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MANILA, Philippines - Social network Multiply, one of the world's leading media sharing services with over 2 petabytes of photos and videos, ramped up its e-commerce initiatives in the Philippines recently with the launch of its e-commerce marketplace and its partnership with photo processor Digiprint.

Multiply vice-president for business development David Hersh said the e-commerce marketplace offers a single, centralized place to browse the approximately 15,000 registered online stores in Multiply. Inclusion in the Multiply marketplace (http://multiply.com/marketplace) is free although sellers could upgrade their status to a premium account (P799 annually), which will allow them to appear at the top of the listings.

Hersh said the launch of the online marketplace allows the company to tap into its growing number of online sellers, particularly in the Philippines. He said that initially, selling on Multiply was actually a violation of the social network's terms and conditions until the company saw that it was filling a very specific niche in the online market.

"We may be the first truly social shopping experience out there. Multiply started as a site where you could share your personal content with people you care about; more so than other social networks. Your network on Multiply is a more accurate reflection of the people you know in the real world, the people who influence your buying decisions. That is what is happening in Multiply - people telling their friends that they bought shoes from this store and then they'll post a review on that site," he said in a press conference at the ABS-CBN compound in Quezon City.

Hersh said there are about 13,000 registered Filipino sellers on Multiply, followed by 2,000 online sellers in Indonesia. He said Multiply allows users to implement a filter to only show sellers in their own country.

Hersh said Multiply's online stores have contributed to the the growth of e-commerce and mobile payment schemes in the Philippines such as G-Cash. "Based on the feedback, there's quite a lot of money being transacted on Multiply shops. I wouldn't be surprised if we are one of the biggest sources of activity for G-Cash," he said.

He also noted that while e-commerce is growing among the more than 5 million Multiply users in the Philippines, the vast majority still prefer to use the site to share meaningful content such as photos and videos to friends and family.

Multiply partners with Digiprint

Hersh also announced its partnership with Digiprint, which allows Multiply users to order photo prints online. Digiprint, which is owned and operated by LBC Imaging Network, is the only photo processor in the Philippines to offer in-store pick up and delivery from more than 38 retail branches.

Hersh said Multiply users can now order photos online and have it delivered for free for a minimum order of P300. He said users can order prints in various sizes including 3R (P6), 4R (P7), 5R (P15) and 8R (P60). Delivery time usually takes about 2 days, he added.

The Multiply vice-president said the photo-printing service leverages the social network's strength as an online repository of high-res photos. "We want to be seen as a long term home for digital media," he said.

Another Multiply initiative in the pipeline is the launch of its Multiply Panorama, which allows users to see a three-pane view of their inbox including filters and messages. "When you click on a message, instead of launching you off to that person's site, it renders the content right there on the third pane," Hersh said.

He said the company will also launch Multiply in other languages including Tagalog, Spanish and Portuguese.