#OneAgainstCovid19 with PayMaya: Simple Ways to Support SMEs during the ECQ

Did you know that the local enterprise industry is comprised of SME (Small-Medium Enterprises) businesses by a whopping 99%? These are your mom and pop stores, local cafes and restaurants, market stalls, online businesses, and cart businesses to name a few. 66% of the Philippine workforce is employed by SMEs.

I am part of a group of SME owners in social media who help and connect fellow SMEs, discuss issues that the industry is facing due to the pandemic, and propose action plans to take in order to mitigate losses, prevent closures, and bounce back; we talk about a lot of stuff in the group, but one thing I can tell you is this: the ECQ has an immense impact on businesses and unfortunately, there isn't a clear emergency plan from legislators on how to aid SMEs in this time of pandemic; if SME businesses collapse, that means millions of jobs will be lost.

So I am appealing to my dear readers to support SMEs as much as we can during the ECQ; because one SME business that survives the pandemic means a handful of individuals who will get to keep their jobs and families will be fed.

Fortunately, e-wallet services like PayMaya makes it easier for us to still purchase goods from our favorite merchants including SMEs, without having to leave our homes.

PayMaya has launched the #OneAgainstCovid19 campaign, an encouraging and informational campaign that informs the public that they can still purchase goods from their favorite merchants, donate to charities, support frontliners and even their loved ones through PayMaya without having to leave their homes and risk contracting Covid 19.

That said, here are simple ways to support SMEs during the ECQ with PayMaya.

How can you use PayMaya to support SMEs, charities, frontliners, and even your loved ones?

1. SEND MONEY TO BANKS USING INSTAPAY- If your recipient does not have a PayMaya account, you can still pay for your purchase by transferring funds to any bank under Instapay; just click the BANK TRANSFER function, key in the bank details of your recipient and the amount you need to pay, and hit send.

2. SEND MONEY TO ANOTHER PAYMAYA ACCOUNT- Just click the SEND MONEY function in the app to facilitate PayMaya to PayMaya transfer.

3. SEND TO SMART PADALA AGENTS/PALAWAN EXPRESS OUTLETS. You can also send money to a Smart Padala agent or Palawan Pawnshop branches. Just ask your recipient to give their Smart Padala account number and make sure that their preferred branch is open. Then, simply go to SEND MONEY on your PayMaya account, key in the Smart Padala account number and amount, then hit send.

Now here are the simple ways I suggest that you do in order to help SMEs win against Covid-19!

1. JOIN SME SUPPORT AND SELLING GROUPS

- The ECQ has given birth to a lot of niche groups on Facebook; aside from people having a lot of time in their hands, a lot have taken it upon themselves to help others as well.

These niche groups are targeted and aim to help SMEs sell off excess stocks, continue business at home, and bridge underserved suppliers/merchants who have no other means to dispose their stocks to consumers.

Join these groups and support SMEs by purchasing food, groceries, and other essential everyday materials from them. This way, you don't only get to support SMEs, but the riders as well!

2. DON'T CANCEL YOUR ORDERS, PLEASE!

- While there are a lot of people who are willing to help, there are those who are irresponsible as well. Before purchasing online, please, please, please be 200% sure that you will push through with the transaction so as to not waste the effort of the merchant and the rider too; these efforts they have exerted to you could have been channeled to a more profitable customer. Please be kind, don't cancel your orders!

If you're looking for other ways to help our riders, you can also donate using your PayMaya app. Just scan the QR code below, input the amount of your donation and click continue. This little help can assist them to get back on their feet after this quarantine period.

3. SHARE AN SME BUSINESS ON YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA

- Sharing is free on social media so why not share an SME business ad that comes your way? If you loved that homemade cake you've ordered, talk about it on social media to encourage orders. Thanks to social media, it doesn't take a lot to do a good deed these days.

Try this challenge: look for 5-10 SMEs on social media per day and share information about their businesses on your pages.

4. DONATE TO ORGANIZATIONS THAT HELP COMBAT COVID-19

- When you donate to organizations that actively fight COVID-19, you indirectly support SMEs like manufacturers, suppliers, and businesses that procure materials needed by frontliners, displaced families, and the public to address the pandemic.

PayMaya has made it easier for you to donate to legitimate groups and donations drives through their app. PayMaya has partnered with a lot of groups and have conveniently listed down a summary of the organization, who they're helping, minimum amount of donation, and the items you can afford with your donation.

What's great is you can donate to as many groups as you want in one go!

To proceed with donation, just log into your PayMaya app, go to PAY BILLS, and look for the organizations with #OneAgainstCovid19 in their nam. Choose the organization you would like to support as well as the amount of your donation then click PROCEED!

If you live abroad, you can still support your chosen cause by going to donate.paymaya.com and donate using your credit, debit or prepaid card.

Log into your PayMaya account and click the #OneAgainstCovid19 ticket to start.

As an SME myself, I know how crucial cash flow is to any business, especially in times like this; thankfully, there are innovations like PayMaya that makes payment easier through a wide network of financial partners and by facilitating instant cash transfer. With PayMaya and our help, we can beat COVID-19 and help SMEs and the economy survive and bounce back!

How about you? What are your ways to help SMEs and frontliners during the ECQ and COVID-19?

For more information, please visit PAYMAYA on Facebook.

Disclaimer: This post is brought to you by PayMaya and The Beauty Junkee.