Shopping made simple

• The e-commerce market in Southeast Asia is becoming increasingly complex to navigate. On average, consumers in the region surf almost eight websites when they’re shopping!
• 500-backed iPrice Group seeks to solve this with its price comparison platform, which aggregates the best offers on more than 7 billion products across 8 million sellers.
• Last week, it raised US$5 million additional funding from Japan-based firms Itochu Corporation and the KDDI Open Innovation Fund III (operated by Global Brain Corporation).
• “Besides comparing products, prices, sellers’ reputations, and delivery conditions, we are continually deepening our expertise to help shoppers in various ways – be it aggregating seller vouchers, creating an app that alerts users of their desired products’ price drops, or finding the cheapest loans to fund their purchases,” said iPrice Group CEO Paul Brown-Kenyon.
• Recently, iPrice launched a Price Watch service allowing users in Indonesia to receive alerts of their desired products’ price drops directly on the iPrice App. The service will continue to roll out in Singapore, the Philippines, Malaysia, Vietnam, and Thailand throughout 2022.
• Read the full article in Bloomberg.

Reduce food waste with real-time data

• As shipping and logistics continue to experience disruptions globally, it is becoming more crucial for exporters to have access to real-time data of their shipments.
• 500-backed startup Escavox, which tracks the temperature and dwell time of fresh produce during shipment, is helping exporters take immediate corrective actions to reduce rejections and wastage.
• “Some have been able to return produce to their facilities because their products have been compromised by the delays,” said Head of Sales and Operations Christian Patterson. “Others have been able to redirect shipments to other locations.”
• In Australia, the startup currently supplies its tracking devices to eight of the ten largest fresh produce companies in Australia.
• Read the full interview here.

Offering a quicker way to cash out

• Filipinos who want to convert their items to cash can look to 500-backed PawnHero, the first digital pawnshop in the Philippines. From March 15 to May 31, first-time pawners will be entitled to a 50% discount on their first month’s loan interest.
• Pawning with PawnHero offers a quicker way to cash out on personal items as a credit history is not required.
• How it works: Pawners submit their product photos and description online to receive an offer, or walk into a store for a physical appraisal. PawnHero can even send a rider, called Pawntrooper, to their location free-of-charge to pick up the item.
• Upon acceptance of the final offer, pawners will instantly receive the funds – a process that typically takes only one transaction day to complete.
• PawnHero accepts a wide range of pawnable items from designer bags and luxury watches to smartphones and other gadgets. All pawned items are covered by Pioneer Insurance for free.
• More details on the promo here.