A homegrown shopping site is attempting to break the virtually duopoly controlled by industry giants Lazada and Shopee over the country’s booming e-commerce industry.
VeMeBro, a Filipino-owned e-commerce platform, debuted on Wednesday, Jan. 27, with the aim to “deliver ‘new essentials’ with speed” as logistics is a major focus of the company.
The online site guarantees a standard 48-hour delivery, with customers having the option for same-day delivery with VeMoBro’s list of partner delivery service providers.
The e-commerce firm also said it would specifically cater to Filipino retailers of all sizes – with a focus on micro, small and medium-sized enterprises – which can sell their wares on the platform.
The site provides merchants with an onboarding system, delivery service, and customer service. They can navigate the VeMoBro site while selling products, managing inventories, and getting sales analysis reports, officials said.
Aware of the proliferation of fake products and online scams as online shopping gains more popularity, VeMoBro said it ensures the legitimacy of the products on its marketplace to protect both consumers and sellers.
The firm said it has adopted a fail-safe features to filter out fake sellers and implements a system that regulates and ensures accurate product descriptions to deliver peace of mind while shopping.
“VeMoBro’s mission is to create a platform that puts high value on consumer trust. By carefully filtering out, investing in and supporting legitimate sellers, we assure our customers that our platform does not only attend to their essential needs but also provides a safe e-commerce space,” VeMoBro founder and CEO Vergil Bargola said.
The platform offers a wide array of “new essentials” comprising food and grocery items, home items, tech gadgets and accessories, and automotive products. It lets customers track their purchases in real-time.
For payment, VeMoBro executives said customers choose cash-on-delivery, online banking or e-wallet payment through GCash, GrabPay, Coins.ph, and Dragonpay.
Another unique feature of the platform is the ability for both buyers and sellers to rate each other on the site. While the review of sellers has been a long-known feature on online shopping sites, VeMoBro’s platform encourages sellers to appeal and report faulty product reviews. Additionally, sellers can give reviews of customers so other merchants can be made aware of fraudulent customers or transactions.
Co-founder and COO Rain Ibajo said, “One of our goals is to be a platform for growth. We understand how the pandemic took its toll on Filipino businesses, and we are here to work with them to achieve recovery. Whether you’re an established brand or an aspiring start-up, you are welcome to join our growing list of partner merchants as we work together to succeed in this industry.”
From January 27 until June 30, new customers will be entitled to a P100 off on their first orders with a minimum spend of P1,000. Customers will be provided with the promo code upon signing up on VeMoBro’s website or mobile application.
