Exporters bank on holidays to boost domestic sales

MANILA, Philippines - More exporting firms are banking on the holiday season to improve their domestic sales which could make up for low export orders.  

Marlane Villa-Real, president of the Buy Pinoy Movement Foundation, said around 140 exporters will participate in the 18th Buy Pinoy Exporters’ Fair slated this Nov. 27 to 30 at SM Megamall in Mandaluyong City.

Villa-Real said it will be a trade event for holiday décor and gifts, food and organic products, garments and fashion accessories, housewares and furniture and furnishings.

“We will make available to the local buyers beautiful, unique and good quality Philippine products which they can’t buy elsewhere,” she said.

To further enhance consumers’ gift giving experiences during the holidays, Villa-Real said a booth for gift wrapping will be set up during the fair.

This will serve especially the corporate buyers which usually purchase giveaways and Christmas gifts for their employees, she said.

Villa-Real said sales of corporate gift packages are expected to increase overall revenues of participants.

But though total sales of exporters joining in this month’s fair could be lower than they generated from August Buy Pinoy fair, this could help pay their overhead cost, including salaries of employees, she said.

“Historically, based on our records, we get better sales in August because institutional buyers make purchases (during the month) which they can sell for the Christmas season. While the November fair is more for personal buyers who buy for their own use,” Villa-Real explained.

She said the Buy Pinoy fair project is way to encourage Filipinos to patronize and buy local products.

“This will help Philippine companies save jobs so we don’t retrench people,” said Villa-Real, also the chairman and chief executive officer of Buena Mano Crafts, Inc., a manufacturer and exporter of handcrafted Christmas and other holiday decors.

Citing the book, “12 Little Things every Filipino can do to Help our Country, authored by Alexander L. Lacson, Villa-Real explained that when one buys products made of a company that is Filipino-owned, all the money that he pays for the product stays in the Philippines.

“But if you buy an imported product, around 40 percent of the money that you pay for the product goes out of the country,” she said.

Since it may not be good economics to ask people to buy 100 percent local products, the book instead urged Filipinos to develop the attitude of setting at least half of their budget to purchase locally-made goods and the other half for their imported choices. 

“If we all take seriously this 50-50 buying attitude, it could be another big push for our economy and for our people,” it said.

“It will retain capital in our country. It will build our local industries. It will build Filipino brands. It will create more employment for our people. It will send more Filipino children to school. It will give a brighter future to our nation,” it added. – Philexport News and Features