DTI vows to empower online sellers

CEBU, Philippines — The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), through the Philippine Trade Training Center (PTTC), vowed to assist home-based online sellers to capitalize on the country’s digital economy.

According to Nelly Dillera, PTTC executive director, DTI is now directing its focus to empower the micro and small online sellers by providing right tools and training to bring them in the online trading platform.

While PTTC’s mandate is more on assisting the exporters, this time of pandemic, the agency has expanded its hands to hand-hold start up online sellers, most of them started their small businesses during the pandemic.

During the recently held “Certified Lokalista” online webinar held Wednesday night, Dillera said part of DTI’s primary thrusts under the new normal is not just to convince Filipino consumers to patronize local products, but equally important is to capacitate local online sellers to be fully onboard in the online market, which include strong partnership with value chain providers, like logistics, online payment channels, among others.

Dillera reported that because of the pandemic and community quarantine, business registration for online went up to 75 thousand, from only 1,700 online sellers registered before COVID-19.

PTTC is activating several support programs for online sellers around the country, which include; Business Finance, Business Operations, Human Resources and organization (online payroll), Business Marketing (online selling/eCommerce) and logistics and supply chain (SAP, delivery platforms etc.).

“We are helping them [online sellers] to adopt to the new global economy,” noted Dillera.

The challenge right now, she added, is the readiness of e-entrepreneurs to exploit the online market in a way that they will be able to maximize their online stores from payment to delivery and marketing.