Most people spend hours on social networking sites to stay in touch with
friends. But for Joy Parohinog, devoting long hours to those things is
for business. Her job is to check her accounts online to confirm orders
from her customers.
By day Parohinog is the director of the Institutional Linkages Office at
De La Salle University in Dasmarinas, Cavite. But during breaks and
other free time, she manages her own virtual shop Online Bazaar,
promoting it mainly on Multiply site.
Online Bazaar sells a variety of goods on the Internet, including shoes,
bags, clothes, books, health, beauty and wellness products, toys and
other items. Last year when her business was just a year old, Parohinog
was recognized as "seller of the month" by auction.ph for her online
shop, the local version of EBAY.
I had a lot of stuff that was just lying lazily at home," Parohinog
said. "That is why I started a garage sale, and then text and
email brigades to promote my stuff. The modern technology just provided
me an opportunity to explore other income generating endeavors while I
work full time."
She said that she has a knack for marketing and selling. Parohinog added
that she also deals well with people, even those she does not know.
Even though she only works on her business part-time during breaks, she said she earns about P3,000 to P5,000 a month.
Actually, Parohinog is just one of the thousands of Filipinos who have
parttime businesses that use social networking sites. Besides Multiply,
the other popular sites include MySpace, Facebook and Friendster. All of
them have attracted millions of users around the world -- including a
number of entrepreneurs like Parohinog.
According to a 2007 research article posted on the website of the
Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, hundreds of social
networking sites exist offering all sorts of features and other
offerings. For example, several sites incorporate new information and
communication tools, such as mobile phone connectivity, blogging, photo
and video-sharing capabilities and other features that allow members to
sell or trade goods.
Most sites support the maintenance of pre-existing social networks and
some are commonly used to put up or advertise a business online and that
made the Multiply site popular. Multiply is a blog site that is
famously and usually used by people, especially teenagers, who sells or
trade products through online.
According to a report posted on pinoy.org, Multiply founder Peter
Pezaris said that out of 12.5 million subscribers, 3.5 million are based
in the Philippines. He added that the Philippines is the second-largest
market for Multiply in the world, after the United States.
Online shops appear as a trendy and convenient way for small
entrepreneurs to start an enterprise without having to invest huge sums.
Multiply and other social networking sites have simplified the process
of starting a business. An entrepreneur just needs to create an account,
and then allow his or her creativity to take over. Many sites allow
members to custom design their pages, making them attractive to their
intended customers.
For example, Parohinog added music in her business’ homepage so that
people wont get bored browsing on her site. Some would designed it with
customize photos.
Trendy shirts, cool sneakers, stylish accessories, imported bags and
dresses are just some of the basic products that are sold online.
Parohinog said that the good thing about online shop is "you dont
need to maintain an actual shop and personnel to showcase your products.
You just need a computer, an Internet connection, a camera, and some
extra time and you are ready to go."
"You also get to expand your network and meet a lot of people who could
help you in your other endeavors, such as community work and outreach
programs for which I am also active with, she added.
The part-time businesswoman also considers personal steps on creating an
online shop and first, people must decide on what product to sell, who
to sell them to, how to market your product and the image that you would
like to carry, and where to sell your products.
People must also decide on the amount of time they would like to invest
in their online shop and how they would manage their schedule. Also,
they should make sure that they have resources in place to make their
selling efficient and effective such as camera, pc, internet connection,
etc, Parohinog added.
Parohinog also made clear that making the transaction easier when it
comes to mode of payment would also help the business become stable.
“People who would want to start this kind of business should have a
regular check of their site for possible comments and inquiries that are
coming from potential customers and they should maintain good relations
with their clients by providing products with high quality, excellent
conditions, and best and honest service,said Parohinog.
Carleen Manuel, a student and another online shop owner, said that it is
important that the products that someone who was planning to start an
online shop was unique and something that cant be found in an ordinary
shop.
Manuel is an 18-year old seller of Lolita fashion items like petticoats,
high heeled-boots, skirts and aristocratic-looking tops in cheap
prices.
As long as your products are distinctive, you wont find it hard to
find customer, most of shoppers that would go in my site are addicted
to Japanese craze and those whose hobby was to join cosplays said Manuel.
Manuel said that the usual problems she encounters in her online shop is
dealing with inconsistent costumer for example, a client already
confirmed yet backed out at the time that Manuel have marked that
certain product sold out or reserved.
Manuel and Parohinog with other thousand of owners of online shop are
making shopping easier to students and corporate people. Also, they are
standing as an inspiration to those people who want to start their own
business.
Parohinog said that she is planning to add more essential yet cheap products for her customer and future clients.
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