E-wallet surge powers 'sari-sari' stores’ digital transformation

Insider Spotlight

• E-wallet use in sari-sari stores jumped 75 percent in 2025—Packworks
• Local stores evolve into digital and financial hubs for communities
• 75 percent of sari-sari store owners are women entrepreneurs
• Packworks drives grassroots fintech adoption and inclusion

"Sari-sari" stores nationwide are rapidly embracing the digital economy, with e-wallet usage soaring by 75 percent this year, according to Filipino tech startup Packworks.

"Sari-sari" stores nationwide are rapidly embracing the digital economy, with e-wallet usage soaring by 75% this year, according to Filipino tech startup Packworks.

These small neighborhood shops—long the backbone of local retail—are now at the forefront of financial inclusion and digital transformation. Packworks’ study, based on data from over 2,000 store owners, found that nearly half reported a 75-percent increase in e-wallet use between January and August 2025, while 20 percent saw usage double.

“Maraming nang nagpapa-cash-in at cash-out at bumibili gamit ang mga e-wallet... Nakakatulong din naman ito sa amin para magkaroon kami ng dagdag kita. (A lot of our customers are making cash-in and cash-out transactions aside from buying products with e-wallets. Since more customers are using them, we want to keep up with their needs. It also helps us earn a little extra),” said Marijane Rea, a store owner from Laguna.

By the numbers

• 40 percent of store owners use e-wallets for in-store payments
• 30 percent for bill payments
• 30 percent for cash-in and cash-out services
• 13 percent earn as much from e-wallets as from physical goods
• 66 percent say e-wallets make up about 20% of total revenue

Many stores now manage multiple e-wallet accounts, enabling monthly transactions of up to P3.5 million.

The bigger picture

“The surge in e-wallet use proves that sari-sari stores are rapidly evolving into vital digital hubs for their communities,” Hubert Yap, chief platform officer of Packworks, said in a press release on Oct. 24, 2025. 

"They are now integrating digital tools such as our app to improve operations and function as near-frictionless nano-banks,” he adds.

Beyond digital payments, Packworks’ mission extends to empowering women entrepreneurs, who own about 75 percent of sari-sari stores.

Founded in 2018 by Bing Tan, Ibba Bernardo, and Hubert Yap, Packworks began as a passion project to bridge rural access gaps. What started as a tool for a few store partners has since evolved into a B2B platform connecting small retailers, wholesalers, and major FMCG brands, creating a more inclusive digital supply chain.

As the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas reports that 57 percent of retail transactions were already cashless in 2024, sari-sari stores are emerging as grassroots fintech pioneers—proving that the path to digital progress often begins at the neighborhood corner.

— Vanessa Hidalgo/Ed: Daxim L. Lucas