CEBU, Philippines – The Central Visayas Information Sharing Network Foundation (CVISNet) has created a new portal that will broaden the access of Cebu-based enterprises to the global market.
In an interview with Jose Mari T. Bigornia of CVISNET, he said that through the I-Share program, Cebuano entrepreneurs will now have the opportunity to showcase their products and services to a diverse market at the same time do trading online.
Patterned after eBay, I-Share will host various export clusters such as gifts, toys, and housewares, furniture, clothing, jewelry, and food.
I-Share was developed June of last year backed by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) aimed at helping micro, small and medium scale entrepreneurs have better access to a bigger marketplace.
CVISNet was also responsible for the “Made In Cebu” website, which showcases different products found in the province.
However, the I-Share portal will be totally different from the “Made In Cebu” website as it will be an interactive portal that will enable companies to display, negotiate and sell their products online just like eBay, Bigornia said.
“I-Share will not only put Cebu products on the web but it will also help these products gain an edge in the global market because it will serve as a web portal for commerce,” said Bigornia.
He said that currently majority of the exporters are still maximizing traditional marketing tools such as exhibits, trade shows, and websites that have limited clientele mileage.
“Usually our exporters spend so much money on marketing that does not really translate to direct sales. In e-commerce, there is a huge potential that you can reach many clients and do trading at the same time,” he said.
He stressed that e-commerce will provide more productivity because it can translate to sales while the products are being showcased online.
“This is a new trend because it does not require so much effort and investment like a regular office and yet it enables you to touch base with the global market for 24 hours, seven days a week. There is less overhead expenses but it will provide you with more exposure that translates to sales,” he added.
Bigornia said that it will be best that export companies consolidate their marketing efforts and be unified and not directly compete with each other so as not to confuse buyers.
“They should set up an intelligent market data so that they will not be fragmented. If they can work together, we can even beat China and compete in the global marketplace,” he said.
I-Share is still an ongoing project, which is targeted to be launched by June to July this year.
So far, the portal’s domain has already been booked and it will tap into the beneficiaries of DOST’s Manufacture Productivity Extension (MPEX) Program that provides consultancy to export-related industries.
Right now the only limitation of e-commerce is the banking aspect because so far, banks do not usually go into e-payment schemes, which means cash transactions could still be difficult though credit cards.
Bigornia said that the only access for payments is through international money transfers like PayPal and Money Gram.