In-person events are back in Singapore after two years of absence. The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) stated that in the first three months of 2022, the country hosted more than 150 in-person events attended by over 37,000 delegates. With at least 66 international events secured for the rest of the year, it is no surprise that the numbers are predicted to continue increasing.

For attendees, this meant preparing stacks of business cards to support networking activities at these events. But this concept is outdated. As awareness of the importance of saving the environment grows among customers in the global market, startups worldwide are figuring out alternative ways to make networking more efficient and eco-friendly.

Meet Scard, one example of that startup from Singapore.

Their solutions enable businesses and individuals to build interactive business card within minutes that seamlessly connects with social media profiles to gain maximum visibility; it also doubles up as bio link tools. The digital business card may be digitally printed or produced through physical contacts, such as an NFC-enabled card or stickers, and allows users to exchange information by simply tapping their phone or scanning a QR code. Users can also customise their digital business card with a profile picture, logo, custom domain and any links they like to share.

“In addition to taking an interest in Scard’s features and functions, we have seen many potential customers keen to embrace the sustainability component of our product to reduce wastage and their carbon footprint. By positioning Scard as being part of the movement to incorporate greater green practices in the MICE industry, it is our hope digital business cards will take off,” explains Scard CEO Eric Lim in an email to e27.

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“With a possible recession looming, companies looking to cut costs may also find digital business cards an attractive alternative to printing large volumes of business cards,” he adds.

The market potential for this tech solution is also promising. The company cites a Market Research Future (MRFR) report in a press statement that predicts the global digital business card market to a value of S$337 million (US$235 million) by 2027.

From paper cards to Scard

Scard launched its software-as-a-service (SaaS) platform in March 2022. Its journey actually began in 2005 as a local branding and printing card company. However, as the customers’ awareness of the importance of sustainability increases, the company noted how demand for traditional printed name card services has fallen.

On the other hand, their digital business card platform has seen a 50 per cent increase in the number of users over the last few months.

“Scard attributes this not only to the return of live events but also to increasing demand from users who want to embrace and integrate sustainable practices within their personal experiences. They believe that digital networking will become a key component of any impactful actions taken by the events industry for the present and future,” Lim says.

The CEO explains more details about their transformation journey.

“Eight years ago, we attempted to digitalise our business card with a jpg/gif image. We could not devote more time to this endeavour due to the hectic nature of our core business. When the COVID-19 pandemic struck, our business was impacted when in-person events and conferences stopped,” Lim says.

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“For the next two years, this allowed us the opportunity and time to assemble a competent development team to re-focus our efforts on designing and developing a digital business card which we believe would have immense potential in a post-pandemic world.”

To acquire new users, the Scard team regularly attend business events and conferences that allow them to interact with potential customers.

“We are also tapping on overseas markets as we have seen a growing demand for digital products such as Scard, which are readily accessible and easy to use,” Lim says.

It also provides a rewards system to encourage people to go paperless and reduce the production costs of their business.

“We are not just making a digital business card. We’re building an ecosystem, which is why security and privacy are important. Besides the myriad of features, Scard has robust security features implemented to give every user full control over what to share and peace of mind,” Lim says.

In developing their products, Scard begins by understanding the 5-Ws (Who, What, When, Where, Why) from the perspective of creators and users. For them, a product would not be useful or popular if it did not understand the solutions that the creators and users are seeking. After that, they will figure out the H (How).

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“Our development team would then start designing and implementing different methods, practices, tools, and techniques into our product prototype. From then on, it is a constant trial and error process where we would test the product out and improve and/or refine it based on feedback from user experience,” Lim elaborates.

“We have been helping customers develop solutions for the past 17 years so it is something we are experienced in and passionate about. The only difference is we can gather more diverse viewpoints about our products based on different market demands and sharing of individual experiences.”

Playing the cards right

Scard says that there are currently a few hundred users in their database, with backgrounds that range from company owners, experts in digital marketing, artists, to salespeople.

Run by a small team of fewer than 10 members, the company is looking to raise additional capital to expand its team and develop its business platform to support companies of all sizes. The software is currently bootstrapped with a six-digit investment.

“We want to grow our user base and make sure that digital business card solutions continue to progress in usage and changing mindsets. The main focus right now is to make sure we deliver Scard based on our three pillars of innovation, security and sustainability,” Lim says.

“However, our development team is constantly brainstorming ideas and we look forward to introducing new products in the future to suit an ever-changing business environment.”

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Image Credit: Scard

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