e-commerce for all

• Do all businesses need to go digital, or is it a space only suited for retail? Ng Chee Soon, Managing Director at the Singapore arm of 500-backed Carousell believes any merchant will benefit from going online.

• In an opinion piece, he detailed how lockdown measures in Singapore pushed even home services to go digital on Carousell, and such merchants should take the opportunity to diversify their businesses to include e-commerce.
• But where do they start? Chee Soon shares three tips.
• The first tip is for merchants to understand their businesses. They should identify the most suitable platform for their business model and audience profile.
• He advised to look into the number of leads each platform can generate and focus on those that would yield the best results. For example, some platforms offer integrated chat functions or e-payment services. Opting for platforms with in-built features can reduce setup costs.
• The second tip is to think of services as a product. When listing services on a platform, merchants should get creative to set themselves apart from competitors. They should describe their services in detail and add on information such as experience, certifications, photographs, videos, and reviews from past clients.
• The third and final tip is to apply for grants. In Singapore for example, the government has set aside ~US$376 million to help digitize businesses. Banks and even Carousell offer grants.
• Chee Soon opined this is the most opportune time for merchants to make the leap to e-commerce. For those concerned about having the skills to do so, he suggested taking courses on digital skills or hiring someone with the relevant capabilities.
• New users can refer to personalized support that many platforms offer. “Do not be afraid to try and utilize the resources available to you,” he concluded.
• Read the full article here.

A unique use for robots

• According to a news report from Arizona in the United States, strict lockdown measures are still in place. Visitors are not allowed at hospitals, and this means some patients may feel a sense of isolation.
• Phoenix Children’s Hospital however, has found a unique way to let their kids out to play while keeping them safe, thanks to 500-backed OhmniLabs’ robots. With these robots, children can go outside the hospital while still inside their rooms.
• How does it work? The children use a tablet to control the robots remotely, and via this connection, they can take walks in the hospital compound, interact with people around them, and even take part in scavenger hunts.

• The hospital shared the robots give them a variety of ways to engage the children, and this “decreases feelings of isolation, helps with normalization, self-expression, and socialization.”
• Watch the full video here.

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500 Startups is a venture capital firm on a mission to discover and back the world’s most talented entrepreneurs, help them create successful companies at scale, and build thriving global ecosystems. In Southeast Asia, 500 Startups invests through the pioneering 500 Southeast Asia family of funds. The 500 Southeast Asia funds have backed over 240 companies across multiple sectors from internet to consumer to deep technology. It continues to connect founders with capital, expertise and powerful regional and global networks to help them succeed.

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