VisMin emerges as Philippines e-commerce growth engine

CEBU, Philippines — Shopee Philippines sees the Visayas and Mindanao emerging as the next frontier of the country’s digital economy, with a company-commissioned study showing regional MSMEs (micro, small and medium enterprises) are scaling faster through e-commerce, reaching customers across nearly the entire Philippines and embracing AI-powered selling tools.

The e-commerce platform recently launched its first “State of Digital MSMEs in Visayas and Mindanao,” report, which found that average orders among online sellers in the two regions climbed 51 percent between 2023 and 2025, while total business sales rose 24 percent, reflecting the growing role of provincial enterprises in the country’s digital commerce landscape.

For sellers in the Visayas alone, Shopee reported a 35 percent increase in orders over the period.

“We recognize the importance and growth potential of the Visayas and Mindanao in driving the Philippine digital economy,” Shopee Philippines Head of Corporate Communications Ley Laksamana said during the report’s presentation in Cebu.

The findings suggest e-commerce is increasingly reducing geographic barriers for provincial businesses, allowing MSMEs to compete beyond their local markets.

According to the study, top-performing sellers from the Visayas and Mindanao now serve buyers in 81 of the country’s 82 provinces, while more than one-third of shipments originating from the two regions are delivered to customers in Luzon.

The nationwide reach highlights the importance of continued investment in logistics and digital infrastructure, Laksamana said, noting that a Cebu-based entrepreneur can now routinely ship products to consumers in northern Luzon.

The report also showed digital adoption is becoming a key growth driver for provincial businesses.

Sales generated through Shopee Video surged 209 percent from 2024 to 2025, while the number of merchants producing video content increased 17-fold between 2023 and 2025.

Connections between sellers and affiliate content creators expanded 29 times during the same period, reflecting the growing influence of livestream commerce and creator-led marketing.

Use of Shopee’s artificial intelligence-powered customer service assistant rose 75 percent, while merchants using the platform’s fulfillment service increased 14-fold, allowing sellers to outsource warehousing, packing and delivery operations and focus on expanding their businesses.

Laksamana said the company’s next priority is helping local enterprises tap overseas demand through the Shopee International Platform, which enables eligible merchants to sell across Southeast Asia without establishing operations abroad.

“The next stage of growth is moving from serving local communities to national markets and eventually international markets,” she said.

To strengthen digital capabilities among entrepreneurs, Shopee is expanding its “Tatak Pinoy MSME Roadshow,” a nationwide training initiative that provides practical e-commerce education in partnership with local governments, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and community organizations.

The program has reached 17 cities and municipalities over the past year, trained more than 1,000 entrepreneurs and partnered with over 30 local government units, regional DTI offices and business organizations.

Rather than focusing solely on product promotion, the initiative now emphasizes digital skills, online selling strategies and post-training mentorship as Filipino businesses become more sophisticated in using e-commerce to scale operations.

Laksamana said the expansion is part of the company’s effort to help more MSMEs grow their businesses online.

As most sellers on the platform are MSMEs, the company is also placing greater focus on entrepreneurs in the provinces, which it sees as a key driver of the Philippines’ growing digital economy.