More of consumers’ day-to-day transactions are being facilitated online. People are spending more time on their smartphones, making it a perfect opportunity for businesses to get on-board with apps and customized ads.
According to a 2019 report by Hootsuite and We Are Social, Facebook is ranked as the most popular social media site in the Philippines. Now, local companies and businesses also turn to Facebook to drive their sales through a series of seamless and dynamic marketing products.
By leveraging Facebook’s various digital marketing solutions, businesses can create product awareness, grow sales and engage customers.
Keeping up with the e-commerce revolution
Philippines has one of the largest number of internet users in Southeast Asia but e-commerce transactions are not keeping up with that pace.
Despite huge opportunities in the e-commerce market of Philippines, businesses are finding it difficult to tap this opportunity.
Based on the 2019 report by Hootsuite and We Are Social, the average e-commerce revenue per Filipino user as a % of GDP Per Capita is lagging behind other South East Asian countries like Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore, Malaysia, with spends ranging from 1.5% to 2.3%. The average Filipino only spent 0.6% of per capita GDP, which is extremely low considering the high internet penetration.
Some challenges Filipino entrepreneurs face to develop a thriving e-commerce business include building online presence, reaching out to their target audience, and utilizing engagement data to drive sales and revenue.
Facebook is making it easier for Filipino businesses to fully tap into the potential of e-commerce by providing tools that can automate the digital marketing process, identify the best audience for a product whilst enabling brands to sell a variety of products.
Through its digital marketing solutions, Facebook has helped many Filipino entrepreneurs not only to overcome these hurdles, but also thrive and expand their businesses. A survey on SMEs on Facebook conducted by Morning Consult Intelligence yield the following figures: In the Asia-Pacific region, 74% of SMEs say they have increased their sales because of Facebook; 78% believe the platform allowed them to sell their products or services in other cities, states or countries; and 85% say Facebook helps them attract new customers.
Embracing a solid e-commerce partnership
L’Oreal Paris Philippines, the local arm of a global leader in beauty products housing brands such as Maybelline New York, Garnier, and Kiehl’s, recently partnered with Facebook for their collaborative ad solutions which reach and drive high potential buyers to view and purchase products from their Facebook feeds to the L’Oreal store on Lazada. Collaborative Ads is the bridge that connects businesses and e-retailers to grow and measure online sales together. It gives brands the opportunity to go beyond brand advertising and drive performance marketing on Facebook based on a customer’s purchase intent.
In this marketing campaign, L’Oreal launched dynamic ads on Facebook that were targeted to a female audience in the Philippines, aged 25 to 40 to optimize their e-commerce efforts. This was done by setting up a catalogue segment featuring L’Oreal’s highlighted products on Facebook and were seamlessly fed into the consumers’ Facebook experience. Through this partnership, L’Oreal achieved 96% increase in traffic to their Lazada store and ultimately saw a 55-point lift in online sales with specific 8-point lift in sales for their other brands such as Garnier and Maybelline New York.
Relevant and updated products shown through a collaborative ad solution translates to reaching the right audience, faster results, generating more sales without the need to set up a dedicated e-commerce site. It further allows businesses to measure the impact of their campaigns and the brand’s performance.
Getting ahead of the e-commerce curve
Venturing into e-commerce largely begins with determining the right platform for your business. Consumer experience begins from product searches, to location-tailored results, to decision-making via positive vs. negative brand experience stories (i.e. ratings, reviews), to checkout experiences. For your business to thrive, grow sales, and be ahead of competition, it is a must to know how to meet consumers where they are.
A successful marketing strategy for your business comes with many challenges, and as technology evolves, it continues to become a complex process. By partnering with Facebook, businesses can ride the growing wave of e-commerce and thrive amid the increasingly digitized world.