Shopee aids small businesses and local communities through the pandemic

Shopee is helping Filipinos during the pandemic through MSME digitization initiatives and Shopee Bayanihan

Shopee, the e-commerce platform in Southeast Asia and Taiwan, shares the benefits of e-commerce as the Philippines faces the pandemic. Through adversities such as rising unemployment, frontliner burnout, and back-to-back typhoons, Shopee aims to use the power of e-commerce to give back to local communities.

Martin Yu, Director at Shopee Philippines, said, “Shopee is committed to empowering different communities through e-commerce. Shopee’s strengthened digital ecosystem has supported over 300,000 local MSMEs as they transitioned online. Through Shopee Bayanihan, our CSR initiative, we have also helped uplift frontliners and children in need. It is part of our goal to harness the digital ecosystem’s potential to provide opportunities for every Filipino—from aspiring entrepreneurs, ordinary families, and the impoverished. ”

Helping MSMEs revive their livelihood and embrace digitalization

With unemployment rates reaching an all-time high, Filipinos turned to online selling as a source of income. To help these entrepreneurs enter the online market, Shopee partnered with LGUs and government institutions to launch various initiatives and strengthened its ecosystem to support sellers.

Through collaborations with the Quezon City and Cavite LGUs and USAID, Shopee has onboarded over 1,000 sellers this 2020 and provided digital marketing training to 500 female entrepreneurs. Shopee also partnered with the Department of Trade and Industry to assist in onboarding sellers from Regions III, IV, and XII.

In addition, Shopee’s carefully designed ecosystem allows sellers to succeed in the e-commerce landscape:

• Seller Support Package: The Seller Support Package comprises a series of initiatives to ease operational costs and boost sales, including subsidized shipping and administration fees, vouchers, and free advertising credits.

• Shopee Seller Education Hub: The Shopee Seller Education Hub hosts modules on how to cultivate an online presence and boost sales. Shopee offers courses such as Running Effective Campaigns and Growing your Business, Managing Listing Assets, and Improving Your Listings.

• Seller Masterclass: Shopee launched Seller Masterclasses to introduce the advantages of live streaming. With Shopee Live, sellers can provide an ‘in-store experience’ while engaging with their customers in real-time.

• Seller Center: The Seller Center houses all the tools sellers can easily utilize to monitor, maximize, and optimize sales. Sellers can also customize their store campaigns and product promotions.

• ShopeePay: Sellers can securely receive payments through Shopee’s integrated mobile wallet, ShopeePay.

Unlocking the potential of e-commerce for the community

Shopee also uses its platform to provide opportunities for local communities. Shopee Bayanihan is Shopee’s CSR initiative to uplift sectors in need of help. For its first project under Shopee Bayanihan, Shopee partnered with 39 organizations to raise funds for Filipinos in need during the Enhanced Community Quarantine. Shopee also launched Shopee Bayanihan: Frontliner Package,which provided frontliners with Shopee vouchers, Unilever vouchers, and mobile load from Smart.

More recently, Shopee Bayanihan: Pamaskong Pambata raised funds for 12 local foundations focused on increasing awareness for children’s needs. Proceeds from GMA Kapuso Foundation, Inc.; Save the Children; and World Vision through Shopee Bayanihan: Pamaskong Pambata also provided relief for children and families affected by the Typhoons Rolly and Ulysses.

Shopee partnered with brands such as Beyond Yoga, Viu, RedDoorz, Gawin.ph, KonsultaMD, CignalTV, Bright Skin PH, Unilever, Colgate-Palmolive, GSK, and Smart to maximize the impact of Shopee Bayanihan: Pamaskong Pambata through a CSR raffle and sale.

Shopee also pledged to donate ₱2.5M worth of vaccine to the Department of Health for the Angat Lahat: A Dose of Hope initiative in cooperation with Go Negosyo, AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals Philippines, and Philippine Vaccine Czar Joey Galvez.

Amid the loss of livelihood during the pandemic, Shopee’s commitment to helping MSMEs and local communities through digitalization is in line with its broader vision of connecting people and businesses and making e-commerce for everyone.

Download the Shopee app for free via the App Store or Google Play.