The declining number of COVID-19 cases in the Philippines augurs well for economic recovery and the return of jobs lost amid last year’s pandemic-induced steep recession. But three think tanks on Monday cautioned the government against letting down its guard against the virus, especially as the more contagious Delta variant forced renewed lockdowns which hurt…
Meeting the love of your life at a party seems like a thing of the past with online dating experiencing a major boom—not in the least thanks to the pandemic. Tinder reached a record three billion swipes in a single day in March 2020, while OkCupid experienced a massive 700-percent increase in dates from March…
Carmen’s Best is riding the digitization wave and going into cyberspace. The premium Filipino ice cream has harnessed digital technology to turn its website, www.carmensbest.com, into a full-fledged electronic store (e-store). Founder and chief executive officer Francisco Magsaysay said, like most businesses, the 10-year-old artisanal ice cream business faced major challenges when the COVID-19 pandemic…
With the sudden heavy dependence on online transactions as a result of quarantine restrictions to contain the spread of COVID-19, trust has become an even more important value for both consumers and businesses. Consumers had to trust businesses online with their valuable personal information, for example, while companies had to trust their employees to really…
More consumers are shopping online, especially for safety and convenience amid the COVID-19 pandemic. For many businesses accelerating their digital transformation to ride this wave, embracing e-commerce is the way forward under the “new normal.” Helping these enterprises transform is PayMaya, the only fintech in the country providing digital payments solutions that can easily integrate…
The pandemic has significantly changed people’s lives, especially in terms of shopping. As more consumers choose to stay indoors, they also increasingly turn to online platforms for their needs—a trend that will continue even as retail establishments restart operations. For a booming industry that is fast-growing in markets such as the Philippines and other nations…
Retail financial transactions executed through the central bank-backed national quick reaction (QR) code standard have increased dramatically in recent months as the pandemic pushed more people toward contactless payment schemes, according to the central bank. In an online briefing, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Governor Benjamin Diokno said person-to-person payments using the “QR Ph” system —…
Increased dependence on technology, new concepts of identity, a demand for real experiences and a rise in consumer rating are some of the top priorities of consumers in the next 10 years, according to the Dentsu Consumer Vision 2030: The Age of Inclusive Intelligence, a futuristic study by global marketing services group Dentsu International. Drawing…
Open Finance and payments platform i2i has been providing financial services to micro-business owners like Mang Efren, a vegetable stall owner in Cebu. Mang Efren was able to pick up his approved loan proceeds conveniently from the nearest partner remittance center through i2i, currently the fastest-growing Open Finance and payments platform in the country. UBX…
In 2020, Puregold launched the Puregold Mobile App which allowed its shoppers and members to purchase goods conveniently via a few clicks from their smartphones. As it continuously transforms for its customers, it also launched “Puregold Channel” the same year, utilizing the reach of its 2.8 million followers on Facebook and growing base on YouTube…