Now consumers can shop for quality government-assisted MIMAROPA products through their smartphones!
The e-commerce website for MIMAROPA’s government-assisted micro enterprises (http://mimaropaventures.ph) has now gone mobile. DOST-MIMAROPA unveiled the mobile app during its celebration of the 2016 Science and Technology Week, dubbed “Changing Lives through Science.”
According to DOST-MIMAROPA Regional Director, Dr. Ma. Josefina P. Abilay, the app will complement the agency’s efforts to widen the markets of the region’s government- assisted micro enterprises. Through the app, their products will become more accessible to the millions of smartphone users in the country, which, Statistica: The Statistics Portal, forecasts to be 33.3 million by 2017.
mimaropaventures.ph is a free-to-use and secure online marketplace for MIMAROPA government- assisted micro enterprises and their products. The website, developed by DOST-MIMAROPA in partnership with the region’s Provincial Governments and the Palaweño Information and Communications Technology Association (PICTA), also comes with a complete e-commerce solution for payment and logistics through Shopinas.com and Air21, respectively. Customers can pay for their purchases through over-the-counter cash payment, or through credit card.
Since its launch, mimaropaventures.ph has enabled various stakeholders from different parts of the country to purchase a wide range of products and services from the provinces of Occidental Mindoro, Oriental Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon, and Palawan. To date, the website features 248 products from 247 government-assisted firms in the region.
One of these firms is Sam-Sammi Personal Care Herbal Products. Its proprietor, Ms. Meriam Santos, understands how the internet can widen her product’s reach, and appreciates how mimaropaventures.ph has helped her penetrate new markets in both local and international settings. Amazing Tea is one of the website’s bestsellers.
“Meron nga kaming mga buyer na gusto na din magbenta ng Amazing Tea at umabot na din ang effect nito sa ibang bansa, may buyer na nga kami sa Singapore. Madami na din kaming order sa Cavite dahil dito, nagkita kami sa Manila nung nakaraan tapos nag-order ng marami sa amin. Meron ding nakatikim nito sa barko, tapos pinahanap sa Pilipinas nung mister niya, nahanap sa mimaropaventures.ph, ayun nag-order siya. Malaki po talagang tulong itong mimaropaventures.ph sa amin,” she said.
As more and more Filipinos engage in online shopping, the mimaropaventures.ph mobile app is a timely intervention that will help local micro enterprises create and solidify an online presence. According to the latest Mobile Shopping survey, annually conducted by MasterCard, 40.9% of the country’s online shoppers made a purchase through their mobile phones in 2015. Most of them did so because of the ease and convenience of mobile shopping. Furthermore, this figure is projected to increase as smartphones and internet connectivity become more affordable.
With the development of the mimaropaventures.ph mobile app, access to the finest products of the region’s assisted micro enterprises will not just be limited to those who have laptops or computers. Those with smartphones, tablets, or phablets may also conveniently view and purchase the region’s assisted products by downloading the app.
Although the mobile app is only available for Android devices, the agency is working on also making it available for iOS devices so that more people may have access to the finest products of MIMAROPA’s government-assisted micro enterprises.
Support MIMAROPA’s local micro enterprises by purchasing their products today! Visit http://mimaropaventures.ph or download the free mobile app from the Google Play Store.
