If your business has the resources to set up an e-commerce site, it’s probably something that you should strongly consider. Having your own website gives your business a very important sales channel and a platform through which you can build customer trust and patronage.
If you don’t have the resources, though don’t worry—e-commerce sites are not the only way to gain a following on the internet. There are plenty of other online tools that you can use to gain a steady stream of new customers. The key to using these alternatives effectively is to know which tools you need to facilitate easy payments. Let's dive into some of the channels that might be a good fit for your online venture:
1. Messaging Apps
If your business operates on a smaller scale, messaging apps can be converted into viable primary sales channels. If the app allows live links (as Instagram Direct Messenger, Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, Viber, and Telegram do), you can use a link payment solution to send customers to an external payment gateway from which they can use whichever digital payment method they wish. Such a tool can also be useful if you operate a business that is reliant on messaging apps, like if you’re in a selling group or if you run a business that typically receives inquiries through messaging apps, like restaurants, travel agencies, hotels, and BnBs. In the Philippine market, Maya Payment Links is widely considered to be a leading choice for link payments, thanks to its wide selection of digital payment options, even covering digital wallets like GCash, WeChat Pay, GrabPay, and ShopeePay.
2. Social Media Sites
Sites like Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok now facilitate multiple ways to sell products and services. Businesses can usually set up a shop on these platforms or use their marketplace functionalities to offer items for sale. As mentioned, these platforms’ messaging apps can also be used as additional sales channels with the help of Maya Payment Links.
3. Email
Email remains a highly relevant sales channel, particularly in the B2B market and in the travel sector, with businesses like hotels and BnBs, which continue to receive inquiries and reservations from potential guests . As with messaging apps, payment links can offered to provide customers with maximum payment convenience. Alternatively, you can also use a solution like Maya Invoice Payments to give your customers professional electronic invoices that reinforce your brand.
4. Third-Party E-Commerce Marketplaces
These websites and apps offer a relatively safe environment from which online shoppers can check out and purchase offerings from multiple businesses. A few third-party marketplaces like Shopee and Lazada have become extremely popular in the Philippine market, thanks largely to their convenience for mobile phone users. The major downsides of these sites are their service fees and their payment restrictions. Link payments are generally disabled on these platforms to encourage customers to use their native or supported payment gateways, limiting customer convenience and increasing the cost of each sale.
5. Seller Partners
You can also tie up with other businesses or organizations to have your products available on their online channels, in an arrangement similar to consignments in traditional brick-and-mortar shops. With this arrangement, your partner makes your products available on their site and other relevant channels. If you’re allowed to keep your product branding in your agreements, this arrangement can expose your business to new online audiences.
6. Comparison Websites
These sites are distinct from other third-party platforms since they link to product pages that are hosted elsewhere. These links could be directed to listings on other third-party platforms or to your own website, if you had one. Occasionally, these sites might provide other contact details that prospective customers could use to purchase from you. Comparison sites haven’t become that popular in the Philippine market, but they still provide improved online visibility as well as valuable alternative sales channels.
7. Resellers
These parties purchase your products and resell them for a profit. Some resellers may alter your products to make them more appealing to their target audience, for example, by bundling them with products from other businesses. There are some risks associated with initiating engagements with resellers, but they can be a convenient channel for disposing of overstocks and other hard-to-move inventory items. If you’re going to build a relationship with a reseller, be sure to set some ground rules to protect your brand.
Effortlessly Expand Your Online Income Streams with Maya Payment Links
Maya Payment Links empowers your business to accept payments wherever your online customers are. Simply send your customer a payment link through chat, email, or any online channel that permits live links to facilitate whichever digital payment your customer prefers. With Maya Payment Links, you don’t need a website to develop strong income streams online. Create your Maya Business account today to create new sales channels for your growing business.
Setting up a Maya Business account also gives you access to a high-performance Maya Deposit account for all your settlements. Your Maya Business Deposit comes with an industry-leading 2.5% per annum interest rate, earning you PHP 25,000 in interest per year on just a PHP 1 million deposit. You’ll also enjoy huge savings on your day-to-day banking with free cash transfers to partners and suppliers via InstaPay and PESONet.
Successfully creating a Maya Business account also sets you up for a no-collateral Maya Flexi Loan offer valued up to PHP 2 million within just 3 months. Use your loan to improve your online marketing or to finally build your very own e-commerce website. To get bigger and better loan offers, keep using Maya Business as your primary processor for all wallet and card payments. Sign up for Maya Business to access Maya Payment Links and other groundbreaking Maya Business solutions.
