How Filipino SMEs ‘Reset for the Rebound’ Post-COVID-19

Taguig, Manila—October 14, 2020— The COVID-19 pandemic has clearly affected many industries since the implementation of the community quarantines. But as the saying goes, when one door closes, another one opens, as many businesses, especially the small and medium scale enterprises (SMEs), still found a way to remain resilient in the “new normal.”

A survey by SAP SE (NYSE: SAP) and Oxford Economics, called “Digital Resilient, and Experience-driven: How Small and Midsize Organisations Can Prepare for the New Economy,”^[2] revealed that 88 percent of SMEs in the Philippines remain confident that they will continue to grow over the next three years. The survey also said that 89 percent of SMEs in the country adjusted their employees to work remotely amid the pandemic.

SAP recognizes that Southeast Asia, including the Philippines, continues to be one of the fastest-growing markets in the world amid the pandemic. According to the SAP survey, 69 percent of SMEs in the Asia Pacific has invested in IT and digital solutions to bring remote workers and their organizations to the next level. Seventy-nine percent of SMEs in the Philippines have done the same.

SMEs can innovate with technology to remain resilient

The challenges brought about by the pandemic has proven that digital is the way to go even for small and fast-growing businesses. With SMEs accounting for about 80 percent of its customer base, SAP understands their need to optimize and simplify IT processes. SAP Business One is SAP’s flagship small business software to streamline and add intelligence to business processes, including financials, without burdening an IT team. SAP Business ByDesign is a single cloud ERP solution for bringing intelligence and automation to fast-growing, midmarket businesses. It helps nimble management of financials, logistics, procurement, shipping and human resources.

SMEs can rely on these two solutions to accelerate their journey to recovery. International Data Group Inc. (IDC) has positioned the SAP Business One solution, the company’s ERP platform designed for small businesses, as a leading solution in the worldwide software-as-a-service (SaaS) and cloud-enabled small office ERP applications market.^[3] In addition, the SAP Business ByDesign and SAP Business One solutions were recognized in the major players category in the 2020 IDC MarketScape for the worldwide SaaS and cloud-enabled midmarket ERP applications market.

“We want SMEs to stay resilient during these uncertain times and be prepared to take in the demands when we recover post COVID19,” Edler Panlilio, SAP Philippines Managing Director said. “These intelligent solutions would help SMEs gain become more strategic, while remaining agile and flexible, as well as position them for growth.”

SMEs can now take the opportunity to evaluate these solutions with free consultancy and demo from any SAP Partner in the Philippines by going to the SAP Partner Finder.

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About SAP

SAP’s strategy is to help every business run as an intelligent enterprise. As the market leader in enterprise application software, we help companies of all sizes and in all industries run at their best: 77% of the world’s transaction revenue touches an SAP® system. Our machine learning, Internet of Things (IoT), and advanced analytics technologies help turn customers’ businesses into intelligent enterprises. SAP helps give people and organizations deep business insight and fosters collaboration that helps them stay ahead of their competition. We simplify technology for companies so they can consume our software the way they want – without disruption. Our end-to-end suite of applications and services enable more than 440,000 business and public customers to operate profitably, adapt continuously, and make a difference. With a global network of customers, partners, employees, and thought leaders, SAP helps the world run better and improve people’s lives. For more information, visit www.sap.com .