'Convenience is priceless': Why Toni Gonzaga accepted Shopee endorsement despite backlash

MANILA, Philippines — Host-actress and new Shopee ambassador Toni Gonzaga has a long history with the e-commerce platform due to the convenience it offers customers like her.

At yesterday's media event where she was officially launched as a brand ambassador, Gonzaga recounted how she first came across Shopee nearly seven years ago.

"I've been a Shopee customer for almost six or seven years now... when I was pregnant with Seve, our 'house angels' would get deliveries — mga small items, trinkets, gadgets — so I asked them saan galing," shared Gonzaga.

After being introduced to the platform, Gonzaga realized how much convenience the platform gave, particularly convenience of time and energy from going out and having to spend on gas.

"Nagtuloy-tuloy na lang until everything na kailangan ko, siyempre sa busy schedule namin lalo na noong wala pang pandemic," added Gonzaga, referring as well to her husband Pauil Soriano. "Sobrang convenient na habang nagma-makeup ka or nasa traffic."

Gonzaga said upon learning two months ago that she was approached to be a part of the brand, she called up her sister Alex Gonzaga, who was a previous Shopee ambassador.

"When I told her the news, sobrang tuwang-tuwa siya, sabi niya 'Yey! So happy for you!' kasi alam niyang matagal na akong loyal customer and user ng Shopee," the host-actress said.

Dubbed the "Ultimate Multimedia Star," shoppers can look forward to watching Toni belt out the brand's new jingle as she stars in its latest TV commercial.

In the days leading up to Gonzaga's reveal as a Shopee ambassador, the hashtags #BoycottShopee and #ByeShopee became trending topics on social media, with several platform users expressing their disappointment and even resorted to deleting Shopee from their phones.

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