MANILA, Philippines - The lure of having an online platform these days has proven to be too hard to resist even for a conglomerate as big as the SM Group.
The group of retail tycoon Henry Sy has decided to take the SM shopping experience to a new level as it forays into e-commerce.
SM Retail Inc., the retail unit of the Sy family, has launched an e-commerce website for The SM Store, SM’s department store business.
SM Retail said the new online shopping site (https://shop.thesmstore.com/), would showcase items such as men’s, women’s and children’s accessories, apparel, bags and shoes as well as luggage and gift ideas.
“The online shopping site will bring us closer to our new generation of millennial shoppers. Our commitment is to provide convenience and accessibility to our customers through innovation,” SM Retail president Jorge Mendiola said.
The e-commerce venture is seen to further boost SM’s retail business which already boasts of an empire of malls across the country.
“We remain cognizant of the evolution of shopping trends throughout the years. We hope that with this new e-commerce site, we will be able to reach out to more of our customers by bringing more attractive brands online and provide them a more exciting and diverse shopping experience with SM,” Mendiola said.
Through the online shopping site, SM Retail said The SM Store would now offer door-to-door deliveries to most parts of the Philippines through its logistics partners.
Another option for shoppers is to pick-up their purchases at SM North EDSA after 24 hours once they have placed their orders online, the firm said.
“The SM Store is further enhancing this option in due course through possible pick-ups in all Metro Manila and Luzon SM stores after two working days,” SM Retail said.
In Visayas and Mindanao, the retail giant said it intends to eventually extend the pick-up arrangements in their branches in Mandurriao, Bacolod, Cebu, Davao, Cagayan de Oro and General Santos.
SM Retail said target implementation of the nationwide coverage is by next year following the soft launch of the e-commerce site this year.
The SM Group is currently the country’s biggest mall operator with 50 malls in the Philippines across its portfolio. Each of these 50 malls has The SM Stores.
SM’s department store business has redefined the customer shopping experience in the Philippines by offering an array of merchandise from fashion to home furnishings.
SM Prime Holdings Inc., the umbrella property firm of the SM Group, plans to continue growing its malls with the planned opening of four to five new branches next year.