Applications account for almost 85% of smartphone usage time. In fact, according to a report by Statista, users in Asia spent an average of 54.91 minutes per day using social media apps between October 2020 and March 2021. The second-most popular category was shopping apps, with users in the area engaged with this app category for an average of 17.49 minutes. Users in Asia spend 16.98 minutes per day playing games on mobile apps, placing gaming third. 

One common thread between these apps is real-time interactivity. This refers to the ability of a user to receive instant feedback and updates from an application in response to their actions.

Real-time interactivity has dramatically changed the way modern apps are designed and used, by allowing for more immersive, dynamic, and responsive experiences.

Deconstructing the concept of real-time interactivity with industry leaders

We sat down with PubNub, a real-time communications platform headquartered in San Francisco, California, which is making strides to help businesses in Southeast Asia and beyond leverage their solutions for business growth and scalability, to discuss a few things surrounding real-time interactivity. The discussion points were as follows:

1. How having a secure, reliable, and global software platform can help your team focus on innovation instead of infrastructure
2. How you can quickly access new markets and enhance your relationship with customers

For this digital event entitled “​​How Real-Time Interactivity Can Boost Company Engagement and Expansion”, we invited Todd Greene, Co-Founder and CEO of PubNub, Michael McClenaghan, Co-Founder and CTO of DEFY Labs, and Sammy Lin, Engineering Director of 17Live Inc., in a panel moderated by Kabir Chandoke, COO of SourceFuse to discuss why real-time interactivity matters, how companies can benefit from this, and how to get started.

Also read: Regional MeetUp 2023: Gathering tech community across 6 cities

Todd Greene, Co-Founder and CEO of PubNub shared that they launched the company over ten years ago because they realised early on that real-time features were not being leveraged enough despite its core importance across different technologies such as consumer ops, B2B apps, and IoT apps, among others. At the same time, they recognised that building that technology is difficult and instead of focusing on creativity and coming up with new features, businesses had to focus on infrastructure. “We thought if we can do that part for companies so that they can really focus on the creative ideas and we can do the difficult but sometimes boring plumbing, that makes it possible for other people to be successful. That’s really been the mission of PubNub,” he said.

PubNub today has thousands of customers, facilitating more than 3 trillion transactions a month through their platform with millions of active users of real-time experiences.

Michael McClenaghan, Co-Founder and CTO of DEFY Labs, a fast-moving Web3 mobile game studio, shared that they’ve gained thousands of players using the app on a daily basis within 12 months of launch and they think this pace of growth has largely been possible due to high engagement rates because of the real-time experience they are able to offer, such as with users being able to collaborate with other people from around the world in real-time.

Why does real-time interactivity matter?

Real-time interactivity enables multiple users to collaborate and communicate in real time through applications such as online gaming, video conferencing, and project management tools. Applications can provide dynamic content updates, such as live sports scores, stock market data, and weather updates, providing users with the most current information. 

Furthermore, real-time interactivity allows apps to personalise the user experience by collecting and analysing data in real-time and making recommendations and updates based on the user’s behaviour and preferences. By providing a more immersive, dynamic, and responsive experience, real-time interactivity can increase user engagement, leading to higher levels of customer satisfaction and loyalty, providing a better user experience, and helping to drive business success.

Who can leverage real-time interactivity and how?

Speaking on some of the key real-time features, Sammy Lin, the Engineering Director of 17Live Inc shared that their live stream feature is arguably the most popular one. “Our mission is to empower the human connection through technology,” he shared. Lin added, “We use PubNub to offer interactive features like Trivia games, Voting and so on. These features empower our streamers to gain more user interaction and thus achieve their goals more easily. It is a win-win for everyone,” he shared.

More and more businesses are starting to realise the impacts and importance of real-time interactivity across different industries, thus, leveraging it to provide a memorable customer experience. 

Retail businesses are using real-time chat platforms to provide instant customer support and answer inquiries, which helps improve the shopping experience and increase customer satisfaction. Meanwhile, healthcare providers are using real-time interaction platforms to offer telemedicine services and provide patients with access to medical advice and treatment options. This can help reduce wait times and improve access to care.

Also read: Get creative in your customer retention strategies with these insider insights!

Financial institutions are using real-time interaction platforms to provide customers with instant access to account information and support. This can help improve the customer experience and increase trust in the brand. Hospitality businesses such as hotels and restaurants are using real-time interaction platforms to provide customers with real-time booking and reservation services, which helps improve customer experience.

Transportation and logistics companies also use real-time interaction platforms to provide customers with real-time updates on the status of their trips and deliveries. This can help improve the travel experience and reduce stress for customers.

These are only some of the innovative ways that real-time interactivity has impacted different industries. As we move further into a digitalised world and with more apps sprouting left and right, real-time interactivity is only going to become more relevant to our daily lives.

To learn more about real-time interactivity and how to get started, watch the webinar here or simply visit https://www.pubnub.com.

– –

Photo by Kindel Media via Pexels

– –

This article is produced by the e27 team, sponsored by PubNub

We can share your story at e27, too. Engage the Southeast Asian tech ecosystem by bringing your story to the world. Visit us at e27.co/advertise to get started.

The post Real-time interactivity is changing consumer engagement with businesses appeared first on e27.

Electric Vehicles (EVs) are in the spotlight worldwide. Since the onset of the pandemic, the demand for EVs has grown rapidly, with stakeholders globally incentivising its production to develop smart, sustainable cities that are environmentally friendly. 

In India, Japanese MNC Suzuki Motor announced its foray into the EV market with a plan to invest ₹10,440 crore (US$12,003,035) to produce electric vehicles (EVs) and batteries last year. Tata Motors, the largest seller of electric cars in India, is betting big on this space and has incorporated a separate EV subsidiary Tata Passenger Electric Mobility (TPEML), which will focus on passenger and hybrid vehicles. Tata Motors plans to invest US$2 billion into this subsidiary over the next five years.

Similarly, Mahindra and Mahindra has announced its plans to invest ₹3,000 crores (US$36,50,49,000) in EVs in the near term. With the conversations around EV growing and how it’s the future of mobility, the widespread adoption would also depend upon how the auto manufacturers enable holistic digital transformation. 

In Europe, e.GO has initiated a disruptive, tech-first approach to closed-loop manufacturing. This has reduced errors and time to market with improved design change management.

Here’re five ways in which Indian EV manufacturers can learn from their holistic approach to digital transformation leveraging Augmented Reality. 

Need for a digital thread spanning every part of EV production

A digital thread brings forth a communication framework supporting a connected data flow accessible view of an asset’s data throughout its lifecycle. By weaving their organisation with digital thread (spanning every part of their business from engineering and manufacturing to end-customer experience), EV manufacturers can enable the communication and review of data forward and backwards through enterprise processes, including supply chains.

Also Read: Exponent Energy unlocks a zero to 100 per cent 15-min rapid charge for electric vehicles

German electric car manufacturer e.GO leveraged technology suites like Windchill, Creo, ThingWorx, and Vuforia augmented reality suite and Microsoft Azure to create a digital thread spanning every part of their business, from engineering to manufacturing to the end-customer experience

Augmented Reality, the key to building an affordable electric car

Augmented reality is critical to building an affordable electric car and can be leveraged during assembly and quality testing using data stored on Azure. In the case of e.GO, the operator views an AR app powered by Vuforia Studio on a tablet.

The software recognises the precise automobile, and based on its configuration, the app pulls in criteria on how to do the quality check. The worker is directed to certain inspection spots and may use the app to get necessary configuration data and enter quality data back into the system.

Where AR especially comes useful is in the case of training new or geographically diversified staff, as AR’s built-in features lead the user through step-by-step instructions with important on-screen visuals.

Need of the hour: More emphasis on charging infrastructure

For the high adoption of electric vehicles, the charging infrastructure needs to be expanded. This is already taking place. In the recent past, EV charging stations have expanded by two-and-a-half times across nine megacities, including Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai. According to a power ministry statement, additional 678 public EV charging stations were installed in these nine cities between October 2021 and January 2022. 

Car subscription, the highway to EV adoption

EV manufacturers should consider a subscription service to appeal to those who don’t want to outright purchase their own car but still need occasional access to one. With increasing awareness around the environment and climate change, it feels like a golden opportunity to get more people to drive EVs. 

Also Read: How electric mobility startups are tackling climate change in Asia

Apparently, according to BCG, by 2030, car subscriptions may become a US$30 billion to US$40 billion market opportunity in Europe and the United States, accounting for 15 per cent of total new car sales. Subscriptions also make the entire car acquisition process ‘a modern digital experience — from shopping and comparison to transacting,’ according to the report from BCG. Subscriptions also make the entire car acquisition process “a modern digital experience — from shopping and comparison to transacting.”

The EV manufacturers should partner with mobility solution providers to conceptualise a subscription model and establish a digital channel for selling to end-users. 

Optimising CAD software for a fluid design process

Electric vehicle manufacturers should use computer-aided design (CAD) for a fluid design process. This is where Creo software comes in. It’s a 3D CAD solution that assists in accelerating product innovation to build better products faster. It seamlessly takes you from the earliest phases of product design to manufacturing and beyond.

New technologies like generative design, augmented reality, real-time simulation, additive manufacturing and the IoT can be combined with powerful, proven functionality to reduce costs and improve product quality. This can ensure Industry 4.0 has product development taking place quickly, effectively and efficiently.

–

Editor’s note: e27 aims to foster thought leadership by publishing views from the community. Share your opinion by submitting an article, video, podcast, or infographic

Join our e27 Telegram group, FB community, or like the e27 Facebook page

Image credit: Canva Pro

The post 5 ways Indian EV makers can achieve world-class manufacturing efficiency appeared first on e27.

Indonesia’s integrated cold chain fulfilment and enabler startup Fresh Factory has raised US$4.15 million in pre-Series A funding led by SBI Ven Capital through its joint fund with Kyobo Securities and NTUitive.

Existing backers East Ventures and Trihill Capital and new investor PT Tap Applied Agri Services also participated.

Fresh Factory will utilise the funds to scale to over 100 fulfilment centres across 50 Indonesian cities by the end of 2023. The list includes Sumatra, Sulawesi, Kalimantan, and Java.

The startup will also invest in hiring talent, improving existing service offerings, and expanding its fulfilments for cold chain and fresh products to drive logistics cost efficiency further.

Fresh Factory was founded in 2020 by Larry Ridwan (CEO), Widijastoro Nugroho (CCO), and Andre Septiano (CFO). It is a cold chain fulfilment and enabler, offering decentralised cold chain storage facilities, pick-and-pack, and last-mile delivery services.

Also Read: Indonesia’s cold chain logistics startup Superkul nets funding from East Ventures

Since its launch, Fresh Factory has grown from 20 fulfilment centres to over 40 across 22 cities in Indonesia. It expanded its service offering to include retail fulfilment orders alongside direct-to-consumer fulfilment orders.

Over the past year, Fresh Factory claims to have seen a 10x increase in its annualised gross merchandise value and doubled its client base.

Today, Fresh Factory services large enterprises, including Danone and Sirclo, and growing companies, such as Eden Farm and Kin Dairy Fresh Milk.

“Fresh Factory has identified an essential component needed in Indonesia’s logistics ecosystem. Its service offerings will address the heightened demand for hyperlocal cold chain fulfilment and logistics services from consumers and businesses alike,” said Ryosuke Hayashi, CEO of SBI Ven Capital.

There is an increasing need for cold chain infrastructure in Indonesia as consumers adopt e-commerce and online groceries more widely. The market grew at a CAGR of 10.7 per cent from 2016 to 2021 and is forecast to grow 12.9 per cent between 2021 and 2026.

In August last year, Superkul, an Indonesian startup providing cold chain and chiller-based last-mile delivery services, closed an undisclosed seed funding round led by East Ventures.

—

The post Fresh Factory nets US$4.15M to scale to 100+ cold chain fulfilment centres across Indonesia appeared first on e27.

Indonesia’s leading e-commerce company Bukalapak has acquired a majority stake in iPrice Group, which owns and operates a slew of online price comparison platforms across Southeast Asia, Hong Kong, and Australia.

iPrice says it aids shoppers by comparing prices, promotions and seller discounts across 8 billion offers from thousands of sellers and merchants. The group — backed by Woowa Brothers, ITOCHU, Global Bain, LINE Ventures, and Naver, among others — claims it serves over 125 million unique users across eight countries.

In the wake of the acquisition, e27 quickly caught up with iPrice Co-Founder Heinrich Wendel to learn more about the deal, the synergy, data privacy, and its goals.

Below are the edited excerpts from the interview:

Can you tell us more about the acquisition and what it means for the future of iPrice? What is the size of the deal? Is it an all-cash or a cash-and-equity deal?

iPrice will continue to operate and grow as an independent company. It will leverage Bukalapak’s deep e-commerce experience to unlock the full value of its base of over 100 million users. We can’t disclose the financial details.

Also Read: iPrice Group raises US$5M from Itochu, Global Brain unit

How long has this deal been in the works? When did the discussion between the two firms begin?

We (Bukalapak CEO Willix Halim and iPrice Co-Founders David Chmelar and Heinrich Wendel) first met many years ago, sharing a common passion for aggregator businesses and organic customer acquisition strategies for an open ecosystem approach.

Operating a platform that reaches over 100 million users and crunches billions of products every night comes with a significant cost base. After iPrice had to scale back some of its more long-term bets last June, given bad financial market conditions, we knew that we would need a partner to unlock the true value of our assets. iPrice got in touch with Bukalapak again. Over a few months, a concrete deal emerged.

Naturally, there was a lot of uncertainty during this time, and we are happy to have come out on the other side stronger than before.

What will happen to iPrice’s existing investors, such as Itochu, Woowa, Global Bain, LINE etc.? Did they get an exit with this deal?

iPrice’s existing investors are excited about the synergies the deal offers for the business, particularly the ability to unlock the full value out of iPrice’s over 100 million-sized user base.

Could you explain the synergy between the two companies? What does it mean for your Indonesian consumers?

A few years ago, Bukalapak shifted its focus from competing head-to-head with other marketplaces to building or acquiring niche marketplaces and accelerating their growth. It has done that successfully, for example, with Mitra Bukalapak, Itemku and others. Bukalapak will apply this strategy to help iPrice unlock the full value of its user base. This will unlock even more opportunities for consumers in Indonesia and beyond to save money when they shop online.

With Bukalapak’s support, what are iPrice Group’s goals for expansion into new markets or industries, and what kind of challenges do you anticipate in pursuing those goals?

We are concretely looking into the gaming vertical and Australia as a new exciting market. Based on initial research, the consumer demand in these verticals/geographies seems promising. However, of course, it still has to be proven that these can contribute meaningfully to the business’s top line.

Can you discuss any recent or upcoming partnerships or collaborations that iPrice Group has with other companies in the e-commerce or tech space?

Also Read: Woowa Brothers injects US$1.5M into Malaysian shopping aggregator iPrice

As an independent voice of the consumer, iPrice works with more than a thousand e-commerce partners across the region. We are continuously observing shifts in the market, especially trends like unbundling and brand.com, very closely and working with merchants to ensure that we always have the best offering available for users of our platform.

How does iPrice Group approach data privacy and security issues, and what measures do you take to protect your users’ personal information?

As a platform that drives transparency, convenience and trust for consumers in Southeast Asia, iPrice must protect the users’ personal information. In general, our approach allows us to minimise data collection as much as possible in the first place. At the same time, we follow all applicable security and privacy standards to safeguard our user’s personal information.

How does iPrice Group stay up-to-date on the latest trends and developments in the e-commerce and tech industries, and what strategies do you use to stay ahead of the curve?

One of our core expertise is organic traffic acquisition at scale. We constantly monitor millions of data points freely available online and crunch them with our proprietary big data technology. In addition to that, we are in continuous conversation with our broad base of merchants to understand how trends are evolving. We have operationalised these capabilities to the extent that we believe they provide a competitive advantage to us.

What are iPrice Group’s goals for the next year or two, and how do you plan to continue growing and evolving as a company?

Our mission is to help consumers save money. Over the years, we have continuously expanded our product portfolio in new ways to enable that. We are excited that with the help of Bukalapak we can continue to double down on that mission and further solidify our position in the minds of SEA’s price-conscious online shoppers.

—

Echelon Asia Summit 2023 brings together APAC’s leading startups, corporates, policymakers, industry leaders, and investors to Singapore this June 14-15. Learn more and get tickets here. Echelon also features the TOP100 stage, where startups can pitch to 5000+ delegates, among other benefits like connecting with investors, visibility through the platform, and other prizes. Join TOP100 here.

The post ‘We needed a partner to unlock the true value of our assets amid economic crisis’: iPrice Co-Founder on Bukalapak deal appeared first on e27.

Following the stellar success of the first two editions of 9Unicorns’ Demo Days (D Days), 9Unicorns and Venture Catalysts is launching the Third Edition of DDay.

DDay 3, which is scheduled on April 18, 2023, will offer 20 exceptional startups led by disruptive entrepreneurs a chance to showcase their vision to over 1500 global investors including prominent Venture Capital Funds and Family Offices. These startups have the special opportunity to gain global exposure from these investors during the event.

“DDay is a great opportunity for startups to connect with investors worldwide and showcase their offerings. This helps startups gain international exposure and build further rounds for growth. The first two DDays we hosted in the past two years have been a huge hit, with our presenting portfolio companies subsequently raising over USD 360 million. We expect the third edition to be a great success for investors and startups,” shared Dr Apoorva Ranjan Sharma, Managing Director & Co-founder, 9Unicorns and Venture Catalysts.

India: home to one of the most vibrant startup ecosystems in the world

India boasts the world’s third-largest startup ecosystem with over 80,000 startups officially recognised. Despite a slowdown in 2022, the Indian startup ecosystem continues to thrive. According to a recent NASSCOM report, India added the second-highest number of Unicorns in the world in 2021. More than 23 unicorns were added in the calendar year 2022, and it is expected to grow these numbers significantly over the next few years.

Also read: These 6 startups are among this year’s frontrunners for TOP100

A few of 9Unicorns and Venture Catalysts recent success stories include – VideoVerse, an AI-based SAAS video editing suite for businesses, raised an impressive $46 million in funding led by A91 Partners. BluSmart, a ride-hailing company for electric vehicles, also raised $25 million. Another company that did well was Rooter, a leading platform for gaming and esports streaming, which raised $25 million. Additionally, two of their seed-stage companies, Cusmat and Algobulls, have also received funding. Algobulls is an AI-powered Algo trading platform, while Cusmat, which recently secured funding from Arkam Ventures, operates in the skilling metaverse.

Previously, global VCs including Sequoia, Symphony, Creation Investments, Tiger Global, WestBridge, Accel, Insight Partners, Lightspeed, SoftBank & 75+ global funds have co-invested in Series A rounds of their portfolio. Those companies have become category leaders & Unicorns, like OYO Rooms, BharatPe and the next upcoming category leaders.

Supporting startups beyond capital

“DDay 3 is an opportunity for investors to have a first-hand look at handpicked startups and products that are disruptive, innovative and seeing significant growth across the Indian ecosystem”, Dr Apoorva Ranjan Sharma added.

Also read: Industry giants helping make Echelon Asia Summit 2023 possible

9Unicorns, India’s first Accelerator VC, and Venture Catalysts, India’s largest angel fund, launched the first edition of DDay in 2021. Over the past two years, over 1,200 global VCs and family offices from over 20 countries have participated in the DDays hosted by 9Unicorns & Venture Catalysts, leading to significant added value in their respective businesses.

Join DDay on 18th April 2023. Visit their official page here.

– –

This article is produced by the e27 team, sponsored by 9Unicorns

We can share your story at e27, too. Engage the Southeast Asian tech ecosystem by bringing your story to the world. Visit us at e27.co/advertise to get started.

The post 9Unicorns announces 3rd Edition of DDay on April 18th 2023! appeared first on e27.