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2018 HIGHLIGHT: Ateneo GSB Chamber of Commerce partners with Shopee to educate future business leaders

January 21, 2019

2018 HIGHLIGHT: Ateneo GSB Chamber of Commerce partners with Shopee to educate future business leaders

“Every opportunity to learn more is a wonderful opportunity given,” Dean Rodolfo Ang of the Ateneo Graduate School of Business (AGSB) says as he welcomes students and alumni alike during the business conference and forum entitled Driving Growth with eCommerce, earlier last 2018 in BGC.

This event is spearheaded by the AGSB Chamber of Commerce—an organization that serves as a professional networking platform for the AGSB, by educating and guiding its members through partnerships, dialogues, research, and forums on socio-civic responsibilities and business ethics.

eCommerce takes the stage in this business forum as it “offers so much opportunities to small and medium enterprises, as well as major corporations, it is a flexible and highly scalable solution to businesses and the consumers,” says Avin Ong, founder of the AGSB Chamber of Commerce. In partnership with Shopee, the AGSB Chamber of Commerce gives a preamble to the growing industry of eCommerce in the Philippines by providing insight from the real-life experiences of key industry players.

 

Mr. Justin Rafael Francisco, eCommerce Brand Director of Great Deals eCommerce Corporation, lays down the landscape of the industry’s ongoing success in the country.

“The sun never sets in eCommerce. The business is always online,” he opens, before discussing how the local eCommerce industry is currently seeing steady growth, with 39% out of 67 million active internet users choosing to purchase online. The Philippines is projecting a peak performance of $44.7M in terms of eCommerce by 2020.

But how do you win in this rapidly developing landscape? Mr. Francisco lays down the key channels utilized by e-businesses: independent websites, social media, eCommerce retail stores, and market place platforms. Choosing the right eCommerce channel should be based on thorough knowledge of your product or service and your market in order for it to succeed.

Among the many factors involved in the growth of eCommerce, one of the most notable is the current rise of mCommerce. Mr. Martin Yu, Shopee’s Head of Business Intelligence, shares insight and experiences on how this emerging avenue is changing the eCommerce game.

“mCommerce is where the market is going,” Mr. Yu states clearly.

Shopee rides with the mCommerce wave with its mobile-centric approach, and aims to revolutionize the customer experience by addressing the growing demand for ease of transaction and authenticity of products and businesses, while helping start-up sellers to grow and keep pace with the evolving industry through training and support programs.

The business landscape is an ever-changing playing field—now moving towards eCommerce, and ushering in a new era of mobile businesses. The AGSB Chamber of Commerce believes that being innovative and adaptable to such changes are important to succeeding as an entrepreneur. To conclude the evening’s dialogue, Dean Rodolfo Ang addresses the Ateneans present, reminding them of the AGSB way: understanding with the intent of welcoming change and embracing progress as future business leaders.