The new movement of work

• Speaking to BFM, Francesca Chia, co-founder and CEO of 500-backed GoGet, says the gig economy will continue to be in-demand even though lockdown measures have loosened up in Malaysia.
• This is because the public is used to the comfort and convenience of e-commerce, as compared to the pre-pandemic days where people could still shop without concerns about health and safety.
• A survey GoGet conducted with its consumers echoes this sentiment. Results showed that most of them preferred staying home while utilizing third-party services to run errands, Francesca reveals.

• For GoGet, this trend presents opportunities for collaborations, which is what they did with IKEA Southeast Asia recently.
• In June, GoGet collaborated with Ikano Centres, part of IKEA Southeast Asia, to enable its entire portfolio of shopping centers in Malaysia to be accessible via the GoGet app.
• This is to launch Shop With GoGet, a feature on the GoGet platform which allows retailers to list their storefront digitally on GoGet’s app at no cost and no commission.
• Customers can select from over 300 stores from IPC and MyTOWN in Kuala Lumpur and Toppen in Johor Bahru, including ordering the iconic meatballs and curry puffs from IKEA Restaurants. Both IPC and MyTOWN are part of the Ikano Centres group.
• Shop with GoGet also allows users to select ‘Drive Thru’ or ‘Deliver’ options, with the former allowing customers to pick-up their shopping goods from GoGetters at designated pick-up locations within the three centers.
• Listen to Francesca’s full interview with BFM here.

Shipping the future

• Dana von der Heide, co-founder of 500-backed Parcel Perform, spoke to KrAsia about why she and Dr. Arne Jeroschewski started the company in 2016, and the future of e-commerce and logistics in the days ahead.
• When working with retailers around the world, Dana discovered that something was lacking: Refined data.
• “Without streamlined logistics data, one cannot make data-driven decisions, which is urgently needed to measure one’s logistics performance and provide customers with an intuitive delivery experience,” she said.

• A need was there so Dana, together with co-founder Dr. Arne Jeroschewski, started Parcel Perform to help carriers make informed decisions based on accurate and actionable data. With over 600 carriers around the world on its platform, Parcel Perform counts big brands like Nespresso and Decathlon as clients.
• When the Covid-19 pandemic came around, Dana observed changes in the e-commerce and logistics space.
• “The pandemic significantly affected brick-and-mortar retail and we saw a significant shift towards e-commerce. Logistics productivity was also affected as carriers saw difficulties scaling operations on such short notice and adapting to operational changes with social distancing in place,” she said.
• However, things are slowly turning around. Shipment volumes started increasing from April onwards. Comparing April numbers with January numbers of this year, Dana said the total is 40% higher than what she’d normally witness year-on-year.
• One of the innovations that emerged during this period is lockers and delivery/pick-up points, according to Dana. In Singapore, the government announced the development of 1,000 parcel locker stations nationwide scheduled for completion by end-2021, a year ahead of schedule.
• Read Dana’s feature with KrAsia here.

Equipping the workforce

• 500-backed budget hotel chain RedDoorz is working with Google and several government agencies in Singapore for the Skills Ignition SG: a Grow with Google program.
• With hopes to help 3,000 Singaporeans and permanent residents get the skills they need for changing technology and a shifting job market.
• Skills Ignition SG offers two programs, one focusing on providing on-the-job training opportunities, and the other focusing on upgrading skills that are relevant to digital marketing and cloud technology.

• The Place and Train program is a nine-month program for up to 600 applicants, entailing three months of online vocational training before six months of hands-on work experience. Meanwhile, two six-month courses under the Digital Marketing and Cloud Technology program focus on providing relevant skills for employability in the IT field.
• For RedDoorz, it will be able to offer program participants vocational and hands-on training, as well as longer-term job opportunities. It joins companies like Sephora and Trip.com in offering six months-long on-job placements for applicants.
• “RedDoorz is a diverse group of people but all of us here want to drive a positive change in the Southeast Asia hospitality and travel industry — we hope to attract like-minded people who enjoy working on big, ambitious projects,” said CEO and founder, Amit Saberwal.

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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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