SingTel and Standard Chartered Bank launch new mobile platform called Dash
SingTel, a leading telecommunications company in Singapore, has partnered with Standard Chartered Bank in order to launch a new mobile commerce platform. The platform is comprised of three services that are offered by SingTel and Standard Chartered Bank. These services are designed specifically for smartphones and cover money transfers, retail payments, mobile travel insurance, and loan applications. Those with smartphones will be able to use the new platform, which is called Dash, and the platform will not be exclusive to SingTel customers.
Dash could be supported by more than 20,000 merchants throughout Singapore by year’s end
There are already several thousand retail groups that support Dash and SingTel expects that some 20,000 merchants throughout Singapore will be working with the platform by the end of this year. Money transfers between consumers is expected to be the most popular use of the platform, as the demand for money transfer services has become quite high in Singapore. Dash is the latest in a large number of similar platforms that have been launched in the country in the past few months.
Singapore continues to prove itself as an attractive mobile commerce market
Singapore has become a very attractive mobile commerce market, but there were very few mobile-centric platforms available to consumers until this year. These services are becoming more common as more retailers, banks, and telecommunications companies begin to involve themselves in the mobile commerce space. The recent flood of mobile services has created a great deal of competition for the attention and support of consumers and no single platform has yet managed to establish itself as the absolute favorite among any significant number of people.
Retailers could add further momentum to the growth of mobile shopping and payments as they become more involved in this burgeoning sector
As retailers become more involved in the mobile space, consumers are likely to become more exposed to the idea of mobile commerce. Banks and telecommunications companies have already been exposing consumers to mobile commerce, but the retail environment is especially influential when it comes to encouraging consumer behavior.
Sing Post has been working to expand its e-commerce logistics business and has helped some retailers engage mobile consumers in new ways. Through its partnership with Alibaba, Sing Post may be able to accelerate its entry into the e-commerce logistics space, taking advantage of the experience that Alibaba has therein. Sing Post notes that e-commerce is its current lifeline, and a greater focus on the digital and mobile spaces may help the organization remain relevant among consumers and financial solvent.