A Singapore-based fashion-technology platform aims to change the electronic commerce scene in Asia, including the Philippines, by linking small businesses to suppliers and consumers.
“Zilingo is a technology platform, with end-to-end cloud solutions that power the entire fashion supply chain to serve the needs of the fashion industry,” Zilingo Philippines marketing director Ryza Dipatuan-Lazo says in an interview in Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City.
On what makes Zilingo different from other online malls such as Zalora, Shopee and Lazada, Dipatuan says: “We are more than a B2C [business to consumers] platform”.
“Aside from B2C, we have B2B [business to business], financial technology, marketing as a service and software as a service. We have more products and services than the usual B2C platforms,” she says.
“Last year, we launched the B2C platform in the Philippines. This year, we are launching the B2B platform through Zilingo Asia Mall. We want to empower MSMEs [micro, small and medium enterprises,” says Dipatuan-Lazo.
Zilingo was founded in 2015 by India entrepreneurs Ankiti Bose and Dhruv Kapoor who chose to start the business in Thailand and Cambodia, with Singapore as headquarters. Today, Zilingo, backed by $308-million funding from investors such as Sequoia Capital and Temasek Holdings, is present in 11 countries and works with more than 4,000 factories and 50,000 merchants across the world.
It also has an office manned by 38 individuals in Fort Bonifacio which it hopes to expand with the launch of its B2B business this year.
The start-up says what it does is the future of fashion—helping businesses from farm to closet. The platform helps MSMEs in terms of sourcing, selling, financing, logistics and marketing. It earns through commissions from users.
“We cut out a lot of middlemen–from raw material sources, manufacturers, brands and channels. We simplify the whole process. We give your access to suppliers from around the world,” says Dipatuan-Lazo.
“We provide hassle-free sourcing from 4,000 global manufacturers for the sourcing needs of MSMEs at low prices,” she says.
“The real value of this is for MSMEs. We can offer them marketing services. Rather than spending P50,000 for photoshoot, our platform for branding and marketing services can help you with content creation for cataloguing and other requirements that you have for only P100 per SKU [stock-keeping unit],” says Dipatuan-Lazo.
“As a platform, we can give them resources in terms of services such as content creation, branding, marketing, social media, events, and public relations,” she says.
Dipatuan-Lazo says that as a one-stop business solution provider, Zilingo provides the necessary tools and services for product development, procurement, trendcasting, working capital, marketing and software implementation easily accessible.
With the help of upgrades in raw material sourcing, HR and productivity software, and financial and marketing services, MSMEs can improve their product quality, turnover and secure better pricing models, allowing them to remain competitive in the global market.
“Zilingo first built their own B2C platform to help merchants distribute better. Today, Zilingo added more services to its platform that will help address the problems faced by the MSME industry here in the Philippines and abroad,” says Dipatuan-Lazo.
Shiela Mauricio, head of commercial at Zilingo Philippines, says, “one of the objectives of the company is to grow the local SMEs—manufacturers, partners and bring the business to global sources”.
“Instead of them traveling to these countries, we are giving them the sources to their doorsteps,” says Mauricio.
Mauricio says Zilingo also supports MSMEs with financial support. “This is the most effective support that we have. Once MSMEs grow, they would need more capital. To do that, they should be backed by financial assistance. It is easier for us because we are encouraging them to use the platform. Once they are in the platform, we have the data to analyze or assess their capability. Our interest rates are lower than what the bank offers and range from 10 to 12 percent. The requirements are very minimal,” she says.
“Zilingo is reimagining the entire supply chain and aggregating all parties within the same platform by offering services and software that can help businesses do better. This has been the brand’s focus since Day 1,” says Mauricio.