With retailing now shifting online due to the Covid-19 pandemic, local conglomerate San Miguel Corporation (SMC) has announced the opening of its own online store called “The Mall.”
In a social media post, the conglomerate said the SMC online store aims to provide customers “a safer, more convenient way to order your well-loved and trusted San Miguel products that go beyond making life easier, better for everyone in many meaningful ways.”
According to the website, the range of products available online includes products from San Miguel Foods, Ginebra San Miguel, Petron, San Miguel Brewery, and Woomera.
In terms of payments, the website accepts payments via online banking, over-the-counter banks and non-banks, and ATMs. It was not disclosed if the website accepts cash-on-delivery payments.
The Mall operates 24/7 to accept orders, SMC said. For pickups or deliveries, operating hours will depend on operating hours of Petron station or a delivery service provider.
Customers have the option to pick up their items at a Petron gas station nearest them. However, the pickup schedule of selected Petron outlets is limited to 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM, Monday to Saturday. For deliveries, SMC said it has partnered with a number of delivery service providers.
Many companies in the Philippines have now shifted their focus on selling goods online. Recently, popular retail chain Robinsons unveiled “GoRobinsons,” an online store.
The retail giant said the sudden surge in demand for online services meant that other established grocery sites are often fully booked and “orders were not being served quickly enough,” and that “a new player was a welcome alternative.”
The online boom is not limited to supermarket chains or food companies, as many other companies from the banking, education, and other services-based sectors have turned to the online medium.
The Covid-19 pandemic continues to ravage countries across the globe. In the Philippines, recent government reports said there are now more than 74,000 positive cases of Covid-19 in the country, mostly in Metro Manila.
