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Home Credit’s top-selling commodities in 2021
January 13, 2022 5:26 p.m.
As expected, the greater usage of digital payments was seen in 2021 with more and more Filipinos finally embracing safe and convenient options for their daily spending and transactions. One of the fastest growing digital service providers who surely felt this uptick in the volume of digital payments usage is Home Credit. For that year alone, they recorded more than 2 million additional users in their mobile app and more than 1.8 million who availed the online shopping feature of their consumer financing services.
Aside from these two interesting consumer trends that they noted, the longtime leader in the buy & now pay later (BNPL) space summarizes below its top selling commodities to paint a picture of what defined 2021 for them and their customers. Now let’s break down the top items that were mostly added to your carts and checked out:
In 2021, many people looked for items that will allow them to work and play seamlessly in the comfort of their homes. Smartphones remained to be the top commodity comprising half of the total sales in 2021 at 52%.
With smartphones leading as the top selling item, the brands that also took the top spot are those from the mobile phone industry namely Oppo, RealMe, Vivo, Samsung, Xiaomi, Huawei, and Apple – all of which performed strongly in the market. The OPPO A94 became the best-selling smartphone of the previous year, thanks to its reliable camera features that’s perfect for taking pictures or even vlogging. At an affordable price, it also has a capable gaming performance for your favorite mobile games.
Laptop sales also doubled last year compared to the previous year and the obvious driver for this growth was brought by millions of workers and students who are still at a work-from-home or online class setup. ACER proved to be the laptop brand of choice and their Aspire line-up was a hit for users looking for a device that can get the job done when it comes to ordinary, everyday tasks but without the huge cost.
| Acer Aspire 3 |
With infinite content to consume and the convenience of easily connecting streaming platforms, televisions still reign as THE device to complete the viewing experience. Consumers seemed to agree since more than a hundred thousand television units were sold last year, one of the highest next to smartphones. And their go-to brand? Pensonic LED3257 which features HD screen resolution, Android/Smart TV options and a budget-friendly price.
Panasonic also took its rightful place in the top 10 list of best-selling brands as laundy washers, refrigerators and other home and kitchen appliances were still in-demand last year, which goes to show that consumers still find home appliances as essential items to make it easier to accomplish household tasks.
Air conditioners also saw a 125% increase in sales during the height of the summer. A great number of shoppers definitely preferred inverter aircons because of its energy saving technology that lets you save more on monthly bills.
Additionally, bicycle sales continue to soar with more than 50,000 units sold last year. The continuous increase in sales reflects the growing interest of Filipinos in practicing a more active lifestyle and an alternative day-to-day transportation.
In terms of area, Cebuanos took the top spot for the highest sales at 7.1%, alongside the province of Cavite. As seen in the breakdown below, provinces dominated the list with most sales coming from Calabarzon area and a few in the North.
These trends only show that consumers’ varied necessities or interests can be reflected in the things they purchase. Whether it’s an item that people always buy or something that the present situation calls for or demands, Home Credit – being a leader in the BNPL space – has got it all covered with a wide selection of products you can choose from, offered at 0% interest and affordable monthly installments.
Are you thinking of getting some of these items, too? Shop now at any of Home Credit’s 9, 000+ partner retail stores or by downloading the My Home Credit App. For more information, go to www.homecreditph
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There’s a Nanyang near you for all your Singaporean food cravings
August 4, 2023 6:30 p.m.
Missing Singapore’s famous Hainanese Chicken Rice, Laksa fishball, Cheesy Chicken Chop Noodles and Kopi?
Visit your nearest Nanyang Philippines branch.
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Globe powers up TOYCON 2023’s landmark 20th year
June 29, 2023 6:53 p.m.
As Toycon Philippines proudly commemorates its 20th year, the landmark celebration promises to be more electrifying than ever with the formidable support of leading digital lifestyle brand Globe.
For the first time, Globe is the title sponsor of the iconic pop-culture event, bringing a new level of excitement and engagement to the toy collector and creator community.
Globe has always been at the forefront of supporting diverse subcultures and passions, and this partnership is a testament to its commitment. As part of the collaboration, Globe will bring to life the rich world of its cinematic and theatrical partners, further enriching the TOYCON 2023 experience for attendees.
“Globe is thrilled to collaborate with Toycon Philippines, especially on such a milestone year,” said Mike Magpily, VP, Head of Segment Strategy and Subcultures at Globe.
“As the country’s most reliable network and top digital solutions platform with an ecosystem of various services, we’re uniquely positioned to foster the vibrancy of the toy collecting and creating community. This partnership underscores our commitment to nurturing a wide array of passions and interests while ensuring the best connectivity for all participants.”
Cholo Mallillin, Marketing Head at Toycon Philippines, said: “The collaboration with Globe will further elevate the Toycon experience. This partnership will bring more surprises and rewards to our community. We invite everyone to join us as we celebrate 20 years of Toycon in the most exciting way possible.”
TOYCON 2023 will be held at the SMX Convention Center in MOA from July 7 to 9, 2023. Attendees are in for a treat, as they have the chance to meet their beloved childhood characters, explore an expansive marketplace of unique toys and collectibles, and participate in exclusive Globe activities.
One of the highlights of the partnership is a series of exclusive perks for Globe customers. By using Globe Rewards points, customers will have the opportunity to win various ticket tiers ranging from Day Passes to VIP Passes. There will also be exclusive toy freebies for VIP pass holders, and unique Globe-only activities, such as paint-your-own Gudi.
At the event, Globe will also host an interactive booth featuring activities designed to reward and inspire. From earning freebies by donating Rewards points to a good cause, to free arcade plays and meet-ups with popular streamers, Globe customers are in for an exciting weekend of gaming and beyond.
To keep up-to-date with all the exciting promotions and surprises at TOYCON 2023, Globe customers are encouraged to use the GlobeOne app.
To learn more about Globe, visit https://www.globe.com.ph/.
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Love the long weekend break? Cybercriminals do, too
April 4, 2023 5:11 p.m.
There are 18 official public holidays in the Philippines. As we all know, when these dates fall close to a weekend or if the government pursues holiday economics, most Filipinos make plans in advance to take advantage of extended holiday breaks. This year, we can get to do that at least 12 times.
Unfortunately, cybercriminals get excited about holidays, too. To refresh everyone’s memory, the $81-million Bangladesh Bank heist back in 2016 is an example of a successful cyber attack, which happened on the first day of Lunar New Year, a national holiday in the Philippines and the rest of Asia.
“Now that the world has reopened, travel is back with a vengeance this year, hence the term ‘travel revenge’. Whether Filipinos are scheduling holiday trips or just staycation-ing during the long weekends, it’s important to observe simple digital security practices so you can get to sit back and relax as you take your well-deserved vacation. Security-first thinking opens doors for a more enjoyable holiday break, especially for Filipinos who are amongst the world’s most active online users,” comments Chris Connell, Managing Director for Asia Pacific at Kaspersky.
Both individuals and companies are advised to be extra mindful of personal cybersecurity best practices and internet hygiene when on a holiday.
For companies, Kaspersky suggests to:
- Conduct drills
- Stress to vacationing employees why data encryption, two-factor authentication, strong passwords, and locking devices when not in use are important.
- Discuss the steps to take if their device ends up getting stolen.
- Advise staff about charging smartphones in a wall socket, not through USBs at airports and other public places (these can be used to steal data from a device and infect it with malicious software, such as spyware.
- Educate employees about the dangers of public WIFI (and even hotel WIFI unless it is encrypted and password-protected) and how to use a secure connection such as with a VPN.
- Log out
- Terminate unnecessary VPN connections to the corporate infrastructure.
- End unnecessary sessions that employees have left on any devices for an extended period of time. This also applies to corporate messengers, web apps and any other services.
- Check that the list of employees with access to the corporate network via VPN or RDP include only authorized users. Revoke access from those who don’t need it.
- Create special “emergency” admin accounts for potential incident response over the holidays. The rights granted to regular admin accounts can even be temporarily restricted so that attackers cannot exploit them.
- Install patches for all key applications. This process is far simpler if your company uses security solutions with a built-in patch management system.
Meanwhile, Kaspersky encourages individuals to:
- Only browse trusted apps and websites and be careful about personal information you input like credit card numbers or home address.
- Do not click on links or open email attachments from travel sites when receiving confirmations. Trusted companies include such letters in the bodies of their emails. Malware is often disguised as an attached confirmation letter.
- Bring two or three or more credit or debit cards to have a backup plan in case of loss or needing to cancel one.
- Never leave valuables unattended. Put large amounts of cash and mobile devices or laptops in the hotel safe.
- Use a credit card as most have built-in protections against fraud. There is no protection against a scammer if you send them cash or even check or debit card payment in some cases. A money transfer service is not advisable.
- Ensure their devices has security software installed, ideally with anti-theft technology.
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