OPPO reveals recipe for success in pandemic playbook

by Ralph Hernandez / October 7, 2021

In The E-Hustle: What the Country’s Best Digital Leaders Can Teach You About Launching and Growing Your Online Business, published by Bookshelf PH, new entrepreneurs can learn everything they need when navigating the world of e-commerce, especially in the Philippine context.

E-commerce in the country has grown steadily, reaching US$3.55 billion in revenue last year. Philippine e-commerce is expected to continue expanding despite the pandemic, as 85.7% of internet users in the Philippines use shopping apps, according to Statista.

OPPO, which enjoys about 20% of the smartphone market share in the Philippines, delved into its business strategies in the book to jumpstart and grow its e-commerce presence. OPPO Philippines Vice President for National Sales Zen Han shared the value of using the traditional marketing mix or the Four Ps—product, price, platform, and promotions—in forming an effective digital marketing strategy that can help any business drive awareness, engagement, and conversion.

Han goes on to advise online entrepreneurs to have a complete understanding of their target market by studying their financial capabilities and priorities, as well as their digital consumption behavior on promotional and purchasing channels. They will then have a better chance of reaching their target market and fulfilling their customers’ needs and wants, he added.

“The pandemic has tested and continues to test the strength and resilience of businesses in the Philippines, especially as we continue to alternate between different levels of lockdown that largely affect operations. But it also showed how e-commerce became the saving grace for many of them, including OPPO,” Han shared.

Under Han’s leadership, OPPO was named the top smartphone brand in the Philippines in 2020, inspiring other businesses to survive and thrive amidst the pandemic and future crises. As an example, the book also recounted OPPO’s success in the face of a global crisis by staying rooted in its corporate philosophy, thus adapting better to the current economic landscape by sticking to tried and tested marketing techniques.

“OPPO was born a few years after the SARS outbreak in 2002, which is why the company has had enough experience navigating e-commerce while it was still in its infancy. Now with the pandemic, we already know how to pivot when needed and reorganize our operations to keep the business going, all while accommodating our customers’ needs with no fail,” Han said.

The E-Hustle is pivotal to OPPO’s intention of strengthening its e-commerce platform to provide Filipinos with more access points to the best and leading smartphone technologies. The book also featured some of the top e-commerce players in the Philippines who shared how they used different tools and technologies—from digital payments to livestreaming—to carve out success. They also relayed their knowledge on the best strategies for establishing a digital store, building a supply chain on a mobile device, and making the most out of social media marketing.

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