Selling online in the Philippines has its own rules. Customers want to pay with GCash and Maya, shipping fees vary a lot between Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao, many shoppers browse on mobile data and trust is earned slowly. A store that ignores those realities loses sales, even if it looks nice.
I'm Aldrian, an independent web developer in the Philippines. I build new online stores, fix broken ones and look after stores that need regular care. I work with WooCommerce, Shopify and custom code.
Real store experience
One of my ongoing clients is Artic Flex, a live WooCommerce store selling krill oil. The store was running on PHP 7.4, with an outdated theme setup and a long list of plugins, some no longer maintained. It needed a fresher look and a safe path to a modern PHP version without breaking checkout, subscriptions or affiliates.
I refreshed the design, updated WooCommerce and its extensions, replaced unmaintained plugins with supported ones and reviewed the theme's outdated WooCommerce template overrides one by one. The upgrade to PHP 8.4 was proven on staging before going live, and afterward 357 live pages were checked, with checkout, subscriptions and affiliate forms tested.
I also built a campaign landing page for Muller Energy inside their WooCommerce store, with a product grid where every card shows the warranty badge, the old and new price and buy buttons.
That's the kind of careful work stores need.
What a good online store needs
Product pages that sell
Clear photos, honest descriptions, variants like size and color, stock status and shipping information. Shoppers can't touch the product, so the page has to answer their questions.
A fast mobile checkout
Guest checkout, as few fields as possible, local payment methods and clear totals before payment. Every extra step loses buyers.
Local payment options
GCash, Maya, cards, online banking and cash on delivery if you offer it, integrated through a payment gateway so orders are confirmed automatically. More on GCash and Maya integration.
Shipping that makes sense
Shipping rates by region or weight, free shipping thresholds, pickup options and clear delivery times. I can also connect courier booking where the courier offers an integration.
Trust signals
Real business details, clear return and exchange policies, secure checkout and genuine reviews, used with permission.
Easy management
Adding products, updating stock, processing orders and running promos should be simple for your team.
WooCommerce, Shopify or custom?
WooCommerce runs on WordPress. You get full control and no platform subscription, but you need good hosting and regular maintenance. It's great for stores that need flexibility or already use WordPress.
Shopify is a hosted platform. Hosting, security and updates are handled for you, and it's very easy to run. You pay a monthly subscription and sometimes app fees.
Custom code makes sense when your store has unusual needs, like complex pricing, B2B accounts or deep integrations, or when you want maximum speed and control.
I'll recommend the one that fits your products, budget and how hands-on you want to be.
Features I can build
- Product catalogs with categories, filters and search
- Variants, bundles and subscriptions
- Local payments and cash on delivery
- Shipping zones, rates and free shipping rules
- Discount codes, sales and promo banners
- Customer accounts and order tracking
- Abandoned cart emails
- Wholesale pricing or B2B accounts
- Inventory sync with other channels. See inventory integration.
- Campaign landing pages for launches and sales
Fast stores sell more
Slow product pages are one of the biggest reasons shoppers leave. I keep stores fast with optimized images, lean themes, fewer plugins, caching and good hosting. Speed also helps your products show up in search.
Keeping your store healthy
Stores need ongoing care: plugin and theme updates, security patches, PHP upgrades, backups and checks after every change. I offer maintenance for stores so problems are caught before customers notice. More on website maintenance.
Common mistakes on Philippine online stores
Card-only checkout. Many local shoppers prefer e-wallets. Missing GCash or Maya costs sales.
Shipping fees revealed at the last step. Surprises at checkout cause abandoned carts. Show estimates early.
Forced account creation. Let people buy as guests.
Too many plugins. Every extra plugin adds weight and risk. I keep stores lean.
No testing after updates. An update that breaks checkout can go unnoticed for days. I test checkout after every significant change.
Selling beyond your website
Many Filipino sellers also use marketplaces and social media. Your website doesn't replace those, it anchors them. Marketplaces bring discovery, social media builds attention and your own store is where repeat customers buy without marketplace fees, where your brand looks its best and where you own the customer relationship. I can link these together with product feeds, shared inventory where the platforms allow it and links that bring followers straight to the right product page.
How we'd work
- We talk about your products, customers and how you sell today.
- We choose the right platform.
- You get a quote with scope, timeline and fixed price.
- I build and share preview links.
- We load products and test checkout with real payments.
- We launch, and I train your team on orders and products.
Let's build a store that sells
Tell me about your products. I'll reply with a plan and a fixed quote.
