The Philippine retailing industry was caught off guard when digital and e-commerce disruptions started to be more aggressive because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Evidently, the unprecedented emergence of e-commerce during the said health crisis has led businesses to prioritize the way they communicate their respective brand strategies and purpose.
As stated in BusinessWorld’s article on IMF’s Asia & Pacific Regional Economic Outlook: pandemic resurgence slows recovery in Asia, (1) developments in the Philippines mirror those elsewhere in Asia. The economic recovery started to slow in the first half of 2021, largely because of a resurgence of COVID-19 infections in March and April. Another wave of infections due to the spillover of the Delta variant into the Philippines has held back the recovery further. As a result, our 2021 GDP growth projection is lowered to 3.2%. But with the Delta variant wave subsiding and further economic reopening, growth is expected to pick up to 6.3% in 2022.
According to Rosemarie B. Ong, President of the Philippine Retailers Association, (2) the retail sector was adversely hit by the intermittent lockdowns and strict community quarantines during the first half of the year. The threat of the Delta variant has hampered the reopening of our economy during the beginning of 2021. As shoppers shift away from physical stores and toward the apps, sites, and other digital spaces they already frequent – a shift Salesforce calls “shopping at the edge” – brands and businesses are under pressure to meet customers where they are.
The PRA have joined forces with Salesforce to bring once again the PRA Retail Executive Circle Virtual Edition this coming October 27 via Zoom. This event will cover the shifts in consumer and business buyer engagement and expectations, how digital commerce has changed the role of sales, and how to generate a single source of truth that enables personalization at scale and weaves loyalty throughout the customer experience.
During this exclusive session, Eron Sunando, SalesForce Vice President for Commerce Cloud, Go-To-Market and Transformation and guest panelist Deanna Rubiano, Chief Marketing Officer of third (3rd) Pillar will provide an in-depth insight on the revolutionary integration of digital and physical commerce that will inspire retail companies to create a new customer journey which combines both to boost brand visibility and sales. Raphael Layosa, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Retailgate Technologies will be hosting the event.
Salesforce is the #1 CRM, bringing companies and customers together in the digital age. Founded in 1999, Salesforce enables companies of every size and industry to take advantage of powerful technologies—cloud, mobile, social, voice, and artificial intelligence—to connect to their customers in a whole new way. The Salesforce Customer 360 is an integrated CRM platform, powered by AI, that unites marketing, sales, commerce, IT and analytics departments. Salesforce is one of the leaders on Fortune’s Change the World list, and has been one of Fortune’s 100 Best Companies to Work For, for twelve years in a row.
The first-ever State of Commerce report which surveyed nearly 1,400 commerce leaders and analyzed the consumer shopping and business buyer behavior of more than 1 billion customers worldwide will be reported exclusively in the event.
The Retail Executive Circle is an exclusive by invitation only event and part of the umbrella learning programs of the association. This exclusive event started last June 2018 and it gathers top-level retail executives to give leading retailers in the country an unparalleled view about winning strategies, retail transformations, and new ways to connect with consumers through talks and presentations from global industry experts in this pandemic period. A special thanks to Salesforce, the exclusive Content Partner and Host Sponsor as well as Retailgate Technologies, our program partner.
Stay updated on the latest PRA virtual events. For partnership and sponsorship inquiries, visit www.philretailers.com or email at specialprojects@philretailers.com / info@philretailers.com.
References:
(1) IMF’s Asia & Pacific Regional Economic Outlook: Pandemic resurgence slows recovery in Asia (2021, October 19). BusinessWorld. https://www.bworldonline.com/imfs-asia-pacific-regional-economic-outlook-pandemic-resurgence-slows-recovery-in-asia/
(2) Remo, A. (2021, 2021, October 2). Bright future for PH retail. Philippine Daily Inquirer. https://business.inquirer.net/331809/bright-future-for-ph-retail