Google Philippines is offering the free use of its digital solutions to aid micro, small, and medium enterprises in navigating the new normal of doing business: online. In partnership with the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), the “MSME Caravan” is the local office’s initiative to assist the country in economic recovery.

Early this year, Google teamed up with the Department of Trade and Industry to assist entrepreneurs to scale their businesses. The latest partnership’s objective this time is to help MSMEs pivot to online selling. The pandemic has drastically altered the way of doing business and entrepreneurs found a new way of reaching customers: social media and online platforms.

To support MSMEs, Google offers free listings on the Google Shopping tab for wider visibility and Google Maps for local tourism stakeholders.

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“Economic recovery is a critical moment for the Philippines and Google is committed to supporting the country through the best of our technology and programs like the MSME Caravan,” said Bernadette Nacario, country director of Google Philippines. “We will continue to empower Filipinos and our partners with the right digital knowledge and tools so the benefits of technology can be harnessed for the safe rebuilding of our economy.”

Google My Business

MSMEs will also be given access to the Google My Business and Primer app. Google also holds webinars to provide MSMEs knowledge and digital skills to run their businesses.

According to Google, the training program has reached more than 14,000 business owners for 2020 alone. MSMEs interested to join the training can register through the campaign website.

“Digitalization is one of the keys to help our MSMEs cope with the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez. “This will help small businesses reap the benefits of the growing digital economy, including reaching and engaging customers while prioritizing their well-being. We’re glad our partnership with Google Philippines will enable us to conduct webinars and offer other resources to help small businesses digitalize at this important time.”

In terms of supporting safe local tourism, Filipinos will soon be able to discover things to do and places to go in the Explore tab on Google Maps as recommended by the Department of Tourism (DOT). By following the DOT profile in Google Maps when this becomes available soon, people can get recommendations that range from restaurants and shopping malls to cultural attractions and other tourism activities across the country.