PhilExport Cebu to launch market information portal

CEBU, Philippines - PhilExport-Cebu is planning to roll out the promotion of its market information portal not only to industry associations, academe and other sectors in Cebu, but also to the entire business community in the Philippines.

iSEARCH is a new service of Philexport Cebu which is free of charge for members. It is a web based market information system that is available online 24/7. The core of iSEARCH is a database where users can view, search for and download basic market information for seven selected industries in the Philippines.

It contains pre-processed statistics, data tables, charts and graphs that give you valuable market information on key market trends per industry sector and short market reports on various topics for all seven industry sectors that are regularly published online.

This is purposely introduced by PhilExport and the German Development Services in order to improve the market information knowledge of sector associations and the academe. Also, to elevate the competitiveness of the exporters through better and constantly updated market information.

Philexport Cebu is cooperating with the DED since 2008. A German marketing and branding expert, Sabine Schacknat, was assigned to support them for at least two years in their efforts to improve the performance of the industry sectors under their umbrella.

Recently, awarded iSEARCH Annual Subscription vouchers to industry sector associations and universities as part of their outreach and CSR program.

Sector Associations of Philexport Cebu and other partner organizations includes USC Business School, San Jose Recoletos, Cebu Fashion Accessories Manufacturers and Exporters (FAME), Cebu Furniture Industries Foundation Inc. (CFIF), Cebu Gifts, Toys and Housewares (Cebu-GTH), Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and European Chamber of Commerce in the Philippines (ECC).

To increase the awareness level of the importance of market information and to introduce the tool iSEARCH to the national business community, especially in the Central Visayas, PhilExport advocacy officer Jun Abines said.

DED sponsored iSEARCH Annual Vouchers will help to achieve the above mentioned objectives. The total value of all vouchers amounts to P298,000.

Meanwhile, PhilExport-Cebu earlier announced that it will make available the P20 million, Sector-Export-Marketing-Plan (SEMP), to its members by January of 2010, to prepare exporters for the anticipated market rebound.

The SEMP, which will be developed by foreign and local experts in export industry, with the support of CBI-Netherlands, German Technical Cooperation (GTZ) and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), will provide an intensive marketing plan for the identified priority sectors like seaweed, health and wellness, fashion accessories, furniture, and gifts-toys-housewares.

“We will go into analyzing seriously the export value chain, and come up with market-entry strategies to provide exporters better and wide understanding of the whole value chain process of the sector,” said PhilExport-Cebu executive director Fred Escalona.