Europe vows to liberate online shopping, what about shopping online in the Philippines?
My comment: Here is the Philippines the merchants are losing a valuable opportunity to sell online as few do such a business. There is an increasing number getting online everyday and its a cheap way of advertising too. Even stores like CDR King which is always out of many items, would be an excellent candidate for such an expansion with pent up demand all over the country. And Island Souvenirs also does not seem to recognize the world wide potential of such world wide sales. And the Hong Merchants who sell on ebay should open a local stocking outlet since the non brand batteries cell batteries sold in country are mostly junk and don’t last good like the original brand and yet my experience from USA and Hong Kong batteries off brand, they are just as good and even if you can ever find any batteries in stock for your cell at CDRKing they are good not like the off brands sold at the stalls you find everywhere here in the Philippines. And there are lots of other items that would be easier to sell online with good delivery services like LBC, DHL and others here in country. Payment remains a sticking point so meet ups still might be the best way or payment after receipt like Globe is now offering although I don’t know how well it works. But if its a big reliable company it should be easy. Why not even sell LCD TVs online for local pickup from SM Appliances or Robinsons or Abensons?
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Island Souvenirs http://philisland.wordpress.com/
CDRKing http://cdrkingph.blogspot.com/
SM Malls http://smmalls.blogspot.com/
Letter to Islands Souvenirs president Jonathan Jay Aldeguer
Letter to Islands Souvenirs president Jonathan Jay Aldeguer
Your website is visually attractive but could generate great sales if you had your t shirts from the different cities of the Philippines right on line so customers could order by city and attraction worldwide.
Also your email on your website does not work, so how can you learn what customers think? Try sending an email and you will find it is rejected as unable to find your company email.
Here is what the rejected email said Hi. This is the qmail-send program at yahoo.com.
I’m afraid I wasn’t able to deliver your message to the following addresses.
This is a permanent error; I’ve given up. Sorry it didn’t work out.
<info@islandsouvenirs.com>:
Sorry, I couldn’t find a mail exchanger or IP address. (#5.4.4)
And your flash introduction page on your website is annoying rather than opening right to your products page and should be removed as some don’t have flash players. Check out these websites where you can order online and there is no wasted flash page to slow down your customer experience.
Why can’t you do the same having ordering online to the world?
And your website doesnt have email address able to be easily copied so you can paste in your email as it is a graphic and not able to be copied but must be hand written, why not make it easier for customers to write you by putting the email address in text like most websites do?
Being visually attractive does not make sales, but the Philippines and the world are ready for your products online and I am sure that many like me have visited a place and regretted not getting a t shirt and later would like to have.
Why not make it easy and put ur shirts online and see how e-bay.ph does it very well with millions of customers who order online. You could even have a store on ebay. I would be happy to talk with you further but regardless I hope you can make your website useful to customers besides just getting store locations.
Thanks. We want your t shirts online. Watch the sales expand!
Website
Islands Souvenir store offers new products
RACKS dedicated to fair-trade products will be put up in at least 20 Islands Souvenirs stores nationwide starting next year in support of local producers and in the promotion of sustainability efforts.
This was disclosed by Islands Group president Jay Aldeguer during a media lunch last Thursday at Casino Español de Cebu.
Islands Souvenirs Inc. (ISI) outlets will serve as an incubation hub for fair-trade products to reach their markets.
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Fair trade is a global movement that aims to give just value and market access to the products of small-time producers. Fair trade products are made in environmentally, economically and socially responsible conditions.
Aldeguer said he had been active in developing cottage industries and so was aware that most producers are concerned with market access.
“Islands Souvenirs will give them the venue to promote their products,” he said. The 20 main stores identified nationwide will simultaneously start displaying fair-trade products by the summer of 2010.
He also said since these stores are based in different provinces, the suppliers can come from producers based in the provinces where ISI outlets are located.
If the products get a good response from the market, Aldeguer said, Islands Souvenirs will officially tap the producers as direct suppliers of the company.
He also said the company welcomes various products, from bags to food products.
The company’s pasalubong (souvenir) center in Lapu-Lapu City is already carrying fair-trade products.
Aside from this, Aldeguer is also looking at asking the Department of Trade and Industry to assist producers in their businesses. He said he has already talked to local fair trade movement representatives in Cebu to help push for this initiative.
http://www.sunstar.com.ph/cebu/souvenir-store-offers-fair-trade-products
Cebu-based Islands Souvenirs aims at nationalistic fervor
WHAT started out as a regular Independence Day seasonal shirt design for a Cebu-based souvenir retail giant has now become a leader in a new trend that makes it cool again to be Filipino.
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Island Souvenirs president Jonathan Jay Aldeguer said they were preparing to roll out a 2008 Independence Day commemorative shirt when suddenly the proverbial light bulb lit up.
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“Suddenly our employees and their friends have been [eagerly] asking when it will be released and when the new designs will come out,” Aldeguer said. “[The interest on the shirts] was surprisingly overwhelming.”
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-The shirt spread like wildfire and in just a year, the brand known as Pi (for Philippine islands) accounts for Island Souvenir’s biggest sales chunk in its 90 shops nationwide.
-The shirt spread like wildfire and in just a year, the brand known as Pi (for Philippine islands) accounts for Island Souvenir’s biggest sales chunk in its 90 shops nationwide.
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“It became trendy to be proud to be Filipino again,” Aldeguer said.
It is so successful the company is now thinking of creating standalone stores for the brand before Independence Day 2010.
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Designs of the Pi shirts are surprisingly simple—mostly inspired by the Philippine flag, writings by national heroes and the Philippine map. But it has successfully punched through perhaps the most fickle and western-oriented market segment—the young adults.
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Island Souvenirs hit the retail market by storm in the 1990s with its brightly colored shirts heralding the best of the Philippine cities and other tourist destinations.
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Aldeguer credited the fervor to a combination of factors—the victory of Manny Pacquiao, the deaths of former president Corazon Aquino and musician Francis Magalona, and the successes of singers Arnel Pineda of Journey and Apl.D.Ap of Black Eyed . He also credited his company’s design staff for continuously churning our groundbreaking illustrations.
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“Previously, nobody would like to be caught wearing a Philippine flag-inspired shirt,” he said. “Now it’s cool to be nationalistic. Even the younger kids drag their parents to our shop to buy a Pi shirt.”
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Island Souvenirs also launched a massive marketing campaign, tapping young endorsers from rock stars to student leaders even to young philanthropists—all proclaiming their pride to be Filipinos.
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Sales from the Pi line has boosted Island Souvenir earnings by 30 percent on top of its usual sales with Cebu and Metro Manila accounting for the bulk of the positive growth says Aldeguer
http://businessmirror.com.ph/home/companies/16877-cebu-based-firm-aims-at-nationalistic-fervor.html
http://businessmirror.com.ph/home/companies/16877-cebu-based-firm-aims-at-nationalistic-fervor.html