Exporters urged to tap local market

With the integration of the economies of Asean countries in 2015, Cebu exporters are encouraged to first position themselves in the local market.

Pete Delantar, Cebu Gifts, Toys, Houseware  (GTH) Foundation president, said fellow exporters would need to be aggressive in promoting their products to the local market, which he noted as having continuously expanded over the past two years.

Joining in marketing activities and trade shows are some examples that could help exporters in marketing their export products in the local community, Delantar said.

He cited the monthlong Great Cebu Sale, organized by the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI) for the annual Cebu Business Month celebration in June, and the Tubod Furniture Show, organized by the Cebu Furniture Industries Foundation (CFIF), as among the activities that exporters sell their products in the local market.

Delantar, who owns Nature’s Legacy that produces housewares and accessories made from “upscaled” materials or those that are already considered waste and processed into something of more value.

Under Nature’s Legacy are two patented technologies—Naturescast and Nucast—which he used in the production of his products which includes planters and fashion accessories under his brand Floreia.

While their products are growing popular in the European countries because of the “green revolution,” Delantar said that the local market has become a huge feasible market for their products.

“The local market now, which has 90 million people with an expanding middle income market that has more disposable income, is no longer a market that we can simply overlook,” said Delantar.

TINDAHANG PINOY

Delantar also urged other manufacturers to display their product at Tindahang Pinoy, which was a flagship project of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) in partnership with the Department of Tourism (DOT) and Cebu GTH launched over a year ago.

“Currently we have 75 companies now displaying their product at Tindahang Pinoy from only 40 companies when we started. Thirty-five of these companies are our members in GTH, 25 are startup companies who want to test the market, and the rest are OTOP (one town, one product) of DTI,” Delantar said.

Regional products from Leyte, Bohol, Camotes Island and Masbate are also on display at the store.

Delantar said that the Tindahang Pinoy has participated in the Great Cebu Sale with products on sale for the whole month of June this year.

“We really aim to get more people to come here especially the locals that is why we joined in the sale. We’d soon also be pushing more for awareness because some still don’t know where we are located,” he said.

On the average, about 200 people visit the store every month mostly tourists brought by tour guide partners and travel agencies affiliated with Cebu Association of Tour Operators (CATO) and DOT.

Average sales per month is at P400,000 now. They are targeting sales to reach P600,000 to P800,000 per month.

Delantar said they’d also be working on to push for more partnerships among hotel tour guides.