the issues they may be encountering. This is an opportunity for you to turn a potential crisis into a sound E-commerce customer service practice.

Also, don’t forget to reach out to your customers! Make them feel valued by acknowledging their feedback and product reviews. 

Personalize your approach

As E-commerce growth continues at unprecedented levels, customers may start to feel that shopping has become more transactional. Stand out from the competition by giving your customers a personalized approach to customer service! 

An example of this is through using automatic product recommendations. This means having personalized segments on your site like “People who bought this product also bought these products,” or other custom-made lists. Another would be personalizing your marketing emails for different types of customers. This approach helps build trust in your brand, reminding customers that your business isn’t run by bots.

When you do this, you go above and beyond satisfying your customers’ needs and you give them more reasons to become life-long customers. 

Provide real-time customer support

Customers love real-time assistance. And being able to offer it will give you positive results, such as increasing your ROI. However, not all businesses can afford to have chat agents available 24/7. What can you do? There are a lot of E-commerce enablers in the Philippines that can do the heavy lifting for you. Some of them even provide Live Customer Support to take care of customer queries in real-time.

By providing live customer support, you can lessen failed deliveries and increase (even improve!) your sales retention.

Invest in automation

Automating customer service processes can save you a lot of time and effort. Dealing with support issues, consistent pressure, and demanding customers can be challenging. This is where automation comes into play. By automating your E-commerce customer service, you can now say goodbye to time-consuming manual tasks like creating a query ticket or giving customers updates on their order status.

Indeed, delivering quality and excellent E-commerce customer service is the secret to making your business palatable to customers. When done right, these practices can help you keep customers happy and turn them into repeat customers, even as you scale.

Ready to level up your customer service? Let Payo help you!

As the leading E-commerce enabler in the Philippines, Payo can identify and satisfy customer needs through vast technological solutions. With services ranging from E-commerce Automation and Marketplace Optimization to Fulfillment and Warehousing, Payo provides holistic and tailor-fit solutions to address your business needs. 

Allow us to help you provide effective E-commerce customer service! Sign up now or send us a message at info@payo.asia. 

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Top 5 E-commerce sites in the Philippines (November 2021)

Marketing

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Online shopping has become a big part of the everyday lives of Filipinos, especially in today’s times. This is no surprise considering that you can now find almost anything online — from appliances and gadgets to clothes and makeup. 

If you’re looking for the top E-commerce platforms that customers use in the Philippines, then look no further! We’ve listed down five of the biggest online shopping sites, as well as what you can expect to find in each one:

Lazada

Lazada was founded in 2012 and has become one of the leading E-commerce platforms in Asia. The company launched its virtual mall called LazMall in 2018, followed by their online grocery LazMart a year later.

Because Lazada has branched out to accommodate different types of online sellers, customers can expect to find a wide array of products on their site. Whether it’s baby products, home furniture, or even automotive parts, it’s probably on Lazada.

Shopping tip: If you reach a certain amount of purchases, you can opt to pay for your Lazada order through installment payment plans.

BeautyMNL

Want to go to a website that’s more focused on your beauty, wellness, and lifestyle needs? Try BeautyMNL. This homegrown platform has roughly 45,000 products ranging from makeup to skincare, all of which are authentic.

Shopping tip: If you’re looking for makeup and skincare sets, or “buy one, get one” steals, you might just find them here.

Shopee

Shopee, which was launched in the country in 2015, is another popular E-commerce site in the Philippines. Its offerings are quite similar to Lazada, but Shopee puts more emphasis on the affordability of its products.

Shopping tip: Paying through ShopeePay can give you additional discounts or promos that you otherwise wouldn’t be able to redeem. 

Zalora

Zalora is a fashion shopping platform that showcases both local and international brands. They offer different styles for clothing, shoes, bags, watches, and all things fashion. 

Fun fact: Zalora was launched in the Philippines the same year that Lazada was!

Shopping tip: Watch out for their big monthly sales and daily surprise flash deals to sweeten your purchase!

Kimstore

Kimstore is a gadget store that makes it easier for Filipinos to enjoy the latest in mobile tech. They offer a wide selection of gadgets for all your tech needs – mobile phones, laptops, cameras, gaming consoles, tablet PCs, and various accessories.

Shopping tip: Kimstore has a section devoted to available bundles. Check it out if you’re thinking of buying more than one gadget.

These are just five of the many E-commerce platforms that are popular in the Philippines. We’ve given you tips on how to get great deals from each site, but what if instead of being a customer, you want to be an online seller on these platforms? That’s something Payo can help you with!

Penetrating the PH Marketplace

Payo knows that merchants can greatly expand their customer base if they sell products in an online marketplace. That’s why we offer Marketplace Optimization! We take care of everything, from store set up and even content curation. We also handle the logistics side of things, including fulfillment and inventory management. 

This way, you won’t have to worry about whether or not you can successfully sell in an online marketplace. So what are you waiting for? Sign up with us today or send us a message at info@payo.asia. 

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Best practices for running an E-commerce business during a pandemic

Marketing

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Over the last two years, the pandemic has caused major changes to the global business landscape. Consumers have now shifted to the digital marketplace, making it essential for merchants to have an E-commerce enabler, especially in the Philippines.

According to Statista, E-retail sales have accounted for 18% of all retail sales across the globe in 2020. This is predicted to grow up to 21.8% in 2024. With this, merchants must adapt to changes in consumer behavior to maximize E-commerce opportunities, even during a pandemic. Additionally, merchants must put customer safety as one of their top priorities.

To help you better navigate your operations, here are some pandemic best practices that can keep you and your Filipino customers safe during this pandemic.

Stay updated on news and announcements

Merchants must always be aware and informed of what’s happening on the ground to make the necessary calls. From the number of new and COVID cases to pandemic restrictions alert levels, these are important details that can potentially impact your operations.

Since the Philippines is also prone to typhoons, keeping updated on the news will help you prepare contingencies should the areas you serve be affected.

Keep customers informed and communication channels open

Doing E-commerce during a pandemic can be tricky given the varying situations in the Philippines. Thus, it is essential to keep customers informed to manage their expectations. It is likewise important to have a channel where they can easily connect with you for inquiries and concerns.

Whether it is stock challenges, shipment delays, or other logistical concerns, merchants need to update customers and be accommodating to questions. Doing this can help you avoid low ratings, or worse, order cancellations.

Offer service recovery

Maintaining a good merchant-customer relationship is vital for any business to succeed. While E-commerce challenges caused by the pandemic are out of your control, you should always be ready to do or offer service recovery.

To avoid order cancellations or negative feedback, you can provide your customers with discounts on their next purchase. If you haven’t shipped out your customer’s package yet, you can include freebies that complement their order. These little things can definitely make a positive impact.

Follow health and safety protocols

One of the best things you can do for your customers is to keep them safe in your own way. Whether you’re alone or part of a team, it is always best to mask up when handling orders. If you’re a large group, try to do regular health checks to maintain everyone’s safety.

Should anyone fall sick, let them recover to avoid further compromises to your operations. Now, if this could pose delays on your end, inform your customers as soon as possible.

Sanitize orders properly

E-commerce operations, pandemic or not, must always include sanitation of orders aside from proper packaging. It is the responsibility of merchants to ensure that products are safe in every way possible to avoid any potential risks on your customers’ end.

You can never be too careful, especially with the current health situation evolving constantly. Treat this as another form of looking out for your customers.

Related Guide: How to Start an E-commerce Business in the Philippines

Find the right logistics partner

To better manage E-commerce operations during this pandemic, merchants must find the right logistics partner. It is essential that your partner is reliable, and has the same level of care and safety precautions that your company has.

As a merchant, you are not the only one responsible for keeping your products safe. Your partners must also be equally accountable to ensure the best online shopping experience for your customers.

Throughout this pandemic, Payo has remained steadfast in its commitment to being an effective and reliable E-commerce enabler in the Philippines. From ensuring safe handling and delivery of packages, and even providing other services like Warehousing and Live Customer Support, Payo can definitely help you implement these best practices.

Want to know more about what Payo can offer your business? Sign up with us today or send us a message at info@payo.asia. We’ll be happy to discuss them with you!

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6 tips for merchants who are new to E-commerce

Marketing

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E-commerce is a steadily growing industry globally. With its simple business model, online selling is a great way to earn money in these trying times. But while starting an online business can be a little frightening and daunting for inexperienced entrepreneurs, there are E-commerce enablers in the Philippines that can help them out.

As online shopping booms amid the pandemic, E-commerce enablers help make sure that the industry remains thriving. So if you’re thinking of starting a business, being familiar with what local E-commerce enablers have to offer is important. 

Here are some other foolproof E-commerce tips you should take note of, spanning from marketing your products to acquiring warehousing services in the Philippines:

Make sure your platform is user-friendly

The E-commerce industry is highly competitive. One of the ways to stand out is to have an engaging platform to market your products. If your platform looks lousy, your online presence may not be as noticeable.

For newbies, this is an opportunity to get help from E-commerce enablers who can optimize your platform. With their assistance, you can set up your online store and make sure that it’s user-friendly and ready for online selling in the Philippines. 

Offer flexible payment options by integrating CoD

Cash on Delivery remains king in the Philippines and to be at the top of your game, you must be able to integrate this payment option into your online store. By offering CoD, you offer customers both the flexibility and the convenience of easily purchasing in your store.

Ultimately, you get to expand your Philippine market and attract more Filipino shoppers with CoD.

Automate, automate, and automate!

One of the most common E-commerce tips you will hear from successful merchants is to embrace E-commerce automation. Even E-commerce enablers in the Philippines put emphasis on this as an integral part of E-commerce. That’s why they provide innovative automation solutions for businesses, such as dashboards for tracking your packages or automated SMS order updates for your customers. 

Ultimately, being open to E-commerce automation will help you save time, avoid manual errors, and optimize your business. So if you have the chance to automate your processes, you should do so!

Provide excellent customer support

Having a customer-centric approach will make your business a standout. Customers appreciate it when you help them with everything, from making online purchase decisions to resolving issues. That’s why it’s important to make sure that you give them a seamless customer experience across all channels and platforms. You can do this by marrying speed and efficiency in your responses. 

Find a reliable fulfillment partner

Fulfilling one order at a time when you’re starting is easy enough. But once you’re dealing with a bulk of orders, it can be burdensome. Rather than doing it all by yourself, why not have a fulfillment partner to do it all for you? This can help make fulfilling orders as convenient as possible. And by having a reliable fulfillment partner who can handle the logistics side of your business, you won’t have to worry about shipping orders yourself.

Check out your warehousing options

As you start your online business, you might eventually consider putting your products in a warehouse for storage and inventory. Thankfully, there are numerous warehousing services in the Philippines that can help you run your business efficiently. When choosing a warehousing partner, try to partner with one that has a multiple warehousing solution. This can help you save on costs and expand your customer reach in the long run.

With all these tips, we bet you’re now ready to enter the awesome world of E-commerce. You never know, you might be on your way to becoming one of the most successful E-commerce companies. But should you need help with building your business, there’s one E-commerce enabler in the Philippines you can partner with — Payo! 

Payo provides holistic and tailor-fit solutions to address the needs of online merchants. Armed with its tech-driven solutions, Payo can help merchants scale faster and ship smarter. 

So if you are looking for a partner with the best warehousing services in the Philippines who can also do Marketplace Optimization, provide Live Customer Support, and take care of Last Mile Management, Payo is perfect for you!

Sign up now or send us a message at info@payo.asia so we can start navigating the Philippine E-commerce landscape with you!

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Everything you need to know about Shopify Automation

Marketing

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Whether you are a startup or an established business, it’s always better to have an online presence to reach more customers. If you’re thinking about putting up your own online shop, E-commerce Automation allows you to digitize your processes and manage your transactions with ease. With Shopify Automation, things get even easier.

Exploring the digital marketplace may be intimidating for some. Luckily, Shopify Automation covers everything you need to set up your shop, and you can even get creative with how you design it. If you want to get started, here are some things you should know to help you out.

Business identity

First, your shop needs to have a name and logo. If you don’t have these yet, it’s best to finalize these details before anything else. These are essential for any store, be it online or offline. You can even feature your brand story on your About Page later on.

Products to sell and photos

From physical goods to digital services, Shopify Automation allows you to showcase them best with photos. Remember, your photos must be clear and have multiple angles so customers can check them as if they were in an actual store. This allows them to better assess your offerings. Also, don’t forget to have all your product descriptions and prices laid out!

Shop aesthetics

Shopify allows you to customize the overall theme and look of your online shop. From the fonts to the colors, you can be as creative as you want to make your store and products pop. Just imagine designing your physical shop, only time time, it’s digital and on different web pages.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Like any other store, customers would want to know more about your offerings. To ease the burden of answering similar questions, best to have a set FAQs Page which customers can refer to in the future. You can include product details, contact information, process for refunds or returns, shipping time, payment options, and other information that they would likely ask on a regular basis.

Contact details

It’s important that customers have a way to reach you. Having a direct line to your business allows customers to ask questions or raise any concerns that they may have. This is also another way of getting feedback from them apart from having reviews on your product pages.

Payment settings

If you’re unfamiliar with digital payments, Shopify Automation can definitely be a big help to you. During the process of building your online store, Shopify already has different payment settings you can choose from.

If you’re also looking to offer Cash on Delivery as a payment option, E-commerce enabler Payo can certainly help you with that through their Shopify Integration service. This allows you to integrate a Payo plug-in for CoD in your Shopify account, giving you a competitive edge over other merchants.

Payo’s Shopify Integration also automatically integrates your data to the Payo Merchant Dashboard. This dashboard allows you to oversee incoming orders and outgoing packages, make bulk order uploads, print ShipBills, and track packages.

Shopify Automation certainly is a great way to make your store’s digital debut. Making it even better is Payo’s Shopify Integration!

Want to learn more about Shopify Integration and E-commerce Automation? Sign up with Payo today or send us a message at info@payo.asia. Let’s have a chat soon!

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8 marketing ideas to boost your Valentine’s Day E-commerce sales

Althea Kalalo

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February is right around the corner, which means that so is Valentine’s Day! Whether or not it’s something you celebrate, it’s an occasion that brings out people’s desire to show their affection for their loved ones. One way to do this is through gift-giving, which is where merchants like you come in. 

If you want to provide your customers with amazing Valentine’s Day gifts, you have to make sure they actually check out your products. To help you with this, here are eight marketing tips to boost your Valentine’s E-commerce sales! These range from which products you should put front and center to having a reliable warehousing service in the Philippines:

Decorate your online store 

Want to get your customers in the mood for love? Then start with your store’s overall look! Add touches of Valentine’s elements, like hearts or even just the colors red and pink. You can also use pop-ups to display your Valentine’s E-commerce offerings, or put them on your website’s main banner. 

Remember, you don’t have to do a website overhaul just for this! You should also make sure that whatever design you come up with is still on-brand.

Highlight products that are perfect for the occasion

One way to encourage customers to buy your products is to show them why they’re perfect for Valentine’s Day. To do this, make sure to feature your most gift-worthy products. And even if your products don’t exactly fall under the usual Valentine’s gifts, that’s okay! Sometimes it’s even better to suggest out-of-the-box ideas, especially for customers who want to give something unique.

Another idea is to create Valentine’s bundles or gift boxes, which you can do by putting together different products that complement each other. One example of this is a gift box for coffee lovers, which can include a mug, coffee beans, and an espresso-scented candle.

Offer irresistible promos and discounts

Offering Valentine’s promos is a great way to sweeten each customer’s purchase. Whether it’s 20% off or a buy one, get one promo, different deals are bound to convince them to buy your products. You can also do flash sales or deals specific for certain days. This will create a sense of urgency for your customers, making them more likely to check out as soon as possible. 

Give customers the option to customize 

If you want to make your customers’ shopping experience more personal, then provide them with options for customization. Letting your customers include a short note or choose from different types of gift wrapping can go a long way. It also makes your products gift-ready, making it more convenient for them. If you want to spruce things up, you can even offer anonymous gifting!

These little initiatives give you an edge over your competitors, and show your customers that you care about their overall experience. 

Create timely and witty content

If you want to increase your Valentine’s E-commerce sales, you have to get customers interested in your products. One way to do this is by creating timely Valentine’s Day content, and making sure it resonates with your potential customers. The more fun, witty, and relatable it is, the better. By making Valentine’s Day content, you can capture the attention of your audience and direct them to your online store. 

Don’t focus solely on romantic love

Valentine’s isn’t just for couples. Make sure your Valentine’s offerings also include products for parents, siblings, friends, and other loved ones. You can even feature different gift guides on your website so that your customers can easily pinpoint what they’re looking for. By doing this, you avoid limiting both your store and your customers. 

Reach out to past customers 

It’s always a good idea to reach out to customers who have already purchased products from you. If they had a good experience with your store, chances are they’ll be willing to purchase from it again.

One way you can reconnect with old customers is through email marketing. Highlight your Valentine’s E-commerce offerings and tailor it to their preferences if possible. You can even give past customers exclusive discounts or early access to your sale, which might be the push they need to become a repeat customer.

Make sure your delivery is fast and seamless

It’s important that you’re ready for the surge of orders that may come your way for Valentine’s Day. Customers want to get their packages as soon as possible, and having slow delivery can cause them to cancel their orders. To avoid this, make sure your warehousing service in the Philippines has an ample stock of your products. Plus, your delivery partner should be able to make quick and seamless deliveries to all your customers. 

Having a reliable warehousing and logistics partner will help establish your credibility and make fulfilling Valentine’s orders a breeze. 

These are just some marketing ideas you can apply to boost your Valentine’s Day sales. However, a good marketing strategy can only pay off if your E-commerce processes are efficient and organized. If that’s something you need help with, then Payo is perfect for you!

As the leading E-commerce enabler in the Philippines, Payo will help your online business thrive. Whether it’s Warehousing, Fulfillment, or even Last Mile Management, Payo’s got you covered. 

To learn more about how we can help optimize your online business, you can sign up with us today or send us a message at info@payo.asia!

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New Year’s resolutions merchants should follow this 2022

Althea Kalalo

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As merchants all over the world welcome a brand new year, they also welcome an opportunity to make changes for the better. And though merchants can level up their business all throughout the year, there’s just something special about New Year’s resolutions. This is especially true when these resolutions help you achieve both your short-term and long-term goals. 

If you’re an online merchant, and you’re not quite sure about what resolutions to stick to for 2022, we’re here to help! 

Be open to change

Maybe the word ‘change’ isn’t so appealing given that major changes all over the world have happened in the past two years. However, there’s no denying that being open to change is the only way businesses can adapt. If there’s anything the pandemic has taught the world, it’s to go with the current of change, not against it. 

When you’re open to change, you can better find opportunities for your business. It will also make you more flexible, giving you a higher chance of getting past the challenges you may face. 

Prioritize the well-being of your team

A company is nothing without its people, which is why it’s important to take care of your team. This doesn’t just mean giving them fair wages and benefits; it also means fostering an environment where they can openly share their ideas, have difficult but necessary conversations, and ultimately grow as professionals.

It’s also important to encourage work-life balance within your team, making sure that they don’t jeopardize their health for work. This should be a given, but it’s always best to have regular team check-ups to make sure they are looking after themselves.

Learn from your customers

As people who directly use your products or services, your customers can give a lot of insights on your business. That’s why it’s important to listen to their feedback, be it good or bad. You can learn a lot of things, such as which products your customers love, which products you can improve on, and how you can elevate your customer service. Ultimately, this also helps you establish a good relationship with your customers. 

Practice effective communication

Misunderstandings with your team or your customers can cause a lot of problems. One way to avoid them is to always communicate effectively. This means being an active listener, being truthful and transparent, and communicating with empathy. 

When you improve the way you communicate, you can help boost employee productivity and further nurture your relationship with customers and partners.

Consider challenges as learning opportunities

It can be frustrating when you encounter difficulties in your business. This can come in the form of canceled orders, cash flow problems, or miscommunication among team members. But any challenge or failure can be a great learning opportunity. Instead of dwelling on how things went wrong, try to see how you can use the experience to your advantage.

How can you make up for the incident? What processes can you further improve? How can you avoid this problem in the future? By learning from the challenges you encounter, your company can grow into an even better version of itself.

These are just some of the New Year’s resolutions that you can follow this year. What’s important is making sure your resolutions are aligned with your company’s goals, whether that’s finding the perfect warehousing services in the Philippines, growing your customer base, or building awareness on your brand.

If you’re looking for an E-commerce partner who can help you scale this 2022, then choose Payo!

Payo is the leading E-commerce enabler in the Philippines whose goal is to make E-commerce simple for online merchants. Payo offers everything you need to succeed in E-commerce, from Warehousing and Last Mile Management to Live Customer Support and Cash on Delivery Integration. 

If you want to thrive in today’s E-commerce landscape, you can sign up with us today or send us a message at info@payo.asia. We’ll reach out to you as soon as you do!

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E-commerce trends to watch out for in 2022

Marketing

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The holidays are in full swing, which also means that a new year is right around the corner. While you attend to your customers during this busy time, you also need to know the E-commerce trends for 2022 to get an upper hand against your competitors. 

Here are six trends you should watch out for in the coming year, spanning from augmented reality to improved fulfillment services in the Philippines. 

E-commerce goes bigger

E-commerce has been around for a while but it wasn’t until recently that it experienced a sudden boom. The pandemic brought online shopping to new heights and will likely continue growing to the benefit of your business. 

According to Kantar Media, E-commerce expansion is among the consumer trends that will impact the market. In essence, this simply means that more people will shift to online shopping, even more so with the added convenience of cash on delivery in the Philippines. 

Voice search for online shopping

Familiar with Siri and Alexa? Well, more of them are expected to come this 2022. Entrepreneur identified that voice search will be used by more consumers next year instead of typing and doing a manual search. It’s like you are using a virtual assistant, but this time to help you with your online shopping.

Voice shoppers are expected to grow by 55%, while voice shopping will reach $40 billion in 2022. While this may take time to implement, you can research more on how you can integrate this setting into your shop, and be one of the first to offer an all-new shopping experience to your customers.

Augmented shopping experience

Similar to voice search, another trend is the rise of augmented reality (AR) to make online shopping more life-like. Improvado pointed out that the pandemic forced retailers to bring their in-store experience online since it is where the consumers are. With AR, retailers can offer a live view of their products, giving customers an experience similar to being inside their stores.

Bigger brands like Nike and IKEA have already launched their own AR apps to showcase this new shopping experience. More businesses will likely implement this soon, so consider adding it as one of your shop innovations.

Improved distribution and fulfillment planning

Consumers are becoming more familiar with online shopping for their daily needs. They now look into how they can save while also considering how fast and convenient they can get their orders. This is why it is important for you to invest in a reliable fulfillment service partner in the Philippines.

Netsuite shared enhanced distribution and fulfillment planning will be a key trend in 2022. As slow delivery estimates could make or break a sale for you, now’s your chance to optimize your operations. Go for a fulfillment partner that has a multilayer distribution model, has presence across the country, and offers top-notch service to help your business be more competitive.

Smarter use of chatbots

Whether you’re new to E-commerce or not, you probably receive similar inquiries at least three to five times a day. This is where chatbots come in — they easily provide information to your customers, and you’ll only come in for more complex questions.

According to AllBusiness, the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) has massively grown in the business world, especially for chatbots in websites and social media pages. Entrepreneur also shared that you can use them to gather customer feedback and provide product recommendations. This helps create a personalized and enhanced customer experience.

Omnichannel selling and customer support

Because your customers are everywhere in the digital space, it is no longer enough to have one channel alone. You need to have a presence wherever they are to help increase your sales potential and customer interaction.

Kantar, Netsuite, Entrepreneur, and Improvado all foresee this trend for 2022. Unlike brick and mortar stores, you can be visible to your potential and existing customers online. Whether it’s your own website, social media, email, or even in their ads, this raises your chances of getting them to visit your shop and make a purchase.

With multi-channel customer support, you can even assist them better with their needs and concerns, elevating your business’ overall shopping experience. For example, you can conveniently answer inquiries about cash on delivery in the Philippines as a payment method on different platforms. Who knows, this could be the right push that your customer needs to make a purchase.

These are only some of the many E-commerce trends that you can expect in 2022. Many of them rely heavily on technology, but your priority should still be giving your customers the best shopping experience.

Good thing Payo is here with a wide range of E-commerce solutions, including its fulfillment service in the Philippines. From keeping your products safe and in top condition to packing and delivering orders, Payo can help you get ahead of these trends.

If you want to know more about Payo’s holistic solutions, you can sign up today or send us a message at info@payo.asia. We’ll be with you for 2022 and beyond!