Website Archives - MARKETECH APAC

Australia – Content management system (CMS) Storyblok was recently utilised by Spendesk, a fintech platform, to scale its website and consolidate all of its content into one CMS.

Previously, Spendesk used two CMSs to manage its content, but the developers experienced technical limitations and the content team could not edit or build pages quickly without breaking the website.

Upon experiencing this, they decided to migrate to a single CMS that met the needs of the marketing, development, and design teams and optimise both internal collaboration and the overall experience for clients.

After making the move to Storyblok, Spendesk reduced page creation time by 80%, experienced up to two times faster CMS speeds, and achieved a 25% smaller codebase by using dynamic pages.

Lionel Paulus, senior front-end engineer at Spendesk, said, “Pages that used to take hours to build now only take minutes with Storyblok. The Visual Editor gives our content team complete autonomy by delivering a live preview of the pages they’re working on. While our previous CMSs were expensive and didn’t provide the benefits we needed, Storyblok’s CMS capabilities deliver great value.”

Meanwhile, Dominik Angerer, co-founder and CEO of Storyblok, commented, “Spendesk’s experience proves that modern content requires future-proof ways to manage content with a CMS that is optimised for performance and works for every team.”

Manila, Philippines – Local telco giant Globe has launched a new portal called www.makeitsafe.ph which aims to educate and raise awareness within the public about internet safety, especially cyberbullying, which affects many young people.

The site includes a glossary that lists the most popular terms and emojis that the youth currently use in chats and social media. This urban dictionary can help parents and guardians detect if their children are being exposed to offensive language or being bullied online.

In addition, the site also gives free access to eModules from the Digital Thumbprint Program (DTP), a series of workshops developed by Globe based on the Optus Digital Thumbprint in-school program in Australia. It aims to promote digital citizenship and cyber safety among the youth for a safe online experience. The e-modules may be used by teachers, parents, the youth, and the general public.

The site launch is aligned with Globe’s commitment to equitable access to quality education and the promotion of lifelong learning under the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

Yoly Crisanto, chief sustainability and corporate communications officer at Globe, said, “We would like the public to learn more about responsible online citizenship to keep netizens safe and protected from cyber violence, scammers, malicious attacks, and other online threats. At the same time, we are able to provide access to professional help if these concerns are already affecting their mental wellness.”

According to Globe, the site is crucial in bringing light into the safety of children online which largely rests upon those who watch over them. The site aims to arm parents, guardians and caregivers with the know-how that would enable them to get actively involved in teaching online safety and responsibility to children.

Singapore – Research institute Earth Observatory Singapore (EOS) has partnered with creative and technology digital marketing agency Bray Leino Splash (BLS) to launch its revamped website, which used essential sustainability principles. This move aims to push forward the commitment of the two companies to promoting decarbonisation.

Dedicated to conducting research on natural hazards and climate change in and around SEA to help create safer and more sustainable societies, EOS at Nanyang Technological University Singapore (NTU Singapore) has engaged BLS to redevelop its website, enhance the user experience, and make it more sustainable and in-line with the organisation’s ethos.

After an in-depth analysis of the existing website, BLS has re-engineered the site from the ground up, using default dark mode, efficient typography, and streamlining dynamic content and media optimisation of video files to lower data consumption. This revamped website allows visitors to access content smoothly without compromising user experience.

Joshua Lee, managing director at BLS, commented, “We are tremendously proud and extremely excited at the possibilities of using our expertise and know-how to help reduce the carbon footprint of our clients’ websites and promote a greener way to do business”.

Meanwhile, Andrew Krupa, CPO and director of advancement at EOS, said, “We’re very proud of the new website and feel it is a fantastic representation of the work we undertake here at the Earth Observatory of Singapore. I would like to thank the team at Bray Leino Splash for their dedication in partnering with us for this project.”

Singapore – Over half of APAC customers leave a web or mobile site after viewing just one page — a figure that’s up by 11% from the previous year. Additionally, a 54% average scroll rate across industries shows many customers don’t make it past the halfway point on any given web page. This was according to the latest data by experience analytics company Contentsquare.

Organisations that have made vast improvements in digital experiences are quickly realising the return of their efforts, both in terms of the bottom line as well as cementing more meaningful connections with their audiences and customers. In 2021, APAC brands clocked an average conversion rate of 1.2%.

The report also notes that average page loading times are better on mobile than on desktop, 1.37 seconds for mobile versus 1.97 seconds for desktop. This suggests brands have been heeding their customers, and prioritising the smartphone experience. With an average 57% of digital traffic coming from mobile devices, APAC businesses are understanding the importance of thinking mobile-first and creating experiences that transcend channels.

Meanwhile, the travel and hospitality sector stood out from the rest with the lowest bounce rate at 40%, while the B2B, financial services and media sectors tied with the highest at 68%.

Jonathan Cherki, founder and CEO at Contentsquare commented, “Digital experience is a top priority for brands globally, but many experiences still fall short of customer expectations, mainly because many businesses still struggle to understand what makes their customers happy and what frustrates them.”

He added, “Contentsquare provides businesses with unique insights into how people behave the way they do online, and why. With our 2022 Digital Experience Benchmark report, we’re making the CX trends available that we’ve observed over the past twelve months, to level the playing field for companies of all sizes, regardless of their access to data resources and analysis capabilities. We hope that it will help brands better understand their audience, keep pace with their industry, and empower their teams to create more human digital experiences.”

Meanwhile, Albert Nel, senior vice president for Asia Pacific and Japan at Contentsquare added, “Asia Pacific consumers’ digital-first, mobile savviness has only grown from strength to strength over the last two years. With mobile democratising how we live and shop for the long run, APAC brands and marketers have a wealth of opportunity in leveraging customer intelligence to design experiences that match user goals and expectations.”

Sydney, Australia – Housing Industry Association (HIA), the largest residential building organization in Australia, has partnered with digital customer experience agency Switch which is also an implementation partner of DXP Sitecore, to overhaul its suite of web-based content platforms and provide a connected digital experience to its member businesses across the country.

HIA is Australia’s only national industry association representing the interests of the residential building industry. It acts as the industry’s voice and promotes policies and provides services that enhance members’ business practices, products, and profitability.

According to a press release by Sitecore, the association said it wanted to change its traditionally face-to-face membership model by expanding the digital experience and services it offers online.

Together with both Switch and Sitecore, the transformation project sought to improve the association’s digital strategy, customer engagement, and website design, and deliver a cloud-based platform that would provide hyper-personalized experiences, e-commerce services, data-decisioning systems, and marketing automation capabilities.

Ben Brooker, HIA’s general manager for digital, describes the project as a “huge step.”

“Our goal is to be the trusted, ever-present voice of the residential building industry in Australia, and provide a central digital experience that unites all customer segments under a proactive, personalized, and connected experience,” said Brooker.

Meanwhile, Switch’s CEO, Steve Nelson, remarks on the growing importance of digitization, “As digital natives become the norm, companies are looking at new service offerings to match expectations and create seamless digital experiences.”

Switch said it formulated a digital strategy centered around four key transformation goals: Raise and capitalize on awareness, increase sense of belonging, grow revenue, and build an efficient digital operating model.

The association’s digital transformation journey included an evolution of its onboarding and membership model, an overhaul of its e-commerce platform, and CPD (Continuous Professional Development) structure, and the creation of an engaging and informative digital resource library to assert HIA’s position as an industry expert.

In addition, an integrated e-commerce solution was created across all of HIA’s digital to support the opportunity to cross-sell and up-sell content online. The solution enables access to a number of resources that were previously only delivered in-store or through a customer service phone query. The digital transformation project also included a simplified user management UX that supports HIA’s membership structure, and the creation of a service prompting users to explore the website and learn about the features available.

The strategy resulted in a multi-phased roadmap, allowing HIA to commence its digital transformation journey, starting with a new ‘Foundation Site’.

In accomplishing the project, the association deployed a suite of Sitecore technology platform services, including Sitecore XP (Integrated Digital Experience), Sitecore XC (Digital Commerce), and Personalisation technology.

Australia – Global digital and conversational agency Versa in Australia has launched a navigation-less and bot-activated website – https://versa.agency, which utilizes AI-powered conversational bot technology, allowing visitors to ask for what they want using voice or text, without having to search for it.

Versa.agency is the first website to dynamically present relevant content based on an ongoing conversation with the website visitors. It delivers a human-centered experience through a digital concierge, which puts the power of search into the users’ hands and immediately creates a two-way conversation by asking visitors to type in their questions as soon as they arrive via chat or voice-enabled platform.

According to the agency, the benefits of a navigation-less website include eliminating drop-down menus and tabs, and endless scrolling, making it easier for users to find what they want quickly by directing them to the information they are looking for. Brands can also deliver hyper-personalized experiences, content, and information, as well as deals without the need for users to login.

Kath Blackham, the CEO of Versa, shared that AI-powered conversational tech addresses the challenge of impatient website users who have become conditioned to expect instant access to information.

“People now expect a seamless experience from websites, apps, and products. Navigation-less websites give brands the ability to create two-way conversations with customers and allow brands to collect and mine better data to address their customers’ needs more accurately. Voice navigation also has the potential to reach more people through the greater accessibility by being able to simply ask for what you want in your own words, regardless of language, literacy or ability,” said Blackham.

The website experience developed by Versa enables targeted and accurate recommendations through AI’s ability to interpret, understand, and provide relative content instantly, to further increase accuracy as the user clarifies their needs throughout the duration of the conversation.

The rich data and insights are continuously gathered and refined, allowing analysts to better understand what users are searching for rather than aggregating irrelevant data. The SEO is also enhanced by replacing rigid drop-down menus and tab structures with the ability to deploy new content and unlimited pages quickly, all with unique SEO strategies.

Singapore – Virtual learning has long been in learning institutions’ blueprint for educational provision, but the emergence of the pandemic has surged the need for online channels at an unprecedented level. This further pushes every aspect of university operations, including its student admissions, recruitment, and retention efforts to assume a digital environment, hence necessitating institutions to reevaluate and rethink their digital marketing strategies.

This April 13, APAC-wide marketing and advertising news platform, MARKETECH APAC, gathers a panel of experts from the region to discuss and present the current challenges and opportunities in today’s digital and online marketing landscape of higher education institutions.

Titled the ‘Asia-Pacific Outlook 2021: Reimagining your higher education web strategy’, the webinar will lay out and touch on the pillars of creating an intelligent and inspiring digital experience for students through a university’s most valuable asset – its online portal.

To start off, the panel includes Monica Hong, Australian Catholic University’s digital marketing national manager, where the group will discuss how universities can best evolve their website and digital experience, one that would effectively attract potential enrollees and retain existing students. Joining her are top digital marketing executives, global SaaS solution Siteimprove’s Vice President for the Asia Pacific and Japan (APJ), Gabriel Ponzanelli, and its Digital Marketing Consultant Rick Elenbaas.

The expert line-up will steer the dialogue on the ways learning institutions can maintain agility to overcome common industry pain points. Furthermore, the webinar will present on the crucial features of high ed web strategy, the different ways of effectively gauging campaign success, and how schools can identify and fix the roadblocks in the bid to deliver a highly encouraging, inspiring, and informative digital experience.

Ponzanelli leads the APJ sales and marketing teams in Siteimprove, and carries with him over 20 years of experience in traditional and digital marketing across agency and corporate sides. Elenbaas, meanwhile, has worked in Sydney’s digital landscape for the past 10 years, building a wealth of knowledge within the fields of SEO and Analytics, having worked with clients like Toyota Australia, Woolmark, and Pizza Hut, as well as Richardson & Wrench and Real Insurance.

Meanwhile, Hong boasts of 12 years of experience. In her role at Australian Catholic University, a public university in the country with seven campuses, she takes the helm of the institution’s advertising and marketing portfolio.

Shaina Teope, MARKETECH APAC’s regional editor, who will be moderating the webinar commented, “Universities’ online portals have long been an entryway for students to obtain a peek of what they would call home for the next four years or so of their lives, a place to immerse themselves in academic enlightenment, and holistic transformation in braving the real world.”

“Through this webinar, universities across the Asia Pacific and beyond will not only receive a refresher on the most effective digital marketing strategies to attract enrollees and achieve student retention, but will also learn amid changing times, how to be the fort by which talented and brilliant individuals will build their future career around,” added Teope.

In partnership with Siteimprove, the virtual event will take place live on April 13, Tuesday, and will simultaneously be broadcast at the following timezones: 11 am SGT, 1 pm AEST, and 3 pm NZST.

There is no better time for universities’ marketing teams to rethink and recalibrate their web and digital marketing execution plans. All marketing, communications, digital, and user experience professionals of universities’ marketing teams across the APAC region are invited to attend the virtual event. You may sign up for the webinar here.