Having your own e-commerce website is ideal for reaching online customers for several reasons. First, you have a wider measure of control over its visibility on popular search engines like Google and Bing, making it easier to draw organic traffic and new customers. Second, having your own site makes it easier to create unique customer experiences that closely match your market’s expectations. Lastly, building your own e-commerce site serves to legitimize your business, creating a level of trust that you couldn’t achieve except, perhaps, by opening a traditional online store.
That said, having an e-commerce site is not the only path to online success. If you’ve already taken your business online but have yet to set up your e-commerce storefront, there are several alternative sales channels that can drive its growth and expansion. Let’s look at some online sales channels that are perfect for online businesses without e-commerce sites:
1) Email and Messaging Apps
Though email and online messaging apps are more often thought of as marketing or customer service channels, they can also be used to facilitate sales.And to receive payments through chat or email, you can use solutions like Maya Payment Links. Payment Links is a hassle-free payment link service available to Maya Business Manager users that lets them bill customers over popular channels like Facebook Messenger, Instagram Direct Messenger, Viber, WhatsApp, and Telegram. Once customers click on this online payment link, they’ll be taken to a secure gateway to complete their purchase with their preferred digital payment method. Unlike other similar options, Maya Business’s Payment Links allows customers to pay with any card or digital wallet available in the Philippine market, making it an exceptionally inclusive payment solution.
2) Social Media Sites
Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok are highly relevant to the Philippine e-commerce scene, given the country’s remarkable social media usage numbers. The social media sites mentioned not only offer a serious marketing and promotions channel for Philippine startups and small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)but they also provide native support for online selling. And as mentioned earlier, the messaging apps connected to these platforms can also be turned into viable sales channels with solutions like Maya Payment Links.
3) Third-Party E-Commerce Platforms
Major e-commerce platforms like Shopee and Lazada are key sales channels for emerging online businesses, thanks to their name recognition, established infrastructure, and extensive logistics support. While these platforms aren’t for all businesses, you might still find them worthwhile, particularly if you’re in the retail industry. One downside of these platforms is that that you generally cannot offer a link for payment or directly provide alternatives to their own payment gateways through their chat functions.
4) Product Comparison Sites
Product comparison sites don’t sell your products directly but they do link to your e-commerce platform profiles or other pages where customers can make a purchase. In the Philippine market, comparison sites like iPrice and PriceMe are starting to take off but they aren’t yet as popular as mainstream e-commerce platforms. Still, having your offers on these sites can give your products an additional sales channel as well as an extra bit of online visibility.
5) Resellers
Resellers buy your offers and resell them through their own sales channels for a profit. Occasionally, they may modify or repackage your products to improve their value or alter their value proposition to better suit their business goals. In any case, appealing to resellers can still be a cheap way to increase your own sales and dispose of difficult-to-move inventory. The downside is that the benefit to your brand equity and growth may be limited or even negative in some cases.
6) Seller Partners
Lastly, you can join up with businesses, nonprofits, or even influencers to sell your product on their sales channels—under your brand and at pre-agreed prices. Using this approach can reduce your marketing costs, put your brand in front of new audiences, and diversify your revenue streams. The key to pulling this strategy off successfully is to find a partner brand that aligns with your values and has an audience that overlaps with your target market.
Build a Robust Sales Channel Mix with Maya Payment Links
Wherever you are in your online entrepreneurship journey, Maya Payment Links gives you the extra flexibility you need to sell to customers, no matter their preferred payment methods. Create a Maya Business Manager account today to start accepting online payments over chat and email.
After your Maya Business Manager application is approved, you’ll automatically qualify for Maya 1-2-3 Grow. Maya 1-2-3 Grow is a unique business growth bundle designed for Philippine-based SMEs and startups. Maya 1-2-3 Grow gives you a 1% MDR discount on all QR Ph sales for 3 months after signing up. This translates to PHP 14,600 in savings for every PHP 1 million in QR Ph sales. As part of the Maya 1-2-3 Grow bundle, you can also enjoy the benefits of using Maya Business Deposit as your settlement account. With a market-leading 2.5% per annum interest rate, you’ll earn PHP 25,000 in interest per year on a PHP 1 million deposit. Signing up also qualifies you for a no-collateral Maya Flexi Loan offer of up to PHP 2 million in only 3 months., which you can use to fill funding gaps and grow your online business. Complete and send in your Maya Business Manager application today to be a part of Maya 1-2-3 Grow.
