As featured on BusinessWorld last Mar 15, 2022
A wave of new promising markets has emerged as the digital transformation that has swept the globe in response to the COVID-19 pandemic continues to empower consumers and entrepreneurs, especially those in underserved communities. E-commerce has reached its tipping point, and is now projected to eclipse previous forecasts to be worth $363 billion by 2025 as more people learn to utilize the potential of digital platforms to ply their trade online.
Beyond this, however, Jules Veloso, Andrew Bercasio, and Enah Baba, co-founders of furniture and home lifestyle e-commerce platform ITOOH Homestyle, recognized the potential for e-commerce platforms to do something more.
Mr. Bercasio, who had previous experience working as one of e-commerce giant Lazada’s first employees, and has expertise in business development and marketing, said that they have decided to offer a platform for quality, locally-made furniture online.
“During the pandemic, my two co-founders and I were aggressively looking into various segments in the local e-commerce industry. We were looking into a market that we considered was underserved, especially in the beginning,” Mr. Bercasio said in an interview.
At the time, the e-commerce market was saturated with gadgets, accessories, and fashion items sold through marketplaces. There was not quite a market for bigger ticket items, they noticed.
“When you buy furniture, it’s really a commitment. It’s like buying a car. When you purchase a dining table, you plan to use it for the next five to 10 years. It’s not a decision that you can make with just a few clicks, but we hope that as a community, we are slowly learning how to make these purchases online,” Mr. Bercasio said.
ITOOH Homestyle aims to change this perception by offering a “one-stop shop for frictionless discovery and purchase of everything homestyle.” The platform showcases a variety of quality Filipino brands and merchants, catering to the entire spectrum of budgets and lifestyles through careful curation.
“Since launching in July 2021, ITOOH Homestyle has grown to offer 60 brands, with an inventory of around 2,000 unique products ranging from home to outdoor furniture. All of the items are presented with detailed descriptions, precise measurements, maintenance instructions, and a meticulous photo gallery for accurate representation.
“Furniture is an investment piece and people really take their time before they buy them. We’re a touch-and-feel market. That’s the main barrier that we’re trying to break, to educate and hopefully have people trust us and our website, trust the product photos we post online. We make sure to take all of our product photos, refrain from using filters, we don’t edit. We are very clear about our descriptions and we want to make sure that we’re truthful with our offering,” Mr. Bercasio said.
ITOOH Homestyle also offers a consumer-friendly return and exchange policy, which encourages buyers to unbox their orders upon delivery for easy returns should they be dissatisfied with the product.
Mr. Bercasio understands the importance of trust in the digital ecosystem, and an accessible and frictionless user experience is one of the most effective ways to build that trust.
“We have a very friendly return or exchange policy. If we deliver the items to you, we encourage our customers to unbox it as soon as it gets delivered so they can see it, sit on it, feel it. And if they end up not liking it, we can accommodate and take it back,” he said.
“Our standards of returns and exchanges have also dramatically changed, thanks to the influence of all these foreign brands coming to Manila. I think it’s very healthy for consumers. And we don’t want anyone to have something from our website that they don’t like or don’t want to have. That’s the trade-off of an e-commerce website, you have to be accommodating,” he added.
Creating a platform to showcase Filipino artistry
One of ITOOH’s goals is to work with a variety of different creative industries such as interior designers, architects, and craftsmen to build its platform. At present, the website offers interior decorating services, in partnership with Grupo Santamaria, an established design firm with a 20-year history.
“Mr. Bercasio revealed that the company is working on offering art pieces next, tapping into artists from all over the country and offering them a platform to showcase their work. As with their furniture offerings, ITOOH Homestyle wishes to become a platform in which the creative spirit of the Filipino artist is properly recognized and showcased.
“We all have so many good local brands. We are such good craftsmen that are artistic and creative, and we see that with our furniture design,” he said.
He added, “The goal of the company is to be a sort of home online website that everyone will use and love. We want to continue to offer quality home furniture and quality home accessories. We want to champion local designers and craftsmen.”
Currently, ITOOH Homestyle offers free delivery to the National Capital Region and Greater Manila, but the company is working on establishing coverage in certain key cities in Visayas and Mindanao, with the target of representing Filipino pieces abroad. They also currently have a sale running from March 15 to 31 for selected summer pieces, going up to 50% off retail price.
