I Made The Switch - Be inspired sa story ni Elyse on how she made a switch to turning her family's physical store into an online store!

Ilang dekada ng kilala ang Papemelroti as the best source for eco-friendly locally produced paper products. They’ve always had the company website and they use Shopify to sell their items online.

Nagsimula ito sa lola ni Elyse Juan. 55 years ago, nagsimula ang Papemelroti sa paggamit ng iba't ibang scrap cloths o retaso para magbenta ng craft materials. Ang leadership ng family business na ito ay nanggagaling na kay Elyse --mula sa pangatlong generation ng kanilang pamilya. Siya ay involved sa creative direction, marketing at design. Sa kanya din nagsimula ang pag-pivot ng negosyo from a brick-and-mortar business to eCommerce.

Ang paglipat sa eCommerce ay nagsimula noong pandemic. Ang pag-shift to eCommerce ang naging sagot para ma-retain niya ang employment ng kaniyang team. Nagsimula sila sa trial and error para sila ay ma-allocate sila base sa kanilang strengths. As most of them have been with the company for years, she feels the need to take care of them and honour her promise to her staff and to ensure their livelihood is taken care of. Siya din ay nagbibigay ng food at family benefits to her team, taken mainly from the online sales.

Ang kanyang goal ay mapabilang ang Papemelroti sa LazMall. With Lazada, the metrics and ratings system have benefitted her business. Siya ay very impressed sa detalyadong dashboard at extra features such as inventory management system. Gusto niya ding i-maximize ang pre-order feature ni Lazada by selling personlized items. She is also hoping to expand to other SEA countries and eventually to sell her items anywhere in the world.

“I hope you’re proud of me Lola”., sagot niya when asked a question sa kung ano ang gusto niyang sabihin sa kaniyang lola kung siya ay nabubuhay pa. She wishes her grandmother could see how her legacy lives on and how the business has pivoted to eCommerce successfully. She knew that if Lola was still around, she would have loved eCommerce.

Para sa mga bagong sellers, eto ang kanyang advice, "Just do it! Do not worry as Lazada will offer sellers all the help they need to kick start their business. Lazada University is also a great resource that is available for all sellers. It’s ok to start small and see how the market reacts to your products and don’t be afraid to make mistakes."