What are you up to this summer? Even if we’re all staying home for the time being, there are still plenty of ways to have a memorable summer. You can remember this summer as the time you finally achieved those fitness goals you’ve been putting off, or refined your photography or gaming skills, or even found fun new ways to combat the heat with your family.

Whatever your plan is for the summer, you need electronics that can help you make the most out of it. Find all the gadgets you need and more for your summer activities at Shopee 5.5 Brands Festival. These items are only on sale until May 5, so check out your shopping cart now!

Working on your fitness goals this summer? Whip up healthy meals in a jiffy with Instant Pot Smart Cooker, which prepares dishes up to 70x faster. For protein smoothies you can drink on the go, Hawaii Home Blender easily churns fruits and vegetables into drinks within one minute. Wear Huawei Smart Watch during your next workout session. It can take you through built-in workouts like Exercise at Work, Full-Body Stretch, and Ab Ripper. Then use Realme Smart Scale to keep track of your progress. It can calculate your body fat content and muscle content using advanced algorithms.

This summer break, you’ll finally have the time to indulge in your favorite hobbies! Catch up on your watch list with Vivo Y30. With its HD+ resolution, 5000mAh battery capacity, and Eye Protection Mode, you can binge-watch while enjoying the best viewing experience. If you like dabbling in photography, explore mobile shooting with Oppo A74 5G’s 48MP main camera, 2MP macro camera, and 2MP depth camera. Discover new online games with LG Gaming Monitor. You won’t experience any lags with its awesome 1ms response time.

Ward off the summer heat with XTREME Air Conditioner, which has a 5600Btu/h cooling capacity and multiple fan speeds. No need to go out for an ice cream run when you’ve got Yonanas Ice Cream Maker. Use bananas, berries, or mangoes to create healthy soft-serve ice cream. Your gadgets need to keep cool as well, since they’re more prone to overheating during summer. Protect your laptop with Senda Laptop Stand, which has six fans with adjustable wind speeds. 

For more deals on electronics from your favorite brands, visit https://shopee.ph/m/5-5-2. 

Don’t forget to top up your ShopeePay for more discounts. Get all-day free shipping vouchers and 55% cashback, both with no minimum spend, when you use ShopeePay at checkout.

Download the Shopee app for free via the App Store or Google Play.

Life as a working mom can be very challenging, especially now that most are still working remotely, and the lines between work and home are blurred. Each mom is different, and each workplace must cater to individual needs to ensure work-life balance.

Yani Hornilla-Donato, Canva Philippines’ Country Manager, Chrissie Peria, Copy Lead for Canva’s Template Design Team, and Christine Reyes, Creative Lead for Canva’s Elements Team, share how they have found balance between work and home, and how workplaces can create the best environment for moms.

1. Learn to set boundaries

As Canva Philippines’ Country Manager, Yani is passionate about growing the team in Manila. She loves to share creative ways to connect Canva with Filipinos and help people communicate visually.

Based on her experience as a new mom, Yani talks about the importance of communication, while also being intentional in setting goals, empowering teams, and setting boundaries.

There are simple ways to establish boundaries—physically, mentally, and socially. Yani said, “Setup a workstation at home. A place where you can focus and send a signal to other people that you are working. Ideally, create a separate workspace from your place of rest.”

Yani has placed a hard stop to the end of her working day. “I start early, so I can finish by 4 in the afternoon. 5:00 pm and beyond is dedicated for my family, especially my new baby. I want to be present, take care of her, and witness her milestones. And definitely no work on weekends! Except for emergencies,” she added.

In a work from home set-up, it’s become difficult for some to switch off from work. “I make it a point to spend time catching up with people and sincerely asking them, ‘How are you?’. I’m also a huge fan of birthdays, so whenever I can, I try to orchestrate really fun online birthdays for people at work,” said Yani.

Canva has been featured in the Top 3 Best Workplaces in the Philippines for two years in a row, according to Great Place to Work, and Yani is proud of the culture that the team has established.

2. Schedule leave and rest to spend time with family

Canva wants to help moms find balance between being a present mother, and also thriving at work. The company has increased the number of maternity days for its employees every year.

“We have a generous leave package that affords all of us time off. We also try to extend flexibility wherever possible, especially for moms who need to adjust their schedules at home,” Yani added.

Chrissie, the Copy Lead for Canva’s Template Design Team, and responsible for populating Canva’s library with the wonderful templates, shared how Canva helped everyone settle into the remote working setup during the pandemic. Initiatives include giving allowances to improve workspaces at home, providing food and utility provisions, and hosting health and wellness virtual events to help employees cope.

3. Find your pack, nurture a culture of support and understanding

It is important to find a good support system and be open to your managers and wider team about your needs. This way they can support and understand you better. Christine, the Creative Lead for the Elements Team in Canva Manila, works with a team of creatives to produce graphic elements. One of the challenges she faces as a mom is being able to spend time with her family with a clear head.

“It took a while for me to completely let go of the habit of checking my work email and Slack beyond 4:00 pm, but I’ve learnt to be successful in that aspect. My leads always assure me that nothing will break even if I don’t answer everything after 4:00 pm,” Christine said.

At Canva, teams check on each other, have regular social calls and are quick to pick-up another person’s load if they need support. “Everyone is so understanding — children barging in on calls are greeted with smiles and small talk, dogs and cats get paraded on screen, and crowing roosters in the background are brushed off with giggles and no judgement,” Chrissie shared.

“We have Internal Coaching available for everyone too. This is especially helpful for moms who are going through tough things, and need or want a coach to offer guidance,” Yani said.

4. Share the fun work culture with your family

Canva’s Vibe Team is built on creating a work environment where everyone is empowered to do their best work and give back to the community.

Pre-pandemic Canva used to have Family Days, as well as events during special occasions like Halloween, when employees would bring their kids along to the Manila office to play. The Vibe team also hands out Mother’s Day (and Father’s Day) presents and holds special events at the office.

“With our new working arrangements, our celebrations have shifted online. And while we’re not together physically, they’re just as heartwarming. We all aim to be good humans, and a force for good in a world that’s facing challenging times. And I’m lucky enough to be surrounded and supported by these wonderfully good people,” Chrissie shared.

5. Find your motivation. Become a “Force for Good”

“Being a force for good” is one of Canva’s core values. The company works towards a world that isn’t just good for a small few, but one that’s good for everyone. Like most startups, life at Canva is very fast paced and everyone gives their best to adapt and react to the needs of their users.

“Everyone is encouraged to contribute and help improve the product and the user experience. It’s pretty fulfilling, knowing that you had a direct hand in something that makes someone’s life easier,” Chrissie shared. “The biggest thing to love about what I do, is how my work empowers people on a daily basis. Writing is something that comes naturally to me, but it’s not the case for everyone. So knowing that I can use my skills to make others’ lives easier is motivating,” she added.

With most members of the family spending more time at home, keeping it clean and bright is a challenge for Mom. This Mother’s Day, surprise her with exciting innovations from SM Home that will make her home-works a breeze and give her more time for herself.

There are smart cleaners like robotic vacuums that will work on dusty floors, stained fabrics,stinky corners and kitchen clutter in half the time we spent in our usual cleaning routine. Power scrubbers will leave the floor spotless; while UV sterilizers sanitize and disinfect bed linens and dinnerware to protect your family from unwanted viruses.

This May, get discounts and online coupons on select home essential items and furniture from SM Home. Shop for your mom and place your order online through the SM Store’s Call to Deliver (#143SM) and ShopSM app. For more info and updates, follow SM Home at the SM Store in Instagram or visit  thesmstore.com  website.

The Health Advantages of Stevia

To help you get started, AXA Philippines, one of the country’s leading insurance providers, shares these useful retirement planning tips:

Set a retirement age. Setting the perfect retirement age varies from person to person, depending on his/her goals and how emotionally and financially ready he/she is. Someone who is 10 years away from retirement could be as young as 45 years old or as old as 65 or 70. When you set a retirement age, make sure that you have sizeable resources so you don’t worry about finances as you enter this exciting new phase in life.

List your retirement goals. Once you’ve set an ideal retirement age/date, list down your retirement goals. Is it to travel? Start your own business? Take up new hobbies? Planning your retirement goals may help you get your finances in order and focus on what you still want to achieve long after you’ve stopped working.

Make smart investments. Achieving your dream retirement means finding the right investment that grows in accordance with your target retirement age. In doing so, you can reap the rewards by the time you need it.

To help you achieve your retirement goals, AXA Philippines offers the Target Date Fund, an expertly-managed, Philippine peso-denominated fund that helps you move closer to your long-term, time-bound goals via a unique investment strategy that can help you navigate through market uncertainties. Customers also have the flexibility to choose the date of their desired investment goal completion (2030, 2035, 2040, and 2045). They can also opt to remain invested in the fund even after reaching their target date as the fund can still provide the capital growth given its remaining allocation growth assets.

Save early and often. For someone who is in their early 20s or 30s, retirement might seem so far off that it may not be part of their immediate life plans. If that describes you, then keep in mind: the years pass by quickly. Building your savings is easier if you start early, so why wait? Start now! Set aside a portion of your income for your retirement savings. Ideally, for an average wage earner, he/she must set aside at least 10 to 15 percent of his/her income monthly.

Maintain good health. It’s harder to achieve your retirement goals if your body is weak and unhealthy. As you age and enter the retirement phase, it’s even more important to get regular checkups, exercise at least 30 minutes every day, eat a balanced diet of protein, fat and carbohydrates, and take the proper vitamins your body needs to maintain a healthy mind and body.

Enjoy the journey. Entering this new life stage may have its ups and downs, but don’t forget to enjoy the journey towards your retirement. Ensure a smooth transition by easing off the workload over several years so you won’t be overwhelmed by the sudden change in your routine. Cherish the people who continue to support you, and strive to remain active with exercise. At the same time, keep learning about being financially secure.

When planning for your retirement, thoroughly assess your current finances and if it’s enough to help you achieve a comfortable life after you’ve stopped working. If you feel you have saved nothing or only a small amount, then use it as motivation to turn things around. Let AXA Philippines be the partner to help you through it. To know more about Target Date Fund, visit http://bit.ly/AXATargetDateFundRetirement.

 Shopee, the leading e-commerce platform in Southeast Asia and Taiwan, invites Filipinos to enjoy big deals and exclusive promotions from the country’s leading brands at its 5.5 Brands Festival. Shoppers can expect discounts up to 90% off, flash deals up to 50% off, free shipping with no minimum spend, and 50% cashback from crowd favorites such as OPPO, Vivo, Realme, Colgate, Abbott, L’Oreal Paris, Enfagrow, Procter & Gamble, Olay, Unilever, Nestle, Colourette Cosmetics, and Maybelline.

Martin Yu, Director at Shopee Philippines, said, “At Shopee, it is our goal to work together with brands loved by Filipinos to deliver the best value on their favorite products so they can maximize their financial resources. With all the deals in-store at the Shopee 5.5 Brands Festival, we are enabling Filipinos to secure everything they need at the best prices while making shopping safe, convenient, and rewarding.”

Until May 5, shoppers can look forward to the following daily promotions:

Big discounts at Super Brand Days

Don’t miss out on back-to-back brand takeovers on Shopee. Enjoy discounts up to 90% off on leading brands on the following days: OPPO on April 29, Procter & Gamble on April 30, Vivo on May 1, Realme on May 2, Maybelline on May 3, and Olay on May 4. 

Limited deals and promotions during themed days

Leading up to 5.5, watch out for themed days with exciting deals. Enjoy free shipping with no minimum spend at ShopeePay Sale on April 29, claim over ₱1,000,000 worth of prizes at Shopee Prizes Sale on May 3, and redeem over ₱5,500 worth of vouchers at Brands Vouchers Sale on May 4. 

Cashbacks at category fairs

Redeem 50% cashback and enjoy flash deals up to 50% off on brands at the Home Fair from April 29 to May 1, and at the Electronics Fair from May 2 to May 4.

5.5 D-Day Deals

On May 5, enjoy 24 hours of non-stop promotions, including flash deals up to 50% off on selected brands including:

• Pampers: Enjoy all-day deals up to 34% off on the entire Pampers line. Stay tuned for special price drops of up to 50% off on selected products from 12:00 AM to 2:00 AM and 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM.

• Enfagrow: Get up to 37% off Enfamama A+, Enfagrow A+ Nurapro, Enfagrow A+ range, and more.

• Vivo: Slash ₱300 off each purchase with ₱6,000 minimum spend by using the Shopee-exclusive ‘VIVO300’ voucher code.

• Nestlé: Get 50% off Nestlé favorites including Bear Brand Powdered Milk, Nestlé All-Purpose Cream, and Nescafé Gold. 

• Colourette: Enjoy up to 50% off selected Colourette products and get free shipping for a minimum spend of ₱999. Stay alert for even bigger discounts during flash sales!

Make the most out of free shipping with no minimum spend, 50% cashback from participating Shopee Mall stores, and up to 90% off on select products from Tender Care, AirQueen PH, Unicare, Reckitt, GSK, Pedigree, Whiskas, IAMS, Peculiar Eyewear, Puritan's Pride, Shigetsu, Mikana, INSPI, Organic Skin, Organic Official, Teetalk, Crown, Chef's Classics, and XTREME Appliances.

For more information on these D-Day Deals, visit: https://shopee.ph/m/brand-parade.

Cash prizes up for grab at 5.5 Brands Festival TV Special

Tune in to Wowowin this May 5, 5:00 PM to catch the 5.5 Brands Festival TV Special on GMA 7 and Shopee Live. Aside from watching exciting performances from celebrities, viewers can also win big cash prizes. Play Watch and Win, Shopee Shake, and Shopee Milyonaryo to become the lucky winner of over ₱3,500,000 worth of cash, products, and ShopeePay credits.

Exclusive perks with ShopeePay

Go cashless for more deals and discounts! Get all-day free shipping vouchers and 55% cashback, both with no minimum spend. Buy ₱10 worth of data for ₱1, ₱5 load for only ₱1, and ₱10 load for only ₱5 with ShopeePay. Pay bills on Shopee and get up to 25% cashback, capped at 150 coins.  

More prizes at the #NextShopeeEndorser contest

Strike a pose with a product from Shopee Mall for a chance to win ₱10,000. Shopee will pick five winners with the most creative and original entries. Users can check out the mechanics and submit photo entries until May 5 through this link: http://bit.ly/NextShopeeEndorser. 

For more information on all the deals you can score at 5.5 Brands Festival, visit https://shopee.ph/m/5-5-2. 

Download the Shopee app for free via the App Store or Google Play.

Unilever 

Unilever has continued to optimize its marketing strategy based on what’s most relevant to shoppers and what will help address their present needs. Through Shopee, the brand provided Filipino shoppers with safe access to a wide range of personal care, home care, and food essentials. Timely feedback from shoppers is now easier to enrich their online shopping experience while also maximizing the full suite of in-app solutions within the Shopee platform, such as search, affiliate marketing, and livestreams. With these strategies, Unilever recorded a 23x uplift in orders and achieved a 15x increase in shop views during its Beauty that Cares Super Brand Day campaign in August 2020.

This growth even transcended into their ‘Malasakit for all’ mission to help communities and partners during the pandemic, with Unilever contributing to the first Shopee Bayanihan Frontliner package in 2020 to step up support for Filipino frontliners.

Jackie Manago Nepomuceno, Digital Commerce Marketing at Unilever Philippines, said, “We see Shopee as a strategic partner in driving a streamlined shopping experience for the omnichannel shopper.  We partner closely with retailers, such as Shopee, in making our brands and products available for purchase. Through strong collaboration, we can design a unique, relevant, and seamless shopping experience with new and existing shoppers.”

INSPI
Clothing brand INSPI launched an official Shopee store to reach a wider target market and interact more with their shoppers. Using Shopee’s informative seller center and interactive in-app features such as Shopee Live and Shopee Feed, INSPI can now broadcast new and best-selling products to over 625,000 followers on their Shopee account. They also used these features to show the best deals during big campaigns. At its Super Brand Day last October, the brand recorded 13x more orders compared to an average day.

Kathryn Joyce Navalta, Senior Account Officer at INSPI, said, “Our partnership with Shopee has boosted our brand’s growth, despite the ongoing pandemic. Shopee’s innovative in-app features helped us reach more shoppers and better engage with them regularly. We will continue to work with Shopee to provide our shoppers with the best shopping experience.”

OPPO

Leading global smart device company, OPPO, considers its partnership with Shopee as a chance to capture countless opportunities in the e-commerce industry by taking full advantage of the platform’s ecosystem. They are now able to reach a whole new audience in a very engaging way through Shopee’s in-app marketing tools such as live streams, chats, and Shopee Feed. OPPO has experienced great success on the platform, as seen during Shopee’s Super Brand Day last September 2020 where the brand recorded a 17x increase in sales.

Jenny Liu, Operations Director at OPPO Philippines, said, “Our partnership with Shopee allows us to keep growing and satisfying our customers even with targeted efforts. We know the importance of gaining the full trust of our shoppers, and will keep refining our online store on Shopee to provide the best services and products.”

Martin Yu, Director at Shopee Philippines, said, “We are glad to see our brand partners like Unilever, OPPO, and INSPI achieve significant growth since joining our platform. We leave no stone unturned in finding innovative ways to support our partners’ growth, and this is how we commit to supporting our partner brands through their e-commerce journey.” 

And in line with providing customers more ways to access brands easily, the Shopee 5.5 Brands Festival is happening until May 5. Shoppers can expect discounts up to 90% off, flash deals up to 50% off, free shipping with no minimum spend, and 50% cashback from crowd favorites such as OPPO, Vivo, Realme, Colgate, Abbott, L’Oreal Paris, Enfagrow, Procter & Gamble, Olay, Unilever, Nestle, Colourette Cosmetics, and Maybelline.

Shoppers can also look forward to exclusive perks from ShopeePay. Get all-day free shipping vouchers and 55% cashback, both with no minimum spend. Buy ₱10 worth of data for ₱1, ₱5 load for only ₱1, and ₱10 load for only ₱5 with ShopeePay. Pay bills on Shopee and get up to 25% cashback, capped at 150 coins.  

For more information on the Shopee 5.5 Brands Festival, visit https://shopee.ph/m/5-5-2. Download the Shopee app for free via the App Store or Google Play.