Roland Hoehn, managing director of Stiebel Eltron Asia, said: “As a leading provider of water pumps in Thailand, Stiebel Eltron puts a high emphasis on the Thai Industrial Standards – as the first and only water pump in Thailand to receive the TIS product certificate. As a result, this represents our brand’s ever-present quality, safety standards and tight manufacturing regulations, which sets Stiebel Eltron apart as a well-entrusted household name recognised by consumers for our reasonable pricing that truly reflects quality.”

After its premiere in Thailand in 2017, the Stiebel Boost has gained ongoing popularity by partners and customers of Stiebel Eltron. The Stiebel Boost is designed specifically to meet the need of Thai consumers, with its highlight powerful pump that increases the efficiently of other water-related devices in the household. This is matched with its contemporary outlook and a sleek design, guaranteed for top-of-the-line quality with the German engineering standards, the firm said.

“We are committed to delivering certified products with the best of quality and innovation from Germany to our consumers in the Thai market. Stiebel Eltron’s relentless pursuit of perfection in the production of water pumps solidifies our leadership and credibility in Thailand, as a true water solution expert from Germany,” Hoehn added.

Technology is evolving at a rapid rate and the pace of innovation is changing how businesses deliver and meet ever-evolving consumer expectations, it said. As a result, Expedia Group said it witnessed an increasing amount of interaction made by consumers and hoteliers on its platform. In 2017, it said it facilitated over 2.3 billion daily interactions on its global marketplace and made over 22,300 platform enhancements for its hotel partners. This means hotel partners benefited from Expedia Group’s improved products and features every 24 minutes throughout the year, the company said.

Pimpawee Nopakitgumjorn, director of market management at Expedia Group, said the average user of a smartphone checks it 110 times a day. In Thailand, the younger generation’s addiction to mobiles has prompted Kasetsart University to implement 500-metre-long “mobile users” and “non-mobile users” lanes on its campus.

“This means every minute that you have with a customer now is worth way more than it used to be. The time that we have in terms of our ability to influence a customer is at a premium like it never has been before,” Nopakitgumjorn added.

“This is why at the heart of our innovation process is partner feedback – understanding and solving for their requirements. By listening to hotel partners who work with us on a daily basis, we are able to best leverage our technology and know-how to build solutions that helps hoteliers solve some of their business challenges.”

The approach requires development of new ideas, testing, observing, evaluating and interrogating to create an improved product in the next version. Every change leads to new insights, which in turn have a decisive influence on the next step, the company said. The aim is to place Expedia Group’s customers and hotel partners at the centre of product development, and tailor solutions to their wishes.

Actor Film Thanapat Kawila, brand presenter for OfficeMate, launched a range of new products suited to for startups and SMEs and is supporting the demands of specific businesses through the Seamless Experience Omni-Channel. The aim is to increase convenience and respond to the lifestyles of bosses in the 4.0 era. In addition, OfficeMate is introducing the OfficeMate Plus Franchise Store, a fully stocked convenience store for B2B customers.

Wilawan Rerkriengkrai, president at OfficeMate Business at COL Plc, said the firm is introducing a new range of initiatives to increase shopping convenience and happiness for B2B customers.

The first of these is a new brand presenter who will strengthen the brand and meet the needs of modern bosses in the 4.0 era. That new presenter is Film and his presence will promote brand awareness among business people and young entrepreneurs. He will help enhance brand image, making it more modern, professional and in line with the lifestyle of the young generation. Film, whose goes by the “Boss” in one of his movies, appears on the cover of the 2019 OfficeMate catalog. Moreover, OfficeMate is organising an “Exclusive Moment with Boss” today, January 24, allowing fans to meet the actor at the OfficeMate store on the G floor Central Plaza Rama 2. Customers can also monitor a series of marketing campaigns throughout the year.

The second is a series of new products and categories to support specific businesses. In addition to office supplies, IT items, furniture, and essential business equipment and supplies, the company provides new products for total SME solutions including packing equipment, home office furniture and multi-functional printers.

OfficeMate said it has upgraded officemate.co.th and added new key features for easier shopping and searches, such as “Search Suggestion” and “Shop by Interest”, which categorises products particularly for hotels, restaurants and online businesses to accommodate specialised business owners.

The first Plus Franchise Store is in Moo Ban Rattanakosin 200 Years, Rangsit Road, Pathum Thani 12.

Grab said it has a shared goal with the NCPO and the Department of Land Transport to create financial opportunities for motorcyclists through the use of ride-hailing applications.

Monrawee Ampolpittayanant, head of public affairs at Grab Thailand, said: “We are committed to taking good care of our driver-partners through a number of programmes. With Bangkok’s air pollution remaining at hazardous levels, there is a negative effect on those working outside or doing outdoor activities. This includes motorcycle taxis and our driver-partners. Grab has offered 3,000 N95 masks, along with over 3,000 dust masks with the support of CAREU, to motorcycle taxi drivers, our driver-partners as well as passengers to reduce their exposure to the urban air pollution.”

The firm said the scheme forms part of Grab’s driver-partner benefit programmes as it continues to increase driver-partners’ welfare through a number of initiatives including “Grab the Future”, a scholarship to support the children of Grab’s driver-partners, social security contributions, health care, car insurance, accident insurance as well as other benefits in collaboration with Grab’s partners in order to enhance the livelihoods of the drivers-partners.

The bank said in a press release on Friday that customers who own TMB All Free accounts that hold TMB All Free debit chip cards, with outstanding balance in the account at least Bt5,000 or more, one day before the date of accident occurred, will receive accident insurance covering death, loss of eyesight, loss of hearing, loss of utterance or permanent disability for a maximum of 20 times the deposit amount or up to Bt3 million per person. This is valid until the account is closed or the holder reaches the age of 70 years old.

In addition, customers also receive various benefits such as free transaction fees via internet banking channels or mobile applications and ATMs of all banks throughout Thailand.

As well, online shoppers can also get protection for an order that can be refunded in case the goods do not match the specification without additional charges.

Besides, when getting cash in foreign countries from the card, it is subject to a lower fee and it can be used to pay for goods and services immediately, both domestic and international, with the exchange rate equivalent to those of the cheapest Booth Exchange for all currencies around the world.

No charges for foreign currency conversion risk at 2.5 per cent. More convenient and more secure because you can control the limit or personalise your card via the mobile application anytime, anywhere around the world.

Chanon Klahan, Managing Director of Lalamove Thailand, a Hong Kong-based company, said that in 2018, Lalamove Thailand was very successful in transaction value when compared with four years earlier (2015 – 2018) as shown in the following figures;

 2015: 2016: 500% with a total value Bt121 million.

 2017: 400% a total with total value Bt532 million.

 2018: 123% with a total value Bt 1,200 million.

The company’s total service distance is over 60 million kilometers. The company said this growth leap is the result of its continuous business expansion and services development, allowing it to differentiate itself from the competition in a market with numerous other players and competitors.

The company said its service provides convenience, speed and efficiency, utilising cutting-edge application to ensure speedy delivery to customers as fast as 60 minutes. The company said it is now the largest on-demand delivery driver in Thailand with a total of 80,000 vehicles.

“During past four years of business operations in Thailand, Lalamove had strong growth performance. With quality of service as its main differentiator, Lalamove Thailand is on track to dominate the on-demand delivery market in 2019, and will continue to expand its service areas in Thailand to meet the needs of all groups of customers,” Chanon said.

In 2019, Lalamove Thailand plans to expand its operations by integrating services such as ‘Lalamove API’ – an automated on-demand delivery process for online businesses that provides great benefits and empowers them to scale-up their business faster.

Another such development is the new face of website and application that give conveniences and functional to customers. These services provide intra-country, large-vehicle and same day delivery.