Just when we’re getting used to writing down 2002 in our correspondence, the year is ending and will soon be but a memory (sure hope it was a good one for you). For one, we’ll remember 2002 as the year the already battered peso took another beating – from P51.665 vis-a-vis US$1 on Dec. 28, 2001, it went down to P51.7 at the start of 2002, and then plunged to P53.3 as of Dec. 27, 2002. And as you and I know, everytime the peso goes down, prices go up (and dare to defy the law of gravity by not going down). Which is why those of us who live from payday to payday often complain that there’s so much month left at the end of our money.
We’ll remember 2002 as the year restaurants started to mushroom in and out of shopping malls (like the new Greenbelt 3 in Ayala Center, Makati), making dining out a favorite national pastime – or are people eating out to forget what’s eating them up? In Chinatown, advertising man Mario Tan tells us that there are now more dimsum and noodle houses (owned by mainland Chinese) than he can remember in his youth. A sad foodnote though: Not a few restaurants have also closed down, hanging up their pots and pans or woks and putting a lot of people out of work.
So, what will we see in 2003?
Chairman, Philippine Franchise Association
Franchising is one of the few sectors that have continued to grow from 20 to 30 percent per year since the Asian financial crisis in 1997. Franchising does well when the economy is good, and it grows even faster in times of economic difficulties.
In fact, if you have been around the malls lately, you must have seen that new restaurants have cropped up. Or, in some cases, existing restaurants have put up fast food-style outlets. This is but a sample of what to expect in 2003. Feeling the pinch of a low-key economy, people are downgrading from fine dining to more family-style and fast-food settings.
Sure, food is always a good bet for budding entrepreneurs, but even the big players – Jollibee, Chowking and McDonald’s – had doubled the number of their outlets from 1997 to 2001.
There’s an array of food franchises that are out there, but which are more viable in the market today? Those with the strongest potentials are: Fruits (natural fruits, fruit shakes and juices, processed/dried fruits, and fruit jams/spreads), marine food (quick meal toppings, rolls and sandwiches, on-stick and in balls), and coffee (ground/brewed, soluble or instant, coffee kiosks or stations, coffee shops, cybercafes/entertainment outlets).
In general, mall kiosks, diners or dine-in restaurants, and fast-food counters will do brisk business in 2003.
Service is up! People are now more conscious of buying things that last them longer. And instead of buying new replacements for busted items, they’d rather have them repaired. Which is why, for instance, there are now a lot of repair centers – even those hole-in-the-wall service shops are making a killing!
Another sector that’s fast gaining renaissance-level output is the fashion or garment industry. There’s an increase in the patronage of local as opposed to imported brands. Already, several Filipino fashion franchises have optimistically entered the global market, among them Bench, Penshoppe, Kamiseta, Bayo, Plains & Prints, and Island Souvenirs. Their success will push us toward the industry’s vision of making franchising the country’s top dollar earner.
Owner Bench, Human, Dimensione, PCX
Women who are tired of the Bohemian, prairie and gypsy look can go Oriental in the year 2003. Experiment on silk fabric and get the Urban Geisha look: Kimono-inspired top, shirt with Japanese characters, obi belt worn over a plain shirt, satin top over jeans, bell sleeves.
Say goodbye to your pashmina and make way for: long, thin scarf; lightweight knitted poncho over spaghetti straps.
Two-toned pumps are hot next season, not only to go with a skirt and slacks but also with corduroy pants and cargo pants (and do a Kylie Minogue!).
For men’s casual wear, it’s back to the old school. Classic rubber shoes are once again on the market, worn with boot-cut jeans. Go get a school boy look with: A varsity jacket, collegiate-inspired numbers and letters; V-neck vest; rugged-dressed down outfit.
The year 2003 is all about rich, textured fabric. Men are favoring intricately designed tops over classic polos. Vintage-inspired tops are filling up men’s closets. It’s time to break away from the plain and boring. Go wild with: Intricate embroidered polos; cut-and-sew details; denim and corduroy combination; tuxedo shirts, pin tacks; patches and print overlay detail; frayed edges; pleats, ruffles and crinkled fabric; printed combination under folded cuffs; paisleys and floral patterned polos.
Fashion retailer/restaurateur (Ebun, Kitchen, Mangan)
With so many choices of restaurants offering good food at the best prices, customers are now more intelligent. They’re looking not only for value for money but also for ambience (modern restos have interiors that blend with the food that they serve). People want more for less – more quality at lower price (at Ebun, you can have a filling meal, complete with dessert, for just P100). Eventually, it’s those restos with the best food quality that will survive. Only those resto owners who understand what they’re doing will survive the fierce competition. It’s going to be a tough year for those who don’t.
With the hard times, people are going back to simple homecooked fare, to comfort food. They’re going back to tried-and-tested restaurants. Gone are the days of theme restos, which are just a fad.
President, Goodwill Bookstore
Books that people will be grabbing from the store shelves include:
• Spiritual books. Amid the dire realities of the times, people are in constant pursuit of spirituality.
• Health and fitness. People now want to be fit to be healthy. Books on Pilates, for instance, are popular reads.
• Home decor. There’s an increase in lifestyle consciousness.
• Horror – especially with a futuristic tone.
• Fusion books – books that combine cultures (for instance, traces of the European in Asian culture) are becoming the trend.
• Classics. What has always been good literature will always be good literature.
• Enlightening books. Or books that propagate calmness, peace; enlightening books as the demand for awareness increases.
But then again, for those who are thrifty, whatever book they can afford will do.
• Nitz De Torres
Administrative officer, Goodwill Bookstore
• Self-help books – to go with the increasing desire for self-improvement in many people.
• Autobiographies, non-fiction. With more and more people sharing their own extraordinary, inspiring, life-changing stories, the chain of support between people is increasing.
• Travel books. Because the world is getting smaller, thanks to technology, and with people’s exposure to many cultures, travel is becoming a more common activity.
• Inspirational books. With life as complicated as it is, any piece of good news is always welcome.
• Lara Dela Cruz
Assistant manager, Purchasing-Books National Book Store
What the customers look for is what the National Book Store provides. NBS responds to consumers’ needs and wants. We are also guided by reviews and international bestseller lists.
We feel that the books people purchase reflect current conditions. Thus, since times now are so uncertain, people will probably buy books which will help them handle the uncertainties and difficulties of the times. Inspirational and self-help titles will continue to sell well. People will want to read up on possible business/sources of income. Thus, there will be interests in arts and crafts, as well as in cooking and baking. The focus would be on survival.
AVP for marketing Shopwise
• Cents and sensibilities. Expect consumers to be very centavo-wise in the coming year. Not only will they be counting every centavo they spend, they will also be very sensible in how they allocate their limited resources. As such, establishments that offer a distinct advantage like affordable prices will continue to thrive. In the same manner, mediocrity will not be tolerated by consumers. Notice, for instance, that eating places that serve good food at great (read: budget-friendly) prices are always very crowded. Similarly, shopping places that offer much more for less (more selection, more fun, more value, more promos, more parking, more service at lower prices) will continue to flourish despite the challenging times ahead.
• Size does matter – the smaller the better. There’s an increasing consumer predisposition for buying smaller packs of most items: Smaller shampoos, smaller canned goods, smaller detergent bars, single servings and the like. Buying in smaller packs allows the typical housewife to budget her limited resources better, albeit making more frequent trips to the grocery. Besides, studies have shown that buying in big packs tends to increase consumption. Thus, when on a budget, think small.
• Wealth in well-being. These days, wellness is defined as an integrated feeling that comes from a sound mind, body and soul. Gone are the days when health was synonymous only with a buffed body or when beauty was only skin-deep. This leads to the continued proliferation of spas and wellness centers, the popularity of such fitness movements as yoga, the increase in products such as soaps and shampoos that have aromatherapy or medicinal properties, and other things geared towards total well-being. There are now even world-class detinations geared solely for this purpose, such as The Farm at San Benito in Lipa, Batangas.
Public affairs head, Smart Communications
Phones will be a lot more sensual and cerebral at the same time. Sensual because they will offer a more pleasing sensory experience. You will not understand what I mean until you hear Asereje by Las Ketchup or Better Off Alone by Alice Beejay or Without Me by Eminem as polyphonic ringtones on your MMS mobile phone. Believe me, they are better attention grabbers than the shrill monotonic ringtones of the past. In fact, the downside may be this: People will take longer to answer their phones because they want to hear the ringtones.
MMS stands for Multimedia Services. So, of course, MMS phones also feature color screens. You can’t be multimedia without color. The shift will be as decisive as the migration from black and white TV to full-color television. You can already send color pictures, graphics and animated images. I start my day by looking at the color picture of my two-year-old granddaughter Ellyse that serves as the screen saver of my 7650. To greet my friends "Merry Christmas!", I sent MMS messages that showed a picture of me and Santa Claus. Yes, the Santa Claus from Finland who visited Smart two weeks back.
And of course, more phones will be able to take photos and send them over the air to other MMS phones and to e-mail addresses. It’s hard to predict where camera phones will lead us to. Some things are fairly clear though. Pretty soon, you will have flash reports on TV using digital photos taken by people with camera phones who were at the scene of a horrendous plane crash or a bank robbery.
Mobile phones will also be a lot, well, smarter.
The Economist recently ran an article that said the phrase "personal computer" as it is currently applied to desktop PCs is already a misnomer. The real personal computer is now the mobile phone. Already, even the humblest GSM phone is capable of sending e-mail via text and accessing Web-based information services. The new generation of phones – running on Smart’s network and powered by more sophisticated services – will be able to handle much brainier services.
Many of the new phones, for example, will be Java-capable. That means it will be able to run small software programs written in Java language. These programs will range from games to business software. With Smart’s powerful network, you will be able to download these programs over the air straight into your phone.
With the more advanced Smart phones, you will also be able to download your calendar, your directory of contacts, your e-mail – and update them automatically whenever there is a change. It’s called living wirelessly. And it’s unfolding now, right before our eyes.
• Jones Campos
Public relations head, Globe Telecom
The coming year will be marked by more applications for GPRS (General Packet Radio Service) and MMS (Multimedia Messaging Service). Some of these applications were initially launched by Globe Handyphone in the fourth quarter of 2002, such as Java-based applications and photo viewing and sending. GPRS is a value-added service that allows online information to be sent and received through cellular phones while MMS allows the mobile transmission of multiple media, such as audio and video clips.
Among Globe’s most recent developments was its introduction of MMS and its Globe XTM application (eXtra-long Text and e-Mail), which allows users to send and receive 480-character text messages, e-mail and even picture message attachments.
For 2003, new technologies such as Java are seen to deliver more compelling applications. It is also foreseen that more Java-capable phones will become available to the mass market. MMS will continue to play an important role because more MMS handsets will also be introduced at more pricing levels.
Cellphone users in 2003 can also look forward to the introduction of video-based applications. Here, while the majority of the market has barely gotten into the swing of the MMS photo-messaging, the user experience will be elevated to taking video clips and being able to send it to an e-mail address or another phone.
Developments in cellular phone technologies will also deliver innovations such as faster data speeds, which will aid cell phone users in their browsing and multimedia applications.
Weigh Less Center & Spa
• More overweight people will go for easy-to-do weight management programs like that offered by Weigh Less Center (no diet, no exercise, no thermal wrap, no surgery). This is because people are busy and would like to have more time for things that matter, like family.
• More people will become aware of the need to have a healthy lifestyle. They’ll think healthy to be healthier, what with media giving them all the information that they need.
• As more beauty products get advertised, as more facial/beauty salons and spas open, people will become aware of what they need to do to slow down aging (like a proper skin regimen).
• Botox (a procedure that removes crow’s-feet and laugh lines) will be even more popular. It’s convenient (you can have it during your lunch break) and you can go back to work soon after.
• Skin whitening products will also be more popular.
Managing director, Healthy Options
Health buffs will make a dash for organic foods in the year 2003. That means more of the following: Soy foods and beverages, whole wheat couscous, burghul wheat, flaxseed meal, brown rice, buckwheat, 7-grain cereal (a blend of cracked wheat, oats, bran, rye, corn meal, flaxseed and hulled millet to create a nutritious and tasty cereal), almond nuts.
As for natural herbal and mineral supplements, there’ll be more of these in people’s vitamin cabinet: CoQ10, flaxseed oil, grapeseed extract, chromium picolinate, saw palmetto, evening primrose oil, garlic, fiber tabs (to regulate bowel movement).