Water hyacinths and ripple effects: How your favorite shopping app helped this women-driven initiative

Editor’s note: This content is sponsored by Shopee and was produced by BrandRap, the sales and marketing arm of Rappler. No member of the news and editorial team participated in the production of this piece.

These days, it has become second nature to fish out our phones when we need to make a purchase. Whether we’re looking for a well-thought-out gift for a loved one or the pillar of our personal wishlist, we hit the search bar and trust the virtual world to offer great options – especially if it’s Shopee, which has been enabling meaningful purchases for the past decade.

The significance of your purchase, however, doesn’t end with you. Little did you know, it has fueled the livelihood of your seller, consequently empowering Filipino businesses’ dreams. And with your favorite e-commerce platform, this can even have a domino effect; take the case of Remia Adedoja, founder and general manager of Remdavies Enterprises.

Making waves for MSMEs

A producer of Filipino handmade items, Remdavies is one of the millions of micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) across Southeast Asia, Taiwan, and Brazil that have chosen to sell on Shopee since the mobile-first marketplace launched in 2015. To date, MSMEs have generated $270 billion in sales. Moreover, 80% of these MSMEs operate outside capital cities, like Los Baños, Laguna.

In the province, Adedoja took notice of the brewing water hyacinth problem. “Nang tumama ang bagyong Ondoy dito sa Pilipinas noong 2009, nagkumpul-kumpol ang mga water hyacinth at hinarangan nito ang agos ng tubig. Dahil doon, nagkaroon ng malawakang pagbaha,” she said in the Philippine episode of “Shopee: Keeping Cultures Alive”, a docuseries that make main characters out of successful and inspiring MSME sellers, in celebration of the shopping app’s 10th anniversary.

(When Typhoon Ondoy struck the Philippines in 2009, the water hyacinths clustered together and blocked the flow of water.)

With strong willpower to solve this environmental disaster, plus learnings from a scholarship in her arsenal, she soon found her ethos lying in the stalks of water hyacinths. Following the process of upcycling, she would give them a new lease on life, turning them into useful handcrafted pieces that can complete anyone’s outfit (or room!). Soon, she’d share these skills with other women in her community,  whom she’s always believed to be capable, until they became long-term sources of livelihood.

Of water hyacinths and ripple effects

“Beyond our community in Los Baños, we also work with weavers from nearby areas. In Calamba City, one of our artisans was able to send her son to college, and he has since graduated with a degree in criminology. In Tanza, Cavite, several of our weavers have been able to support their children’s college education through their earnings from weaving,” Adedoja told Rappler in an exclusive interview. “Stories like these show how providing livelihood opportunities create a ripple effect that uplifts the individual and their families and the wider community.”

Tapping an even larger community, also known as far-off customers, means an entirely different kind of challenge, though. But despite operating on a traditional business model at first, Remdavies felt supported throughout their jump to digital, thanks to Shopee. After all, in Adedoja’s point of view, the two are unified by common threads.

“As a social enterprise, Remdavies has always focused on empowering women by equipping them with skills to earn a living and improve their families’ quality of life. This aligns closely with Shopee’s mission of helping local entrepreneurs like us thrive through digital tools and opportunities,” she said.

“When we first joined Shopee, my daughter Emily learned how to manage our store and reach more customers online through resources on Shopee University. The training sessions and webinars taught us how to list products effectively, run promotions, and make our brand more visible to buyers across the Philippines.”

Clearer waters

Speaking more about her experience with Shopee University, which reportedly has raked in 7.1 million MSME seller sign-ups across the region, Emily shared how the e-commerce platform enabled her to understand the technical side of the business in depth. This includes making the products more discoverable through search engine optimization.

“Coming from a non-marketing background, these lessons were invaluable as they taught me how to present our items more attractively and reach a wider audience,” she explained. “Shopee University also taught me how to adapt to change. Before joining Shopee, trade fairs and exhibitions were our main source of sales. However, when the nationwide lockdown began, these were cancelled and we had to pivot completely online. The free lectures and training sessions offered by Shopee University made that transition much easier. The platform also provided clear, step-by-step guidance and user-friendly tools that helped us optimize our store and operations. Because of this, we were able to adjust quickly and continue growing despite the challenges.”

An overwhelming number soon represented this growth, anchored by a systematic process.

Remia shared, “Shopee’s pre-order feature also helped us manage customer demand better. Since all our products are handwoven, the extra lead time gave our weavers the breathing space to craft each order carefully while still meeting customers’ expectations.”

“These skills and tools became even more important during the pandemic, when online shopping became the main way people bought products. Our sales on Shopee tripled during that period, and the momentum has continued since. We’re still growing today, thanks to everything we learned through the platform,” she added.

With 63% of Filipinos open to spending more for sustainably made products, it’s also no wonder that Remdavies’ offerings have been driving interest.

Soaked in blessings

Did you know that Remdavies’ Laguna-based product roster – covering top-handle bags to dinnerware – has reached as far as General Santos City in Mindanao? This is a testament to how Shopee’s seamless shipping bridges the gap between the seller and customer, no matter the distance. This is a feat that would probably never have been realized if Remdavies had remained in the limiting spaces of physical sales at trade fairs.

Who knows? Someone you know has probably been reached by a Remdavies creation, or even better, the exact product that represents their ethos.

“The 3-in-1 bread basket with cloth lining reflects what Remdavies stands for. Breakfast is the first meal our family shares each day, and the basket reminds us of the women and families we aim to empower. It’s a simple symbol of why we built Remdavies as a social enterprise,” Remia shared.

Apart from taking care of the environment, empowering women through sustainable opportunities, and inspiring a tight-knit community, Remdavies’ continued success also champions local artistry. This pride is a kind of currency that automatically adds meaning to your purchases.

Check out the full episode of Remdavies’ story in “Shopee: Keeping Cultures Alive” and know how your purchasing power as a Shopee user extends to genuine causes.

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– Rappler.com