What draws you to the Philippine e-commerce and omnichannel retail industry, and how do you believe ShopSM can leverage the connection between online and physical SM Stores to drive growth?

Situation

Having worked in e-commerce for three years, I've always admired how Filipino shoppers blend online discovery with in-store purchases. In my last job, I noticed that customers who browsed our website were more likely to buy in-store if they could check inventory online.

Task

I wanted to quantify this omnichannel behavior and propose a 'reserve online, try in-store' feature to increase both online engagement and physical store foot traffic.

Action

I analyzed web traffic and in-store sales data for our Metro Manila branches, identifying clear patterns: products viewed online but not purchased were often bought in-store within a week. I presented these insights to management, along with case studies of successful omnichannel initiatives. I then worked with IT and store operations to pilot a 'Click-and-Collect' system at two branches, integrating inventory visibility on the website and training store staff on the new process.

Result

The pilot increased in-store pickup orders by 40 percent and boosted overall sales for the featured product categories by 20 percent. It also reduced website bounce rates because users found the inventory check useful.