Cover Parlon co-founder and CEO Claire Ongcangco at Rise Hong Kong technology expo
Parlon co-founder and CEO Claire Ongcangco at Rise Hong Kong technology expo
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Despite all odds, the proudly Filipino fintech product has grown drastically since its start in the pandemic, entering other Southeast Asian markets in the near future
Since her college years, lawyer-by-trade Kristine Claire Ongcangco had observed a gap in the market that, even a decade later, had not been filled. A longtime fan of Sephora and the convenience of shopping for beauty products on the web, Ongcango thought—Wouldn’t it be great if you could buy salon services online, too? And thus, Parlon was born.
Initially designed as an online directory for local salons in the Philippines, complete with services and prices, Parlon has grown tremendously in just three years. Beyond discovering salons and wellness centres near you, consumers can now book and buy services through the digital platform, connecting them directly to partner merchants. The platform also offers a trove of exclusive deals, only available through the site and app. Conversely, Parlon offers their partner merchants a range of digitised services, from database management to cashless payment, empowering local businesses through digitalisation. As a B2B2C service, it provides complementary services to merchants and consumers alike.
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Above Parlon co-founder and CEO Claire Ongcangco
Above Miko Cornejo, co-founder and CTO of Parlon
Parlon co-founder and CEO Claire Ongcangco
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“I built this product for my own needs, but I knew I wasn’t alone,” Ongcangco shares. Since 2009, she and Miko Cornejo, Parlon’s co-founder and CTO, have been busy creating tech products for big names such as ABS-CBN, The Philippine Star, Megaworld Lifestyle Malls, and Entrego, under the digital solutions corporation Concept Machine. Finally, in 2019, the duo decided to create for themselves, set on building Southeast Asia’s largest beauty discovery and fintech platform.
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Claire Ongcangco at the She Loves Tech Global Conference 2022
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In Parlon’s humble beginnings, Ongcangco would go door-to-door speaking with the shopowners of the parlours that she would frequent. It was a tough sell. While restaurants are familiar with digital directory aggregators like Zomato, it was a foreign concept to many in the beauty industry, particularly with smaller homegrown brands—those which would arguably benefit the most from these services. By digitising their services through Parlon, these businesses would reach a wider audience, easily ensure their information is up-to-date, and adopt a user-friendly database system to keep track of their operations.
Another critical advantage Parlon offers its clients is cashless payment; small businesses in the country face many hurdles in applying for credit card terminals, making digital transactions inaccessible to most. Not only can it help merchants get onto GLife (GCash’s consumer-to-business payment service), but it also has its payment service, Parlon Pay. It is the first and only Philippine beauty company with an OPS (Operators of Payment Systems) license.
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Above The Parlon team at Collision Conference 2022, Toronto
The Parlon team at Collision Conference 2022, Toronto
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Now, it boasts nearly 500 partner merchants nationwide—a dramatic leap from their initial 30 and an impressive one considering the obstacles posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Salons and parlours “were the first to close and last to open,” Ongangco recounts. Although beauty services were put effectively put to a halt, Ongangco and Cornejo decided to push through with their official launch in 2021. That same year, the resolute CEO nabbed first place in the Philippine leg of the She Loves Tech competition: the world’s largest startup competition for women and technology. Not long after, Ongangco would fly abroad from Singapore to Canada, showcasing her award-winning SaaS (Software as a Service) solution in markets worldwide.
Following Parlon’s tremendous local growth, Ongangco and her team recently introduced all-new features on the platform, including a loyalty reward system and gifting mechanism. “Parlon has always been true to its promise of making beauty and wellness accessible for everyone,” Ongangco says. Soon, this will even include consumers overseas as the proudly homegrown Filipino company rolls out its services in Singapore in the coming months.
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About
Lauren’s love for food came much later in life than one would expect— an obsession awakened in the streets of Melbourne’s multicultural dining scene. Armed with this newfound passion, she returned to the Philippines determined to discover the best eats in her home country, with a personal advocacy to champion local cuisines and homegrown talent. Nothing is off-limits; if it’s delicious, it’s worth celebrating.
Work
As Tatler Dining associate editor, Lauren covers all things food and drink, from listing the latest openings in our monthly Dining Radar to interviewing chefs and bartenders about the biggest obstacles crippling the industry today. Beyond the digital space, she also organises Tatler Dining’s tentpole events, including Off Menu and Tatler Dining Kitchen, as well as the annual Tatler Best Philippines awards night and guide launch, detailing the best restaurants in the country.
For leads and event invites, contact her via lauren@tatlerphilippines.com or follow her on Instagram at @laurengolangco.
Photo: Ralph Mendo
