Tag: Singapore

Singapore  – Dream Career Builder, a job portal with a dedication to Singapore and Malaysia, has integrated a new “Work from Home” feature in its search function. The company said the new feature is its response to meet employment needs in the middle of the growing gig economy as well as the continuous job cuts in both countries.

Aside from connecting job seekers and employers, the new feature will provide ranking signals that amplify rankings of remote and work from home opportunities for more conversion of leads.

Further, for a small sum, prospective employers can opt to have job posts boosted on the job portal, improving the chances of finding a suitable candidate. 

The company said in a press statement, “As the economy goes through major restructuring, and industries are reshaped, Dream Career Builder seeks to understand employment needs compounded by the global pandemic.”

It added, “By tapping on the growing gig economy, it has established a platform of mutualism, enabling the direct solicitation for employment without geographical restrictions.”

Australia – News Corp Australia’s digital marketing service News Xtend has struck a partnership with Singapore’s news and publishing company Singapore Press Holdings (SPH), to target the island state’s small and medium enterprise market.

The digital marketing agency provides expert advice and know-how to SMEs to market themselves digitally, and this is the first time the agency has ventured into an overseas market.

The partnership is said to last for three years and will see the Singaporean publishing group reselling the agency’s services.

Executive chairman for Newscorp Australasia Michael Miller said that partnering with like-minded companies is the space that News Xtend has been eyeing to play in.

“We’re now exporting our know-how by partnering with another media company that, like ours, has successfully transitioned to the digital landscape,” said Miller.

He added, “It’s a great acknowledgement that the investment we’ve made to grow and diversify our business is now being deployed by another media business in another region.”

Aside from its publishing business, Singapore Press Holdings houses a number of digital businesses such as marketing communication services, an SaaS platform, and a mobile job portal.

The agency will be providing to SPH’s customers services such as search engine marketing, social media advertising, and video and display advertising.

The agency will also be offering a call tracking service, which will be packaged into simple, outcome-focused solutions, designed to make easy for customers to achieve meaningful business results that they can measure.

SPH’s Deputy CEO Anthony Tan thinks the partnership is well-timed, as the country’s current digital penetration is at almost 90%.

“SPH is excited to provide businesses with an affordable and convenient digital marketing solution to help them achieve their desired results. With this new partnership, we are well-positioned to support SMBs by bridging the gap in the solutions available in our domestic market,” said Tan.

Meanwhile, Emma Fawcett, News Corp Australia’s managing director for commercial product and platforms shared that Singapore has been an obvious choice for the expansion.

The company cites a PwC data which shows that SMEs generate almost half of Singapore’s gross domestic product and accounts for 72% of employment, where much of the sector is family-owned.

“Singapore’s explicit digital agenda places it among the region’s most digital savvy nations, which is something that extends to its small to medium business sector and is highly attractive to a business such as ours,” Fawcett said.

She added, “The fact Singapore has important synergies to Australia in terms of industries and digital habits, language and a highly supportive environment for foreign investment are wonderful extras and, of course, Singapore’s status as a critical commercial hub for the entire region is an added bonus.”

News Xtend’s parent company Newscorp Australia owns a portfolio of both national and regional newspapers, and a number of magazine brands. It is also a majority shareholder of merged entities Foxtel and FOX SPORTS Australia.

Singapore – Google’s digital wallet platform Google Pay has made a number of enhancements exclusively for Singapore users that will see an easier and further seamless use of features on the app. 

One of the latest updates is Google pay’s integration with Singapore’s national real-time payment service PayNow, which now allows users in Singapore to send money to anybody in the country, even if they’re not on Google Pay, with users only needing the person’s phone number. 

The feature has been previously introduced for OCBC customers earlier in the year, and now Google Pay will be extending it to customers of DBS Paylah! and Standard Chartered Bank. 

Customers of the said banks can also use their linked accounts to pay any business that has a PayNow QR code displayed, allowing merchants to receive payments in their corporate bank accounts.

In addition to the improved transaction process, Singapore will be the first country where Google Pay users can form groups to organize and manage payments, as well as divide bills and other joint expenses within the app.

Googe Pay Singapore

Google Pay has also announced added features for delivery and movie bookings, anticipating that more Singaporeans will dine out and watch movies amid lesser COVID-related restrictions.

Singapore users can now browse cuisines and order takeout or delivery with the Order Food feature on the app. Meanwhile, for movie enjoyment of the users, Google Pay has just added Golden Village locations in addition to Shaw Theatres, giving moviegoers a total of 174 cinema venues to choose from across Singapore. Users can now be able to skip queuing by booking a movie ticket and reserving a seat instantly within the app.

To make it fun to use Google Pay, the app will be giving out rewards for transactions in the form of virtual scratchcards, which users can virtually ‘scratch’ to find out a corresponding prize. Users can earn scratchcards with instant cashback rewards on qualifying transactions, with bonuses when a user has successfully referred Google Pay to a friend.

Director of Engineering Patrick Teo said that the motley of enhancements in the platform were undertaken on Google’s belief that Payments don’t take place in isolation, but are part of the daily interactions users have with friends, family and local businesses. 

“We built Google Pay around these everyday relationships, to make it quick and easy to transact with the people and businesses you know. In just a few taps, you’ll be able to see a past payment with a business, or find a friend to pay. Plus, sending money to someone new is as easy as sending a chat message—just start entering their phone number,” said Teo.

Singapore – The COVID-19 crisis has forced companies to evaluate employees beyond their current roles and look closely at employee potential, capability, and most importantly, adaptability to change. In Singapore, building an agile workforce has emerged as a top priority for human resources (HR) and business leaders, according to a survey by global professional services firm Aon. 

A total of 415 HR leaders and professionals in Singapore were gathered for the survey, and 84% of them said that an agile workforce is now more important to the success of their business than ever before, with only 38% of them viewing their workforce as agile.

An agile workforce is referred to as quickly assigning new roles to employees to support changing business needs.

“This workforce agility gap between what employees can handle today versus what will be required of them in the near future is a major challenge for companies across industries,” said Na Boon Chong, managing director of Aon’s human capital for Southeast Asia.

“The main issue that businesses are facing today is reskilling the workforce in the right way. At the same time, the ease of remote working tells us that closing off borders to talent is not the solution,” Chong added

With companies eyeing to build a more agile workforce, there remains a challenge of how to create such an environment in an ongoing remote setup.

About 75% of companies in Singapore said they are investing in new tools and technology to improve productivity and collaboration, while more than half are providing employees with wellbeing tools and programs.

Additionally, 46% of respondents said that their companies have enhanced or are considering enhancing allowances and reimbursements to cover mobile phone, internet and home office expenses.

While the above measures go beyond simply identifying the roles that can or cannot work remotely, companies are still unsure of exactly how their working models need to change.

Aon recently held its Work, Travel and Convene Coalition, which gathers Singapore’s leading companies to develop key recommendations and guidelines on workplace processes as the society moves to a new normal. During the meeting, companies put forth the need to quantify the impact of remote work, observing that most Singapore companies have not yet started measuring remote productivity relative to pre-pandemic times.

Enhancing remote work arrangements will create new types of productivity measurements, especially around collaboration metrics, that are more suited to the agile workforce of the future. This was echoed by 84% of survey respondents who said that assessing employees for adaptability, collaboration and communications skills is extremely important in the current business climate.

“Creating agile workforces across industries will include data analysis, segmentation of the workforce, and a sustained period of experimentation, until the right mix of technology and human capital can be achieved,” said Alexander Krasavin, partner and regional commercial head of Aon’s human capital in APAC & MEA.

“Remote working has highlighted the massive shift in working models, bringing into sharper focus the issue of agility. Various sectors are thinking about these things differently — some are using data and questioning how to make remote work better. Others, such as technology companies, have taken a more bottom-up approach,” added Krasavin.

Singapore – In collaboration with lifestyle and travel website The Travel Intern and shopping platform RebateMango, Singapore-based insurance company Great Eastern has launched UPGREAT Virtual Vacay, a new virtual travel and booking platform that offers the comfort and safety of traveling from the users’ own homes.

The platform currently showcases three destinations – Japan, New Zealand, and Taiwan through immersive curated virtual tours. Users will be able to customize their travel experience from deciding where to go, what to do, and what to eat. 

For example, virtually going through Japan, users can Go-Kart through Shibuya and visit Tokyo barsMeanwhile, opting to go to New Zealand will enable users to vitually  wander around the Hobbiton movie set, while a Taiwan virtual trip lets users go through the night markets or take a food tour at Jiufen Old Street.

In the Singapore destination, the platform offers customised staycation itineraries designed to encourage users to explore local sights such as Chinatown, Kampong Glam and Downtown Core.

The company said that in the coming weeks, users can expect for more destinations to be added in the platform such as Korea and Taiwan.

UPGREAT Virtual Vacay will be offering  promotions, rewards, and bundles with travel partners such as Booking.com, Hotels Combined, and Agoda. In celebration of the launch, the application’s “Shop & Earn” feature will also be offering double UPGREAT points which can be earned through travel bookings in Agoda, Klook, and Expedia.  

In addition to this, once users register on the platform, they can receive a complimentary one-year GREAT Value Protect plan, which provides a daily hospital cash benefit for up to 14 days if the user is hospitalized due to COVID-19, Dengue Fever, Yellow Fever, Zika, food poisoning, and accidents, as well as death benefits due to accidents or COVID-19.UPGREAT will also make available to  consumers Travel E@sy, which allows them to reserve their travel insurance plan for any future travel from 2021 at a 60% discount onregular prices,

Ryan Cheong, managing director of digital for business at Great Eastern said, “The love for travel is such a big part of our Singaporean DNA. With UPGREAT Virtual Vacay, we aim to bring customized experiences and travel benefits to our hundreds of thousands of UPGREAT members and all who can’t wait to get out and about. As the Life company, we aim to delight our followers on our digital channels in the areas most exciting to them, and UPGREAT Virtual Vacay is a great way to do this.”

Meanwhile, Hendric Tay, co-founder of The Travel Intern said, “With limited opportunities for physical travel, all we wanted was to be transported to our favorite destinations. Collaborating with Great Eastern to design virtual travel journeys was immensely fun for the team. We hope this can bring delight to anyone who has had to cancel their travel adventures this year, regardless of their travel styles.”

The UPGREAT app is not restricted to Great Eastern customers and is free for anyone in Singapore to join.

Hong Kong – Travel and leisure booking platform Klook officially unveils the newest feature on its app, an interactive livestream called Klook Live!.

While users on Klook have only been enticed of new food and travel offerings via images and text on the app, users will now be able to view up-close the offerings through interactive and instant video content on Klook Live!. 

The feature has been formally launched in August in five APAC markets Hong Kong, Taiwan, Thailand, Singapore, and the Philippines.

During this period, Klook released a series of hyper-localized content on Klook Live!, featuring offerings from food and dining to hotel staycation packages, where the five markets have reported a 4 times average uplift in conversion rates. This is compared to in-app conversion rates on an average day.

According to the brand’s data, in Thailand, a staycation surprise deal has been sold out in just eight minutes, while in Singapore, two out of three staycation bookings made within 24 hours were direct conversions as a result of the livestream. Both countries also experienced about a two times uplift in revenue compared to an average day. 

Meanwhile in Hong Kong, a number of food and dining exclusive deals were snapped up in less than five minutes. 

With the new feature, the brand aims to introduce traveltainment, to which it refers to as a new form of immersive content that elevates users’ ways of discovering and booking both local and overseas hospitality offerings.

“The pandemic has made users even more critical and discerning when making a purchase. With Klook Live!, we enable users to gain a more authentic look at our offerings, as well as directly ask questions in real-time before buying,” said Marcus Yong, vice president of APAC marketing. 

“Our early success demonstrates that users are increasingly demanding a new way to discover things-to-do, starting from their backyard. It also signals that users prefer a more entertaining, social, and personalized customer experience,” added Yong. 

During the livestream on Klook Live!, customers can interact directly with merchants, express their feelings through emoji and polls, redeem exclusive promo codes and check-out; all while watching a live episode.

According to the company, Klook Live! is designed to cater to the region’s growing demand for online video content on mobile devices. It refers to a study by digital research brand eMarketer, that over 1.2 billion Asia-Pacific users consume video content on their mobile devices in 2019, and that this is expected to increase by over 75% to 1.6 billion by 2023. 

The company also looks to leverage the forecast that video content is expected to be a norm post-pandemic as people consume more video content. According to a study by market research firm Globalwebindex, Gen Z respondents said that they expect their increased levels of consumption of social media, videos, and streaming services to continue even after the outbreak. 

On the merchant side, Klook is confident that the new feature will aid vendors in targeting their audience reach which has proven trickier amid the pandemic. 

“With international travel restrictions in place, merchants require creative platforms to showcase their offerings to local audiences and encourage them to support local businesses that depend on tourism. With Klook Live!, merchants of all sizes can bridge that gap and build stronger connections with local users, boosting brand awareness and sales,” the company said in a press statement.

In the coming weeks, Klook Live! will be rolling out more content and products, including episodic programs to unveil a new local carnival in Taiwan and indoor recreational parks in Malaysia among others

Klook Live! can be accessed by downloading the Klook app on Google Play or the App Store. 

APAC – Following a competitive pitch, Dentsu Aegis Network, a multinational media and digital marketing communications company has announced the expansion of its regional scope in APAC with health technology company Philips’ consumer electronics business. 

Dentsu will also now be leading the commerce strategy and performance for Philips APAC. Globally, the network has been appointed as the company’s media planning and buying partner 

The engagement started in 2019 with the objective to build strategic and planning foundations across the region. Moving into 2020, the appointment will focus on developing an integrated performance and commerce hub which is based out of Singapore. It will drive strategy, planning, and data-driven commerce solutions across ASEAN, ANZ, and South Korea markets by bringing in key expertise across Dentsu-owned agencies Carat and iProspect to create the One Dentsu team.

Anne Jivananta, digital marketing & eCommerce lead of Philips said, “Dentsu Aegis Network has consistently shown a strong understanding of our brand and demonstrated their capability to find agile and innovative ways for us to succeed in this region. Dentsu has really elevated their performance since the hub was formed in 2019 and in 2020, they have worked closely with our teams across the region to drive superior business results specifically across eCommerce”

Jivanta added, “More importantly, their collaborative one-team approach across the region, accelerated thinking framework, and zest to continuously evolve to deliver better results strongly set them apart. They demonstrated a great synergy and chemistry between iProspect and Carat and having a one-stop-shop solution to commerce strategy, planning, activation, and optimization is what we’re looking for in an agency.”

Prerna Mehrotra, managing director of Dentsu Aegis Network Singapore Media Group said: “Philips creates best-in-class consumer and personal health products and we’re delighted to be joining them on transforming their go-to-market commerce strategy. This is a perfect time for Dentsu Aegis Network to partner with Philips on this journey as we specialize in providing commerce solutions addressing the entire consumer journey. I am excited about what we have achieved together and look forward to delivering on Philips’ ambition and driving strong business results.”

Singapore – The government of Singapore and global tech leader Apple have partnered to launch the health initiative LumiHealth, a personalized program to encourage healthy activity and behaviors using Apple Watch. 

The first-of-its-kind program was designed by Singapore’s Health Promotion Board in conjunction with Apple as part of the country’s Smart Nation initiative, which is a national effort to leverage technology to deliver benefits to its citizens and businesses.

At the core of the initiative is the LumiHealth app. Created in collaboration with a team of physicians and public health experts, LumiHealth uses technology and behavioral insights to encourage Singaporeans to keep a healthy living and complete wellness challenges through their Apple Watch and iPhone. 

The program will run for two years starting October 2020, where pre-order has already been made available on the app store.

“Even as all of us around the world are dealing with the challenges of COVID-19, we must keep investing in our future. And there is no better investment than in our own personal health,” said Heng Swee Keat, Singapore’s deputy prime minister. 

“This partnership between Singapore and Apple will enable Singaporeans to lead healthier lives, but equally important, it will contribute valuable insights [into] improving the health of people all over the world,” added Heng. 

The app uses a quirky feature, a ‘friendly” intergalactic explorer who will guide users while they “travel through worlds” in accomplishing wellness tasks that will be personalized based on their age, gender, and weight. 

The tasks include weekly activity goals that can be met through not just walking, but also swimming, yoga, and other activities. LumiHealth will also be providing reminders to users with regards to health screenings and immunizations as well as to participate in wellness challenges that aim to improve sleep habits and mindfulness, and encourage better food choices. 

Lumihealth

As users complete the said goals and challenges, users navigate the intergalactic explorer back to its “home,” all while being able to earn rewards worth up to S$380 over the two-year duration of the program. An Apple Watch is necessary to participate, as is downloading the LumiHealth app.

LumiHealth was created with customer privacy and data security built into its design. The program will be voluntary as users must opt in and provide consent to share information with app when they join, and may opt out at any time. 

Apple assures, “The collection of any personal identifiable information will be limited to information that will enable the app to provide an experience that is personalized and relevant to the user’s needs.” 

It adds on the privacy terms, “All user data will be encrypted to protect privacy. Data will be stored in a highly secure system that is fully compliant with Singapore’s data privacy and security laws. No data from LumiHealth will ever be sold or shared for marketing purposes.”

LumiHealth is the culmination of a two-year process that began with Singapore soliciting proposals from international healthcare and technology companies on ways to enrich the lives and health of its population.

Jeff Williams, Apple’s chief operating officer said, “Singapore has one of the world’s leading healthcare systems, and we are thrilled to be partnering with them to incorporate Apple Watch and LumiHealth into their holistic approach to well-being.” 

“Apple Watch has already helped millions of our customers manage their activity levels to improve their health, and we look forward to applying our expertise here in the same privacy-friendly way,” added Williams.

Singapore – The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) and travel booking platform Klook have teamed up to launch a S$2 million domestic marketing partnership to drive the rediscovery of Singapore’s tourism and lifestyle offerings. The partnership is under the SingapoRediscovers campaign, and is inked to last seven months-long starting this September.

SingapoRediscovers is a recently launched campaign, spearheaded by agencies Enterprise Singapore (ESG), Sentosa Development Corporation (SDC), and Singapore Tourism Board (STB) to support the local lifestyle and tourism business in Singapore and encourage locals to explore different sides of the country. A total of S$45 million has been set aside for the campaign and its supporting marketing initiatives. 

The partnership with Klook will have three focus areas: curated promotions for products and experiences, content development, and digital marketing to boost spend.

Under the partnership, businesses – ranging from hotels and attractions to tour operators and dining establishments – will be encouraged to develop new products and experiences. The aim is to inspire locals and encourage them to explore precincts such as Orchard Road, Chinatown, Civic District, and Katong-Joo Chiat. 

These new products and experiences will also be curated into special bundles with attractive offers to appeal to different interest groups such as foodies, outdoor enthusiasts, and value seekers.  

An example would be pairing a stay at Mandarin Orchard Singapore with an Art Jam session in Orchard Road, or complementing a stay at Hotel Mono in Chinatown with a journey on Trishaw Uncle Guided Tours.

To encourage further exploration around the country, STB and Klook will collaborate on digital marketing efforts, where the parties look to create authentic stories through Klook’s pool of key content partners and opinion leaders. Digital content such as video reviews and livestreams will cast a spotlight on hidden gems and value-for-money promotions, as well as raise the profile of various home-grown businesses around Singapore.

Both parties will also co-invest in other digital marketing initiatives, such as search engine marketing, display, and social media advertising, to widen the reach and searchability of the various promotions and offerings under the campaign.

STB Assistant Chief Executive for Marketing Lynette Pang commented, “Through SingapoRediscovers, we encourage locals to explore Singapore, experience our vibrant tourism and lifestyle offerings, and support home-grown businesses. Klook shares the same aim. We look forward to leveraging their digital marketing capabilities and extensive network of partners to amplify our efforts, as well as encouraging their users to support curated local experiences, quality promotions, and content in the coming months.”

Meanwhile, Marcus Yong, vice president of marketing in Klook for APAC said, “Klook is excited to partner with STB and to be part of SingapoRediscovers. Our mission has always been to empower consumers to experience the best of a destination and through this partnership, we hope to bring back a sense of joy and adventure as locals explore their own backyard.”

Singapore – Aon, a global professional services firm which provides a broad range of risk, retirement, and health solutions, and Singapore-headquartered Doerscircle, an all-in-one services platform dedicated for startups, have entered into a collaboration to provide insurance solutions to the often underserved workforce of entrepreneurs, startuppers, and freelancers. The partnership will initially target Asia, and solutions will be offered through Doerscircle’s platform.

According to the information by the companies, small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Singapore account for two-thirds of all employment and contribute to close to S$200 billion to the Singaporean economy. 

Meanwhile, on a global scale, despite the World Bank’s recent findings that almost 50% of the global workforce is self-employed, access and affordability continue to be a challenge as traditional insurance plans are not usually designed to fit the needs of the self-employed.

Aon and Doerscircle aim to address these pain points and at the same time, leverage the economical contribution of this demographic of workers. The collaboration will see the development of commercial, risk, and health insurance solutions to answer the needs of smaller enterprises and independent workers, enabling them to focus on growing their business instead of spending time and energy on understanding and managing insurance issues.

Members of Doerscircle will be able to have access to tailored insurance solutions through a streamlined online process on the Doerscircle platform.

Over time, Doerscircle aims to extend these offerings to include more products and countries, leveraging Aon’s broad network, risk management expertise, and global capabilities.

“The current business and economic environment are changing the way people work. We are excited to collaborate with Doerscircle to address the specific insurance needs of this key segment of independent workers,” said Tobias Schneider, head of financial institutions and SME of Affinity Asia unit at Aon.

Meanwhile, Doerscircle founder Helle Priess said, “Doerscircle aims to challenge the status quo and reshape the world for independent doers – entrepreneurs, startuppers and freelancers. We strongly believe that insurance solutions should be accessible, relevant, easy to understand, and transparent. We’re thrilled that Aon has the same vision. We’re confident that together, we will set new standards in insurance offerings for independent doers.”