Mobile Pos System

Android-based Point-of-Sale App for Micro-businesses

Background of the Study

The Philippines is a highly entrepreneurial country. The main reason that drives its entrepreneur spirit is its poverty. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) account for the largest share of Philippine entrepreneurs [Entrepreneurship in the Philippines, 2001]. While small businesses may not generate as much money as large corporations, they are a critical component of and major contributor to the strength of local economies [Brown].

In the Philippines, the most popular micro-business that can easily be established is a Sari-sari store. The neighborhood sari-sari (variety or general) store is part and parcel of daily life for the average Filipino. Any essential household good that might be missing from one’s pantry –from basic food items like coffee and margarine, to other necessities like mosquito coils, soap, and matches –is most conveniently purchased from the sari-sari store nearby at affordably-portioned quantities, sometimes even on credit [Malapit, 2007].

According to the Nielsen Company in an article entitled “Sari-Sari Stores: Maximizing Distribution Opportunities” (2014), the sari-sari stores in the Philippines continue to serve as the pantry extension of about 20 households each. Hence, the outlet type remains as an important retail channel contributing 36% of fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) peso sales. As of June 2014, an average sari-sari store can sell FMCG products amounting to Php26,000 a month, about Php5,000 more than the average two years ago.

Another popular micro-business venture would be having an online store. In a Huffington Post article by Jonha Revesencio (2014), more and more Filipinos are starting to embrace e-commerce. Filipinos, being one of the most active in social media activities and research, are starting to spend lesser time at the malls with online stores mushrooming over the past few years offering a more convenient alternative...