Cebuana Lhuillier, a leading micro-financial service provider in the Philippines, continues to foster financial inclusion through digital transformation efforts.
Since the pandemic, the brand put focus on adopting the “TechBrick” work strategy—a term coined by Jean Henri Lhuillier himself, Cebuana Lhuillier’s president and chief executive. “TechBrick” refers to the model that puts technology and brick-and-mortar stores in hybrid. This strategy allowed Cebuana Lhuillier to make its financial services accessible to its clients, online and offline.
As the pandemic called for a paradigm shift in the financial landscape, the company developed apps and online platforms while increasing the number of its physical stores, to reach its customers no matter the restrictions. Cebuana strengthened its power by collaborating with other leading industry players, such as Western Union, MoneyGram, and WorldRemit.
“Cebuana Lhuillier’s core mission is to break the barriers in finance through effective financial solution offerings. Our TechBrick strategy allows us to make our products and services available on demand, while optimizing our robust network reach in over 3,000 branches in the country. We want to cement the unique position of Cebuana as a household name for Filipinos and as a leading full-fledged micro financial services provider,” said Lhuillier.
The TechBrick system made pawning, money transfer, micro insurance, jewelry selling, and micro savings available to customers in both online and offline channels. One of the ways the brand championed this is through the Cebuana Xpress, an app that made performing pawning transactions easier and seamless. Cebuana also developed the Quikz mobile remittance app that enabled OFWs in Singapore and the US to instantly send money to their loved ones.
True to its commitment to bridge the gap between major banks and underserved Filipinos, Cebuana Lhuillier also developed the eCebuana app, a platform that provides customers access to banking services within the Cebuana Lhuillier ecosystem.
The brand also created Cebuana-From-Home, an answer to the customers’ woes during the pandemic, allowing them to have full access on all Cebuana services. Insurances were also made available online. Cebuana’s ProtectNow is a web-based app that served as an e-commerce platform where people can directly purchase micro-insurance products.
The brand revolutionized the process of investing on jewelry. The Cebuana Lhuillier Jewelry Premium markets authentic jewelry pieces at an affordable price, in its branches and online through its website and FB Live Selling channels.
The continued innovation of Cebuana Lhuillier cemented the company’s relevance by ensuring its strong presence in both physical and online channels. Its thrust toward adopting the TechBrick concept drives Cebuana to be more future-proof, bearing its long-time commitment to make the Philippines a financially-inclusive nation.