Filipinos prefer to connect via Facebook over SMS, voice calls —survey

Most Filipinos turn to Facebook to stay in touch with one another over text messages, a survey conducted by international mobile top-up service provider Ding Global showed.

Data from the Ding Global Prepaid Index (GPI) found that 88% of Filipinos chose Facebook as their preferred medium, followed by SMS with 53%, and voice calls with 28%. Almost 70% said they would be interested in super apps which would cater to all their needs.

According to Ding Chief Commercial Officer Rupert Shaw, the data reflected the social culture of the Philippines, wanting to be connected with loved ones.

"You see clearly in the data the importance of family and friends in sharing and supporting, and that comes across much stronger in the Philippines than in other markets," he said in a virtual interview.

"I think there's a real sense of community and responsibility in supporting family back in the Philippines from the overseas community," he added.

The survey took into consideration responses from 7,000 respondents across Europe, Asia, and the Americas on their use of prepaid offerings.

Data from the survey showed that respondents in the Philippines prioritize family finances above other significant spends such as rent, utility bills, and education.

In terms of frequency, 84% of Filipino respondents said they have sent load top-up to their family at least once each month, while 78% said they received load top-up.

At present, Ding has some 114 million connections in the Philippines, 96 million of which are prepaid. Globally, Ding has reached some 5 billion phones across 150 countries.

Ding partnered with local telecommunications companies Smart Communications Inc. and Globe Telecom Inc. for its expansion in the country, and seeks to widen its footprint moving forward. The company has yet to put up a physical office in the country, but plans for this are being made.

"Asia's one of our key areas to expand this year so we're currently looking at a couple of venues and I think Philippines certainly will be one of those," Shaw said.

Ding is also looking at rolling out more services such as payments for postpaid services offered by the incumbent telecommunications firms, subject to local regulations.

Moving forward, Ding targets to sustain its 60% year-on-year growth in terms of global operations, equivalent to 88 million transactions.—LDF, GMA News