Carlyn Gabon is what one would describe as a citizen of the world.
“I’ve lived in three countries outside of the Philippines. I took my MBA in the UK, moved to Singapore for a Regional Manager role, and to Germany to drive international country launches for a transport tech company. I am currently based in Munich and will soon be moving to Frankfurt to join a drone technology company.”
Living away from home offered Carlyn a lot of opportunities, however it also meant being away from her parents, friends, and loved ones.
“Moving to a new country halfway across the world is never easy. I have done it a couple of times before but that doesn’t make it easier especially when after just a few months of moving my entire life to Germany, Covid-19 caused massive chaos globally. It’s one thing to be caught in a pandemic in your home country, but it’s an entirely different level when you’re in a foreign country where you can’t even speak the native language.”
Instead of wallowing in the many emotions caused by the move and the after effects of the virus, Carlyn instead chose to focus her energy on her startup, The Mercier. “I decided to channel my energy into creating The Mercier because working on it allowed me to focus on things I can control.”
The Mercier, which is derived from the Old French word meaning trader or merchant and Merci which means thank you, is an online gift shop that allows Filipinos living abroad to send meaningful gifts to their loved ones. It was Carlyn’s own experience that inspired her to start the small business.
“I started working on this in late June after my mom’s birthday and Father’s Day because I wanted to surprise them with their favorites and send them gifts. However, I encountered a lot of problems including finding high quality goods that deliver on time, delay in response due to the time difference, incompatible merchant payment method, and fragmented gift items making it time-consuming to bundle flowers with cake and a personalized greeting card.
“Not only that, but I ordered food online for a celebration and it did not arrive. There was even an incident where the flowers delivered were not the same as the photos they showed.”
Taking matters into her own hands to provide solutions not just for herself but the thousands of Filipinos across the globe, The Mercier was born.
“The Mercier delivers special gifting moments. It is for giving a smile on a loved one’s face knowing that someone is thinking of them even from miles away. The aim is to bring people closer and allow them to share special moments despite the distance. The sender may be someone living far away from their loved ones, in another country, city, or just practicing social distancing, and the recipient may be a parent, a best friend, or a girlfriend in a long-distance relationship.”
Not only that, but she also wishes to use her platform as a way to empower local merchants. “I also wish to support local merchants who are amazing at what they do. Since I live abroad, quality and reliability are of utmost importance, so I made sure that I only collaborate with providers who are great at their craft.”
She also emphasizes how a small gift can make a huge difference.
“I am very close to my family and I speak to them every single day. There are days that I just want to send them a little something on a random day just because. I realized there may be a lot of people too living abroad who would like to do the same.
“Therefore, I worked on having a seamless customer journey starting from the gift selection on the website, to the checkout process, and delivery.”
But for Carlyn, more than just sending quality gifts, it’s all about letting your loved ones know that you remember and appreciate them. “It’s all about making your presence felt even from across the miles.”
To know more, you may visit themercier.com.
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Carlabiancaravanes.com