Tap to delicious: How tech disrupted business in the last decade

Joel Guinto and Jessica Fenol ABS-CBN News

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2020/news/01/07/biz1.jpg"/><figcaption>&quot;Chubbycon 2019,&quot; a food fair of home cooks who made it big on Instagram, is shown in this file photo taken on Nov. 23, 2019. <em>ABS-CBN News</em></figcaption></figure></div><p>MANILA -- A few weeks before Christmas, tech executive turned chef Paolo Benedicto took his spot at a food park of home cooks who all went viral on Instagram and scaled up their enterprises using e-commerce and logistics apps that disrupted business in the Philippines in the last decade.</p><p>Fresh from the first of its kind &quot;Chubbycon 2019,&quot; Benedicto was taking orders on Viber, receiving payments via GCash and BPI Mobile, and dispatching trays of roast beef and salmon through Lalamove and Happymove.</p><p>For the busiest season for business, Benedicto and &quot;kakulto&quot; (cult member) businesses endorsed by Instagram food review page &quot;MasarapBa&quot; (Is it delicious? in Filipino) tapped on their mobile devices to get things done.</p><p>&quot;To scale properly, the ability to take food orders and serve them properly, tech is simply the only way to go. With a lean team, I can&#x27;t do it without tech,&quot; Benedicto told ABS-CBN News.</p><p>&quot;For the same operation, I would need to hire more than twice the staff. It will not make economic sense. Tech serves me in 2 ways: convenience and efficiency and, of course, unnecessary labor expenses,&quot; said the triathlete father of one, who studied economics in college.</p><p>Fans of MasarapBa, with 270,000 followers on Instagram, are clamoring for &quot;Chubbycon 2020,&quot; having turned to the anonymous account for food finds and honest reviews on almost everything from the newest Jollibee dessert pie and the latest incarnation of KFC&#x27;s Zinger.</p><blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/BoltQXqFW_p/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="12" style="background:#FFF;border:0;border-radius:3px;box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15);margin:1px;max-width:540px;min-width:326px;padding:0;width:calc(100% - 2px)"><div style="padding:16px"><div style="display:flex;flex-direction:row;align-items:center"><div 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href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BoltQXqFW_p/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style="background:#FFFFFF;line-height:0;padding:0 0;text-align:center;text-decoration:none;width:100%" target="_blank">View this post on Instagram</a></div></div><div style="padding:12.5% 0"> </div><div style="display:flex;flex-direction:row;margin-bottom:14px;align-items:center"><div><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:50%;height:12.5px;width:12.5px;transform:translateX(0px) translateY(7px)"> </div><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;height:12.5px;transform:rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px);width:12.5px;flex-grow:0;margin-right:14px;margin-left:2px"> </div><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:50%;height:12.5px;width:12.5px;transform:translateX(9px) translateY(-18px)"> </div></div><div style="margin-left:8px"><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:50%;flex-grow:0;height:20px;width:20px"> </div><div style="width:0;height:0;border-top:2px solid transparent;border-left:6px solid #f4f4f4;border-bottom:2px solid transparent;transform:translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg)"> </div></div><div style="margin-left:auto"><div style="width:0px;border-top:8px solid #F4F4F4;border-right:8px solid transparent;transform:translateY(16px)"> </div><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;flex-grow:0;height:12px;width:16px;transform:translateY(-4px)"> </div><div style="width:0;height:0;border-top:8px solid #F4F4F4;border-left:8px solid transparent;transform:translateY(-4px) translateX(8px)"> </div></div></div><div style="display:flex;flex-direction:column;flex-grow:1;justify-content:center;margin-bottom:24px"><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:4px;flex-grow:0;height:14px;margin-bottom:6px;width:224px"> </div><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:4px;flex-grow:0;height:14px;width:144px"> </div></div><p style="color:#c9c8cd;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:17px;margin-bottom:0;margin-top:8px;overflow:hidden;padding:8px 0 7px;text-align:center;text-overflow:ellipsis;white-space:nowrap"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BoltQXqFW_p/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style="color:#c9c8cd;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;font-style:normal;font-weight:normal;line-height:17px;text-decoration:none" target="_blank">A post shared by Benedicto Kitchen (@benedictokitchenph)</a> on <time dateTime="2018-10-06T10:59:22+00:00" style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:17px">Oct 6, 2018 at 3:59am PDT</time></p></div></blockquote><script async="" src="http://www.instagram.com/embed.js" type="text/javascript"></script><div><strong>SMARTPHONE NATION</strong></div><p>With millions of smartphones and acknowledged as one of the world&#x27;s social media capitals, the Philippines is a prime market for e-commerce apps.</p><p>Lazada and Shopee sales from &quot;9-9&quot; to &quot;12-12&quot; have become online events, pick-up points for Grab rides have taken their place beside taxi queues in shopping malls, and cash registers have QR codes ready to scan for those who want to pay cashless.</p><p>Apps on smartphones have given rise to sharing instead of ownership and virtual currencies in place of bills and coins.</p><p>&quot;We feel that there’s been a significant shift in the market, the comfort level of Filipinos. Filipinos are shopping a lot more than they’ve ever been,&quot; Lazada Philippines CEO Ray Alimurung said late last year.</p><p>During a 2017 visit to Manila, Alibaba founder Jack Ma said internet speed in the Philippines was &quot;not good,&quot; but with so many mobile phones, the Southeast Asian nation can go cashless and make life &quot;easier.&quot;</p><p>&quot;You have the opportunity, so many mobile phones, mobile phone coverage anywhere,&quot; Ma told students of the De La Salle University in Manila.</p><p>&quot;The old economy should not fear but it should change immediately,&quot; Ma said. &quot;Please change quickly, it&#x27;s not the competitor killing you, it&#x27;s the future killing you.&quot;</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/business/11/04/19/in-hunger-games-for-11-11-discounts-the-smartest-online-shoppers-win">In &#x27;Hunger Games&#x27; for 11-11 discounts, the smartest online shoppers win</a></li>	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/business/11/14/19/biggest-11-11-shopping-cart-on-lazada-worth-p12-million">Biggest &#x27;11-11&#x27; shopping cart on Lazada PH worth P1.2 million</a></li></ul><div><strong>BASIC HUMAN NEED</strong></div><div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2020/news/01/07/grab.jpg"/><figcaption>A Grab Food rider picks up an order.<em> Mark Demayo, ABS-CBN News/file</em></figcaption></figure></div><p>Grab, the dominant ride-hailing service in the Philippines, recently expanded to food and parcel delivery, overhauling its app to also include a digital wallet.</p><p>&quot;I think when you have a very basic human need such as hunger, it can happen anytime, anywhere at any day. Generally, with the busy lifestyle of people, we&#x27;d like to think anyone can benefit from it,&quot; country head for GrabFood Philippines, Edward Joseph Dela Vega said during the launch for the service in 2018.</p><p>Grab is also looking to equip small businesses with QR payment systems, including the famed &quot;Jollijeeps&quot; or roadside canteens in the Makati City financial district. It is also encouraging them to use the apps suite of financial services.</p><p>&quot;We also need to empower home business, so maybe you’re selling cookies at home, you can also use the GrabExpress platform to deliver to a wider audience,&quot; Grab vice president for Marketing Cheryl Goh said last year.</p><p>Eatigo, a restaurant discount app, described the Philippines as one of its fastest-growing markets. The platform offers discounts for those who book ahead and at off-peak hours.</p><p>&quot;We expected good numbers but we’re completely taken aback by how Filipinos are value-centered, how Filipinos are willing to get out of their way to get a good deal, they are willing to go the extra mile for discounts,” co-founder Michael Cluzel said in 2017.</p><div><strong>SLAYING KING CASH</strong></div><div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2018/news/05/21/052118_jack.jpg"/><figcaption>Chinese billionaire Jack Ma is shown demonstrating how to use a scan-to-pay facility in Manila in this photo from GCash&#x27;s Facebook page dated Oct. 25, 2017</figcaption></figure></div><p>At the close of 2019, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Governor Benjamin Diokno said existing regulations were being reviewed to ensure that these adapt to the rise of app-based financial services.</p><p>Jack Ma&#x27;s ANT Financial is among the investors in the Philippines&#x27; GCash, which competes against PayMaya and GrabPay.</p><p>&quot;We want to make sure that it’s safe and so far it’s safe. Now that it’s embraced and it works, it’s a matter of applying it to other banks,&quot; Diokno said.</p><p>Filipinos need to be convinced that digital transactions are safe, said Anthony Thomas, CEO of GCash parent Mynt. &quot;That’s how we create a virtuous flow where more money now sits electronically because it’s just safer, more convenient, cheaper and faster.&quot;</p><p>Aside from payments, loan apps have also sprouted such as JG Summit&#x27;s Cashalo. Another app, BigasPh, sought to help rice farmers earn more by serving as a platform to sell their grains.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/business/11/18/19/money-you-cant-touch-filipinos-ease-into-cashless-digital-wallets">Money you can&#x27;t touch: Filipinos ease into cashless, digital wallets</a></li>	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/business/05/21/18/jack-ma-chinese-tech-help-ph-slay-cash-as-king-of-payments">Jack Ma, Chinese tech help PH slay cash as king of payments</a></li></ul><div><strong>TRAFFIC JAM BUSTERS</strong></div><div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2019/news/08/29/grab1.jpg"/><figcaption>Motorcycle taxi driver Melody Viray ferries commuters on EDSA everyday as an Angkas driver. <em>Mark Demayo, ABS-CBN News</em></figcaption></figure></div><p>Motorcycles for transportation and delivery have become popular options with roads growing more and more constricted for cars. Regulators are working at draft legislation to legalize motorcycle taxis.</p><p>At the forefront is Angkas, led by Singapore-born ex-Grab executive Angeline Tham.</p><p>&quot;If you believe you’ve done all that you can, then bahala na si Batman because you’ve pushed all boundaries and you tried everything,&quot; Tham told ABS-CBN News in early 2019.</p><p>&quot;I think that&#x27;s a good saying, but I do believe you have to try. If you just sit in a room, nothing is going to happen to you,&quot; she said.</p><p>Avoiding traffic is among the top reasons Filipinos shop online, according to Lazada. For Benedicto, the chef, tapping motorcycle riders for deliveries is faster compared to cars.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/business/08/29/19/motorcycle-taxis-beat-metro-gridlocks-satisfy-milk-tea-cravings">Motorcycle taxis beat metro gridlocks, satisfy milk tea cravings</a></li>	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/business/01/21/19/meet-angkas-expat-ceo-who-gives-new-meaning-to-bahala-na-si-batman">Meet Angkas&#x27; expat CEO who gives new meaning to &#x27;Bahala na si Batman&#x27;</a></li></ul><p>Benedicto is no stranger to technology having worked in the past for Globe Telecom, Yellow Pages, Juice.ph, and Zomato. He sees a future where renewable energy will power the technologies that enable entrepreneurs.</p><p>&quot;Also, I have stored excess energy I can sell it to my neighbor via an app that would be cool,&quot; he said.</p><p>&quot;At the end of the day, tech is also just tech. Even if you make the stable and user friendly, human support will still be crucial especially for delivery apps,&quot; he said.</p>

<p>With millions of smartphones and acknowledged as one of the world's social media capitals, the Philippines is a prime market for e-commerce. Apps on smartphones have given rise to sharing instead of ownership, and virtual currencies in place of bills and coins.<br /> </p>

With millions of smartphones and acknowledged as one of the world's social media capitals, the Philippines is a prime market for e-commerce. Apps on smartphones have given rise to sharing instead of ownership, and virtual currencies in place of bills and coins.

Tap to delicious: How tech disrupted business in the last decade | ABS-CBN

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Tap to delicious: How tech disrupted business in the last decade

Tap to delicious: How tech disrupted business in the last decade

Joel Guinto and Jessica Fenol ABS-CBN News

Published Jan 07, 2020 06:24 AM PHT

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Updated Jan 07, 2020 07:57 AM PHT

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decade ender

decade

2010s

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