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Budget-conscious Filipinos
LAST Monday, Vu The Du (VTD) of GFK Marketing Services, shared
some insights on the Philippine Consumer Technology Market. GFK
tracks purchase of consumer technology products in most
countries around the world from microwave ovens to cellular
phone in order to advise manufacturers which products are moving
fast in the market.
For the Philippines, VTD observed that our purchasing decision
is primarily driven by price; features come as a second
consideration. That is why sellers here don’t have to convince
us as which technology is better.
More often than not, we are only asked about our budget and the
product that suits our financial capability gets recommended to
us.
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VTD noted that we are one of the few countries in Asia where
audio products are still pretty much in demand. This is perhaps
because of our love for karaoke or sing-along gadgets more than
any other nation in the world.
Another interesting fact is it is in the Philippines where one
can find the cheapest home technology appliance. Nowhere in the
region can one find a washing machine that costs P2,000 only.
VTD further explained that the Filipino consumer technology
market is primarily retailer dictated. This is regardless
whether you are in the organized retail market or black market.
Our brand choices are very limited.
For instance, in Thailand, there are 50 mobile phone brands to
choose from. While in the Philippines, there are no more than 25
brands being sold in the market.
Joining contests. In the same forum, Erick Kalugdan of
Load.com.ph shared his experience in running an online reloading
service. Erick is well known for his various media appearances
and for his award-winning InfoTxt product.
What I found most interesting was his bravery in joining
contests. He believes that, win or lose, it helps a lot in
promoting, building and testing your market brand. He encourages
companies, no matter how small, not to be afraid to join
competitions as these push an entrepreneur to do better in their
dealings.
Collecting payments via e-mail billing. Two days ago, I
partnered with YesPayments.com to use their e-mail billing
facility. Through the said service, I’ll be able to send
membership billing notices via e-mail to DigitalFilipino.com
Club members. In the said e-mail, the link to online payment is
already cited. With just one click, they are all set to pay
through credit card.
What I like about the service is the level of personalization.
Although one can have an online payment service in a website,
some customers would first inquire and need further convincing.
This is where the seller has to haggle and even customize the
offering to suit the needs of the prospective customer. E-mail
billing comes into play when you give discounts and special fees
depending on the service sought for.
For merchants and sellers who don’t have fixed prices for their
products due to marketing volatility, e-mail billing may just be
a viable option.
P19-million software piracy crackdown. The Business Software
Alliance (BSA) expressed optimism over the continuing progress
of the Pilipinas Anti-Piracy Team in curbing software piracy in
the country. The team is composed of the National Bureau of
Investigation, the Optical Media Board and the Philippine
National Police.
It started the crackdown on businesses using, selling and
distributing unlicensed software last September, 30 days after a
warning period was announced. The team has confiscated over
P19-million worth of illegal software programs nationwide.
By Janette Toral
Digital Filipino
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