State of E-Commerce, Digital Marketing, and Internet at 18 in the Philippines

Last March 22, I was a guest at ANC Future Perfect and talked about the e-commerce landscape and DigitalFilipino E-Commerce Summit. Here are some insights I shared then and learned from the Summit.

State of E-Commerce in the Philippines

Last March 29, the Philippines historic connection to the Internet turned 18. I think we have gone a long way and grew so much. But am also sad that we don't have enough data gathering process and tools in place to accurately measure it.

We Need Data: Philippine Information Society Data Alliance Project

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For instance, broadband subscriber base has increased by 45% to over 2.9 million in 2011 compared to a year ago. However, most industry peers still peg the number of Internet users to 30 million in the Philippines. Around 1/3 of it were assumed to be household users. This number was also used for the past 2 years.

August 1997: Internet Commerce Expo Manila

WS Expositions organized the Internet Commerce Expo Manila 1997 (ICE Manila 97) at the Shangri-La Hotel Makati City.  This event introduced the WS Group to Fiesta Online, known for Yehey.com

Yehey.com in 1997

2003: Level Up!

Level Up! Games licenses the Oz World and Regnarok online games.  These become popular among young players, increasing growth in Internet usage at home and in cybercafes, and promoting e-commerce through oline ordering of credits.  The company is adopting the Korean model of multiplayer online gaming.

LevelUp! in 2005