Tag: Innovation

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – Klook, Asia’s leading platform for experiences and travel services, has recently announced a collaboration with Google Cloud to harness the company’s content production and generation capabilities through an automated language translation and AI chatbot.

In this collaborative endeavour, Klook seeks to understand the intricacies of the local market as well as its distinct brand voice, using Google Cloud’s PaLM 2 to translate its activity content in ten languages. It then extends its capabilities, encompassing content creation and K.AI chatbot.

Said project focused on ensuring that Google Cloud’s generative AI translation activity is accurate, facilitating language proficiency on the materials including Bahasa Melayu and simplified Chinese that were increasingly tailored to the team’s desired outputs.

As a result, the local nuance and efficiency of translations improve with every iteration, giving Klook the confidence to scale its efforts across all activity-related content. It also excelled in preserving the nuanced tones and voices specific to each local market, a success recognised and scored by Klook’s team of linguists and brand marketers specialising in localization. 

Talking about the collaboration, Bernie Xiong, CTO and co-founder at Klook, shared his insights about the collaboration, stating, “We take great pride in being in-destination experts, from the moment our travellers begin their discovery of their dream holiday to the moment they book with Klook and ultimately throughout their in-destination experience. We are committed to make this entire journey seamless, effortless, and in the language that best suits our travellers’ preferences.”

“Our pilot proved that with Google Cloud’s generative AI capabilities, we can deliver this complete brand experience at scale without any compromise on content quality or accuracy. We will continue to innovate, bring new advancements for a more engaging platform, and solidify our standing as the brand of choice for travellers in Asia and beyond,” he added.

Furthermore, Klook aims to extend its use of Google Cloud’s generative AI beyond translation, incorporating the K.AI chatbot to enhance data security and interaction accuracy in diverse customer services.

This is in line with the company’s goal to implement PaLM 2 for content generation, streamlining vendor onboarding by automatically generating concise descriptions and details about activities. These advancements aim to improve overall internal employee productivity and contribute to a more efficient operational workflow at Klook. 

Meanwhile, Kathy Lee, managing director at Google Cloud in North Asia, said, “Klook’s use of generative AI has the potential to significantly boost both internal productivity and customer engagement, enhancing the uniqueness of their brand and value proposition while also strengthening trust and security for their customers.”

“They’ve already gained a crucial first-mover advantage in personalising and localising travel experiences with generative AI, and we look forward to our continued collaboration to further strengthen their digital leadership with cloud and AI across their business,” she concluded.

Philippines – Following its pursuit to embrace digital readiness, Union Bank aims to poise itself to establish more user-friendly, online banking solutions that empower businesses in the current digital age. 

Among its latest initiatives, UnionBank has embarked on the development of PayExpress, allowing clients to conveniently manage transactions by collecting official receipts from suppliers and vendors before the disbursement or crediting of payments. 

This new platform also comes with immediate generation of creditable withholding tax and invoice vouchers which enable direct sending of nominated email addresses to suppliers and vendors, once the receipts are collected and funds are credited to payees. 

Interestingly, a plan to adopt e-invoicing and e-receipt System is currently in the move, giving PayExpress the opportunity to assist businesses in adjusting to the changing tax requirements. This notable alignment offers a safe and effective platform for obtaining official receipts and producing necessary documentation like creditable withholding tax and invoice vouchers.

Another addition to this initiative is the establishment of UnionBank’s payroll digital account opening. With this solution, a more efficient, paperless, and fully-digital end-to-end ePaycard payroll and corporate disbursement solution can now be arranged by corporate clients to their employees. 

At the same time, corporations can also distribute salaries and offer a wide range of value-added benefits to their employees, allowing them to open an account at the convenience of their own home. 

Said banking solution also complements the upcoming regulation about bank account portability for workers, granting private sector employees the prerogative to select and change their preferred bank accounts, liberating them from the constraints of a one-size-fits-all banking system.

Furthermore, UnionBank has also revolutionised the present-day check deposits by the inclusion of a ‘remote check deposit’.  With RCD, corporate clients can effortlessly use a check scanner to deposit a hundred checks at a time online, eliminating the need for branch visits. 

As RCD supports deposits of both current-dated and post-dated checks, clients can conveniently track their status online, ranging from the warehousing to clearance and return. RCD also provides a clear display of cleared and bounced checks, making it a cutting-edge innovation in check payments, perfectly complementing the bank’s mobile check deposit service.

Meanwhile, the implementation of the check image clearing system has overcome the need for physically transporting checks for clearing since only check images and their electronic payment information were required to be transmitted to the paying bank. 

Moreover, when UnionBank introduced the Mobile Check Deposit (MCD) in 2020, it has already capitalised on the prevalence of smartphone use, allowing corporate clients to conveniently deposit checks anytime and anywhere. 

Throughout the years, UnionBank’s extensive array of products and services has already made it the go-to-choice for large corporate entities seeking a convenient, secure, and efficient solution for their day-to-day financial transactions. 

With their latest technological adoptions, UnionBank remains dedicated to its goal of elevating the banking experience of every business in the country.

Philippines – As a key to catalysing e-commerce growth for online sellers, WorldFirst, a one-stop digital payment and financial services platform for cross-border trade SMEs has recently revealed its plan to launch its latest digital finance solutions.

The platform will cater to new southeast Asian markets including Vietnam, Thailand, Philippines, and Malaysia in 2023 and 2024 and is set to provide online sellers with safe, fast, and reliable cross-border payment and financial services.

For this particular project, SMEs can now swiftly open a multi-currency world account to trade globally. In this case, money is deposited into the local collecting account of the sellers, where it will be immediately combined with the available amount. 

In addition, said world account provides a single user-friendly portal for sellers to manage their growing operations across countries and marketplaces. Sellers can then have tier stores, e-marketplaces and entities, while customising account statements accordingly for reconciliation.

Clara Shi, CEO at WorldFirst and Vice President at Ant Group, expressed her enthusiasm about this project, stating, “Building on our global fintech capabilities and strong success in China, Singapore and other markets, we are confident our secure and fast cross-border payment and e-commerce enablement services can help small businesses in Southeast Asia extend their international footprint.

Following its success in Chinese and Singaporean markets, WorldFirst will offer a hassle-free one-stop store opening services across global marketplaces. With an expedited process across 28 partner e-commerce platforms, set-up time for the seller goes down to within 24 hours.

Through this, sellers may now find a broad array of value-added professional services through WorldFirst and boost their growth in online advertising, logistics, and website development and management. 

Singapore – IPG Mediabrands, the media holding company within Interpublic Group, has announced the official launching of My Bot, its latest AI chat assistant today, November 16. 

This innovative tool aims to optimise the internal productivity of the workplace as well as their employees’ workstyles through gen AI technology powered by Google Cloud. 

In particular, the assistant is set to streamline day-to-day tasks, enabling easier management of multiple projects and workflows for IPG Mediabrands employees.

Some of its features include an intuitive task management support which covers the project brainstorming to agenda-making for meetings. With a dedicated space for human creativity and strategy development, it also responds efficiently to user needs with time. 

Meanwhile, its capacity to understand 38 different languages enables smooth communication in various contexts and promotes inclusivity.

Speaking about this launch, Graham Wilkinson, chief innovation officer at KINESSO, said, “We couldn’t be more excited to launch our first of what will be many products leveraging gen AI, with the support of Google Cloud.”

“My Bot will take our workplace capabilities to new heights without compromising the humanity and thoughtfulness of our client-centric approach,” he ended. 

My Bot comes after IPG Mediabrands recently partnered with Google Cloud to integrate gen AI technology into product development. 

It is developed by the product team within KINESSO which works with Google’s PaLM 2 language model and boasts enterprise-level security to protect intellectual property throughout the workflow. 

Indonesia – As the country strives for a healthier dining environment, Dulux Indonesia, alongside Innocean Indonesia, has spearheaded an initiative catered specifically to reducing flies among school canteens in Indonesia.

This collaborative effort came up with a campaign called ‘Project Yellow Canteen, which encompasses a solution to the long-standing problem of sanitation and diseases spread by insects through the discovery of flies’ aversion to the colour yellow.

Prior to the implementation, an on-ground experiment was conducted, with two tables: one painted in a bright yellow and the other left untouched. Results then observed that flies were attracted only to the non-yellow table, demonstrating the effectiveness of the flies’ dislike of the colour.

This particular discovery led to an on-ground initiative to paint the tables, benches, and walls in several Indonesian canteens with cheerful yellow hues. This has brightened school canteens and improved students’ well-being,  providing students with a cleaner and healthier dining experience. 

Since its implementation in October, ‘Project Yellow Canteen’ has now embarked on transforming cleaner and healthier dining spaces, with Dulux Indonesia showcasing the impact of innovative solutions and social responsibility.

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – In an effort to create a revolutionary platform for outdoor advertising, pioneering car cleaning products company Armor All has recently partnered with global communications network Havas Malaysia.

This combined effort is set to leverage the use of abandoned cars as a medium to showcase the effectiveness of Armor All’s cleaning products. With Malaysia’s cars being neglected on several roadsides in the country, this particular campaign allows the restoration and renovation of the appearance of the abandoned vehicles.

Results of the project then observed that revival of the products was effective, with each of the vehicles displaying a vibrant orange sticker that says, ‘Ride Revived by Armour All.’ These stickers were positioned deliberately in the window showing the view of the car’s original condition. This created a compelling visual and drew attention to the transformation.

Following this campaign, Aaron Abner Ang, head of marketing for Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia at Energizer Holdings Inc., said, “Armor All has always been committed to delivering innovative and effective cleaning solutions to car owners. While our products enjoy broad visibility through our retail partners, we sought a medium that would unequivocally prove the efficacy of our products. The use of tangible evidence proved to be an effective way to achieve this goal. Additionally, these revived cars offer us a unique opportunity to raise awareness and bolster our brand’s credibility.”

“We are grateful for Havas’s dedication to the campaign. The creativity and proactive approach from the Havas team have made this collaboration a truly inspiring journey,” he added. 

Meanwhile, Donevan Chew, chief creative officer at Havas Malaysia shared, “Armor All equips car owners with all the tools needed to achieve a professionally cleaned look. We believe that there’s no better way to convince car owners of the efficacy of their products than by showcasing the results right before their eyes. The use of old, abandoned cars helps to amplify and dramatise the efficacy of Armor All’s products.”

Singapore – Global socially-led creative agency We Are Social has announced its reaffirmation to commit to investing in future focused technologies, through a slew of updates to its innovation arm, .XYZ, complemented with new leadership appointments for the department.

With We Are Social’s appointment, .XYZ will be led by Christina Chong, CEO of We Are Social Southeast Asia, and will expand the agency’s offering across future strategy, creative innovation and virtual production.

Under Chong’s leadership, a number of the agency’s Singapore team, along with specialist colleagues from the US, UK, Europe and the Middle East, will be tasked with further developing the .XYZ offering in three key areas: future strategy, creative innovation and virtual production.

The .XYZ team will be looking for opportunities to embed innovative work across the agency’s entire client portfolio, for brands in all sectors and industries. With experts and practitioners across the spectrum of spatial, phygital, cognitive and distributed technologies, they will also work to keep the entire agency up to speed with the latest advances in technology.

The investment in .XYZ complements the agency’s other investments in future tech and innovation, such as its gaming division We Are Social Gaming, and new augmented reality offering, Make My Day.

Speaking on her own appointment, Chong said, “.XYZ will help our clients feel confident in exploring future focused technologies – the benefits of being an early mover, if managed in a strategic and considered way, can be huge. I’m delighted to be taking the lead on .XYZ – an area I feel passionate about – and helping more brands use technology to get ahead of the pack.”

Meanwhile, Nathan McDonald, co-founder and group chief executive of We Are Social ,commented, “Chris and the team in Singapore have always been up to speed on cutting edge technology and helping clients make the most of the latest advancements so it was clear that .XYZ would thrive under her leadership. I’m confident that we’ll be able to help even more of the world’s most forward-thinking brands navigate the intersection of creativity and technology.”

Malaysia – RPG Commerce, a Malaysia-based direct-to-consumer (DTC) e-commerce company, has secured US$ 29 million in a Series B funding round led by East Ventures, UOB Venture Management, Vertex Ventures SE Asia & India (VVSEAI), and RHL Ventures. VVSEAI previously led RPG Commerce’s Series A funding and has continued to invest in this current round.

The funds raised will be channeled into future-proofing the company’s technology and development processes, as well as developing and expanding RPG’s brand-portfolio to create revolutionary consumer products. RPG currently hosts a suite of 10+ in-house international brands, including apparel & homeware brands Thousand Miles, Bottoms Lab, Montigo, Cosmic Cookware & more. 

RPG Commerce’s multi-brand business model launches, operates, and optimizes a globally successful suite of DTC brands by owning the development, production, and delivery processes end-to-end. Striving to create an exceptional standard of living for customers by creating innovative solutions to everyday problems, RPG is powered by cutting-edge back-end technology and a leading team of creative visionaries, which has resulted in a rapid brand portfolio expansion and customer base growth of 300% over the past year.

Melvin Chee, co-founder and CEO of RPG Commerce, shared, “RPG Commerce’s mission is to provide value that exceeds the expectations of our customers. We are proud to have delivered game-changing, customer-centric products and services by creating high-quality essential items through our DTC model that are accessible at their fingertips and delivered straight to their doorstep. With this round of funding, we aim to rapidly expand our talent pool across the entire organisation and enhance our technological capabilities in addition to expanding our suite of brands to further disrupt the consumer landscape.”

Evolving beyond its primary DTC business model, RPG’s ‘shared backend infrastructure’ enables other businesses and brands to leverage RPG’s technology framework through partnerships. Passionate about supporting independent businesses with in-demand products and solutions, RPG is also looking forward to empowering smaller businesses through incubation programs and acquisitions to expand its range of consumer-centric products across different verticals. 

Meanwhile, Willson Cuaca, co-founder and managing partner of East Ventures, commented, “RPG takes a multi-category, multi-brand approach, while retaining the roll-up model as an option, making them a unique and successful player in the e-commerce landscape. It is critical for DTC businesses to build traction internationally to ensure success, and RPG stands out as a company that has been able to grow a loyal customer base across the US, Canada, and Europe by building consumer trust through quality products and supply chain innovation. “

Cuaca added, “We are excited to support RPG on the next leg of their growth and are looking forward to watching the brand expand their portfolio and grow in new markets across Southeast Asia.”

Montreal, Canada – Hivestack, a programmatic digital out of home (DOOH) ad tech company has announced a strategic global collaboration with Xandr, a data-enabled technology platform powering a global marketplace for premium advertising. 

Through the partnership, the Hivestack Supply Side Platform (SSP) will be integrated with Invest DSP, the company’s demand-side platform, allowing Xandr‘s advertisers to access Hivestack’s premium global DOOH inventory via RTB transactions via Open Exchange and Private Marketplace (PMP) deals.

Bruno Guerrero, COO of Hivestack, said that as the future of DOOH advertising continues to be redefined, their omnichannel DSP business partners are increasingly important to their mission.

“We are thrilled to announce this crucial global alliance with Xandr and look forward to collectively driving the DOOH industry further in terms of technology and innovation,” Guerrero said.

Dylan McBride, head of global partnerships at Xandr, commented “The growth we have seen for the DOOH channel is evidence of the exciting opportunity advertisers today have to leverage data, measurement and precision in their OOH advertising strategies. We are excited to announce our collaboration with Hivestack who have proven to be at the forefront of this innovation.”

The collaboration is said to launch immediately across key global markets.   

Singapore – Consumer goods corporation Procter & Gamble (P&G) has launched iLab 2021, alongside with the Singapore Economic Development Board (EBD), in an effort to strengthen the country’s innovation ecosystem.

iLab 2021 is a 3-day virtual innovation festival, which will see start-ups from Singapore and across the region come together to collaborate with P&G and develop innovations that can overcome real-world challenges faced in the areas of advertising, retail, and supply chain.

The launch was officiated and witnessed by guest-of-honor Heng Swee Keat, deputy prime minister and coordinating minister of economic policies and minister for finance in Singapore along with Rafik Mansour, Chargé d’Affaires in the U.S. Embassy in Singapore; Ted Tan, deputy CEO of Enterprise Singapore and Cindy Koh, executive vice president at the Singapore Economic Development Board.

The event is held at P&G’s i-Singapore Digital Omni-Channel Center (i-SiDOC).

During iLab, selected start-ups will ideate and brainstorm with P&G to help solve challenges using technology in domains such as AI personalization, gaming, social commerce, and supply chain resiliency. Selected start-ups with promising approaches will then work with P&G to roll out pilots across P&G’s markets in Asia Pacific, the Middle East and Africa.

Through the support from the EDB, P&G will also mentor start-ups and create cross-exchanges through networking engagements. By partnering with start-ups and technology companies, there is room to experience, learn from each other and grow together.

Magesvaran Suranjan, president for Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa at Procter & Gamble believe that Singapore is home to one of the strongest, and most vibrant innovation ecosystems in the region, with a diverse pool of talent constantly striving for new ideas and solutions to solve future challenges.

“In the post-pandemic future, the pursuit for innovation is crucial for the recovery and advancement of our economy. Our vision for P&G in the Asia Pacific, Middle East, and Africa region is to become the company of the future and leverage Singapore as the innovation hub for P&G and our industry, leading digital transformation and powering innovation across all aspects of our business,” Suranjan stated.

Meanwhile, Karthik Natarajan, senior vice president and CFO at P&G Asia Pacific, Middle East, & Africa, commented, “We are very thankful to have the support of like-minded partners in this exciting journey, especially the close partnerships that we enjoy with the EDB and ESG. 

He added, “At P&G, we always endeavor to lead the change across all aspects of our operations, and support our partners, employees, and other stakeholders. With the opening of iLab, it sets the base pillar for P&G as a company of the future – our visionary framework towards creating a better future for everyone.”

iLab focuses on three different streams – ‘Future of Advertising’, ‘Future of Retail’ and ‘Future of Supply Chain’. These three areas represent the evolving consumer and retail needs, transforming media ecosystems and revolutionary changes in supply chain. These areas are ripe for piloting innovative processes and technologies to improve how consumers live and work.

Prior to the inauguration of iLab, 100 start-ups were assessed to solve real business challenges set by P&G. From this, the top 27 start-ups have been curated and shortlisted to participate in the 3-day festival. iLab 2021 will be held virtually over three days, from 4-6 May 2021, where these start-ups will showcase their solutions and share more about how they envision themselves tackling the given problem.