Distance Learning? Don’t take Power Availability for Granted

Mandaluyong, Manila [September 24, 2020] – Amid the pandemic, there has been a push among educational institutions worldwide to explore the online and digital approach to ensure that learning among students remains unhampered.

In the Philippines, education officials have recently moved the opening of classes from August 24 to October 5, to provide more time for schools and universities, which only used to conduct face-to-face classes, to prepare for distance learning—an approach that includes no in-person interaction between the learners and their teachers.

Some educational institutions, however, especially colleges and universities, have already started conducting classes following the distance learning approach.

Classes are done either through the distribution of printed copies of modules (online or offline) or by conducting them using virtual classrooms where teachers and students can communicate, interact, and collaborate even if they are remote from each other, mostly through an online learning environment.

In many ways, virtual classrooms are just like the traditional ones, where students must be able to see, hear, and interact with the teacher and their classmates, all while having a good view of their learning modules and other materials.

For educational institutions and educators alike, conducting virtual or online classes mean they will have to rely on technology to thrive even amid the pandemic. Teachers and students must also have the right digital tools for their 'classroom setup' at home to get by until schools reopen, and regular face-to-face classes resume.

UPS for Distance Learning

In a virtual classroom setup, educators and students would need essential e-learning tools that need continuous power to keep them running and avoid problems that may impede the students' learning experience.

Aside from a stable internet connection, they must have personal computers, smartphones, tablets, and scanning and printing devices, among others, for their online classes. Some software applications are also important to enable virtual classes. It includes video and audio conferencing, so teachers and students can see and hear each other, as well as real-time text chat apps, which come handy in providing instructions.

Lastly, a library (or an online platform) of learning materials must also be available to provide more structured lessons. This platform will allow teachers to prepare for a class in less time. Most importantly, it allows both the teacher and students to always be on the same page.

But with the start of the classes scheduled in October, coinciding with the typhoon season in the Philippines, power outages or interruptions are among the foreseeable scenarios that teachers and their students may experience amid distance learning.

If there is a power outage, even for a moment, the loss of power can be detrimental. Several files could become inaccessible, or worse, deleted permanently. Some devices might even be damaged due to sudden shutdown. There is also the risk of having additional cost implications for their repair or replacement.

Helping ensure unhampered learning

To help avoid these problems, educators, and even students, need an Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) for their virtual classroom set up at home.

According to Vertiv, a global provider of critical digital infrastructure and continuity solutions, a UPS device is incredibly important for schools, teachers, and students that rely on personal computers, servers, and other electronic devices being on, at least 12 hours (or more) a day, seven days a week.

“A UPS can protect these critical devices from main supply problems, including spikes, voltage dips, fluctuations, and complete power failures, using a dedicated battery. Having a UPS at home can also help in “bridging the gap” as it seamlessly switches the source to battery mode so devices can continue working until they are safely shut down, or the main power is restored,” said Jason Lim, country manager of Vertiv Philippines.

To support schools, teachers, and students who need an uninterruptible power supply for distance learning, Vertiv innovated a full-range of Liebert UPS, which are future-proof, eco-friendly, and highly efficient.

Shopee Enhances Support for Brands to Scale and Succeed Online, Starting with its Annual 10.10 Brands Festival

MANILA, SEPTEMBER 24, 2020 –  Shopee, the leading e-commerce platform in Southeast Asia and Taiwan, is expanding its initiatives to help brands and retailers launch, scale, and succeed online, starting with its annual Shopee 10.10 Brands Festival. As more brands and retailers step up their digitalization efforts to capture a growing proportion of online-first consumers, it is crucial for brands to find new ways to reach and engage with their consumers. 

This 10.10 Brands Festival, Shopee enhances its support for brands with the launch of its Shopee Media Agencies Partner Program (SMAP) covering seven markets. This strategic program is the region’s first and largest of its kind, comprising five leading global media agencies: Dentsu Aegis Network, Omnicom Media Group, Publicis Groupe, Havas Group, and Mediabrands. 

Through this program, Shopee will equip media agencies with in-depth knowledge and skills on using Shopee’s suite of brand marketing tools, including advertising solutions such as Shopee Ads, products such as in-app branding assets, and other value-added services. Shopee will also provide the media agencies with a deeper understanding of e-commerce sharing best practices on store management, campaign execution, and optimization. As brands invest more in growing their online presence, SMAP will enable media agencies to leverage a broader range of e-commerce tools to maximize the return on investment of their clients’ media spend.

Also, media agencies and their clients will have the opportunity to get exclusive first-hand access to Shopee’s new marketing solutions and products. 

                                                                                                                   

Martin Yu, Associate Director at Shopee Philippines, said, “We’re encouraged by the growth in the number of local and international brands joining Shopee Mall, who trust and rely on Shopee to sustain and expand their businesses. Helping our brand partners make a seamless transition online, amplify their online presence, and boost brand affinity has always been a priority. We’re excited to launch the SMAP program, which complements our existing end-to-end support system for brands to achieve success online. We will continuously innovate our platform to deliver better value for brands and their customers.”

Amplifying online presence with strong marketing and operational capabilities 

  

Aside from SMAP, brands can further elevate their online presence and scale their e-commerce business with Shopee’s strong ecosystem of solutions:
 

• Robust logistics and warehouse solutions: Shopee’s strong logistics support enables brands to fulfill their orders with ease, especially when sales volumes are high. Brands can tap on Shopee’s optimized network of warehouses to ship out orders more efficiently, including the use of data to forecast demand so that brands can better allocate their resources.  
  
  

• Easy-to-use brand marketing tools: With Shopee’s custom-built Shop Decoration Tool, brands can easily customize the layout of their Official Stores to reflect their brand image and identity. This is especially useful for brands to build authentic connections with their customers through enhanced brand storytelling.

Building stronger connections with customized engagement features 

 

As more consumers seek greater entertainment while shopping online, brands can leverage in-app features such as Shopee Live to bring together unique entertainment, real-time interactions, and instant purchases. Shopee can help brands produce live-stream content and has dedicated brand support teams to customize engagement strategies to achieve optimal results.

 

For instance, brands familiar with e-commerce, such as L’Oreal, are constantly exploring ways to engage their consumers better. At the recent 9.9 Super Shopping Day, Shopee worked with L’Oreal to host an extended 3-hour live streaming marathon featuring over 8 Key Opinion Leaders (KOLs) across the region, which successfully garnered over 180,000 views. 

 

On the other hand, Shopee also offers tools tailored for brands who are newer to e-commerce or do not have prior experience with online engagement strategies. For example, the Shopee KOL program pairs brands with popular influencers for their brand live streams, contributing to boosting the brand’s visibility and sales. 

 

Highlights of 10.10 Brands Festival 

As the region’s biggest online shopping event for brands,  the 10.10 Brands Festival will feature 2 weeks of supersized brand promotions and back to back Super Brands Days. The festival will run from September 24 to October 10, with key highlights including: 

• Free shipping with ₱0 minimum spend for the entire period of 10.10 Brands Festival. 

• Enjoy value-added services and guarantees such as 100% Authentic products, Free Delivery, and hassle-free 7-day return policy at Shopee Mall. 

• Daily sulit deals where users can score ₱10 deals and enjoy fun games like bingo marathon and other game shows on Shopee Live.

• Amazing promotions and up to 50% off discount from leading brands such as Infinix, Wyeth, Vivo, Unilever, Oppo, Mamypoko, Nestle, Enfagrow, Maybelline, L’Oreal Paris, Inspi, Havaianas, P&G Pampers, Johnson & Johnson, and Abbott. 

Find out more about the 10.10 Brands Festival at https://shopee.ph/m/10-10-1.

 

Download the Shopee app for free via the App Store or Google Play.

  

About Shopee

Shopee is the leading e-commerce platform in Southeast Asia and Taiwan. It was launched in 7 markets in 2015 to connect consumers, sellers, and businesses in the region.

Shopee offers an easy, secure, and engaging experience that is enjoyed by millions of people daily. It offers a wide product assortment, supported by integrated payments and logistics, as well as popular entertainment features tailored for each market. Shopee is also a key contributor to the region’s digital economy with a firm commitment to helping brands and entrepreneurs succeed in e-commerce.

Shopee is a part of Sea Limited (NYSE:SE), a leading global consumer internet company. In addition to Shopee, Sea’s other core businesses include its digital entertainment arm, Garena, and digital financial services arm, SeaMoney. Sea’s mission is to better the lives of consumers and small businesses with technology.

DTI TO PROMOTE PHILIPPINE IT-BPM INDUSTRY IN AUSTRALIAN MARKET

The Department of Trade and Industry-Export Marketing Bureau (DTI-EMB) and the Philippine Trade and Investment Center in Sydney (PTIC-Sydney) will conduct a webinar+ on 25 September 2020, 1:30 pm in the Philippines and 3:30 pm in Australia.

The webinar+ is a two-part activity composed of a webinar to be followed by a B2B, to promote the Philippine Information Technology-Business Process Management (IT-BPM) industry in Australia.

The webinar, entitled “The Philippine IT-BPM Industry: Your Tool for Business Recovery and Continuity”, will focus on the capability of the Philippine IT-BPM industry to deliver services to global clients, specifically in the Australian market, and to share its current initiatives in maintaining the industry’s resiliency and readiness for business amidst the pandemic.

It will also present the current state of the IT-BPM industry and discuss IT-related and BPM services beyond voice, focusing on IT services (including finance and accounting), software development, Engineering Services Outsourcing (ESO), and creative servicesaimed at encouraging Australian companies to consider the Philippines for their outsourcing or work sharing needs to help optimize and scale up their business during a pandemic.

Topics will cover discussions about the state of the industry, how the industry is coping with the challenges, and its strategies to address the impact brought about by the pandemic. Likewise, it is an awareness campaign that PH business is open and capable to provide the demand of its client’s outsourcing needs.

The webinar will be live streamed via Zoom and will be participated in by industry experts as speakers namely, Mr. Rey Untal, the president of IT & Business Process Association of the Philippines; Mr. Jonathan Luzuriaga, president of the Philippine Software Industry Association; and Mr. Ernesto S. de Castro, president of the Philippine Engineering Services Outsourcing. President of Australia Philippines Business Council Mr. Eduard Alcordo and Mr. Derek Gallimore, founder and CEO of Outsource Accelerator, the leading Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) marketplace, will also be present as co-moderator and host, respectively.

A targeted online business to business matching (B2B) session will be also be conducted as a follow up to the webinar on Sept. 29, 2020. Through the B2B, PH companies can connect, consult, and engage with Australian companies, aimed at exploring how the Philippines can integrate and provide its value-adding services to their existing business supply/value chain.