NEWS
Boost partners UnionPay to expand
footprint in Malaysia, internationally
MALAYSIA’S e-wallet app Boost
announced its partnership with global
payment brand UnionPay last month
to grow its footprint in the country and
abroad.
As part of the partnership, the
long-term plans are to enable consumers
to use the app to leverage UnionPay’s
offerings to transact globally and
likewise, for tourists to transact in
Malaysia. Boost and UnionPay will also
be jointly ramping up marketing efforts
to promote their services and further
quicken expansion plans.
There are currently over 7.5 million
UnionPay QR Code (QRC) merchants
globally and, in May this year, UnionPay
International announced a “massive” roll
out of EMV-compliant QRC terminals
across different industries all across
Malaysia.
“We are pleased to partner with
Boost as we immerse our business into
a cashless environment to provide our
customers a more convenient, secure
and seamless way of paying. With our
core values centred on sharing growth
and win-win cooperation with partners
and bringing fresh perspectives to
the global payment industry, joining
forces with Boost signifies a natural
progression in our business as we shift
towards digitising the worldwide nation.
This is also in line with our strategy to
localise our business to better cater to the
payment needs of Malaysian businesses
and consumers,” said Wenhui Yang,
general manager, UnionPay International
South-east Asia.
With online and offline merchants
located in more than 30,000
touchpoints, Boost’s e-wallet application
currently has over 2.7 million users to
simplify the transactional process and
ensure a fast and convenient payment
process.
“We are excited to be partnering
with UnionPay International as we
continue to rapidly expand our footprint
nationwide as well as overseas, which
is part of our regional expansion plans.
As UnionPay International is one of
the leading international payment
brands in the world, this partnership
allows us to create relevance to
merchants and customers both inside
and outside Malaysia, by leveraging
UnionPay’s international presence. This
is another milestone in broadening
Boost’s functionality and usability to
provide a more rewarding experience
for our partners and customers,” said
From left: Shuan Ghaidan, director
of Products, UnionPay International;
Wenhui Yang, general manager, UnionPay
International South-east Asia; Christopher
Tiffin, CEO of Boost; and Mohd Khairil
Abdullah, CEO of Axiata Digital Service, the
developer of Boost e-wallet.
Christopher Tiffin, chief executive officer,
Boost.
Android users can download Boost
from the Play Store while iOS users can
download from the App Store. ra
EpiCentre debuts online on Shopee
THE first Apple Premium Reseller in
Asia, EpiCentre, recently made its first
foray into an e-marketplace through
a partnership with online shopping
platform Shopee. The official store on
Shopee was launched last month.
In late June this year, the three
EpiCentre stores in Singapore situated
in Wheelock Place, Bugis Junction
and Marina Bay Sands were added
to Elush Retail Group’s business
portfolio and EpiCentre has
since continued to see growth
and development under the
new management, according to
Elush.
Shopee’s homegrown
advantage and its understanding
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Retail Asia August 2018
of the users’ needs are major factors
that led Epicentre to choose the
e-marketplace as its online marketplace
partner. Speaking to Retail Asia,
Chng WeiJie Ivan, CRM
executive, Elush
Some of
Epicentre’s
product
offerings on
Shopee.
Retail Group, explained: “We are
aligned with Shopee’s commitment
in improving their product offerings
to deliver greater choices and cost
savings for the Singapore customers.
Expanding our brand online provides
more consumers access to our stores
at their own convenience and other
value-added services such as diversified
payment and shipping options. It
is also a great way for us to show
consumers that EpiCentre’s brand
is still around and continuing to
grow, under Elush Retail Group’s
management.”
Elush Retail Group has also been
managing another Apple Premium
Reseller, iStudio, since 2008. ra