Digitization of businesses remains a significant challenge even in Metro Manila, with “more than 50 percent of enterprises in the region having yet to go digital, according to Winston Singun, officer-in-charge regional director of the Department of Trade and Industry National Capital Regional (NCR) Office.

This is particularly worrisome as NCR hosts about one in five of the country’s small and medium enterprises.

Singun said while the lockdowns during the pandemic forced SMEs to go digital, a lot have yet to go onboard electronic commerce (e-commerce) in their operations.

DTI-NCRO on September 24 signed a memorandum of understanding with Enstack, an all-in-one business management app, to fast-track the digital shift of businesses in Metro Manila.

Macy Castillo, Enstack co-founder and chief executive officer said challenges such as reliance on cash payments and the prevalence of cash-on-delivery indicate a need for greater awareness of the advantages of e-commerce solutions like cashless payments and integrated delivery systems. 

“Digitization isn’t just about selling locally—it’s about helping small businesses scale beyond their immediate communities and access customers nationwide,” Castillo said.

Under the MOU, Enstack will hold digitization learning sessions for small businesses starting in the third week of October.

These sessions will empower entrepreneurs by providing them free online stores with Enstack, which do not require any additional setup to accept cash on delivery, process cashless payments, and manage shipping—all in one app.

Through hands-on guidance, business owners will learn how to set up their online stores within minutes, leverage cash-on-delivery and cashless payments, and streamline deliveries—all through Enstack’s no-code platform.

Enstack will also train business owners on running productivity tools like inventory management, accounting and expense, and analytics like sales reports.

“The app is complete in itself, and they don’t need to go to one provider for one aspect of their business or to another for another aspect,” Singun said.

Enstack will conduct consultation sessions to assess and develop businesses’ digital transformation roadmaps.

The consultation sessions will focus on how enterprises can prioritize digitization programs, allocate resources effectively, and foster innovation within their organizations.

Since its launch in October 2022, the integrated platform has quickly grown its user base to almost 200,000 entrepreneurs.

Enstack offers an all-in-one mobile app designed to streamline the setup and management of online businesses, focusing on empowering entrepreneurs, particularly women, to overcome traditional barriers in digital commerce.