DTI to launch free e-commerce site for small firms

The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) will set up an electronic commerce platform which the country’s small businesses can join for free and expand their revenue base beyond those afforded by traditional channels, the country’s new Trade chief said.

Speaking before the Management Association of the Philippines on Thursday, Trade Secretary Alfredo Pascual said the project would be implemented in partnership with the Department of Information and Communications Technology.

“It’s a very simple system,” he said in his speech before businessmen in Taguig City. “I’ve seen it already demonstrated. A small enterprise can quickly set up an online store front, get orders and receive payments.”

In contrast with existing e-commerce platforms that offer their services for a fee, Pascual said the DTI version would be free and could be used by any micro, small and medium enterprise (MSME) that wants to offers their products or services to the public.

“By using e-commerce platforms, MSMEs can access bigger markets for their products,” he said, as he made a push for the country’s small businesses to leverage on technology to better compete in the marketplace.

Presenting the thrust of the Trade department with him at the helm, Pascual said his top priority would be to “upgrade, upskill and upsize” MSMEs in the country which account for the majority of employment among Filipinos and form the backbone of the local economy.

In particular, the Trade chief said he wanted to focus on science, technology and innovation in collaboration with the Department of Science and Technology and the National Economic and Development Authority to enable MSMEs to respond to the changing market demands for quality and new products, processes and business models.

He expressed optimism that, through technology, more micro and small firms could “graduate” into the ranks of mid-sized businesses, and more mid-sized firms could join the roster of large firms in the country.

In particular, Pascual said firms should be given the means to use technology that could harness market data that would allow them to make better business decisions. These include information systems that can help entrepreneurs better predict the products that their buyers want as well as those that would help them manage their companies’ finances better.