Tag: Indonesia

Singapore – Top e-commerce platform in Indonesia, iStyle.id, which offers a wide range of products in Korean beauty, fashion, and lifestyle, has partnered with Singapore-based live commerce and shoppable short video solutions provider BeLive Technology. 

BeLive Technology’s platform for iStyle.id will enable the latter to activate the continuously growing channel of live commerce, allowing its users to buy products through said means which includes shoppable video content and interactive features. Meanwhile, the latest collaboration marks BeLive Technology’s further expansion across Asia as well as the opportunity to advance Direct-to-Consumer (D2C) channels.

The new capabilities by iStyle.id aim to maximise the interaction with customers and deliver an engaging shopping experience. According to BeLive, since the platform launched, iStyle.id has seen an average 250 per cent increase in the company’s month-on-month live sales.

Steven Calvin Victory, CEO of iStyle.id, commented, “iStyle.id’s journey with BeLive Technology in the past year has had a good impact on the company’s growth as [an] e-commerce in Korean beauty, fashion, and lifestyle. In the future, iStyle.id will add more than 500 various products and we hope that with [BeLive Technology,] we can improve our strategic campaign to provide the best live shopping for our consumers.”

Meanwhile, Kenneth Tan, CEO and Co-founder of BeLive Technology, believes that the partnership with iStyle.id will trailblaze live shopping adoption in Indonesia, which is one of Southeast Asia’s leading Direct-to-Consumers economies. 

“iStyle.id has been very innovative and transformed itself to be a market leader in the field of live commerce and shoppable short videos. We are happy to be able to support them in their digital transformation journey,” Tan said.

iStyle.id’s live commerce and short-video features are available on both its web and mobile apps. 

Singapore – Mobile advertising technology company InMobi unveiled through its Ramadan 2023 at a glance report that consumer sentiment in Indonesia maintains an upward trend as consumers embrace the gradual return to normalcy.

According to the report, 60% of respondents plan to spend at least IDR 3 million for Ramadan, a 4% boost from 2022. Results also showed that one in three app downloads during Ramadan are shopping apps, with downloads peaking two months before the celebration.

Moreover, 98% of respondents choose to explore deals, products, and brands for Ramadan on mobile while 56% prefer mobile as their primary purchasing channel.

The report likewise revealed that 72% of the respondents are category explorers who spend time planning and researching their online purchases, with 31% starting research one month before Ramadan.

“Every year, the festive month of Ramadan triggers a massive wave of spending activity in Indonesia, and we expect a rebound this year after modest celebrations in the last two years. Interestingly, mobile remains dominant as a preferred channel for shopping, entertainment, and even religious activities among consumers despite relaxed restrictions on travel and physical gatherings,” said Rishi Bedi, managing director for Asia-Pacific at InMobi.

He also added that because of the increase in spending activity amongst consumers, brands must continue to maximise their visibility and reachability to target consumer segments on mobile and other digital platforms.

Ramadan 2023 at a glance analyses expectations and habits of Indonesian consumers around the holiday and provides insight to brands seeking to refine their mobile marketing strategies during the nation’s holy month.

Last September, InMobi also released its report on mobile gaming ads amongst advertisers in Southeast Asia, where it was found that 98% of advertisers have increased their mobile gaming spend since the pandemic.

Jakarta, Indonesia – After the opening of its Bangkok office in 2018, Thailand-based advertising agency TJT Creative Lab, with its co-founders Irvine Prisilia and Apiwat Pattalarungkhan, has expanded operations by opening its second office in Jakarta, Indonesia. 

The two co-founders are both creatives with a collective experience of over 20 years working in Jakarta, Bangkok, Singapore and Shanghai.

This also serves as a homecoming for Prisilia, who is also the current creative director of the agency. Aiming to give back to her home country, Prisilia brings the agency’s presence in Indonesia to develop its creative and advertising industry.

Since its establishment in 2018, the creative lab was able to work with technology companies including WACOM and Traveloka, electronics company Xiaomi, baking supplies store Bake With Yen, hotel brand Curio Collection by Hilton, gel product Puricas and hair product Dove Haircare.

TJT Creative Lab provides services including integrated marketing communication, performance marketing, campaign localisation, design and branding, and creative production.

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – Media agency Wavemaker has won the mandate for Danone’s specialised nutrition business in Malaysia. This follows after the agency also scoped the global media account from the global food company last year.

Yee Pek Kuan, marketing director for Malaysia and Singapore at Danone, said, “Overall, Wavemaker Malaysia stood out in every aspect of our ask, from their strategic approach to understanding our business to their robust media pricing. We’re excited to partner with Wavemaker.”

Meanwhile, Sheley Lim, general manager at Wavemaker Malaysia, commented, “This was special for us, our approach was to provocatively think of the needs of the client and business and build tailored solutions to those needs. We will continue to push the boundaries and evolve the business together.”

Lastly, Gordon Domlija, CEO at Wavemaker Asia-Pacific said, “What a fantastic way to start the year! We pride ourselves on being a genuine partner to our clients, supporting their current and future business ambition. Through this pitch process we were inspired by the strong collaboration and openness to our passion and ideas, we are now excited to bring this to life through tangible business results for Danone across South East Asia.”

Most recently, Wavemaker Asia-Pacific welcomed Jenny Pham as its new APAC media lead for Colgate-Palmolive.

Jakarta, Indonesia – The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) in Indonesia has announced that it has ceased its analogue radio operations in Indonesia on December 30, 2022, in favour of transitioning to digital broadcasting.

This marks the end of BBC Indonesia’s 73-year air streak, since it was first launched in 1949.

According to BBC News Indonesia editor Jerome Wirawan, this was done to save the broadcasting company around GPB 28.5m in expenses. This also follows ceasing radio operations of BBC Arabic, BBC Persian and BBC Chinese.

This was not the first time a government-funded broadcasting company has pulled the plug of its local radio operations. In 2012, The Netherlands’ Radio Netherlands ceased operations globally. Meanwhile, Germany’s Deutsche Welle pulled the plug on its Indonesian radio operations, alongside Bengali, Urdu, Dari/Pashtu, in 2011.

Despite radio operations ceasing, BBC Indonesia’s broadcasts will continue to air on digital platforms, including their local website, as well as listening on streaming platforms.

The BBC is the government-funded broadcaster of the United Kingdom. Its Asia-Pacific presence includes Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea, Japan, China, India, Australia, and Taiwan.

Singapore – Elliot & Co., the public relations consultancy with offices in Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia, has announced today that Vividthree Holdings, a diversified and Catalist-listed entertainment company, will be acquiring up to 51% stake in the former. Vividthree is a company that specialises in the production of immersive experiences with mixed technologies. 

Elliot & Co. is focused on the Southeast Asia region and mainly serves start-ups and SMEs. Since its inception in 2017, the PR consultancy firm has grown to establish offices in three markets, serving more than 1,000 clients. 

Its founder, Jeremy Foo, said, “It is an exciting time for Elliot & Co. as this announcement heralds a new level of opportunity and breakthrough that we foresee will come. Vividthree’s expertise will be invaluable to us as we seek to establish ourselves as a leader in our industry, and despite the uncertain economic situation as we enter 2023, the best is yet to come.” 

Elliot & Co. was previously called Prospr Communications before rebranding in 2020. 

Jakarta, Indonesia – VICE Media Group has announced its first content partnership with Spotify for the Southeast Asia market. It begins with Indonesia through the release of five original local video podcast series which aim to reflect Indonesia’s vibrant and diverse music, youth and cultural scenes. 

This series of five Spotify Original Video podcasts, created and produced locally by VICE Media’s team in Jakarta, will include three daily and two weekly video podcasts. 

Hosted by some of the best in the industry, these video podcasts will cover a myriad of today’s hottest topics, such as current and emerging Indonesian musicians, artists and movie stars; the latest music news and trends and a look at what young Indonesians think of their country today and their place in society. 

The VICE Spotify Original Video podcast series will be amplified across VICE’s extensive social and editorial network, which has 10 million monthly unique users in Indonesia and 3.3 million combined followers. 

It is expected that more than 86% of the listeners are aged between 16 and 34, with 63% living in urban areas with top cities including Jakarta, Surabaya, Bandung, Makassar and Depok. 

Nilesh Zaveri, managing director at VICE Media Group APAC, said, “VICE is trusted by young audiences to cut through the noise to deliver a distinct perspective on today’s music and culture as well as what’s coming next. This exclusive partnership with Spotify represents a significant opportunity to create distinctive video podcast content for Indonesia’s youth, and we look forward to exploring additional opportunities to bring the VICE brand to more audiences, across media platforms, throughout Asia Pacific.” 

Meanwhile, Carl Zuzarte, head of studios for Southeast Asia at Spotify, commented, “2022 has been an amazing year of growth for us in Indonesia. We introduced new format innovations such as video podcasts, amongst others to further build upon the podcast ecosystem in Indonesia, whilst also expanding on the podcast experience on Spotify for our creators and users to enjoy.”

He added, “Also, we’re always on the lookout for top content creators to work with to deliver best-in-class content for our users to enjoy. That is why we’re excited to partner with VICE Media Group to present this stellar slate of five Video podcasts featuring collaborations with Indonesia’s most current and popular cultural creators, artists and musicians.”

Jakarta, Indonesia – Consumer electronics company Xiaomi in Indonesia has appointed Stephanie Sicilia as its new associate marketing director. She will be leading a cross functional team across PR, influencers, social media and community.

The strategic department function will drive integrated brand marketing, digital and PR campaigns as well as initiatives across the Xiaomi ecosystem to better reach broader consumers. 

Sicilia is a seasoned PR professional with over ten years of experience. She began her journey with Xiaomi in 2017, joining Xiaomi Technology to coordinate and manage PR initiatives across Southeast Asia markets, including Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Singapore from Xiaomi HQ in Beijing.

She also lead Xiaomi’s sustainability campaign #LebihLestari (‘More Sustainable’) in partnership with circular economy platform Octopus and the Tech Journalist Forum (Forwat), to collect and recycle old electronics, leveraging Xiaomi’s existing store locations for the e-waste drop boxes.

Nearly one year after her tenure in HQ, she was appointed to head Indonesia’s communications team, as Indonesia is one of the key markets for Xiaomi’s global expansion. It is her dedication and strategic thinking that has led to her recent appointment as the associate marketing director in which she will be overseeing the day-to-day operations of the marketing communication team.

Speaking on her new role, she said, “I am excited to be appointed to this new role and to lead a growing team of talented members to continue on translating Xiaomi’s mission in bringing innovation for everyone. I’m grateful to work with a brand that continuously grows and deeply cares about its users. I will continue to give my best effort for the brand, especially in Indonesia.”

Wentao Zhao, country director at Xiaomi Indonesia, commented, “Stephanie has been an instrumental part of the team in building Xiaomi’s brand and reputation in Indonesia. Her dedication to our brand has been proven by our remarkable results and with her leading the Marketing Communication team, we look forward to continuing to be working on new and exciting campaigns, listening to our users needs and of course, to improve brand satisfaction as well as broadening exposure to new target audience.”

Manila, Philippines – Global consumer finance provider Home Credit has announced that it is selling its Philippine and Indonesian operations, with a valuation of €‎615m. The transaction is expected to be completed in H2 2023.

The transaction has been reached with a consortium with Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group (MUFG), led by Thai bank Krungsri Bank, Japanese bank MUFG Bank, Indonesian credit facility Adira Finance, and an undisclosed local Indonesian investor.

Details of the transaction include Krungsri and MUFG Bank purchasing 75% and 25% respectively of Home Credit Philippines for a valuation of €406m; while Krungsri, Adira and a local Indonesian investor will purchase 75%, 10%, and 15%, respectively of Home Credit Indonesia for a valuation of €209m.

Jean-Pascal Duvieusart, CEO of Home Credit Group, said, “Home Credit launched around ten years ago in both the Philippines and Indonesia. In that time, they have flourished into market leading tech-based financial services companies. The success is down to our strong omnichannel network, highly regarded brand and robust customer base.”

He added, “It is now the right time for us to pass the baton onto new shareholders who can accelerate growth for these two exciting businesses as they approach this new phase. Both of these markets have played key roles in Home Credit and we will be watching their future with pride and interest.”

Jakarta, Indonesia – GrabKitchen, the cloud kitchen arm of tech and superapp company Grab, will be closing its operations in Indonesia by December 19, resulting in layoffs amounting to around 10 to 20 people.

A report from Tech In Asia notes that GrabKitchen saw inconsistencies in its growth in the local market. In its four years of operations, GrabKitchen has seen its business move to an asset-light business model.

Mayang Schreiber, chief communications officer at Grab Indonesia, said, “This situation forced us to take a difficult decision, which is not to continue our GrabKitchen operations in Indonesia.”

Regarding the layoffs, Grab said that some of its laid-off employees will be transferred to other divisions under Grab’s operations. They will receive compensation and fulfilment of obligations in accordance with the country’s regulations.

At the moment, GrabKitchen has over 48 foot points across Indonesia.

The GrabKitchen shutdown and layoffs contradicts Grab’s recent statements, stating that they won’t be seeing large layoffs despite the weak market.

“Around mid-year, we did some kind of specific reorganisations, but I know other companies have been doing mass layoffs, so we don’t see ourselves in that category,” Alex Hungate, chief operating officer at Grab, told Reuters in September.

However, Hungate did note back then that they will be shutting down its ‘dark stores’ or storage facilities for its groceries, and slowing the growth of its cloud kitchens.

“The other area where we’ve really tightened our strategic intent is in financial services where we were growing payments, wallets and non-bank financial lending quite significantly off-platform and on our platform,” he added.

The layoffs brought by the GrabKitchen shutdown follow a slew of similar updates globally, including with Carsome, Shopee, Netflix, Snap, Oracle, and Hootsuite.