Gigs makes APAC splash with promising ShopBack partnership

Marking its first major venture into the APAC market, mobile technology firm Gigs has partnered with rewards company ShopBack as it eyes expansion upon its existing western markets with a new growth strategy into Asia.

Building upon its operations in North America, Latin America and Europe, Gigs targeted companies that have three key attributes for customer profile: having a large captive audience, a unique ability to distribute digital services, and being an established, well-loved brand.

Asia is seen as a key growth market opportunity for Gigs, as the region is home to plenty of digital natives and strong engagement with digital brands, as well as a growing love of travel.

Mobile connectivity solutions is the start of the customer journey, but this new partnership also introduces scope for partners to expand their customer support to all facets of the travel journey, from the booking process for flights and accommodation, facilitating foreign exchange, and holistic travel connectivity. 

In parts of the Asian market phone ownership is still seen as quite aspirational, providing another growth opportunity with phone financing, distribution, insurance and connectivity - not just with travel connectivity options, but also local plans.

Another opportunity for growth is in the form of an "evergreen eSIM", an eSIM that customers are only required to install once, but that will eventually integrate with foreign networks, akin to digital payment cards that renew with the customer perhaps not even noticing that the card number and CVV have been updated.

This additional convenience will be a key step in retaining customer loyalty and reducing friction for customers on their mobile journey.

"Let's say I'm going to Singapore, I get a SIM card for Singapore," said Rafa Plantier, Vice President of Growth, Gigs.

"I happen to be doing a layover in the UAE, and then I get another SIM card for the UAE. Initially, this was also like moving the actual plastic SIM in and out of your smartphone.

"Now there's an embedded version of that. But even up until now, most people would have had different eSIM installations for each one of those. And we, by and large, think that's unnecessary friction in customers' lives.

"That credential to the network is always there with the evergreen SIM.

"Much like a card gives you access to a payment network, ultimately the SIM, the function of the SIM card is a credential towards this network working just as well. Now there is an embedded way of doing that, and now there's an evergreen way of doing that.

"Just like there was this journey in fintech where now the actual card number is invisible or less important, like you don't even notice when your card gets renewed. We think the same thing is happening to telecom."

Part of this expansion into a new market will be identifying the right partners to ensure Gigs scales their presence in Asia. 

"There's a narrative here with Gigs, ultimately we're serving the tech buyers, not the telco buyers, but the tech buyers as they want to scale," Plantier said.

"So what gets us super excited about APAC is the proliferation of very high quality, deeply embedded, highly localised tech buyers in the region. I think that APAC is probably a foreign region for other entrants."

Expansion, of course, also brings with it challenges relating to legal, regulatory and compliance matters. A new continent will present different challenges, as travel connectivity is run through international agreements that can distinctly vary from local telecom rules and regulations.

However, while acknowledging that these new international parameters will need to be adjusted to, Plantier is confident that Gigs is well prepared for its expansion as it adds new partners in Asia.

"On the travel side, a lot of the complexity that we help our partners with is around billing, payments, tax collection, and of course, all things telecom," Plantier said.

"Basing lifecycle activation, data add-ons, and abstracting them away from the complexities of the roaming wholesale market, which they don't have to worry about.

"In terms of local, there are nuances, but the good thing about telecom is that those nuances all fit into a global taxonomy. It is a competency to do this over and over again. As we have launched local plans in more markets, we really understand what are the KYC requirements in those countries? How do we programmatically solve that through our API? 

"What are our customers or partners required to collect from end users? How do we pass on to the local authorities? How do we report back incorporating Gigs locally is something that we have to do for local plans.

"So while there is complexity, I'll say there is certainly a playbook on how to handle that. I think we're doing quite well on that."