4 million Filipinos use their mobile phone as virtual wallet

With a growing and maturing user base of Filipino mobile phone users, it is no wonder that we now have 4 million Filipinos using their mobile phone as a virtual wallet.

It reaches the point where we have to doubt on the success of non-bank plastic cards as a money remittance tool if they are not integrated with the mobile phone. Especially so that the country is targeting US$14.1 billion remittance in 2007.

SMS in Corporate Philippines: Isuzu Automotive Dealership

Isuzu Automotive Dealership Inc. started using short messaging service (SMS) platform software last November 15, 2005 from GiveMeUnlimited's InfoTxt SMS Platform.

Olive Garcia, ISD Manager of Isuzu Automotive Dealership Inc. (Alabang, Cavite, Cebu, Mandaue, Pasig) shared the company's experience.

Janette Toral (JT): What made you choose InfoTxt compared to other SMS platforms in the market?

Olive Garcia (OG): When compared to other products, our decision was influenced by the following:

• User friendly web-based interface
• Customers are charged P1.00/message
• Supports picture and logo messages
• Supports vcalendar messages
• Easy to extract reports
• It has a user base of 45 companies
• Single point of contact for system support
• Lifetime warranty of the system

JT: How important or of help are SMS platforms to your organization?

OG: Since we started using SMS platforms, we’ve experienced the following benefits:

• Ability to document communications with our staff and clients, thus reducing dissatisfactions due to alleged miscommunications.
• Ability to keep track of transactions such as customers giving go-ahead instructions to repair or sales orders.
• Ability to validate the date and time our associates contact clients, thus improving customer service.
• Savings on call charges.
• Savings on mass mailing of Kilometer Checkup Reminders, Birthday Greetings, etc.
• Possible reduction in cancelled repair orders or sales transactions.
• Immediate announcements of special events, promotions, packages, etc. We have not yet fully utilized other features such as picture and logo messages and survey utility.

JT: If SMS platforms will improve or evolve, what would you like to see that can also be of help to organizations such as yours?

OG: I am not sure though if it’s present now, but it would be great to see the following:

• Handle (to include report generation) incoming messages with pictures, logos etc
• Automatic user credit loading
• Archiving facility wherein you can just specify dates or messages to archive
• Needless to say, improvement on the side of cellular carriers.

GiveMeUnlimited is one of the most successful wireless application software development companies in the Philippines. It received awards from various organizations recognizing the hard work poured in its InfoTxt SMS platform.

More stories:
State of Wireless Technologies in the Philippines v2

Philippines has 45% Mobile Phone Penetration

Although mobile phone sales have gone up globally, carriers like PLDT are expecting slower growth in 2007 as penetration rate in the country attained 45% of the population.

Mobile phone sales growing globally

Global mobile phone sales raced ahead by 21.5 percent to 251 million units in the third quarter of the current calendar year, powered by strong growth in Asia. Gartner said that in emerging markets, the growth of retailers and the expansion of distribution channels have enhanced sales, particularly in India, Indonesia and the Philippines. In Asia/Pacific, sales rose to 80.8 million units, a 54.7 percent increase from the same quarter last year.

Nokia also remained as the number 1 mobile phone globally.

A lot of opportunities are happening in the mobile phone market. The US is gradually embracing the use of the mobile phone device for electronic payments too. It is an indispensable tool as well for disaster relief coordination.

Cutting-Edge Mobile Handsets in Asia

Cutting-edge mobile phones—phones integrated with various multimedia and rich-data functionalities—are rapidly increasing their share of phones shipped in the Asia Pacific market, reports In-Stat. ("Cutting-Edge Mobile Handsets in Asia" - #IN0602374AW)

For example, with 252.3 million mobile phones shipped in the region in 2005, 53.4% had camera functions, the high-tech market research firm says. The plunging price of such models in emerging markets has greatly promoted their adoption.

By 2009, 67% of mobiles sold in Asia Pacific will have camera functionality.

In addition:

- Phones with music-playing capabilities accounted for 23% of phones sold; that figure is above the global average of 13.6%.

- By 2009, the functionality and quality of music playing on mobile phones will be greatly enhanced, with music phones likely to be in direct competition with stand-alone music players.

- Mobile digital broadcasting TV phones, and cellular phones with alternative wireless broadband connectivity, were introduced to early adopters in South Korea and Japan in 2005.