Jojo is a delivery app that connects those who want to send their shipments with transporters already heading towards the direction of the package

It is extremely stressful to sit and spend our precious time inside the car, or even public transport, while stuck in road traffic. All along the journey, we keep cursing the governments and their short-sighted policies for the traffic mess (after all, what else can we do in the middle of the streets?).

However, people in the Philippines, especially those living in Manila and Metro Manila, are long used to it. They have adjusted their lifestyle to the every day traffic situation (during peak hours, it takes an average of one and a half hours to cover even a relatively short distance of 10 kilometres inside the city).

A group of smart entrepreneurs found a way to convert this traffic snarl into a money-making business — not just for itself, but for commuters, too. In the process, it converts every commuter in the city into entrepreneurs.

“An average Filipino spends one hour and six minutes on the road each day, wasting 16 days of their precious time per year. If I earned for every kilometre spent in horrible traffic during my daily commute, that would have made it much more bearable, not to mention profitable,” says Jay Fajardo, Chief Strategy Officer of Jojo, a courier crowdshipping app that helps commuters/motorists earn additional income.

Jojo calls itself a ‘Pasabay’ delivery app that connects those who want to send their packages/shipments (documents you need ASAP and items you shop for and want to be delivered the same day) with transporters already heading towards the direction of the package (‘Pasabay’ in local lingo means ‘ride with you’).

As a customer, you don’t need to clear your schedule just to send a package. When you make the booking, the Jojo transporter can meet you at the location of your choice and convenience. As long as your legal package fits within the standard large backpack, you can send it to anywhere in Metro Manila. With Jojo’s advanced GPS tracking system, you’ll get the exact location of your package at a single click.

“For senders, we ensure fast and secure shipping with real-time tracking features, and an access to a verified pool of transporters, whereas for Transporters, we are providing a convenient side-gig since they are delivering items on the way anyway,” says Fajardo.

“With traffic congestion getting worse, daily commuters are actually an invisible and untapped logistics and supply chain that can be used to help aid the growing and thriving e-commerce industry. It’s a more efficient and sustainable way to ship,” according to Eunice San Miguel, Marketing Manager of Jojo.

During the testing period, items can be delivered in as fast as 45 minutes within Metro Manila through a motorcycle, claims the company. “However, we cannot specify the time due to changing traffic conditions but what we guarantee is same-day delivery,” says Fajardo.

The platform will also allow the sender to be able to choose among three modes of transportation: commuter, motorcycle, and vehicle. The commuter might be the slowest due to traffic conditions but it is the cheapest. Motorcycle is mid-priced and is the fastest. Vehicles are the most expensive but it can carry a bigger load. So it really depends on what the sender needs, and the platform has the flexibility to address that, says the startup.

In the event that the recipient is unavailable to receive the package, two things can be done: He/she may give the 4-digit code to the person who will receive the package on his/her behalf. From there, this will be given to the transporter, who will end the transaction. If no one is available to receive, the package will be sent to Jojo’s headquarters in Makati and succeeding dispatch will be in the account of the sender/recipient.

Also Read: Breaking down how Grab is doubling-down on its financial product

The shipping starts at Php99 for the first three kms, and then at Php8 for every additional kilometre.

Delivery guaranteed

According to Jojo, transporter applicants are properly vetted before they become verified transporters. To be a transporter, he/she must submit two government IDs (one of which should be the driver’s license if planning to transport using a motorcycle). Likewise, he/she must submit an updated National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) /police clearance, or CR of the motor vehicle, sketch of permanent residence and authorisation letter of the motor vehicle, if not owned.

The transporter must also attend a seminar/briefing on requirements, rights, duties and obligations of a transporter to be scheduled by Jojo from time to time. Failure to attend will result in not being admitted, suspended or deactivated as a transporter.

“We do this rigorous procedure to ensure that items will be in the secured hands of a Jojo transporter. During the app usage, the sender will also see a photo of the Jojo transporter, as well as his/her rating. The sender will also be able to track the transporter during the transaction through our real-time GPS tracking,” Fajardo elaborates.

The company has also employed a mechanism to ensure it doesn’t transport illegal/contraband items. “Jojo transporters are independent contractors and are aware of their responsibility to diligently check items to be delivered. The transporter may refuse to pick up and/or deliver the goods that are not packed in his/her presence, or when the sender (or the person handing the goods to Jojo) refuses to open the packaging for inspection,” he clarifies.

The company is also particular about data protection, as it only keeps a minimum amount of information of senders/transporters required to be able to deliver the needed transaction. There’s also no third party sharing of information.

Jojo aims to clock 18,000 downloads during the first month of operations.

Growing e-commerce

E-commerce is growing steadily in the Philippines with a revenue of US$840 million in 2018 and is growing at an average of 12 per cent a year. This has paved the way for shipping and fulfilment companies to enter and serve this market need.

However, despite the growth in the country’s logistics industry, overall customer satisfaction remains low. “With a crowdshipping model, Jojo will answer the consumer pain points on reliability (available supply of transporters) and time/speed since we are tapping transporters who are heading to your package’s drop-off point already,” Miguel explains.

Also Read: The Philippines rejects Go-Jek’s appeal for ride-hailing licence

However, certain challenges remain, adds Miguel. “As it is with any two-sided marketplace, the biggest challenge is to balance the two user segments — our senders and transporters. We have to make sure that the needs of both segments are fulfilled: the senders to have a steady access to a pool of transporters, and for our transporters, that there are enough senders to make them stay with the platform.”

How Jojo aims to differentiate itself from other courier apps like Grab Express and Lalamove?

“Jojo is a crowdshipping platform. We allow everyday people who are commuters to become your transporters. Also, since transporters are on their way with point-to-point delivery, item arrives fast and transporters have the ability to cover last-mile, even inner barangays,” says Fajardo.

Jojo is one of Metro Manila-based First Shoshin Solutions’s projects, a tech startup which aims to develop platforms to address everyday concerns. Bootstrapped so far, the company has plans to raise funds eventually to be able to scale the product.

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You snooze you lose

Social media has evolved from being a trending platform to a must-have for businesses.

Businesses can interact directly with customers, unlike one-sided traditional marketing endeavours.

Here is how the top brands market themselves on social media.

Choosing the right platform

Companies have an array of platforms which they can choose from.

For instance, they have Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn. However, the key here is to find out which platform is used most by your target audience.

Top companies identify such platforms in the very beginning and then promote their brand with the right strategies.

Focusing on engagement

Social media is also about engagement! The right kind of content can help you connect with customers and create a positive brand image among them.

Having a social media profile is not the end of it. It is also crucial to keep interacting with customers on a regular basis.

Also Read: This Filipino startup turns your traffic stress into money

Post things that would actually intrigue people and participate in the forums as well as discussions. Like and comment on your customer’s posts and respond to their comments promptly.

It is important to note that social media marketing has a lot of potential in bringing in invaluable clientele. In fact, it is the face of your business.

Make sure you invest in maintaining a strong social media presence which is not only engaging but also shows expertise.

Keeping it simple

Gone are the days when brands had to over-promote their services. Talking only about your products and services is a recipe for disaster.

Successful companies always keep their social media pages focused on customers. Their posts revolve around the needs and pain points of the audience.

Some also follow the one-in-seven rule which means having one promotional post for every six general posts. Trying to sell your products/services aggressively on social platforms can even make people unfollow your page.

It is always a good idea to keep the posts generic and relevant to the industry. You can share the offers and discounts or the latest announcements regarding the products.

Giving away free promotional items is also a great idea.

Resolving issues on social platforms

Social media has become a platform for sharing feedback too.

Some customers might not be happy with your offerings and would end up commenting on your posts. It is highly important to catch any such issue before they escalate.

Engage with the person on your social media page and apologize to them publicly. This shows that your brand really cares about the customer issues and that you are responsible for your products and services.

Also Read: Bangkok TOP100 champion is bringing smiles across Thailand

Things cannot always be perfect and companies might face certain hurdles while serving customers. However, keeping a tab on all your social media platforms will help maintain a positive brand image.

Even if you have excellent quality service, you might end up losing potential customers if you don’t check social media.

Providing value

This is perhaps the most important way by which companies promote their services and products.

Creating something which audiences will find useful is the first step to gaining their trust.

When you share content which is actually meaningful and full of information, you are viewed as an expert by your audience. This attracts the right type of customers who would actually avail the services you have to offer. It is also a great way of retaining current customers.

Big companies and brands focus on creating value which brings customers automatically. Simply promoting the products and talking about your offerings is not helpful.

Thus, you too can build a good community with potential customers through social media.

Just make sure to engage them with meaningful content and share free business promotional items that will introduce them to your brand.

Keep the strategy customer-centric instead of being overly promotional. Interact with customers regularly and always address all their concerns promptly.

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e27 publishes relevant guest contributions from the community. Share your honest opinions and expert knowledge by submitting your content here.

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It’s time to stop cheating on your loyal customers

An e-commerce marketer or entrepreneur always looks for how to drive more traffic and sales for their business.

They get many pieces of advice from people on how to double their e-commerce sales or how to get more traffic to their store, but most of it is generic, and in many cases, outdated.

In this article, I want to avoid the obvious or — let’s say the general type of advice — and share some of the more advanced strategies that most of the successful e-commerce businesses are already using to gain competitive advantage.

Well, I’m not saying that all of these strategies will help everyone, but I hope you’ll get some good ideas and can experiment the same.

Here are some of the tips which might help you to get more traffic and sales to your store.

1. Target existing customers

Many times we tend to forget our existing customers, who are our happy buyers and a significant loss for us to ignore them.

Many online stores think that they don’t have enough customers when their business has trouble ‘growing up’.

This is the most common misconception, so don’t jump into conclusions. Instead of focusing on getting new customers, you should think about how to go ahead with customer retention and plan your strategy accordingly.

Repeating customers are the reason for generating 40 per cent of your store’s revenue.

Loyal or say repeating customers add more items to their shopping carts, generate more revenue each time they visit your site and have a higher conversion rate compared to new customers who are yet to purchase from your website.

Although I concede that it is a necessity for your business to get new customers, that’s a more expensive marketing strategy. In fact, going after your existing customer base is much more cost efficient.

Why? Because these people are familiar with your brand, and there’s no learning curve. So focus on improving their experience.

2. Use video demonstration

We all love to see videos, and if you do a video demonstration of your products on your e-commerce site, it’s more likely that the visitors might convert into buyers.

Many experts have talked about the importance of video demonstration and that it gives a better ROI than other marketing tactics.

According to a survey, 84 per cent of customers have been convinced to purchase after watching a brand’s or product’s video. This creates an increase in visitors and interest in what you are trying to sell.

Also Read: Bangkok TOP100 champion is bringing smiles across Thailand

As videos resonate more with people, it is likely that they’ll remember what they saw as opposed to just reading about it.

Listing is one thing, but showing customers how the product will work through video demonstration is much more effective.

This strategy wouldn’t work for all products though. For example, if you are selling underwear, you can’t possible show how to put them on.

3. Trustworthy display icons

Nobody will want to buy from your site if the icons on your website appear sketchy. So the most important thing to do is make sure your e-commerce website is secured.

These days cybersecurity is one of the primary concern for shoppers, so having a trust seal on your online store will give the customers a sigh of relief when buying from your website.

These icons prove that your site is fully secured and has a secure payment method indicating the safety concerns of buyers. Any potential hacker will not breach your personal data.

Here are some of the popular choices.

Information security is a top priority for online shoppers. If you are confused about what to do to prove that your website is trustworthy, just proudly display the security badges that your website uses.

4. Make sure the website is mobile friendly

As the use of smartphones is increasing nowadays, buyers are now frequently using their mobile devices to shop online.

According to statista, by 2021 more than half of the online sales are expected to happen on mobile devices.

Google strongly recommends developing mobile-friendly websites due to the increase in smartphone users. Google prioritises indexing mobile-friendly content giving those websites ranking benefits in the SERP.

The reason why Google gives high priority to mobile friendly sites is that just in the past six months, 62 per cent of smartphone users have made a purchase online using their mobile device.

5. Offer discounts on various occasions

Offering discounts to your customers is one of the best ways to boost customer loyalty. This sounds simple, but many companies are not offering discounts to their customers.

If you are worried about the profit margins, then use marketing strategies like giving out free shipping after purchasing a certain amount.

It’s that simple, and you won’t have to worry about the profits margins.

Petflow uses a strategy to create personalized urgency offers that is irresistible for a user. Have a look.

6. FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out)

Create a sense of urgency while selling products on your e-commerce site. This will get your buyers to act fast instead of buying on a later date (which they hardly do).

Also Read: Social media isn’t child’s play, it’s a vital marketing tool

Inform your customers that you have limited items remaining and hence they should not be left behind.

The best example of FOMO I can give you is that of airlines. They do this all the time.

Here they have shown two lowest prices in economy class and have kept only five seats remaining. This strategy can get most people to make an impulsive buying decision.

This creates a fear of people’s mind that if you don’t buy it now, you’ll end up paying more money later.

7. Accept different payment options

So, your business only accepts Visa. What about people using MasterCard? Or PayPal? Or Amex? Or COD?

You have to give multiple payment options to the people for the products and services that your business has to offer.

If you are accepting only Visa or MasterCard, then you might lose many potential customers. You can even add Apple Pay as a payment option which is growing now in popularity.

By offering multiple options, you’re making it easier for customers to give you their money.

It can be difficult to optimise your site to include all these options, but doing so will be a great way to increase online sales.

Over to you

If your sales are stagnant or starting to slow down, then it’s time for you to come out with some new marketing strategies for the products and services of your e-commerce site.

Rather than trying to get new customers, focus on marketing efforts for your existing customers.

Don’t forget the importance of mobile users. At least, make sure that your website is optimised for mobile devices. If you want to go an extra mile, consider having a mobile application.

Also, don’t forget to promote your top selling products.

Now you have a list of tips which can help you generate more traffic and sales to your e-commerce business. Good luck!

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Image Credits: wavebreakmediamicro

e27 publishes relevant guest contributions from the community. Share your honest opinions and expert knowledge by submitting your content here.

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The Myanmar-based Royal Golden Owls Co Ltd (RGO) operates online e-commerce marketplace rgo47

Royal Golden Owls Co Ltd (RGO), the parent company of online e-commerce marketplace rgo47, announced yesterday that it has raised an undisclosed amount of funding from Daiwa PI Partners, a subsidiary of Daiwa Securities Group Inc. For Daiwa PI Partners, this will be the fifth private equity deal, as reported by Deal Street Asia.

Also Read: Meet the 11 female-founded startups of Simona Accelerator first batch

The funding will be used for further expansion of the e-commerce marketplace business. DPI will also hold a board seat in RGO.

rgo47 was established in 2013 and currently is helmed by CEO Win Nander Thyke. The platform focusses on lifestyle and fashion products and it is said to have a network coverage across 230 cities in Myanmar.

Kazuyoshi Mizukoshi, managing director of the International Investment Department of Daiwa PI Partners Co Ltd mentioned that the organisation much more focusses on investment opportunities in the area of communications, finance, online business, and consumer space.

“We are much more focused on emerging countries like Myanmar and Vietnam than developed countries like Singapore or Hong Kong that are already developed, For us, it is more interesting,“ said Mizukoshi.

Also Read: This Filipino startup turns your traffic stress into money

Daiwa PI Partners is said to be able to invest or give debt up to US$100 million per deal (and above upon consideration) mainly in Japan and other Asian countries for both equity and quasi-equity investment.
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The urgency of needs in some of the Asian markets drives an effervescence of innovation, which has been slower in the West where incentives to change were initially less acute

The global banking industry is at an inflection point. The emergence of new-age financial technologies is prompting banks to rethink their strategies, in order to stay relevant and quell any potential threat to their very existence.

Standard Chartered, with a presence in 60 countries, has been driving innovation in the banking space, co-creating solutions to improve client experience and establishing new partnerships and solutions to change how it approaches and think about banking.

Recently, the bank set up SC Ventures, a business unit to promote innovation, invest in disruptive fintech, and explore new business models. The VC arm’s new Fintech Bridge programme aims to tap the best solutions from fintech ecosystem, combining with bank’s innovation.

In this e-mail interview, Alex Manson, Head of SC Ventures, talks about the core objectives of the initiative, how technology is going to the global banking industry, and the fintech industry.

Below are the edited excerpts:

Can you walk me though the SC Ventures Fintech Bridge initiative? How is it different from existing fintech programmes in the world? 

SC Ventures Fintech Bridge is the first portal to bring together internal and external partners in innovation, blurring the boundaries of the conventional corporation. Standard Chartered business units can post challenges on the portal, which can be seen by both internal ‘intrapreneurs’ and outside fintech partners. The latter spans all community builders within this ecosystem, from startups and investors to accelerators looking for opportunities to collaborate with the bank.

Also Read: Blockchain will force banks to change their feudal mindset

Fintechs can apply to a challenge or simply make themselves known and potentially get matched with a particular challenge, use case or just the right people within the bank. We like to think of it as an “open borders” innovation programme.

Is it a global programme? How do you select startups for this? Can you explain the process?

It is more than just a global programme — the startups we work with call it a ‘connected network’, where startups bring their capabilities to solve a bank problem, and the bank brings its network of expertise, clients and locations. Successful Proof of Concepts (POC) are potentially deployed across all relevant parts of our business and network of over 60 countries.

We do not select fintech partners like a jury selection process. Rather, people find their ‘match’ in the context of challenges or specific objectives — assisted with a matching engine to pair the right fintech capabilities with their respective use cases.

What are the key objectives of Fintech Bridge? How is it going to benefit the bank and also the fintech industry?

This initiative that we have launched goes beyond benefitting Standard Chartered — we are looking to develop the respective ecosystems we operate within, including both our internal team members and external extended partners.

There are three objectives for the SC Ventures Fintech Bridge:

1. We CONNECT an external community of community builders with our internal community of innovators.
2. We SHARE our challenges based on the belief banks can build better, more relevant solutions more quickly with fintech partners.
3. We CHALLENGE ourselves by blurring the boundaries of the conventional corporation. One of our commitments is to make collaborations simpler and faster, as we know time is precious for not just the startups but also our colleagues in the bank.

We want to achieve all these on one platform.

In a recent interview you said said that “banking has a great future, but we have to re-invent it, we have to re-wire the DNA”. How can banks re-wire DNA? Can you elaborate?

‘One intrapreneur at a time and one partnership at a time’ is the short answer.

In just a few months, almost 20,000 colleagues signed up to the intrapreneur platform and submitted over 1,500 ideas. These are the bankers of the future, whose mindset is to make things happen for clients in partnership with others in and outside the bank. This is about the DNA element in banking.

Doing this also requires us to ‘unlearn’ a number of habits, which are common in most large organisations: wait to be told (or tell people what to do), solve for efficiency, solve for risk mitigation by slowing down information down to the top and making few well-considered decisions. When reinventing an industry, creativity triumphs over efficiency and acceptance of failure trumps risk aversion, hence mindsets in all corners and at all levels of the organisation need to evolve.

Last but not least, rewiring the DNA in banking is about supporting communities: communities of customers, merchants or families — all of who have aspirations and needs which banking can facilitate with them and for them. Between banking and society, this is about reinventing the mode of engagement.

You also feel that the biggest risk that banks are facing is one of irrelevance — not capital, liquidity, or market risk. Isn’t contradictory to your earlier statement (that banks have great future)? Do you think banks can address this challenge using cutting-edge tech?

It’s just two sides of the same coin! On one hand, banks have a great future because they have an opportunity to reinvent themselves using technology, but more importantly revamping their business models to support their communities. The future is bright because I know that some banks will do exactly that.

The risk, however, is to not get on with it and again, some banks may fall into the trap of ignoring client relevance and instead exclusively focus on their more conventional risks. Not that these are not important, but that would be missing the point of the bigger existential risk of irrelevance. Basically, it’s our call!

Is blockchain an essential technology that could bring in transparency? What are your views on integrating blockchain tech with bank’s existing system?

Yes. Blockchain is essential in the sense that it is “foundational” — a ledger is not a product or an app per se; it constitutes a foundation for a lot of things that can be done with it. And yes, one if its characteristics is transparency as the distributed ledger is for all to see.

Banks’ systems architecture will evolve to become modular and connected via APIs, making any new technology integration a lot more feasible and quicker than with conventional core banking systems.

Many experts feel that new-age tech like blockchain will make banks redundant and irrelevant. What is your opinion? Do you think banks will stay here forever?

It is clear that any industry not paying attention to new technology could quickly become irrelevant. But first, banks are paying attention. Second, relevance is always less about the technology itself than the value a business delivers to its communities. Remember the focus of our purpose, the ‘DNA’. Technology must deliver a better experience, offer more accessibility to financial services, and better connect and increase community viability.

Also Read: How is fintech shaping financial services? Here are some thoughts from an industry veteran

My prediction is that banks will evolve in their technology, capabilities and business models. The industry has every opportunity to not only stay but become even more relevant — it will just have to rewire itself.

Do you think the current technologies in the market will still be relevant in future for banks?

Some will and some will not, but all will be evolving in any event. The way banks use technology will also evolve, from a ‘do it yourself’ to a much more open architecture model — because there would otherwise be no way to keep up with the pace of such evolution.

What will be a bank’s functions and shape, say, 50 years from now?

Fifty years is a long time for a ‘crystal ball question’, but one certainty is: its functions and shape will not be the same!

Long before that deadline, we can see that the conventional client segmentation may no longer be relevant (persons become businesses, businesses expect the convenience of consumer platforms for example): the distinction between front and back-office, the distinction between products and channels — the very existence of conventional channels.

My not-so-long-term prediction is that what we call banking today will become ubiquitous, meaning it will be everywhere, embedded in our lives, irrespective of whether we are a corporation or an individual. It will be instantaneous and, just like we do not need to ask ourselves about the technology involved in sending an e-mail or hearing a voice over the phone, it will become very natural and seamless.

What are the current trends in the fintech industry? Where is it heading for? Is it getting enough attention from the corporate, VC and startup communities?

The fintech market is not a homogenous one: from bank attackers looking to disrupt incumbents and software vendors looking for partnerships, to core Artificial Intelligence specialists. This is a wide range of players that can no longer be characterised in the same industry bucket.

The overall trend is partnerships, as all players are finding out that it is near impossible to do it all by themselves. At times, the distinction between partner, vendor, client and competitor will get blurred: we could end up doing all four with the same organisation!

Can you share more details about SC Ventures? Is it a separate fund? What is its corpus? What is the investment philosophy?

SC Ventures is a separate unit of the bank which includes our eXellerator innovation lab (within the bank), the Innovation Investment Find (a separate fund), and individual ventures that are separate and distinct from the bank.We invest in partners we work with.

The philosophy is one of partnership and alignment of incentives: as we help our fintech partners grow to scale, they can help us transform the bank at scale. We are essentially messaging to the founders and the rest of the market that we are in this together.

What is the average ticket size? How may deals have you already done? Any new deals in the pipeline?

We invest in a sweet spot which we would define as neither too early for enterprise readiness, nor too late for partnership and co-creation. This would typically correspond to late Series B or C, but there are exceptions.

We keep our options open to investing in promising companies that we have done POCs with.

How is the fintech industry in the West different from that of Asia? Is Asian fintech is catching up with the West?

There are both differences and similarities, but I would say that in any event, Asia is and will be giving the West a run for its money. First, the scale of Asia, especially China, but also India and Indonesia, implies loads of data, which has become recently available and can now be processed at scale.

Second, the urgency of needs in some of the Asian markets drives an effervescence of innovation, which has been slower in the West where incentives to change were initially less acute.

Third, Asian populations tend to be young and digitally savvy, facilitating early adoption of digital business models.

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Image Credit: SC Ventures

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