Everyone was not ready for the pandemic – the busy life that we have been used to suddenly stopped. Losing jobs, closing businesses, canceled flights; we all didn’t see this coming. Some people started to panic while some are doing all possible means to survive.
According to the recent record of the Department of Labor and Employment in the Philippines, 40% of Filipino workers lost their job, 25% of them are mostly from hotels and restaurants that shut down and 15% are from small businesses. For some that have been jobless found a new start and that is online selling. Almost everything now is available on social media - from medical supplies such as face shields and face masks to food delicacies and even plants. Online grocery shopping also is now booming since it’s very dangerous to go to the market because of the rising number of the virus positive cases every day. Business establishments that were closed also found a new way to reach their customers and that is through online selling. They just post their products on social media and deliver it right to their customer’s doorstep. The lockdown in the country is a major factor why there was a rise in Filipino online sellers - may it be a small-time seller or a big one.
During the Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) in the Philippines, Filipinos are not allowed to go outside their houses – that is when online selling became a total hit. Customers won’t have to go out to buy whatever they want, all they have to do is log in to social media and transact with the seller, the seller then contacts an authorized rider to deliver the order of the customer and the customer will pay it upon delivery. Contactless delivery is also available, where customers use their credit or debit cards to pay the seller and when the rider delivers their order, they will just leave it in a certain place. In this way, the rider and the buyer won’t have any contact which made most Filipino customers at ease and feel safe.
Online transactions didn’t stop after ECQ, it continued even after the lockdown most especially that some Filipinos are already back to work and they already have money to spend shopping. Another factor why it continued to be a hit is because of the upsurge of Filipinos that work from home who do not have time to go out anymore and finds it more convenient to order online. Apart from social media platforms, numerous online shopping applications in the Philippines have been very useful as well such as Lazada, Shopee, Foodpanda, Grabfood, etc. Online selling is a big help because malls were closed for a long time.
There were success stories of Filipinos who have been laid off from work but started selling various products online and now earning much higher than their salary before. Using social media as a platform for reaching customers has been proven effective and safe. Online selling may already be normal to other countries but not in the Philippines – not until this year. Online selling proved that the pandemic will not hinder anyone from gaining income. This just shows that as humans we never stop to be hopeful in whatever challenges we may face.
Edited by: NjA
NjA Art & Photography
