GoGulong Breaks The PM Culture Chain With Price Transparency

Over the past several years, online selling, or in more formal terms in business, e-commerce, has changed consumer behavior. People are now doing their shopping online, as they find it more convenient thus resulting in more businesses and individual sellers establishing their virtual space for consumers to shop. Here in our country, the “PM culture” came about because of the growing number of people selling different goods online.

Recently, online sellers were put on notice by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) in regards to being transparent about the prices of their products. This is because of some sellers that don’t include the prices of their products on their posts, particularly the ones on social media. Instead of including the price details of their items, they just post the words: “PM if interested” or “send PM for price.”

PM is the shortened term for “personal message” which is how a good majority of online sellers deal with customers. They negotiate with their customers through their own personal contact channels such as their Facebook accounts. The DTI says that this shouldn’t be the way of dealing with customers online, as it drives to promote price transparency, in accordance with the Consumer Act of the Philippines.

GoGulong is breaking the chain of the “PM culture” by being transparent with the prices of the tires that we sell. To further understand the importance of price transparency for selling goods online and the mechanics of how we promote it, here are a few pointers to look at.

What is the PM culture?

The PM culture came to be because of online sellers that urge consumers to send them a “personal message” or intentionally not including the price of their products that prompts people to comment “hm” (how much?) to inquire about it.

The PM culture is said to be a violation of the Consumer Act, due to the fact that certain sellers are not indicating the prices of their items on their posts. Part 81 of the said act or the provision on price tag requirement states that it is unlawful to offer any consumer product for retail sale to the public without an appropriate price tag, label, or marking publicly displayed to indicate it’s price. Said products shall not be sold at a price higher than that stated therein and without discrimination to all buyers.

The law was made back in 1992 way before the internet was used as a platform for retail businesses. Although it is not specifically indicated in the Consumers Act that the said provision also addresses online selling, the DTI classifies any online shopping transaction that involves the PM culture as unlawful.

GoGulong’s transparent pricing

If you’re a driver and you’re looking for a shop to buy new tires to replace your damaged or old ones, you can trust GoGulong. We are transparent about our pricing. What you’ll see displayed on our website is the exact price and discounts, if the tire is on sale, of the tires that we sell.

Not only is it convenient to buy from us, you can also be sure that you can trust us when it comes to pricing. You can purchase your new tires from twelve trusted and credible brands and tire shops that we vetted near your location. Our prices are competitive and we can guarantee that we will not sacrifice our pricing just to sell our products. We want to differentiate ourselves by delivering trust and good quality service.

If you’re on the lookout for new tires, you can inquire about our products here.