Basta e-commerce, madali

The root word of madali, is “dali” which has three meanings in Filipino. The first meaning is “fast”, as in “magmadali” or “go fast.” The second meaning is “easy”, as in “uncomplicated.” The third meaning of “dali” is inch or finger, which not many people are aware of, likely because it is rarely used. According to diksiyonaryo.ph, “dali” also connotes:

Moreover, the Latin for finger is “digitus,” which is the root word of “digital”. The relationships and roots of all of these words lend themselves to what this roadmap aims to achieve: ease, simplicity, and speed, or the “dali” of conducting commerce in the digital world, with just a tap of a finger using smart devices.

The bold aim of this roadmap is to make e-Commerce synonymous with easy commerce, as easy as pointing the finger towards a direction, as tapping the fingers on the keyboard, as clicking the mouse, or as pressing a button. It’s the internet and e-Commerce at our fingertips. By laying out the framework and strategic direction in this roadmap, we hope to cure the impression that doing e-Commerce in the Philippines is slow, unsecure, and complicated. With the strategies and concrete steps that this map is plotting out, we want to put the Filipinos at ease when it comes to doing e-Commerce. If accomplished, the concrete steps outlined in this roadmap will gain the trust and confidence of the Filipinos in our e-Commerce infrastructure and internet capabilities.

OVERALL ORGANIZATION OF THE ROADMAP

The e-Commerce Philippines 2022 Roadmap is designed as an easy read. It provides a simple narrative that contains an assessment of where we are, where we want to go (goals and objectives), and how to get there (strategies and measures of success). This updated report will be divided into four major parts:

Part 1: Understanding e-Commerce in the Philippines which includes a situationer, definition, and ecosystem

Part 2: Roadmap journey which tackles how the roadmap was formulated, and the engagement of the private sector. It shall include summaries of complementary studies i.e. digitalization of MSMEs and key informant interviews among digital platformers, which were conducted during the time of the pandemic.

Part 3: Vision, mission, and strategy map, including metrics, which outlines the overall goals, the measures of success, and the action agenda that will be pursued. Discussion on digital payments and logistics is also included.

Part 4 Presentation of results of the previous roadmap (Philippine e-Commerce Roadmap 2016-2020), and explanation of roadmap targets.

Madali is an acronym that stands for the concretization of this vision of fast, convenient, and easy commerce. It means Market Access, DigitAlization, and Logistics Integration.

A truly strong e-Commerce infrastructure fueling a healthy digital economy cannot exist purely in the abstractions of cyberspace. This is why the digital revolution must be anchored on palpable and concrete benefits to the people. Through this initiative, both businesses and consumers must have easy access to the Market without any geographical limitations. Traditional transactions and activities that pertain to doing business must be doable online, anytime and anywhere. And it cannot stop with online payments and purchases. It must be integrated up to the last stretch, through logistics integration. Our brand of easy commerce should not stop at “Payment Received” on your app. It must reach your doorsteps.

This roadmap boldly claims that our vision of e-Commerce in the Philippines will become synonymous with easy commerce. By preparing our infrastructure, institutions, systems, and people to fully embrace an economy that operates in the digital universe, we will be able to achieve this. Our mantra is to keep things “MADALI”, which also stands for Market Access, Digitalization, and Logistics Integration. In concrete terms, we aim to provide our people with easy access to markets through seamless logistics using the power of the internet and information technology. E-commerce will not anymore remain a pipe dream. We are on our way to make it part of our daily lives.