The pandemic changed our outlook almost overnight. Pre-lockdowns, Filipinos were cautious adopters of e-commerce, but now we embrace it and see it as essential. Resilience and compassionate listening have been key for many Filipino entrepreneurs to adapt to the times. One of them is Canlaon Mart, a diversified retail business in Canlaon City, Negros Oriental. Focusing on their customers’ needs, they found ways to adjust their offers and operations, partnering with Globe Business to help them pivot digitally in the new normal.
Through this mindset, they’ve grown from being a food and beverages retailer and wholesaler and ventured into fuel, hardware, farming, exclusive dealerships with San Miguel Beer, Tanduay, and Coca-Cola, and even financial services like Perahub for money remittance and BDO Cash Agad for ATM Cash withdrawals. “All of our ventures are driven by what the market needs,” says owner Jeff Rey C. Jalandoni. Adapting digital innovations with Globe Business’ help is just another way they’re leaning into what their customers are looking for.
Resetting to a New Landscape
Being an essential service provider, Canlaon Mart was saved from shutdowns during ECQ. However, food supply dwindled due to manufacturing disruptions, travel restrictions, and periodical liquor bans. Demand for fuel dipped when people stayed home.
“As a precautionary move, we were obliged to centralize operations to our main branch to implement health protocols and consolidate manpower. We increased inventory of goods experiencing supply disruption. We changed how we handle transactions like ordering, payment, and banking from face-to-face to online, minimizing travel as our bank is 40 km away. We were increasingly dependent on internet connectivity to adapt to the pandemic.”
Since, their customers needed internet too, they partnered with Globe and TM to provide prepaid load in the mountainous areas unreached by cell towers or motorcycles. The initiative is called Piso Wifi, powered by P2P Wireless Networking, and it answers the “need for connectivity that evolved from optional to essential” at an affordable price.
Strong Internet Connectivity: A Permanent Business Need
For Jalandoni, “Globe Business is a trusted technology partner” with customizable services and a supportive team that propped up his business’ diversification pursuits. As a Direct Internet subscriber, Canlaon Mart enjoys a dedicated, uninterrupted connection with equal upload and download speeds, serving as a “lifeline for the network in mountainous communities and the entire business.” Remote monitoring and improved security are also made possible by Globe’s Managed CCTV, allowing them to focus on their core business.
Inevitably, technology will advance and impact everyone in the coming years. Let Globe Business be your partner in finding the best digital solutions — from mobile internet to cybersecurity — for greater success.
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