As Local Businesses Grow, Digital Tools Help Stay Flexible Amid Changing Customer Behavior

MANILA, Philippines – For many small and medium-sized businesses today, growth no longer follows a single path. Some expand through new branches, while others build their customer base by moving between pop-ups and bazaars. As they grow, they’re also finding ways to ensure they meet the evolving habits and preferences of consumers – including the way they pay.

Data from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas in 2025 showed that QR Ph person-to-merchant (P2M) transactions grew by 246.9% in volume, reaching 183.3M transactions from 52.8M only in 2024. Transaction value also grew by 211.3%, reaching ₱926.1 billion from ₱297.5 billion the previous year.

As digital payments become increasingly embedded in everyday transactions, SMEs are quickly discovering that growth also means needing to adapt their operations to keep pace with how customers want to transact and ensuring payments don’t become a barrier to their growth.

Chef Christine Balucas-Tabu of smash burger restaurant Bun Run, and Gabriel Jocson IV and Stephanie Dianne Ang, founders of matcha shop Kyoto House, know this firsthand. Though they’ve taken different paths to growth, both have had to adapt how they operate to meet customers while keeping the experience they’ve built consistent.

Growth without losing what works

For Chef Christine Balucas-Tabu, who serves as Culinary Operations Director at Bun Run, expanding a restaurant business while preserving the overall experience that made customers fall in love with it in the first place requires a careful balance. This is something she knew well when the brand decided to open its second shop in Makati in October 2025, making sure that what customers loved about the original San Juan branch could also be found in Makati, while they adapted to a different crowd and their preferences.

“Ultimately, we want our customers coming back for more, not just because the food tastes good but because the experience was even greater,” she explains. Part of that experience is making sure the payment process is as seamless as possible – for both staff and customers. “GCash for Business has been a great part of the growth of our business to make all transactions smooth and sound,” she adds.

Bun Run uses GCash SoundPay Plus, a device that accepts QRPH and card payments with real-time voice confirmation, helping staff verify payments faster and safely. With over 80% of their transactions cashless – around 30% through QRPH and 50% via debit and credit cards according to Chef Christine – having a single device that supports multiple payment methods has helped keep transactions fast and seamless, especially during peak hours.

Growing by meeting customers where they are

Flexibility takes on a different look for Kyoto House. Rather than operating from a permanent store, the business reaches customers through online channels, bazaars, and pop-ups. For its owners, this approach allows them to reach more of its target customers: home brewers who want to enjoy a delicious cup of matcha in the comfort of their own homes, but may not know where to start.

Today, 40% of the sales of Kyoto House come from pop-ups and bazaars. Its flexible model has been a key growth driver, and according to its owners, being present in multiple locations allows them to introduce their products and teach their customers how they can correctly prepare matcha at home. But because they’re constantly on the move, they also need the flexibility to make payments work wherever they go.

“What should not change is the experience customers receive. Wherever we are, we want the service to feel warm, the product information to remain accurate, and the payment process to be simple and reliable,” Gabriel and Stephanie emphasize.

On a typical weekend bazaar, the team typically handles 300-450 transactions per day, with 100% of their payments being cashless, making it essential to have a payment solution that can keep up with the pace. For that, they can count on the flexibility that GCash Soundpay Plus gives them.

“For us, ease does not mean removing every challenge. It means building systems that allow us to spend less time on preventable problems and more time improving the products and serving our customers,” shares Gabriel and Stephanie.

Flexibility is the new way to grow for SMEs

The growth of Bun Run and Kyoto House may look different, but their journeys point to the same need: having the flexibility to adapt and scale. With tools like GCash SoundPay Plus, merchants can streamline payments, serve more customers with ease, and unlock more opportunities for revenue growth.

Businesses can get started by creating a Starter Plan account on the GCash for Business Portal with as simple as a GCash verified account to enjoy a P5M wallet limit, then start ordering a GCash SoundPay Plus device.