Philippine Internet of Everything Consortium, Inc. holds third founding members’ meeting

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Access. Build. Collaborate. 

The Philippine Internet of Everything Consortium, Inc. (PIOEC, Inc.), the first non-profit organization in the Philippines that collaborates with industry leaders to help transform businesses through the Internet of Things, recently held its third founding members’ meeting at the Manila Peninsula to align their efforts in spreading awareness on the value of the Internet of Things (IoT) to people’s lives, work and play. 

Created in 2014, the PIOEC aims to provide an avenue for individuals and organizations where they can access resource materials to acquire new skills, build a network of professionals, enthusiasts, educators and members of the public sector who exchange ideas relevant to today’s needs, and collaborate with industry professionals to establish successful business relationships.

According to Chet Alviz, Executive Director of the PIOEC, Inc., “We brought together some of the best industry leaders who will help elevate the country’s businesses, making it up to par with international standards.” He continued, “We are now opening our doors for new members who want to join us in pushing this initiative.”

The Philippine Internet of Everything Consortium, Inc. (PIOEC, Inc.) Board of Trustees (seated from left to right) Ian Wilson, CEO of Cormant Technologies; Dr. Jaime Caro, Computer Science Professor at the University of the Philippines; Louie Castañeda, Corporate Secretary; Jovy Hernandez, Vice Chairman; Danilo Lachica, Chairman; Gilbert Ramos, Treasurer; Gavin Barfield, Chief Technology Advisor at Manila Electric Company (MERALCO); Sean Byrne, ICT Director at Concepcion-Carrier Air Conditioning; and (standing fourth from left) Chet Alviz, Executive Director of PIOEC, Inc. during the third founding members’ alignment meeting held recently at the Manila Peninsula, Makati City. The photo is also joined in by founding members (standing from left to right) Gio Abaquin, PIOEC Head of Secretary; Nico Alcoseba, VP & Head of ePLDT, Inc.’s Disruptive Business Group; Andrei Lopez, Head of Samsung’s Vertical Sales; Theresa Eisma, CIO of Air21; and two representatives from E-science Corporation and Air 21. Not present is Board Member Dr. Francisco Castillo, Chief Information Officer & SVP of Maynilad Water Services.

The Board of Trustees and founding members are composed of executives from various corporations. Presented by PLDT ALPHA, the PIOEC is now open for memberships. 

For more details, please visit the website at http://www.pioec.ph/.

PLDT, Voyager launch concierge service of social commerce platform TackThis!

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Online store creator to help more Filipino businesses go digital

Most businesses in the Philippines - large and small - recognize the potential of eCommerce, but only few are ready for the unique challenges that come with selling to customers online.

To address this gap, Voyager Innovations (Voyager), the digital unit of PLDT and Smart, together with PLDT Alpha and PLDT SME Nation, has launched today its premium concierge service for online store creator TackThis! to over a thousand partner businesses so they can quickly and efficiently build their own branded digital commerce footprint that incorporates a seamless social shopping experience for customers.

As a platform, TackThis! enables businesses to set up their online shops in just a matter of minutes. They can then “tack” their store to Facebook and other websites and the platform facilitates the customer’s entire digital commerce journey - beginning from the point of order, through the management of inventory, and ending with fulfillment and payment.

The premium concierge service aims to enable larger retailers who need a more comprehensive suite of features on top of the basic offerings of TackThis! Together with the wide array of solutions from PLDT Alpha and PLDT SME Nation, TackThis! is seen to further boost digital commerce in the country. 

“At Voyager, we believe that eCommerce is one of the building blocks of the digital economy. TackThis! is already changing eCommerce as it integrates the social shopping experience. Meanwhile, our partners can benefit from the one-stop solution that TackThis! provides, including our enhanced concierge service,” said Mitch Padua, vice president and head of digital commerce at Voyager Innovations.

“The premium concierge service gives retailers an end-to-end service that streamlines their online store requirements. This way, businesses don’t have to allocate huge resources in maintaining their online stores. TackThis! allows them to focus on what they know best: selling their products,” said Kat Luna-Abelarde, First Vice President and Head of PLDT SME Business.

The advanced features that come as a part of the concierge service include professional services for an effortless online store creation as well as hassle-free store management of logistics, payments and customer service via a team of TackThis! Ambassadors.

The concierge service also includes store marketing via placement on Takatack, the sister site of TackThis! Takatack is now the largest online shopping discovery platform that aggregates and promotes not only offerings from the thousands of merchants who have established their online shops through TackThis!, but also products from other online stores and retailers in the country including Rocket Internet-backed Zalora and Lazada.

Tackthis! has over 30,000 merchants in Singapore, Malaysia and the Philippines with more than 400 merchants already part of the premium Tackthis! Concierge Program - an end to end solution tailored to get retailers selling online quickly.

An industry trend analysis released by BMI Research last July estimated that 82% of all Internet users in the country or around 22 million Filipinos shop online. Retail sales account for USD207 billion but only 0.6% accounts for online retail.

The growth rate for eCommerce is high. A 2014 study by Ken Research estimates that Philippine eCommerce can expect a 101.4% annual growth rate from 2013 through 2018 due to increasingly heavier Internet usage and mobile penetration.

Out of the over one million registered businesses in the country, it is estimated that only 1% have a website. In the past, a company would have had to hire a large development and operations team to establish their digital footprint. TackThis! provides the simplicity and ease of having an online store. TackThis! aims to help businesses tap into this huge opportunity to reach more Filipinos going and shopping online. 

To know more about TackThis!, please visit: www.tackthis.com.ph/

To know more about Takatack, please visit: www.takatack.com/