Publicly listed grocery chain operator Puregold Price Club said it is boosting its digital efforts as it continues to adapt to the ever-changing business environment amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The company said its ability to adjust has allowed it to increase sales by 9.2% to P168.6 billion and net income by 19.1% to P8.1 billion in 2020 despite the challenging retail industry.
Puregold stressed that it will continue to support and expand the reach of its online and delivery services as well as its mobile app.
“Ultimately, Puregold’s foray into the digital arena fulfils multiple objectives,” said Puregold president Ferdinand Vincent Co. “While keeping our customers within our franchise, we also create stronger relations with our suppliers, working with them in promoting their brands, thus ensuring an enduring business partnership,” he added.
Puregold has launched tie-ups with GCash, Shopee, Share Treats, and Giftaway as it projects online sales to contribute three percent to total sales in 2021, up from only 1 percent in 2020.
In 2020, Puregold launched the Puregold Mobile App – dubbed Sally, short for “shopping ally” – which allows shoppers and members to purchase goods via a few clicks from their smartphones. Its launch early in that year proved timely as Filipino residents saw their mobility hindered by the pandemic. There are presently 780,000 subscribers to the app.
Puregold also launched “Puregold Channel” the same year, leveraging on the reach of its 2.8 million followers on Facebook and growing base on YouTube through its various ‘shoppertainment’ shows – said to be a first-in-market move to connect shopping and entertainment to capture interest and engage customers with new products and promotions.
“The integration of all these efforts is Puregold’s innovative approach to modern and omni-channel retailing,” shared Co. The activation of Puregold Mobile app, their Puregold Channel plus the intervention of their upcoming e-commerce website, now enables a more seamless consumer journey. Various Sally’s Deals, P-Wallet, discount vouchers and flash deals are weaved into all of these channels so consumers have more purchase touchpoints, on top of access to actual products found in-store.
Puregold said it aims to further utilize the power of online to reach out more audiences through customized content. Recently, it started to tap on the gaming market by showcasing products and highlighting them in its latest programming effort “Puregold Esports Live: Mobile Legends Tournament”.
Along with this, Puregold has created its first digital series, “GV BOYS” — a 10-episode mini-series reminiscent of well-loved classic ‘90s sitcoms. As it exudes a humor and nostalgia, the emergence of would-be fans of the series aims to further strengthen consumer loyalty and affinity towards the brand.
“By creating fresh and novel content, we want to continually capture and engage with customers, to solidify our footing on the digital space,” Co explained.
