IT evolution sets trends in trade and marketing

CEBU, Philippines - Information technology (IT) has facilitated the change in rules in trade and marketing, which is normally dictated by the demand of the market.

Salvador “Bing” Lastrilla, vice president of the Computer Manufacturers, Distributors and Dealers Association of the Philippines (Comddap), said that in technology, new trends are being developed and shared to the market thereby creating the need for these technologies.

“There are a lot of technologies newly developed for the market. The need for them will soon follow. (This is why there is such an issue as) technology gap. The gap between the availability of technology and the technology being used by the people,” he said in an interview on the sidelines of the exhibitors’ briefing for the Computer Manufacturers, Distributors and Dealers Association of the Philippines (Comddap) Cebu Expo 2010 held at the SM City Cebu conference hall yesterday.   

Lastrilla said new trends and developments in IT will be showcased during the three-day exhibit at the SM City Cebu Trade Hall. One of these is the intelligent pen from MDR Microware Sales Inc., which has a memory card that automatically saves anything the owner writes.

He said the participation of more Cebu-based computer manufacturers, distributors and dealers this year is a sign of Cebu’s flourishing IT industry. Of the 45 exhibitors, only five are Manila-based. These are Canon Marketing Philippines Inc., CBX Corp., Microsoft Philippines Inc., Wordtext Systems Inc. This is in contrast to the exhibitors’ profile in 2008, which was mostly composed of Comddap members.

IT products will be sold at up to 70 percent off during the exhibit. Exhibitors in 2008 were able to generate a total of P16 million. Comddap expects this figure to increase this year with the IT market in Cebu in its almost full swing.

“(Aside from the sales during the exhibit, Comddap has observed that) there is always a spike in sales one week after the show,” Lastrilla said.

Comddap conducts it exhibits twice a year. One in Manila, and one in the provincial areas, an alternate of Cebu and Davao. The Comddap Expo 2009 was held in Davao .

With all the economic challenges hounding the global economy, he said the IT industry has been incurring an average annual growth of 20-25 percent while the price index of IT products has an average increase of from two to three percent.

“Prices of new models of IT products, those modified with the new specs and memory capacity, increase only by as much as two to three percent,” Lastrilla said.

Highlights of the event are the 3D Philippines Initiative, the LCD gallery and projector gallery.