Packworks Ushers Digital Revolution to Almost 200,000 Sari-Sari Stores in the Philippines
Technology is now
an important part of our lives. It has redefined almost every aspect of our
society and it continues to redefine how we approach things, including the
conduct of business. For Packworks founders Hubert Yap, Bing Tan and Ibba
Bernardo, an opportunity to harness technology for good was present in our
neighborhood sari-sari stores. Limited access to technology presented a
stumbling block for sari-sari stores especially in far-flung regions of the
country. With this insight, the founders of Packworks committed themselves to
the goal of providing micro-entrepreneurs access to knowledge and tools that
can help them digitally transform their businesses. Thus, their mission to help
micro-entrepreneurs through scalable and
accessible technology began.
Founded in 2018,
Packworks started as a solution for sari-sari store entrepreneurs that aimed to
provide them with relevant technology to help them grow while connecting them
to multinational companies to give them more opportunities. Today, the platform
has transformed into a way out of poverty for the millions of sari-sari store
owners across the Philippines.
Through the
Packworks’ Super Sari Store app, sari-sari store entrepreneurs can become more
efficient in managing their business by giving them access to tools and
knowledge such as a wider range of suppliers and financial products to help
them grow and prosper especially during difficult times such as economic crises
and natural disasters.
“Packworks empowers
sari-sari stores through scalable and accessible technology, with its team
composed of dedicated developers, programmers, and technicians that work to put
the power back into the hands of the people at the heart of Filipino
communities by providing them with digital opportunities previously only
available to big companies,” Packworks Founder Ibba Bernardo said.
An easy-to-use app
that uses low bandwidth and has a light footprint, the Super Sari Store app
uplifts and changes the lives of thousands of sari-sari store entrepreneurs
across the archipelago. It can be used offline, and the entire running process
can be carried out remotely, even without Internet access.
“It [Super Sari
Store app] allows the users to process their businesses more efficiently with
the goal of addressing the high cost of poverty, where store owners pay the
highest interest rates and pay more for consumer goods,” Packworks Founder
Hubert Yap said.
As a company that
strives to give sari-sari store entrepreneurs the best options and
opportunities to grow, Packworks plans to cover 220,000 sari-sari stores by
year-end.
“Packworks aims to
become a platform for other institutions that would like to help the base of
the pyramid by addressing the sari-sari store challenge by enabling the value
chain and enabling efficiency and transparency,” Packworks Founder Bing Tan
said.
And their journey
will not end there. It will make sari-sari store owners’ lives even easier with
the launch of a seamless purchase-order-to-receiving system where their
inventory is updated automatically. Significant improvements on the app’s UI
and UX design have also been made to improve user experience. Packworks has
also begun its rollout of promo discount and loyalty programs to help stores
earn more.
This is just proof
that Packworks will continue to usher
the digital revolution to sari-sari stores.
For more information
on Packworks, please visit https://packworks.io/.
You may contact Packworks at success@packworks.io.
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