MANILA, Philippines – We’re always told that good things don’t come free, but now it’s time to throw that notion out the window! The popular cashback site, ShopBack, is making its entrance into the Philippines, following its fervent reception in Singapore and Malaysia.

With over 300 local and international merchants partnered with ShopBack, and more being added every week, Filipinos can now get paid when they shop from their favorite online stores like Lazada, Agoda, ZALORA and more. Too good to be true? The concept behind it is, in fact, fairly simple – partnered merchants pay ShopBack commission for driving traffic to their site, and ShopBack gives a cut of that commission back to their customers.

The cashback mechanism has been wildly successful in our western counterparts, and ShopBack saw a prime opportunity to break into South East Asia’s untapped cashback market. The e-commerce market in South-East Asia has been thriving and ShopBack’s entrance into the Filipino market could not come at a better time. As the Philippines and its economy continues to flourish, its e-commerce market is projected to double from 2014, growing to a mammoth $2 billion by the end of 2015. “We are optimistic about the prospects of the ecommerce industry here. The Philippines is home to more than 100 million consumers, more of whom are turning to online shopping each day. We want every Filipino to be able to save as much as they can, even when shopping online, that’s ShopBack’s promise to you – to help you save more when you shop with our local and global merchants.” said Kristina Ay-ay, Head of Partnerships, Philippines.

ShopBack is committed to its mission to help its Filipino customers get the greatest savings and convenience out of their online shopping and has since unveiled partnerships with reputable giants like the Bank of Philippine Islands (BPI) and Globe Telecom this quarter. The increased infiltration of the internet and social media in the Philippines means that Filipinos are becoming savvier online shoppers. With a pool of over 100 million potential users to tap into, ShopBack is positive about their growth prospects in the Philippines.

Founded in 2014 by a dynamic team of young entrepreneurs, ShopBack has come a long way, from a 6-man (and woman) core team, to a 40-strong posse of creative and driven individuals. Clearly, its efforts have not gone unnoticed; ShopBack was voted as the “Most Promising Startup to Look Out For in 2015” in Vulcan Post’s Reader’s Choice Awards.

Make waves it has indeed. ShopBack raised USD$500,000 in 2014 its first round of seed funding from Accel-X and has since raised another USD$600,000 from East Ventures and Accel-X, bringing its total funding to USD$1.1 million as of 2015. It seems that the faith put in ShopBack has indeed been well-placed, as ShopBack rapidly expands from Singapore (shopback.sg) and Malaysia (shopback.my), to the Philippines (shopback.ph), and with its sights set on the rest of South East Asia.

Why ShopBack and how does it work?

Sign up and browse from ShopBack’s merchants

Simply sign-up for a ShopBack account and you’ll be able to start shopping right away. Browse from the hundreds of local and international merchants offering cashback rates of up to 30%. The easy-to-use web interface makes it easy for you to navigate through the vast number of categories ranging from fashion, travel and even food. With more merchants being added daily, ShopBack allows Filipinos to discover new and upcoming local, regional and international stores to explore and shop from. The site is constantly updated with the best featured deals of the day so you know you’ll always be getting the lowest prices possible with ShopBack.

Get redirected and pay on the merchant’s site

See a store you like? Click on the merchant to enter the merchant’s ShopBack page which is updated with all the latest voucher codes and ongoing promotions, as well as any specific cashback information about the merchant. If a deal catches your fancy, click on “Get CashBack” to be redirected to the merchant’s store website, where you can browse and shop as per normal.

You can receive cashback on top of any other promotions, voucher codes and even credit card rebates. Become the ultimate online shopping machine as you combine all of the discounts and rebates available to you to get the greatest savings.

Get your cashback and cash out easily

ShopBack can track how much you spent on the merchant’s site using your browser cookies and the cashback will be credited to your ShopBack account automatically within the next few days. Once the stipulated cashback period has expired, you can cash out and have the option of transferring the money to your local bank account or PayPal once the cashback is redeemable!