Global cloud communications company Infobip has built an extensive operation in Vietnam with key solutions widely utilised by various organisations from telecom to e-commerce, and as digital transformation is critical to the survival of Vietnamese businesses today, Infobip is expected to be at the forefront of this trend. Pham Gia Dan, business development director of Infobip shared his insights with VIR’s Thanh Van into the Vietnamese market and Infobip’s solutions to the local businesses.
Q: Could you shed some light on the development of Infobip in Vietnam?
Infobip has been present in Vietnam since 2011. We decided to open our offices in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City in 2015, making our official entrance into the Vietnamese market. At the initial stage of development, Infobip was proud to be one of the first companies to introduce the SMS brand to the market. SMS is an advertising service that allows businesses to promote their products and services to customers via mobile subscription.
At that time, Vietnamese telecoms and other companies were not aware of this service. Later, they took advantage of SMS to expand their market share.
After 10 years of development, Infobip has secured a strong footprint in the Vietnamese market. As technology has become an essential component of business growth, Infobip aspires to be the market leader in providing a comprehensive communication solution platform for companies of all sizes. In particular, Vietnamese businesses are keener to embrace digital transformation due to the impact of the pandemic. As a result, they are eager to invest in Infobip’s goods and services to expand their digital footprint.
In 2022, Infobip focuses on growing a more diversified customer base as well as promoting its Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) solutions. We continue to release several service packages as well as organise seminars to reach out to a wider range of customers. Infobip will offer customers customised service packages at more affordable prices. Our goal is to help Vietnamese businesses extend their digital presence as rapidly as possible.
Q: How do you see the pace of digital transformation among Vietnamese businesses?
Digital transformation has become a hot topic among the Vietnamese business community. Currently, businesses in finance, insurance, logistics, and e-commerce have taken a lead in the space. Meanwhile, businesses in other segments have achieved an average level of digitalisation.
However, there are still several barriers hindering the digital transformation of Vietnamese businesses. Most of them are small- and medium-sized enterprises with limited resources, capital, and perceptions. This leads to a lack of consistency in digital transformation among businesses of different industries and sizes.
One major barrier is businesses’ perception towards adopting new digital solutions. For example, some businesses remain hesitant to move their database to cloud computing platforms. However, there has been a gradual change in their mindset as they start to embrace the transition to cloud computing. Infobip is a trusted partner for Vietnamese businesses seeking a secured and smooth digital transformation.
Infobip develops all of its technology solutions without relying on any other third-party service providers. For example, Infobip has developed its own cloud computing technology, which is stored in its own data centre. Meanwhile, all of its processes comply with global security standards. These certifications prove Infobip’s commitment to ensure the highest security compliance for its clients.
Q: The pandemic has boosted e-commerce growth. How do you see the potential of Vietnam’s e-commerce market?
We see that Vietnam’s e-commerce market has experienced incredible growth over the past four years. During the last two years, Vietnamese consumers have increasingly opted for e-commerce marketplaces to purchase goods. Combined with stay-at-home orders and concerns over the pandemic, this accelerated the adoption of e-commerce by consumers seemingly overnight.
A report by Google, Temasek and Bain & Company also reveals that seven out of 10 Vietnam’s internet users are digital consumers, who have bought at least one online service. This figure is lower than the average for the Southeast Asian region, where eight out of 10 internet users are digital consumers. Therefore, Vietnam’s e-commerce market holds ample potential to catch up with regional peers.
Furthermore, with shrinking earnings, businesses operating in traditional sectors like retail, restaurant, hotel, and logistics are struggling to recover from the pandemic. There might still be lockdowns in some areas, and it is predicted that online shopping will boom in the year-end shopping season as both businesses and customers are using e-commerce channels.
E-commerce operators like Tiki, Lazada, and Shopee have been well prepared to meet the soaring shopping demand for the upcoming Lunar New Year. They have invested in technology solutions to avoid overload in traffic and order processing. We believe that Vietnam’s e-commerce market will continue to grow rapidly in the coming time following a boom during the pandemic.
Q: Infobip's omnichannel solutions have been helpful to many local businesses e-commerce. Could you share the unique selling points of Infobip's omnichannel solutions?
Infobip’s omnichannel solutions are divided into two groups. First, our CPaaS portfolio comprises all communication solutions over popular channels like SMS, voice calls, email, WhatsApp, Messenger, Viber, and Zalo. Meanwhile, Infobip’s SaaS portfolio covers three customer engagement solutions namely Moments, Answers, and Conversations. Among them, Moments is a customer engagement hub while Answers is a chatbot building platform. Conversations is a cloud contact centre solution.
As Infobip is specialised in all communication platform solutions, all of our solutions will support businesses to build an effective interaction with customers. Also, Infobip not only helps businesses to reduce operation and investment expenses but also increases their edge in a more competitive market. Businesses can thus recommend the most suitable services and products to customers.
For instance, a customer has just visited an e-commerce platform to find their favourite television. With Infobip’s solutions, businesses can gain an insight into the demand of customers such as pricing and types of televisions. Then, businesses can create campaigns targeting potential customers by showing the television once customers surf the internet. This will help put the product on top of the customer’s mind and increase the chance of making an online purchase. Q: Could you shed some light on the development of Infobip in Vietnam?
Infobip has been present in Vietnam since 2011. We decided to open our offices in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City in 2015, making our official entrance into the Vietnamese market. At the initial stage of development, Infobip was proud to be one of the first companies to introduce the SMS brand to the market. SMS is an advertising service that allows businesses to promote their products and services to customers via mobile subscription.
At that time, Vietnamese telecoms and other companies were not aware of this service. Later, they took advantage of SMS to expand their market share.
After 10 years of development, Infobip has secured a strong footprint in the Vietnamese market. As technology has become an essential component of business growth, Infobip aspires to be the market leader in providing a comprehensive communication solution platform for companies of all sizes. In particular, Vietnamese businesses are keener to embrace digital transformation due to the impact of the pandemic. As a result, they are eager to invest in Infobip’s goods and services to expand their digital footprint.
In 2022, Infobip focuses on growing a more diversified customer base as well as promoting its Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) solutions. We continue to release several service packages as well as organise seminars to reach out to a wider range of customers. Infobip will offer customers customised service packages at more affordable prices. Our goal is to help Vietnamese businesses extend their digital presence as rapidly as possible.
Q: How do you see the pace of digital transformation among Vietnamese businesses?
Digital transformation has become a hot topic among the Vietnamese business community. Currently, businesses in finance, insurance, logistics, and e-commerce have taken a lead in the space. Meanwhile, businesses in other segments have achieved an average level of digitalisation.
However, there are still several barriers hindering the digital transformation of Vietnamese businesses. Most of them are small- and medium-sized enterprises with limited resources, capital, and perceptions. This leads to a lack of consistency in digital transformation among businesses of different industries and sizes.
One major barrier is businesses’ perception towards adopting new digital solutions. For example, some businesses remain hesitant to move their database to cloud computing platforms. However, there has been a gradual change in their mindset as they start to embrace the transition to cloud computing. Infobip is a trusted partner for Vietnamese businesses seeking a secured and smooth digital transformation.
Infobip develops all of its technology solutions without relying on any other third-party service providers. For example, Infobip has developed its own cloud computing technology, which is stored in its own data centre. Meanwhile, all of its processes comply with global security standards. These certifications prove Infobip’s commitment to ensure the highest security compliance for its clients.
Q: The pandemic has boosted e-commerce growth. How do you see the potential of Vietnam’s e-commerce market?
We see that Vietnam’s e-commerce market has experienced incredible growth over the past four years. During the last two years, Vietnamese consumers have increasingly opted for e-commerce marketplaces to purchase goods. Combined with stay-at-home orders and concerns over the pandemic, this accelerated the adoption of e-commerce by consumers seemingly overnight.
A report by Google, Temasek and Bain & Company also reveals that seven out of 10 Vietnam’s internet users are digital consumers, who have bought at least one online service. This figure is lower than the average for the Southeast Asian region, where eight out of 10 internet users are digital consumers. Therefore, Vietnam’s e-commerce market holds ample potential to catch up with regional peers.
Furthermore, with shrinking earnings, businesses operating in traditional sectors like retail, restaurant, hotel, and logistics are struggling to recover from the pandemic. There might still be lockdowns in some areas, and it is predicted that online shopping will boom in the year-end shopping season as both businesses and customers are using e-commerce channels.
E-commerce operators like Tiki, Lazada, and Shopee have been well prepared to meet the soaring shopping demand for the upcoming Lunar New Year. They have invested in technology solutions to avoid overload in traffic and order processing. We believe that Vietnam’s e-commerce market will continue to grow rapidly in the coming time following a boom during the pandemic.
Q: Infobip's omnichannel solutions have been helpful to many local businesses e-commerce. Could you share the unique selling points of Infobip's omnichannel solutions?
Infobip’s omnichannel solutions are divided into two groups. First, our CPaaS portfolio comprises all communication solutions over popular channels like SMS, voice calls, email, WhatsApp, Messenger, Viber, and Zalo. Meanwhile, Infobip’s SaaS portfolio covers three customer engagement solutions namely Moments, Answers, and Conversations. Among them, Moments is a customer engagement hub while Answers is a chatbot building platform. Conversations is a cloud contact centre solution.
As Infobip is specialised in all communication platform solutions, all of our solutions will support businesses to build an effective interaction with customers. Also, Infobip not only helps businesses to reduce operation and investment expenses but also increases their edge in a more competitive market. Businesses can thus recommend the most suitable services and products to customers.
For instance, a customer has just visited an e-commerce platform to find their favourite television. With Infobip’s solutions, businesses can gain an insight into the demand of customers such as pricing and types of televisions. Then, businesses can create campaigns targeting potential customers by showing the television once customers surf the internet. This will help put the product on top of the customer’s mind and increase the chance of making an online purchase.
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Autor(en)/Author(s): Thanh Van
Quelle/Source: Vietnam Investment Review, 17.01.2022
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