Rise of the online shops & some plans for 2018

Recently, in the industry that we are in, bookings from walk-in customers are no longer the trend. Most customers prefer to discuss online or through phone conversation. They like to search for photos online, send it through PM (Private Message) or through a Facebook Page. Some also prefer other social media tools like Instagram, Google+ and Twitter but it is probably much easier to discuss everything though FB because of the easy communication tools such as auto-replies, saved replies and photo comment replies. Another great FB Page tool is the online shop, which you can use to upload photos, as well as add the details and prices of your products.

Traffic for customers means additional costs and waste of time so most of them would prefer to visit the nearby Palawan Express, ML Kwarta Padala or similar shops. Others would like to send their money through bank deposits or online bank transfers. Some would prefer online money transfer tools like Paypal, Coins.ph or Google Cash.

Metro Cebu Traffic (photo: sunstar.com.ph)

The rise of the online shops is unstoppable. Aside from the savings in operating expenses, online shops can just sell online without the necessary business permits and taxes. People will still patronize their products as long as they can prove that they are legitimate or reliable friends are referring them.

Online Shops (photo: illuminationconsulting.com)

Because of the increase in competition, we have decided to make our services much better and more affordable. We will continue with the existing packages and devise other budget-friendly ones. We are not planning to increase our delivery charges anytime soon, even if the TRAIN Law has been implemented by the gasoline stations already. Some of our packages with free delivery will remain, as it is, except for far areas such as Cordova, Talisay, Liloan, etc.

Until now, we are still 50-50 if we are closing our physical store or not. Closing our store means a hefty amount of savings per month but it also means there will be no more walk-in clients. We are planning to rent a small office, paint it with pink to make it catchy, possibly around 10sqm, just to accept bookings, but there are no final decisions yet. Maybe a small stall in SM Cebu will make a difference but there are no definite plans because it also means huge monthly rental. We are still asking for divine intervention to help us in all the strategies and decisions we will be making. This quarter will be super busy in terms of business administration, hoping that by summer, we can reach our quota, bring our team to Camotes or Bohol, chill and zip lemonade along the beach, while watching the beautiful sunrise or sunset.

Cebu Balloons Building

Rest assured, Cebu Balloons would continue to expand its business and reach more customers. We will give you the biggest bang for your buck.

Last December, while staying for 2 weeks in Mindanao, we have discovered a system that works well. We will continue to polish the system and when the time comes that it is on full implementation, you will see a much better, stronger, faster and smarter business. We now have 2 online staffs, 3 sales staffs, 4 production staffs and 2 on-call project based staff. All of them are taking care of several small businesses including Dessert Buffets, Party Entertainers, Styro Crafts, Inflatables, Giveaways, Paper Crafts, Ice Cream and many more.