KL adds to SHOPLINE�s expanding network in bid to support more merchants go digital and go global
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HONG KONG,
CHINA�-�Media OutReach�-�18�June
2019 -�SHOPLINE,
the global smart commerce platform, has today announced the official expansion
of its operations to Malaysia. The news follows the closure of a successful
US$2 million funding round earlier this year, led by CDIB Capital Group and
Alibaba Hong Kong Entrepreneurs Fund, and reaffirms SHOPLINE's confidence in
the Southeast Asia market.
The start-up, originally founded in Hong Kong,
enables merchants to easily set-up online stores, and offers a wide selection
of shop designs, payment gateways, and shipping carriers tailored to the needs
of local and cross-border merchants. It has grown over the last six years to
become the market leader in Asia, helping more than 150,000 entrepreneurs, SMEs
and large enterprises such as Durex, Bee Cheng Hiang and Hiwalk go digital. In
2018, SHOPLINE's merchants reached over 200 million customers.
Fiona Lau, Co-founder and COO (L) and Tony Wong,
Co-founder and CEO (R) at the SHOPLINE Malaysia launch event
The Southeast
Asian Digital Opportunity
Figures from the latest annual Global State of Digital report by
Hootsuite and We Are Social revealed an explosion in online engagement across
the region, with the Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia all ranking
in the top 10 countries on the world's internet usage index.
Meanwhile, a
recent study by Google and Singapore's Temasek Holdings predict that Southeast Asia's internet economy will be worth
in excess of US$240 billion by 2025, with e-commerce accounting for 40 percent
(US$102 billion), up from 2018's US$23 billion spend.
Against this backdrop, the opportunities
presented by the booming Southeast Asian digital economy are immense. However,
in order to successfully leverage its potential, businesses need to not only
ensure they're in the mix, but that they also provide a seamless and integrated
online to offline experience.
With a strong following in its native Hong Kong,
along with offices in Taiwan, Ho Chi Minh City and Shenzhen, SHOPLINE now adds Kuala Lampur to
its network, and has plans to further expand its footprint across the
region.
Empowering
businesses and merchants in Southeast Asia with smart, omni-channel tools
Having already supported several launch partners
in beginning their online ventures, SHOPLINE will expand its Malaysia offering
in the coming months to include its range of online to offline (O2O) solutions,
which enable merchants to connect across channels and optimise the customer's
shopping experience.
Services will include the SHOPLINE Kiosk, a CRM
tool that allows users to sign up for membership with a mobile number or email
in seconds; the SHOPLINE Broadcast Center, a marketing automation tool enabling
merchants to reach customers via Facebook's chatbot, SMS and email; and
Shoplytics, a proprietary smart analytics dashboard that allows merchants to
visualise and analyse data related to their store's web traffic, revenue,
product performance, customers, marketing and promotion campaign performance.
Later this year, SHOPLINE will further look to
introduce its cloud-based point-of-sale (POS) system tailored for retailers,
enabling them: to keep an accurate record of store transactions; track and
manage store inventories; generate real-time sales performance reports; track
staff performance and manage payroll; manage membership and more--creating a
unified omni-channel solution over multiple store locations.
Tony Wong, Co-founder and CEO of SHOPLINE
said: "We're delighted to be setting up camp in Kuala Lumpur. Underpinned by
strong governmental support and a huge jump in mobile and internet penetration,
we see incredible potential in Malaysia, and indeed the wider Southeast Asian
digital economy. SHOPLINE is committed to helping our partners - our merchants
- grow with us. By introducing our comprehensive range of O2O and POS solutions
to new markets, we hope to equip more merchants with the tools they need to go
digital and go global, creating a smooth and holistic shopping experience
across offline and online channels."
He added: "This is an exciting time for
the SHOPLINE team. We have grown from a three person team to a company with
over 200 employees across the globe. Each office recruits local team members
with deep insight into their respective markets, allowing us to provide
tailor-made solutions to satisfy our merchants' individual needs and Malaysia
is no exception."
For further information on SHOPLINE's solutions
and services, please visit:
- SHOPLINE
Malaysia: https://shopline.my/ - SHOPLINE Global: https://shoplineapp.com
About SHOPLINE
Founded in 2013
and a member of the Silicon Valley-based 500 Startups accelerator in 2014,
SHOPLINE is Asia's biggest smart commerce platform, with offices in Hong Kong,
Taiwan, Ho Chi Minh City, Shenzhen, and Kuala Lumpur. As of 2019, the platform
has secured US$5 million in funding.
SHOPLINE always
prioritises its customers, and aims to support brands of all sizes to achieve
local and international growth together with an omni-channel presence. To date,
SHOPLINE has helped over 150,000 merchants open their online stores, including
well-known brands such as Durex, Bee Cheng Hiang, Hiwalk and SLIMWORLD. In
2018, SHOPLINE merchants reached over 200 million customers.