118 Philippine Companies Participated In 2nd ASEAN Online Sale Day

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 12 (Bernama) -- Some 118 retail companies from the Philippines have participated in the 2nd ASEAN Online Sale Day (AOSD) held recently, seizing the opportunity of the e-commerce platform to promote and boost their sales to consumers beyond their shores. Of the 118 participants from the Philippines, 56 companies were targetting ASEAN neighbours, while the participating companies represented various sectors -- food and beverage, tourism and travel, fashion, e-marketplaces, consumer goods, crafts and home and living, said a statement sent to Bernama from the Philippines Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) in Kuala Lumpur. It added that micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) with products ranging from snacks, fresh produce, chocolates, coffee, condiments, cosmetics, woven items, and home décor also participated in the AOSD. The statement also cited Philippines Department of Trade & Industry Secretary, Ramon M. Lopez’s remarks about the event: “As we pursue economic recovery and build back better in the post-pandemic era, let us harness the fast-growing e-commerce to boost our economic growth. “Our participation in this year’s AOSD would allow us to create “Better Normal” through taking advantage of the benefits of e-commerce in the region”. According to DTI, e-commerce had contributed 3.4 per cent or US$12 billion (P$500 billion) to the country’s GDP in 2020. The Philippines is targetting to increase the revenue from e-commerce to US$17 billion (P$850 billion) or 4.3 per cent of the GDP by 2021 and to US$24 billion (P$1.2 trillion) or 5.5 per cent of the GDP in 2022. The three-day online sale, from Aug 8 to 10 on https://onlineasean.com, had offered consumers discounts of up to 50 per cent on various products from entrepreneurs across the ASEAN region. AOSD was held as part of the event to celebrate ASEAN’s founding anniversary and unity among ASEAN member states. It was also aimed to provide continuous sales opportunities, facilitate cross-border e-commerce in ASEAN, promote consumer trust in e-commerce, and drive economic recovery. Inaugurated last year following the COVID-19 pandemic, AOSD is the first online shopping event that is conducted collectively on a region-wide scale that aims to help enterprises across ASEAN to promote their products and increase their sales via the e-commerce platform. It was coordinated by the ASEAN Coordinating Committee on E-commerce (ACCEC). The event consists of two tiers. Tier 1 was for domestic transactions, where reputable e-commerce businesses and platforms in 10 ASEAN countries launch a series of special discount shopping programmes for consumers in that country. Tier 2 meanwhile was for cross-border transactions. It allowed enterprises and platforms to coordinate and implement a cross-border online shopping programme among ASEAN countries. -- BERNAMA