Tag: Thailand

Bangkok, Thailand – The popularity of virtual influencers is becoming more prevalent online, and is evident across consumers in Southeast Asia, including Thailand. In the latest survey conducted by consumer research platform Milieu Insight, large majority of Thai consumers have no preference when following virtual influencers.

According to the data, 74% of the respondents say that they have no preference at all in regards to the ethnicity of the virtual influencer. Meanwhile, 18% say they want a Thai-based virtual influencer, and 8% say that they don’t want a Thai-based virtual influencer.

Regarding communication, 64% of the respondents say that they have no preference on whatever language the virtual influencer uses, while 32% say they prefer it to speak Thai, and 4% say they want other languages other than Thai.

Lastly, 58% of the respondents said that they have no preference whatsoever of what the virtual influencer’s gender is. Meanwhile, 9% said they want it more masculine, 19% say they want it more feminine, 13% want them to be more androgynous, and 3% have other options.

Credibility-wise, 9% of Thai respondents say that virtual influencers are more credible than their human counterparts. Meanwhile, 34% say that they are just as credible as normal influencers, 33% saying they are less likely to do so, and 25% saying they are not sure.

In terms of interest in following virtual influencers, 21% of the respondents say that they are interested in following virtual influencers, 55% saying they are somewhat interested, and 23% saying they are not interested.

Thailand — Kerry Express, Thailand’s leading express delivery service, partners with Grab, Southeast Asia’s leading super-app, to add a new service to the market. Starting in 2022, the Kerry Express application will provide ‘Instant Pick-up Service’, an option that allows parcels to be picked up within 30 minutes and an ‘Express Pick Up’ option that allows customers to schedule parcel pickups every hour. KEX and Grab will launch a pilot test in Greater Bangkok.

Alex Ng, CEO of Kerry Express, commented, saying that in the past, the express delivery company found that many of Kerry Express’ customers chose to use rider service or a messenger to deliver the parcel to Kerry’s store to avoid the traffic, travelling fee, and save time. To fulfil this unmet need, Kerry Express has developed the door-to-door instant pickup and express pickup, with two more upgrades including; instant pick-up service within 30 minutes and express pick-up service with an hourly schedule.

The instant pick-up service is suitable for merchants who already packed their items and seek immediate delivery or those who have limitations of time, customers can expect rider-partner to pick up the items within 30 minutes. Meanwhile, merchants who have a fixed delivery schedule can enjoy express pick-up service, in which rider-partners pick up the parcels on an hourly basis. Both services will have rider-partners pick up the package and drop it off at the nearest KEX Parcel Shop. There will be no extra charges on the shipping fee and will be the same as the fee at the KEX parcel shop. The receipt will be sent to the registered email and the Kerry Express Application.

Alejandro Osorio, country head of Grab Thailand, commented that the collaboration between Grab Thailand and Kerry Express is another highlight in the parcel delivery industry.

“Customers can enjoy the convenience of using the express parcel pick-up services via Kerry Express Application with our rider-partner pick-up services that are available in two options: instant and hourly. The new services are distinguished from other standard services thanks to the combination of Kerry’s existing service shops available throughout the country and Grab’s hundreds of thousands of riders and driver-partners operating across Thailand. Grab believes that the synergies pilot for the instant parcel pick-up services in the greater Bangkok area will help create a better experience for Kerry’s customers, who will relish convenient and rapid service at an affordable price,” Osorio said.

Meanwhile, Ng shared his own comments on the partnership.

“We are very glad to have Grab Thailand as a partner to provide the services. Kerry Express is a leader in express parcel delivery that has been operating in Thailand for more than 15 years. In addition to our excellent service, we provide service shops that cover more than 20,000 locations across the country. On the other hand, Grab is considered to be a strong ally in terms of brand, speedy delivery, and reliability, with its large database of rider-partners who are ready to pick up parcels from our customers anywhere at any moment. Therefore, this alliance will serve the needs of our users who will definitely enjoy a greater experience,” Ng said.

Recently, Grab also announced they acquired a majority stake in Jaya Grocer, a leading supermarket chain in Malaysia. 

Bangkok, Thailand – The Office of Small and Medium Enterprises Promotion of Thailand (OSMEP), in association with the ASEAN Coordinating Committee on Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (ACCMSME) and the Federal Government of Germany and the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ) have spearheaded the launch of the ASEAN Access MATCH, a business matching platform, with a view to boosting trade within and beyond the ASEAN region.

Said platform is the newest feature of the ASEAN Access, the online portal for business information on trade and market access in ASEAN launched in June 2021. The platform offers registered members of the ASEAN Access platform the opportunity to be a part of an international business community and create visibility for their businesses beyond the region.

In his keynote address, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Veerapong Malai, director-general of OSMEP Thailand, said, “The MATCH’s feature will be a gamechanger in connecting enterprises across ASEAN and beyond to remain relevant in the global supply chain by establishing business connections from MATCH services which include live market information events, 1-2-1 matchmaking meetings, and product and technologies showcasing opportunities.”

Meanwhile, Reinhold Elges, country director at GIZ Thailand, highlighted the convenience of connecting to businesses abroad offered by the ASEAN Access MATCH.

“ASEAN Access MATCH will allow these businesses and entrepreneurs to connect with buyers and suppliers in ASEAN and beyond, at the click of a button. No more extensive travelling to meet a potential client, and no more travelling and accommodation costs when meeting suppliers. ASEAN Access MATCH will allow businesses to connect virtually with one another and showcase their products and services, free of charge,” he stated.

The ASEAN Access contributes to the implementation of the ASEAN Strategic Action Plan for SME Development 2016 – 2025 which envisions to create globally competitive MSMEs that are seamlessly integrated into the ASEAN community by focusing on initiatives to promote productivity, technology and innovation; increase access to finance, enhance market access and internationalisation; enhance policy and regulatory environment and promote entrepreneurship and human capital development.

California, USA – Marqeta, a global modern card issuing platform, has announced its added expansion to the markets of Thailand, Singapore, and the Philippines, making the platform’s presence in total to 39 countries globally. According to the company, they have acquired certifications across these three new markets for their payments platform to be used.

With new certifications in the said markets, Marqeta’s platform is now enabled in five countries in the Asia-Pacific region, having announced its Australian office and supporting its first customers in New Zealand in 2021. The company plans to establish Singapore as its APAC regional hub, building a broader team to support the region in 2022. 

Marqeta will initially target fintechs and local disruptors in Thailand, Singapore, and the Philippines that are looking to transform payments by creating a digital-first customer experience. These new markets have a common commitment to improving payment infrastructure, with a focus on interoperability between countries, making them a good fit for Marqeta’s modern card issuing technology.

Vidya Peters, chief operating officer at Marqeta, said, “Marqeta is a single, global platform, allowing our customers to build once and launch anywhere. We’re constantly assessing where our customers are looking to launch, and what markets hold the most immediate potential for our technology. We’re excited to support new card programs in these new markets and to enable our customers’ global expansion ambitions throughout 2022.”

Bangkok, Thailand – European colocation services provider ETIX Everywhere has acquired a 67% interest in Genesis Data Centre, which operates in Bang Chalong 30kms from Bangkok’s historical centre. Genesis Data Centre will form the basis of a new data centre campus which will be jointly developed with its local partner telco Interlink Telecom.

The Genesis Data Centre, which was renamed ETIX Bangkok #1, is already live with 2.4 MW of IT power and the future development of the campus will offer significant additional capacity. The new data centre campus to be developed is said to offer a high level of redundancy with four diverse routes for fibre access and power supply coming from two distinct substations.

ETIX Everywhere said that with Thailand’s large population and strong internet penetration, the country is an important growth market for the public cloud and OTT service providers, and that they need to bring their data as close as possible to the end-users in order to deliver a better service that will drive demand for colocation services.

Louis Blanchot, ETIX Everywhere’s group CEO, commented, “We are very excited to announce our expansion into Asia starting with this acquisition in Bangkok, one of the most dynamic markets in the zone. This first step in Asia is a major milestone in ETIX’s strategy to support our global customers providing them with our best-in-class colocation services wherever they need.”

Meanwhile, Nuttanai Anuntarumporn, Interlink Telecom’s CEO, commented, “We are very pleased to have a strong partner like ETIX Everywhere with experience in this industry. We believe that our partnership will support the booming Southeast Asia data centre and cloud industry and lead us to common success.”

Pierre Patris, ETIX Everywhere’s CEO for Asia, shared that they have very strict colocation requirements, and it has been difficult for them to find a data centre that can match their standards in Thailand with enough capacity for expansion, and they finally found an answer to their needs.

“ETIX Everywhere has big ambitions in Southeast Asia, first with this campus in Bangkok, and we are also very active in data centre opportunities in Vietnam and the Philippines,” said Patris.

Bangkok, Thailand – ​The Bank of Thailand (BOT), the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), and Ministry of Finance (MOF) have released a joint statement regarding implementation of regulations on the use of cryptocurrencies as mode of payment for goods and services.

In a joint statement, they stated that the regulations are meant to avert potential impacts on the country’s financial stability and economic system.

“This may result in a wider adoption of digital assets as a means of payment, aside from its usage as investment, which could potentially impact financial stability and the overall economic system. The use of digital assets in this manner could also pose further risks to consumers and businesses through price volatility, cybertheft, personal data leakage, or money laundering,” according to the statement.

Furthermore, added regulatory guidelines will be issued for certain digital assets that are supportive of the financial system and financial innovation while not posing systemic risks. Feedback from relevant stakeholders and the general public will be taken into consideration to determine the appropriate regulatory frameworks.

For Sethaput Suthiwartnarueput, governor of the BOT, the central bank takes into consideration both the risks and benefits of digital assets, including the underpinning technologies. 

“At present, widespread adoption of digital assets as a means of payment for goods and services poses risk to the country’s economic and financial system. Therefore, clear supervision of such activity is needed. However, technologies and digital assets that do not pose such risks should be supported with appropriate regulatory frameworks to drive innovation and further benefit for the public,” he stated.

Meanwhile, Ruenvadee Suwanmongkol, secretary-general of SEC, states that the SEC, as the regulator for digital asset business operators, has a policy to promote the development of digital asset businesses alongside consumer protection and places emphasis on utilizing digital assets to develop the country’s economy and society. 

“After discussion with the BOT and MOF, the SEC has conducted a public hearing regarding the guidelines for using digital assets as a means of payment for goods and services” to determine the appropriate frameworks in due course,” she added.

Bangkok, Thailand — Southeast Asian end-to-end e-commerce enablement platform and solutions provider aCommerce announced that it has become the first Shopify Plus partner in Indonesia, Thailand, and the Philippines.

The partnership allows both brands and consumers a better overall experience; utilizing the capabilities of Shopify Plus’ fast-to-market and cost-effective platform that enables quicker D2C (Direct-To-Consumer Retail) and the extensive market knowledge, development expertise, and channel operations offered by aCommerce.

Tom Srivorakul, group head of business development at aCommerce, commented on the partnership, saying that the company is thrilled with the Shopify Plus partnership, seeing it as a key solution in the region for many brands looking to extend their sales channels.

“Having a Direct To Consumer initiative will give brands more control over customer engagement, enable loyalty programs, optimize margins, and ownership of all data. aCommerce clients who are adding this Direct To Consumer channel to their existing Marketplaces and Social Commerce will benefit from a unified view of all their e-commerce channels while optimizing their merchandising, marketing, and supply chain,’’ Srivorakul said.

Meanwhile, Neel Bhatt, Southeast Asian head of partnerships at Shopify Plus, commented that Shopify Plus offers a scalable, powerful platform that supports every type of business from fast-growing D2C brands to celebrity entrepreneurs and Fortune 500 firms. Bhatt further added that the company is confident that aCommerce will be able to help Indonesian, Thai, and Filipino brands leverage all that Shopify Plus has to offer to accelerate their future growth.

Last October, Shopify also partnered with global audio streaming platform Spotify to allow artists to create meaningful expansions in music and merchandise with the capabilities of both platforms.

Thailand – Ichitan, Thai beverage company that manufactures a wide range of beverages such as green tea, herbal, fruit, and energy drink, seeks to transform itself into a data-driven company through a joint venture with Predictive, a data intelligence service provider.

It was announced in Ichitan Group’s board of directors’ meeting that the company will invest in Predictive by holding 25% shares worth 122.6m Baht to support marketing in the digital era using Big Data as the key factor to drive business through marketing.

Predictive is a company that specializes in data technology. The JV, which is expected to be completed in Q1 of this year, will be enhancing data analysis capabilities and studying the needs of customers for use in marketing planning and for devising ‘marketing responses’ according to the 3N strategy.

The 3N strategy refers to New product, New market, and New business. Ichitan said the goal of the JV is to extend new opportunities in creating data solutions for responding to the growing digital trends with a plan to be listed on the Stock Exchange of Thailand in the next three years.

Tan Passakornnatee, president & CEO of Ichitan Group, said, “This year is another important big move of Ichitan in transforming its business into the digital world. We are moving forward by using technology to support both the beverage business and the new business in providing digital data services. Since data is regarded as gold in today’s world and the future, as such those having a lot of data will create an advantage in getting into the mind of the consumers.” 

Predictive who has expertise in information technology is expected to truly enhance the capability of Ichitan’s core business and enable Ichitan’s data management to be a value-added benefit for the JV that provides data services. Ichitan said the arrival of Predictive will also create for the group its own first-party data collection strategy.

Bangkok, Thailand – Brand experience agency VMLY&R in Thailand has appointed Anuwat Nitipanont as its newest chief creative officer, effective 1 January this year. He will be reporting directly to Yupin Muntzing, chief executive officer at VMLY&R Thailand, and joins a regional team of creative leaders headed up by Valerie Madon, chief creative officer for Asia at VMLY&R.

He was most recently the chief creative officer at BBDO Bangkok, where he had a reputation for creating innovative brand experiences. He is renowned for notable works that aim to find new, simple solutions for brands, people, and society. In addition to his wide range of experience, he also served as jury at the likes of Cannes Lions, One Show, Clio, LIA and Spikes Asia, Adfest, and Ad Stars.

Speaking about his appointment, Nitipanont said, “Through what I’ve learnt across multiple disciplines, I truly believe that creativity together with technology and data, inspire and augment the power of business solutions. VMLY&R is great fit with my beliefs, being an agency that creates connected brands by harnessing creativity, technology, and culture.”

Meanwhile, Muntzing stated, “At VMLY&R Thailand, we have always prided ourselves on our creative strength. With Anuwat as Chief Creative Officer, our amazing creative team now has a leader to inspire them further, driving effective and innovative works. He perfectly complements our exciting agency model combining brand experience, customer experience and commerce.

In addition, Madon commented, “Anuwat’s winning track-record speaks for itself, but his industry contribution is even more telling. Judging at awards, mentoring young talent, and his commitment to programmes like Cannes Young Lions are all about celebrating and nurturing the future of creativity – values we hold very dear here at VMLY&R.”

Thailand – In line with Johnnie Walker’s recent ‘Keep Walking‘ campaign in 2021 that aims to inspire and help people to breathe life back into social spaces, the global whiskey brand has launched a new program called ‘The Walkers’, which aims to celebrate actions that drive positive impact for people in Thailand. 

The new program, which is developed in partnership with VICE’s creative agency Virtue, will be brought to life in the country through a series of locally relevant initiatives which bring communities together to support local venues and bars. Singer and actress Violette Wautier will be leading the agenda to revitalize local street culture and encourage Thais to taste the richer experience of local communities.

Julie Bramham, Johnnie Walker’s global brand director, shared that they wanted to explore how the latest chapter of the brand’s ‘Keep Walking’ campaign could support its partner communities across the world as people start socializing again.

“The Walkers program is a meaningful way to work with locally loved and valued voices to help reinvigorate social spaces like bars, clubs, and venues to help get the local culture back on its feet and moving again,” said Bramham. 

Meanwhile, Nate Woodhead, Virtue’s group creative director, noted that they wanted to create a campaign that honored those changemakers driving action at a time when the world felt powerless. 

“When we looked at the context of each of our key markets it was clear that reconnecting people through social and cultural experiences was the perfect starting point for The Walkers program,” said Woodhead.

Aside from Thailand, the program will also run on other key Johnnie Walker markets, including South Korea, India, Africa, and Brazil, as well as Mexico, and Colombia, among others.

The campaign follows US$100m of investment over the past 18 months from parent company Diageo to help pubs’ and bars’ post-pandemic recovery by supporting jobs and communities around the world through its ‘Raise the Bar’ program.