16/04/2020
It was an absolute pleasure to create history in PNG alongside our client Tapioca Delight and Bank South Pacific! The Internet Payment Gateway is now a reality for PNG individuals and businesses.
SME CAKE BUSINESS LAUNCHES NEW ONLINE PAYMENT PLATFORM
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• A Papua New Guinean SME has become the first business to launch their website payment platform with BSP’s new Internet Payment Gateway
• Tapioca Delight's customers can now enjoy the convenience of paying online via their website 24/7 using a BSP Visa Debit Card or other banks’ VISA and Mastercard® cards.
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Port Moresby, PNG – In the midst of the COVID 19 crisis in Port Moresby, a story of hope for PNG SME businesses has emerged.
Ginia Sialis, owner of a popular SME Cake and Catering business, Tapioca Delight, says, “we’ve been through the worst of it, the two-week lock down was a very uncertain time, and we’re thankful to have a positive story to share,” she remarked when announcing the launch of the new look website and internet payment facility.
“These are tough times, and the COVID-19 situation is really testing our resilience as an SME, whether we sink or swim,” said Mrs. Sialis.
With the emphasis on physical distancing, Tapioca Delight, with the help of BSP Bank and Tapioca Delight’s web developer, Samson Korawali of KK Consultancy Ltd, a PNG owned SME based in Sydney, Australia, the team worked tirelessly to launch the Internet Payment Gateway (IPG) facility, which omits physical payments and allows customers to order Cakes, Cupcakes and Corporate Catering by selecting products from Tapioca Delight’s website www.tapiocadelightpng.com, dropping them into a shopping cart, and completing payment instantly with a BSP VISA Debit Card or other banks’ Visa and Mastercard® cards.
Tapioca Delight is the first SME to use BSP's e-commerce channel, which is an enabler for businesses, big or small, to sell goods or services 24/7 via their websites, without their customers having to pay by cash, EFTPOS, or bank deposits.
“It is an exciting time and it’s revolutionary,” said Mrs. Sialis. “Papua New Guineans are not new to purchasing online. As an SME we source equipment and ingredients overseas, using our BSP VISA Debit Card and Pay-Pal as options for payment.”
“To think that our customers can now do the same from our own website is so motivating. We’re now on the world stage so to speak and we can operate at a level which businesses overseas have been at for decades.”
“I am proud to be a Papua New Guinean. We really are the last frontier and I think it’s a good thing because we can see the effects, both good and bad that technology has had in developed countries and pick and choose for ourselves what will work for the good of our nation and our people, and if it’s destructive, to not go down that path at all,” she said.
“The traditional payments of TT and Western Union, although helpful, increased the costs for our overseas customers to send payments to us to purchase cakes for their families in Port Moresby.
“We received our first overseas payment via our website on launch day and our customer was thrilled not to have to send money to her relatives in Port Moresby to deliver to us at our Boroko bakery,” Mrs. Sialis said.
“She completed her order and payment online with her VISA card and the payment was received the same day in our account. How amazing is that! We’ll have her order ready at the end of the week.”
Reflecting on the positive economic effect the internet payment platform will have, Ginia is excited for the future of businesses in PNG, and PNG’s economic rise.
“When a crisis hits, it’s never a good time, but if there’s one thing a crisis can’t stop, it’s innovation. You have to work with what you have to make your business survive. We’ve always taken the path of innovation and not the path of a hand out or depending on the government for a bail out.
“IPG is our innovative response to the current crisis. We’re so thankful to have a great Papua New Guinean web developer in KK Consultancy Ltd that worked with us to get all our ideas into a website and integrated onto an e-commerce platform.
“Samson and his team have been working with us since 2017. As a Papua New Guinean, he understands the local business environment and being Sydney-based is also accustomed to cutting edge technology and how payment platforms work overseas.
“We’ve been so happy with the work they’ve done on our website and we’ll keep making it better and better!”
Tapioca Delight is no stranger to BSP Bank. In 2014 they pioneered the BSP SME Smart Loans and are the face of the Bank’s product.
“BSP has led the way in innovation with their payment products.
“Their team has worked incredibly hard to make IPG a reality for us and we are very thankful.
"BSP is a part of our life story. Our growth as a business supports our local economy and helps employ and train women from our community," remarked Ginia.
Tapioca Delight has been in operation for 8 years and is a 100% PNG owned hospitality business specialised in Cakes, Cupcakes and Corporate Catering.
The company is owned and operated by husband and wife entrepreneurs Sioni and Ginia Sialis. They employ 9 full-time staff.
“Our greatest achievement has been to provide women with employment and training opportunities for their career advancement and personal wellbeing.
“BSP’s IPG is a great tool to provide our customers with a convenient payment option. As our business grows, we can employ more women and do our part as business owners and employers to contribute to nation building,” Mrs. Sialis said.
