Communicasia Product Showcase II: Thai companies in mobile payment, marketing, augmented reality, logistics and children’s media
In earlier columns on the Communciasia expo in Singapore, we presented photo galleries of some of the booths and hardware products as well as emerging companies and software products from the UK and Australia.
In this showcase we will look at companies from Thailand in Southeast Asia, covering mobile payment, marketing, augmented reality, logistics, social media management, digital publishing, and children’s media. Thailand is well known for its creativity and design (and some turbulent politics!), but these startups show that the entrepreneurial drive has spread to the digital domain as well.
Many companies have offerings in Thai and English, and are spreading their wings across the region. What is your Thailand strategy – or can you partner with these companies for your local markets?
1. Get My Stamp
Get My Stamp offers smartphone solutions for managing loyalty cards. You can keep all your loyalty cards on your smartphone, and get them ‘stamped’ directly on your screen. No scanning QR codes or checking in, it works just like a paper card thanks to the company’s innovative yet familiar stamper device. Merchants can offer new kinds of promotions and partnerships for rewards programmes, in a win-win situation for all.
2. Khroton
Founded in 2010, Khroton helps companies with their online presence and digital marketing in social media and smartphones. They are well suited to work with large companies, and already have a roster of premier clients. The client list spans the private and government sector, and currently includes well-known companies in Thailand such as Advanced Info Service (AIS), Land and Houses PCL, TMB Bank, Toyota Tsusho Electronics, Karmarts and Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT).
3. Jorlek
Founded in 2011, Jorlek is also in the mobile app space and offers web application services, content management, cloud porting and mobile services. The company has come a long way since its first app launch three years ago. Their USP is a blend of ‘technique and emotion,’ and the startup has a growing client base which currently includes United Telecom, LMG Insurance and local police departments.
4. Mayar AR
Mayar is a Thai startup in the augmented reality space. It offers solutions in interactive video augmentation and interactive printing solutions as well. It helps brands connect the real and virtual worlds in a seamless manner. It has also devised other mobile solutions such as ITim for digital signage, and plug and play cloud services. From maps to apps, Mayar spans a wide range of GIS offerings through its ArcGIS platform, which also includes QR codes integrated with map locators.
5. Apptividia
Apptividia is a digital media company whose platform Publizh helps companies publish their own e-books and sell them on app stores. The solution includes a cloud integrated service with publisher, designer, and multimedia integrator for distributed workflow. The company also has apps to stream content from digital platforms. Other offerings cover photo books, social media sharing and visualisation techniques.
6. 23 Studio
23 Studio is a digital publisher specialising in child-focused content on web, mobile and apps. Its product names include ‘Tuck Me In Bedtime Stories’ pitched as a real child development application for children aged from two to 12 years. E-learning capabilities are also weaved into the narrative, thus making for a pleasant edutainment experience.
7. Toth Media
Founded in 2009, Toth Media has developed its own tools for social media intelligence and campaign management. Its product KPIology gathers data from all the top ranking Thai social media websites, including 10,000+ Facebook Pages, 200+ Thai Forums and over three million Twitter accounts. Capturing over 10 million items of conversation every day, the platform has a large footprint to track brand impacts and competitor positioning. The Magic Quadrant platform shows more details of a brand’s position versus its competitors in real time on social media. The aptly named WarRoom platform helps deal with competitor moves and customer complaints.
8. Success69
Success69 is a software solution designed for the logistics industry and cargo managers. Its software tools and visualisation dashboards help managers with loading containers of different sizes and shapes into shipping spaces of different configurations. The tool also allows calculation of over costing, costing per package, and optimum mix of containers in different delivery channels. Shippers can cut down on amount of unused space, mix different types of cargoes and allow for group loading with multiple customers.
NetKA Systems provides intelligent network management solutions for enhancing customers’ business competitiveness. Offerings include carrier-and-enterprise-grade network management software. The company lists 80% of Thailand’s ISPs as its customers. Other target segments are the government sector, and the company also wants to expand to Singapore and Indonesia. The company has won awards as well for its data centre services, virtualisation and cloud platforms. Its manager-friendly interfaces include the NetkaQuartz Service Desk, and it has signed up Cisco, Juniper, Alcatel and IBM as partners.
10. PromptNow
Prompt Now is a company in the space of mobile banking, insurance and healthcare, and is a subsidiary of MFEC Group, Thailand’s largest IT services provider. Prompt Now develops mobile apps, content and even games for leading enterprises and content publishers. Its offerings extend to testing, porting, translation and hosting services. The company is extending its range from smartphones to smart TVs and tablets. Its board of directors includes Shimmy Thomas, VP at MFEC, who was earlier at Sun and DEC; he holds an engineering degree in electronics and communications from Karnataka University in India.