Universal Robina Corp. has been tapping Facebook’s vast social network to allow a million neighborhood retailers in the Philippines to replenish their stocks with just a few taps, swipes and clicks.
The company launched in October a program that uses Facebook to make it seamless for sari-sari store owners to order online from distributors of URC products.
“With some one million or so of t1hem spread across the country, sari-sari stores form the backbone of the informal retail sector,” said URC vice president for customer development in Southeast Asia Oscar Villamora.
Villamora said a central feature of the new URC sales platform is “Ate Chat”, an avatar that serves as a “digital concierge”.
“Ate Chat receives and answers queries from sari-sari store owners,” Villamora said. “She also provides products and price lists and promos, and then directs those with queries to where they can order what they need online from distributors nearest them”.
“This is literally sales at the hands of our distributors,” said Chay Mondear Saputil, vertical lead at Facebook Philippines.
