Lifestyle

If you’re a wife and a mother, it’s easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of everyday life. However, this does not rule out the possibility of getting a good career when raising a family. The trick is to strike a balance between work and home life, accept the necessary sacrifices, and find satisfaction in everything you do. Doctor Mom, Mirah Borja, has done and continues to do all of this while juggling her family and career.

Mirah is a TikTok creator who posts helpful tips on obstetric and gynecologic disorders, the transition from conception to motherhood, and the wonders of parenting. She goes by the handle @doctormomph on social media. She says,  “In this time of pandemic, access to health care has become limited and this is why I have dedicated majority of my videos to respond to medical inquiries that have been posted on my comments section. I myself went through a pregnancy during this pandemic, and it felt tougher than I had imagined. Like how I felt, I know that there are pregnant mothers out there who wanted to seek consult but fear putting themselves and their babies at risk.”

One of Mirah’s first videos talks about danger signs to watch out for during pregnancy, a subject that is important to her as a medical professional. “As an Obstetrician, I am very particular about this, and this is what we advise all our patients to watch out for before sending them home. Not only does it assure me that I have well advised my patients, but it also makes my patients feel empowered that she is able to look after her and her baby’s well-being as well,”  she says.

Apart from being a doctor, Mirah is also a first-time mom. She says that, while she is devoted to her profession, her top priority will always be her child. But being able to balance family time and work is hard enough, and the COVID-19 pandemic has made things even more difficult. Mirah shares, “Being a devoted mom, being a devoted wife, all the while being a devoted doctor takes practice. It took a whole lot of patience and skill to attune myself to this constantly changing environment that is full of uphill struggles, decisions, and joy.  I try to balance work and family by creating a “To do list” for the following day before I go sleep, waking up early every day and being productive as much as I can during the day so that I can spend the night with my family.”

Having to abandon her two-week-old daughter to attend to her patients was one of Mirah’s greatest challenges during the pandemic. According to Mirah, “I think it was the hardest moment I had during this motherhood – the first time that I had to leave her side. Imagine not being able to breastfeed, not being able to go home to hold, hug, and kiss your baby because of fear of exposing her to the disease. I longed for her, and knowing that she too was longing for me was the hardest thing to endure at that time,” she shares. Despite the sacrifices, Mirah believes that the best thing about being a working mom is being able to continue doing what she loves. Being a physician is, for her, the most fulfilling job. Mirah’s advice to other moms, whether they work or stay at home is, “As moms, we will always somehow tend to put everyone else’s needs before our own – Mommy’s instinct! But this may eventually lead to mommy burnout. So take a break once in a while.” She add, “Do not be ashamed to take a breather. Making time for yourself is a must.”

On TikTok, you will find more inspiring mothers like Mirah. To get started, download the software on your iOS or Android device today.

After a year of being compelled to try online shopping by the pandemic, Filipinos have completely embraced e-commerce, and their online buying behavior is changing. ShopBack, APAC’s leading pre-shopping portal, discovered this as one of its major findings.

According to We Social and Hootsuite’s April 2020 Digital Statshot survey, 64 percent of Filipino internet users said they spend more time on social media, while 23 percent said they spend more time shopping online. Digital payments have a tremendous potential for increased market adoption as e-commerce acceptance grows.

According to ShopBack, the number of customers purchasing retail and basic products online has increased significantly. Filipino online shoppers, the brand commissioned a survey, which revealed that as the country continues to manage through the global pandemic, customers have established more value-conscious shopping habits as e-commerce and the acceleration to go digital has grown.

Window Shopping…But Online

Evidently, today’s online consumers are active browsers who spend time to get the best deals. The survey revealed that 88.4% of consumers usually know what they want to purchase before going online to shop. Even then, the majority seem to still enjoy browsing on e-commerce websites and marketplaces, as 73.8% of respondents spend an average of over an hour browsing each week, while 15.3% of respondents spend more than 5 hours a week browsing different products.

Interestingly, women appear to spend more time browsing when online shopping, with 77.1% clocking in more than an hour, compared to 64% of men.

Furthermore, major sales have an impact on browsing behavior. The study found that  79.8% of respondents tend to spend more time browsing online during major sales days such as the recently concluded 4.4, 9.9, 10.10, 11.11, and 12.12.

Consumers tend to stick to their usual shopping platform, but are platform-agnostic when lower prices or specific products come into play. Around 92% of respondents indicated that they make most of their online purchases on marketplaces such as Shopee, Lazada, Amazon, etc – the top reasons for this are that products are cheaper, convenient payment methods, and user-friendly platforms. Another 71.3% have made purchases from other online websites, such as directly from brand.coms, last year, for reasons such as finding better discounts, wider product selection, and exclusive brand promotions.

Since more and more Filipinos become savvy e-commerce consumers, they are also becoming more value-conscious, but not at the expense of product quality. In fact, 89.7% of respondents compare prices of an item across different websites and marketplaces prior to making a purchase.

More Value-conscious Shoppers

The survey also found that 72.3% of the consumers spend more time comparing prices now, compared to last year. On average, shoppers spend around 50 minutes comparing prices, with 14% indicating that they take more than 90 minutes choosing in between products and website platforms.

Interestingly, the main factors that influence purchase behavior vary between females and males. For women, the main factors that drive purchase behaviour are the quality of the product (94.7%), pricing (91%), and good reviews (89.2%). Notably, good customer service is also important to Filipino women, with 63.9% listing it as a key factor that influences their purchase decision.

In contrast, for men, the main factors that drive purchase behaviour are pricing (95.9%), the quality of the product (90.3%), and good reviews (85.2%).

Millennials and Social Media Commerce

Based on the findings, e-commerce will continue to thrive in the Philippines, with millennials as the biggestmarket. 86% of theyounger respondentsspend the most time researching and looking at different options before deciding on the best product available for them as compared to the older age groups.

Participants were also split when asked if they bought products directly from a brand’s social media platform, with 58.3% indicating they have done so, with the remaining saying they have not yet bought from a social media platform. Among the participants who tried purchasing via the brand’s social media platform, 68.3% declared that they have been more inclined to buy via social media now as compared to pre-lockdown.

“The survey findings have shown us how e-commerce acceptance has grown tremendously over the past year. With Filipino shoppers discovering the conveniences and benefits of online shopping, we expect continuous growth in the Philippines, and along with it, the rise of digital payment solutions. All these will, no doubt, enhance and steadily upgrade Filipinos’ online shopping experience,” concluded Prashant Kala, Country Manager of ShopBack Philippines.

Mother’s Day is a day of personal celebration between mothers and families. This celebration is once a year so we need to show to our moms that they’re loved and cared for, make it a moment to remember. Make this year’s Mother’s Day fun and memorable for her and for the whole family with some bit of creativity and planning.

This year’s Mother’s Day celebration, Ortigas Malls has made it far easier and extra special for you. Check out these treats and tips specially curated for our dear mothers:

• Treat her to her favorite dishes. Good food is one of the easiest and quickest ways to cheer up your mom. Take her out for a special meal al fresco style at any Ortigas Malls! Alternatively, you can have your food ordered and delivered from the restaurants through My Home Dashers—just call, text, or Viber 0917-815-6640 for Greenhills or 0917-851-9262 for Tiendesitas and Estancia.
• Indulge the domestic goddess in her. Get your mom some nice home finds and fab tipsto spruce up her personal space and let her enjoy home styling. Make sure she joins the Home Styling workshop offered by Ortigas Malls on May 9 at 2:00 PM via Facebook page, with stylist Zenas Pineda offering valuable tips that all moms would find valuable!
• Pamper her to bits. All moms deserve some rest and relaxation. For some refreshing home pampering, give her a pamper package that would make her feel good inside and out. Make sure to pick up a special gift for her whenever you accumulate P2,000 worth of receipts from any Ortigas Malls on May 9.
• Turn on the music. Show your mom you love her with some beautiful music. Because music is the balm of the soul, Ortigas Malls is holding a special “Serenade for Moms” on May 9 at 11:00 AM via Facebook page, an online entertainment specialty that she would definitely enjoy.
• Capture the moment. Moms are sentimental beings who love capturing and looking at photos to keep the family memories alive. Visit the photo nooks located at Greenhills, Tiendesitas, and Estanciafrom May 4 to 9 and take that IG-worthy photo to share online.

Check out this year’s activities and visit Greenhills, Tiendesitas, Estancia, and Industria for a Mother’s Day Celebration. For more information, you may check their official Facebook pages –Greenhills,Tiendesitas,Estancia, and Industria.

Advertisers of all sizes in the Philippines can now use TikTok, the leading short-form video platform for making, sharing, and discovering short-form video content. Local SME advertisers will now be able to join their enterprise partners in reaching their audience on TikTok through TikTok’s authorised agencies and individuals in the market, in order to complement TikTok’s rapid user adoption in the country.

Since February 2020 (Source: App Annie, February 2021), TikTok has become the most downloaded app in Southeast Asia, resulting in a strong user base, highly engaged community, and diverse content and viewers. In Southeast Asia, the app has seen tremendous development, with two out of every five users in the Philippines being parents and one out of every two users being purchase decision makers (Source: Global Web Index). Users have also powered rapid growth across a range of content topics, with finance and money and education being the fastest growing.

Top of Form

Through TikTok For Business, advertisers in the Philippines can now reach and engage with these diverse audiences to drive their business success. Advertisers will now have access to all of TikTok’s present and future marketing solutions designed for brands. TikTok aims to give marketers the tools they need to tap into unique opportunities that can only be found on the app.

Through? TikTok Ads Manager, TikTok For Business empowers small and mid-size enterprises (SMEs) to be discovered and connect with the community of users on the app, build their brands, and achieve their business goals. These tools are designed to support advertisers through each step of the campaign creation process. Marketers can now make the most out of the creativity of the TikTok community, reach new audiences, and optimize their marketing campaigns, all within an easy-to-use platform.

While the launch of TikTok Ads Manager is designed to empower small and medium enterprises, TikTok will continue to strengthen existing relationships with enterprise customers across CPG, Food & Beverage, BFSI, Telco, eCommerce, Pharma and Healthcare in the Philippines. Now, SMEs will also be able to enhance their advertising campaigns on the app through TikTok Ads Manager.

Grow business with TikTok Ads Manager

With TikTok Ads Manager, small and mid-size businesses will get to reach potential customers, and share their online journey in a fun and creative way. A business can advertise by creating and posting video ads with a flexible budget, including repurposing their existing creative assets to easily run ad campaigns on TikTok. Advertisers can also track the progress and success of every campaign using TikTok’s vast array of measurement and analytics tools, including third-party mobile measurement partners for app developers, and TikTok’s own pixel for website tracking. This helps businesses make sure that they are running effective and efficient campaigns on the platform.

A variety of creative tools are also available for advertisers to use on TikTok Ads Manager. These are:

• Quick Optimisation – Adds TikTok style visual effects or opening frames to your video with a single click.
• Smart Video – Leverages innovative technology to analyze uploaded videos and images, automatically selecting clips and music to create beautifully edited videos.
• Smart Video Soundtrack – Incorporates music, which is a vital part of every TikTok video ad. Select from up to 4,000+ copyright free sounds
• Video Templates – Turns image assets into TikTok ready videos with over 60 customizable video templates for various aspect ratios
• TikTok Video Editor – Edits video creatives down to individual frames, add transitions, and precisely place elements within a video with TikTok’s free web-based video editor

TikTok’s Lead Generation, the first-party solution that helps businesses reach prospects in order to convert them into potential customers with ease, is also available to businesses in the Philippines. With Lead Generation, businesses can share details of their products and services that are related, appealing, and interesting to their customers with a few simple taps.

Boosting market development with digital solutions

The year 2000 was a difficult one for companies all over the Philippines, with a debilitating months-long lockdown being one of the most significant obstacles. According to the 2020 Asia Pacific Small and Medium Business Digital Maturity report conducted by International Data Corp. (IDC), the COVID-19 outbreak forced 70.6 percent of the country’s micro, small, and medium enterprises to temporarily cease operations. According to the same study, 58.8% of companies registered no profits, while 28% saw their sales drop by more than 30%.

Investing in digital transformation may actually help businesses, especially SMEs, achieve their business goals as they recover over the coming months. Digitally advanced SMEs have been found to be more efficient and able to report higher sales than those who are slow to adapt to digitalization. In today’s world, digital platforms have become a critical and efficient way for companies to reach out to their customers. These are some of the primary motivations behind the development of TikTok Ads Manager, which comes at a time when, in light of the ongoing pandemic, customers are increasingly opting for online purchases and interactions.

In its Digital 2021 survey, the global agency We Are Social found that Filipinos spend an average of 4 hours and 15 minutes a day on social media, up 22 minutes from the country’s Digital 2020 average. In 2019 and 2020, the Philippines have topped the world in terms of social media use. SMEs can now use TikTok Ads Manager to gain access to the online community’s big, highly engaged local community.

“We want to give brands and businesses the ability to reach millions of potential customers online in a unique way, with every single short-form video they share on TikTok. Through the platform’s easy to use advertising solutions, we hope to help businesses find their authentic voice, and enable them to maximize their creative potential in order to grow and thrive, while also being able to save on advertising expenses,” said Esme Lean, Head of Small and Medium Businesses, Southeast Asia – TikTok.

Start advertising in 3 easy steps

Businesses that are interested to start advertising on TikTok may do so by following 3 simple steps:

1. To sign up for a TikTok Ads Manager account, please visit https://ads.tiktok.com/i18n/signup/
2. You can start advertising by creating a campaign together with your video assets or design an eye-catching ad or videos using TikTok Ads Manager’s creative tools.
3. Once you set your targeting, budget and creative, submit your ad for review and go live.

To learn more about TikTok Ads Manager, please visit our Help Center: https://ads.tiktok.com/help/?refer=from_advertising_platform. Download TikTok on your iOS and Android devices today.