Tag: Mobile platform

Singapore – Singapore’s multi-national land transport company, ComfortDelGro, has announced that it will be launching its one-stop app for mobility and lifestyle called ‘Zig’.

Through the app, Singapore residents will be able to connect and commute conveniently, as well as discover new experiences in and around Singapore. Its interactive map-based interface allows users to search for lifestyle services – from making dining reservations, placing click-to-collect orders at selected Food & Beverage (F&B) merchants, purchasing tickets at entertainment outlets and attractions, to finding great deals. Furthermore, each user experience can be customized to fit a user’s personal preferences – whether they are adventure seekers or creatures of habits.

“In a digital world, mobility is no longer just about simply transporting people from point A to point B. It is about bringing services to people wherever they are, whenever they need. This is the first time we’re rolling out such an all-in-one lifestyle and mobility app that we hope will provide our commuters with more choices,” said Yang Ban Seng, managing director and group CEO of ComfortDelGro.

The app will be partnering with restaurant booking platform Chope and travel booking platform Klook to offer users a combined network of over 1,500 dining options ranging from Asian, Mexican to Western cuisines, as well as over 300 entertainment deals such as hotel staycations and even kayaking excursions.

Zig is also aiming to convince users to explore “hidden gems” in districts and neighborhoods by partnering with local food and beverage joints such as MXG Classics, cake shop PIVOT, and Japanese eatery Gyu Nami.

“The user experience of Zig, with its fun persona and bold visual aesthetic, has been designed to give users a whole gamut of features to make lifestyle discovery fun, socially interactive, and most importantly, more convenient,” Yang stated.

ComfortDelGro will be adding more services to the app once it has been launched, including a rewards program slated for release in the second quarter of this year.

Singapore – Loyalty solution provider Ascenda launches Nexus, its rapid launch option feature specially designed for its bank customer engagement solutions, enabled by an innovative zero-integration approach.

Through the platform, Ascenda’s loyalty capabilities can now be deployed in a fraction of the typical setup time and eliminate all technical integration, enabling the rollout of compelling new rewards propositions without resource or time constraints. Setup lead time, complexity, and cost are all reduced by a factor of ten relative to current industry norms.

Furthermore, Nexus supports Ascenda’s entire line-up of points-based and cash-back propositions, including the merchant offers aggregation platform, OffersHub. The full suite of Ascenda redemption capabilities ranging from real-time, everyday satisfiers to premium, aspirational rewards is also available under the new turnkey option.

“Nexus transforms how financial institutions launch rewards propositions, requiring minimal up-front investment and lead-time. Its simple and rapid deployment model unlocks vast scalability for Ascenda’s suite of customer engagement solutions,” said Mark Mullinix, head of strategy and partnerships at Ascenda.

Nexus expands the breadth of banks served by Ascenda beyond its current clients in over 30 markets, providing a customer engagement solution for thousands of established banks and neobanks globally who are looking for rapid deployment with minimal complexity and cost.

Singapore – French prestige beauty company Sephora in Singapore has now partnered with buy now-pay later service Atome, to allow customers flexible payment options on their e-commerce website, mobile app, and brick & mortar stores.

For Alia Gogi, Sephora Asia’s president, the recent move ensures safer payment options for the consumers.

“The shopping behavior and profile of Sephora customers has evolved in the last few years, but especially so this year. They now not only expect a secure, seamless, and easy payment experience but also flexibility and choice in how they shop and pay for their beauty products online, on mobile, and in-stores.”

She added, ”We’re delighted to partner with Atome in introducing ‘buy now pay later’ flexible payment options to first our Singapore — and later Malaysian — customers, enhancing their shopping experience both online and in our stores.”

Alia Gogi and David Chen
(Left) Alia Gogi, President of Sephora Asia; (Right) David Chen, CEO of Atome

David Chen, CEO of Atome, commented, “We’re really humbled to partner Sephora, a global brand that is not only a leader in beauty and retail, but is also constantly evolving and staying on the forefront of the latest consumer shopping behaviors and payment trends. We’re thrilled to be able to offer Sephora customers in Singapore, and later Malaysia, a safe, easy, and flexible payment experience, especially as we enter the festive end-of-year shopping season.”

Atome is available on the App Store and on Google Play.

Hong Kong – Digital creative agency AnalogFolk announced the launch of Bigup.Ai 2.0, an AI tool that aids to empower women, especially about societal issues and influence-related success. 

Having launched a beta version in the past eight months, the agency said the AI tool features a much bolder and visually-appealing interphase.. Concept questions such as “Tell us about a strength?” act as motivation starters, and can be improved or “bigged up” by using more confident and assertive language. The AI tool also features a quote suite, updated by the AnalogFolk team. Topics such as job rejection and COVID-19 burnout are covered, all with a positive note. The quote suite can be accessed through Analogfolk’s social media pages and their own Pinterest board.

The tool, which is developed by  Microsoft LUIS Natural Language Processing and Machine Learning technology, ‘reads’ skills found on the user’s uploaded CV and analyzes it to deliver a more expressive and assertive personal brand for the user.

Anna-Louise Gladwell, managing director at AnalogFolk and leader of the Bigup.Ai 2.0 development, commented that tool’s development is a response to many women in their leadership and work roles feeling ‘small’ due to failures of getting a new job, and hopes that the tool will aid such women to boost their professional image and their overall persona.

“COVID-19 has exacerbated a systemic social issue of female confidence, self-promotion and career advancement. So BigUp.AI is here to remind women of their value and help them find the words to express it,” Gladwell stated.

For Chris Ryan, managing partner at AnalogFolk Asia, the recent tool launch speaks about gender gap issues such as pay gap across Asia, and should be improved in every way possible.

“We feel that with more confidence and assertiveness, that picture can change in the months and years to come, starting with how women talk about themselves. AI is a powerful tool which can help to support this,” Ryan commented.

Created by an all-women team in the course of eight months, AnalogFolk’s newest AI tool launch coincides with the International Women’s Day 2020, and hopes to create more tools in the near future for women empowerment.