Internet firm eBay has announced it is launching “Global 24/7”, an e-commerce accelerator program specifically designed to help local SMEs leverage eBay’s platform for global export as the economy gradually enters a recovery phase.
The e-commerce accelerator program provides start-up incentives, necessary tools, trainings, and assistance for business owners to tap into eBay’s global marketplace of over 174 million active buyers.
Aside from the Philippines, the program is extended to markets across the Southeast Asia region which includes Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, and Vietnam.
“Global e-commerce has experienced exponential growth due to a shift in consumer behavior, following the Covid-19 pandemic. Philippines SME exporters on our platform have seen a corresponding increase, especially in health and beauty; jewelry, gems, and watches; computers; business and industrial; and auto-parts categories, where volumes have more than doubled from the same period last year,” said Tam Yong Sheng, head of business development eBay Southeast Asia.
“This shows that e-commerce is a key driver for SMEs to recover from the economic downturn. Our aspiration with the Global 24/7 program is to empower businesses by helping them move online more quickly and giving them the opportunity to participate in an international marketplace with approximately 1.5 billion live listings at any given time across 190 markets.”
Philippines SMEs on eBay
The United States, United Kingdom, Germany, Australia, and Canada are the top five export destination markets for Philippine SMEs on eBay with health and beauty being the leading category of sales globally, followed closely by jewelry, gems, and watches; computers; business and industrial; and auto-parts.
Simultaneously, retail exports by Philippine sellers on eBay continue to grow rapidly in a variety of product categories, indicating the opportunity for SMEs in the global marketplace.
In the first quarter of 2020, compared with the same period last year, these categories have grown in terms of items sold for Philippine sellers:
- For the US market, women’s clothing has seen a growth of more than 290%, while Men’s clothing has grown by more than 190%
- In Australia, women’s clothing has grown by about 160%
- As for the United Kingdom, digital cameras have recorded a growth of 320%. Headphones and men’s accessories have both grown by 120%
- In Germany, sales of handy phones and smartphones have increased by 680%
- In France, Italy, and Spain, Motorcycle-part sales have increased by more than 80%
The eBay program will run until December 31, 2020, and offers the following benefits to new sellers:
- New business seller incentive: eBay will waive 100% of eBay Store fees at the Basic subscription tier and 50% of fees for businesses to use Promoted Listings to advertise their products. Total incentive for each seller can be as high as $1,000 . These benefits will significantly reduce the cost for SMEs to grow their business online.
- Educational webinars: eBay will be conducting bi-weekly webinars for business owners to gain insights on cross market selling opportunities on eBay, best practices to optimize listing ranking and visibility, and tips on developing a traffic generation plan to their virtual storefront.
- Free access to product listing tools worth up to $700: Sellers will have full access to Viewider, enabling easy product information migration from their existing online selling channels. Those in the automotive category will be entitled to additional listing assistance to map their items to eBay’s master vehicle list, enhancing visibility through eBay’s fitment finder. These tools will reduce the amount of manual work SMEs need to complete and accelerate their go global journey.
- Preferential shipping rates & US storage fee subsidy: In partnership with DHL Express, this program offers new businesses discounted shipping rates from Southeast Asia, and a dedicated account manager to expedite the account opening process. For businesses who are keen to store their items in the United States to provide a better buyer experience, eBay will provide a subsidy (worth $1,200) of 12-months of storage fees in partner warehouses
- Dedicated account manager: Each business owner with more than 100 products on eBay will also be assigned a dedicated account manager for personalized guidance and consultation to ensure they make the most of their online store.
- Market intelligence: To help business owners make better informed decisions and strategies, eBay will be creating local market intelligence reports for their specific product categories and industries.
Meanwhile, recorded webinars and self-help tutorials will be available at the eBay e-Commerce Accelerator webpage. All in all, the benefits under the Global 24/7 initiative have been carefully tailored with the main purpose of upskilling small business owners to digitalize and globalize their businesses in a sustainable manner and significantly reduce the cost for them to setup their digital storefront on eBay.
Who are eligible?
SMEs who have an existing business but do not have an eBay store are eligible to apply for this program. This includes large and small businesses across the value chain – from manufacturers to dealers to retailers.
To get started, they will need to apply on eBaySEAforbusiness.com and follow the instructions that follow in the subsequent email. The application period for this program will be accepted up to 30 September 2020.
