Transitioning from ready-to-wear (RTW) garments to gold jewelry marked a significant shift for MJM Gold Jewelry. However, it was their venture into TikTok Shop last year that truly propelled the company to new heights.

Jane Marella, owner, and CEO of MJM Gold Jewelry, embarked on her entrepreneurial journey in 2014. Recognizing the shifting market dynamics, Jane pivoted her business to focus on crafting exquisite gold jewelry, thus laying the foundation for MJM Gold Jewelry’s success.

Leveraging TikTok Shop for Growth

Since joining TikTok Shop in February 2023, MJM Gold Jewelry has undergone a notable transformation. “The reach we achieved with the TikTok community is on a different level — MJM gained nationwide recognition, which we hadn’t been able to achieve before,” shared Jane.

Central to MJM Gold Jewelry’s success on TikTok Shop is its authentic engagement with the platform’s audience. Jane emphasizes genuine connection, treating customers as friends and engaging in meaningful conversations. This approach has fostered a sense of community around the brand, enhancing brand loyalty and customer engagement.

Maximizing Live Selling Capabilities

MJM Gold Jewelry capitalized on TikTok Shop’s live selling capabilities, which played a key role in their growth. According to Jane, TikTok streamlined the process for live selling and made it more efficient for sellers. With its broad market reach and extensive viewer base, TikTok provided MJM Gold Jewelry with a seamless platform to engage with its audience and showcase its collection of gold necklaces, earrings, and bracelets on live streams.

Continuing to utilize TikTok Shop’s features, MJM Gold Jewelry saw substantial progress. With a 39% Compound Monthly Growth Rate (CMGR) in livestream sales, their live sessions became must-watch events, driving sales and excitement among consumers.

As MJM Gold Jewelry’s reputation grew, so did its sales figures. From February 2023 to February 2024, the brand observed a significant increase in Daily Active Gross Merchandise Value (DAGMV) with a staggering 54.8x uplift. This uptick in sales reflected the brand’s ability to adapt and thrive in the digital landscape.

Empowering Local Businesses on TikTok Shop

“With the help of TikTok Shop, we’re able to join campaigns and receive support, as our live sessions, short videos, and products are highlighted there. TikTok Shop is the number one commerce platform here in the Philippines. So, we must keep up because, for us, TikTok has been the way to uplift our business. Our business made a complete 360-degree turn,” according to Jane.

As MJM Gold Jewelry continues to thrive on TikTok Shop, its success story offers valuable insights for local businesses, showcasing the potential for sustainable e-commerce growth through strategic engagement and authenticity on the platform.

To experience the collection of gold necklaces, earrings, and bracelets firsthand, visit MJM Gold Jewelry’s TikTok Shop storefront here.

The famous line from the 1994 hit movie Forrest Gump, “Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get” has been true so far for Isagani de Ocampo, owner and chocolatier of Kakaw Galleon.

De Ocampo began his career as a seafarer in 2009 and was trained as a Pastry Chef aboard cruise ships. This was followed by a chance to train under the esteemed Jean-Philippe Maury’s chocolate shop, honing Isagani’s skills under the guidance of masters.

But fate had different plans for the chocolatier. When the pandemic hit in 2020, Isagani belonged to the first batch of repatriated overseas Filipino workers. It was also this time when he started creating his own chocolate formula, dreaming of launching his own chocolate line in the Philippines.  

“It was hard at first because our taste for chocolate is quite different. Filipinos prefer the “stateside” chocolate. So, I thought of making a local version of chocolate that tastes like it’s imported,” he shared. “I wanted to bring the technology and the taste that I learned from abroad closer to chocolate lovers here,” he added.

But starting the business in a pandemic was not easy. For one, he had to rent a separate place for his chocolate factory – which was not possible during the lockdown. De Ocampo had to put his business on hold for a year before he was able to launch his first product in November of 2021.

“It became a hit, and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) heard about it. They approached me and offered me help. I held my first bazaar with them in January of the next year and I introduced my product as a local ‘imported’ chocolate. And the rest is history,” he recalled.

To scale his business even further, Isagani saw the value of upskilling and learning how to employ digital tools to boost micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSME) like Kakaw Galleon. When the invitation to attend the eBizNovation program under the livelihood advocacy of PLDT and Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart) came, he did not hesitate to join.

“I’m a non-tech savvy person. Technology and I don’t get along. But I saw the invite to the eBizNovation workshop of DTI and PLDT and Smart, so I attended the event. Then, when I returned home, I told my wife about it, and she volunteered to implement it,” de Ocampo said.

The eBizNovation program is a digital upskilling-to-ecommerce program that aims to provide local entrepreneurs, cooperatives, and MSMEs like Kakaw Galleon the right digital tools to help them grow their businesses online.

Together with government partners such as the DTI, LGUs, local chambers of commerce, and ecommerce platforms like TikTok Shop, eBizNovation trains local business owners like Isagani how to maximize digital commerce to boost their livelihood.

“The skills and knowledge we gained from PLDT and Smart’s eBizNovation training have helped us build our digital platforms and online payment system, and ultimately helped boost our online presence and sales. We are thankful for this opportunity,” the chocolatier shared.

PLDT and Smart are committed to uplifting the lives of Filipinos through livelihood and entrepreneurship opportunities made possible by technology. These initiatives also support the UN SDGs #1 No Poverty and #8 Decent Work and Economic Growth.

The advent of modern technology has rendered traditional methods obsolete, and old practices are easily swept away by innovation.

But for Kapampangan delicacy store Susie’s Cuisine, technology is a way to strengthen culinary heritage – striking a balance between adopting technology and preserving Pampanga’s cultural culinary identity.

“Susie’s Cuisine started in 1972. Apung Aning or Ms. Anicia Ayson, a dentist by profession, was encouraged by her family and friends to open up a food business because of her expertise in cooking. She set up a carinderia at Nepo Mart, serving merienda like pancit palabok, tibok-tibok, and botche,” shared Rowell Cabayao, Operations and Marketing Lead I of Susie’s Cuisine.

Taking pride in its delicacies as the country’s culinary capital, the restaurant drew in both local patrons and tourists as it offers the reminiscent taste of authentic Kapampangan cuisine.

“Although our stores may appear modern, our pancit and pasta dishes are still prepared the way Apung Aning used to cook them. For our rice cakes, we don’t use machines to mix ingredients; we still do it manually,” Cabayao added.

While the business remains committed to old cooking methods, evolving some operational processes became imperative due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As such, Susie’s Cuisine gradually evolved to adapt to the changing needs of customers.

They established their presence in social media and online delivery platforms, which expanded their visibility, leading to an increase in the volume of orders they receive daily.

To their advantage, the enterprise found an ally in the form of Converge that has been their reliable support in keeping the harmonious interplay of technology and heritage in their restaurants.

With Converge providing high-speed fiber connection, their store crews are equipped to engage with customers either online or face-to-face, ensuring goods are available for sale as they keep track of their inventory in real-time. At the same time, advanced orders are catered to, satiating the kakanin cravings of customers even if they are away from Susie’s Cuisine.

Uplifting small-scale businesses, Converge flexiBIZ extends a value-for-money internet service that powers enterprises to boost productivity and efficiency, allowing them to optimize their operations as they aspire for growth.

Depending on their chosen plan between flexiBIZ Daytime or flexiBIZ Peak, SME subscribers may opt to double their bandwidth to operate during the day or obtain a premium service that delivers consistent high-speed connections regardless of time.

“How Converge treats and accepts Susie’s Cuisine is like a family. Because we’ve been together for a long time, whenever we run to them, we’re sure to feel the care and nurturing of a true Filipino,” Cabayao said.

In the near future, Susie’s Cuisine intends to continue adjusting to current trends and maximize technology to strengthen their delivery of Pampanga’s culinary offerings. Soon, the business eyes to transform their restaurant into a place where people can enjoy reliable internet as they indulge in savory Kapampangan dishes on their table.

“One thing we prioritize in Susie’s Cuisine is providing the Kapampangan service. As they say, customers are our family. They are not just customers but for us, they are family,” Cabayao noted.

Converge Information and Communications Technology Solutions, Inc. is the fastest-growing fixed broadband service provider in the Philippines. It is the first to run an end-to-end pure fiber internet network in the country, providing Filipinos simple, fast, and reliable connectivity. Aside from broadband services, Converge also offers integrated data center and network solutions services.

With over 680,000 kilometers of fiber optic assets nationwide, it has one of the most extensive fiber networks in the Philippines.

With this fiber-powered network, Converge provides premium world-class digital experience for residential, enterprise, and wholesale customers.

Go to https://www.convergeict.com for more information.