CREATION: Singapore to receive mobile marketing messages with M1

Singapore mobile operator MobileOne (M1) is to launch location-based marketing to its more than 800,000 mobile customers by the middle of this year as SMS (short message service) usage in the Lion City soars to an average of three million per day. The move follows the recent launch of Singapore start-up InspireTech's FusionAds service, a location-based search service that allows users to find shops, restaurants and other services through mobile phones. M1 has partnered with location services providers SignalSoft and Webraska to offer proximity search and location marketing services. Location marketing allows retailers to send promotional messages to customers who are within the vicinity of their shops. M1's service is to use WAP (wireless application protocol) or SMS as delivery channels. M1 spokesman, Chau Swee Kiat, said location marketing would be an opt-in service, giving users of the mobile carrier the choice to receive promotional material. "The concept of location marketing is that when one of our customers is in a particular area, retailers can give this customer marketing messages. Privacy is certainly an issue with this type of service. But we believe that because this is an opt-in service, the user can decide against using it." FusionAds and M1's proximity search are two-way interactive SMS services. Users send SMS requests from their mobile phones to receive a list of retailers within the area. The FusionAds service handled about 20,000 SMS requests in January and aims to generate one million requests per month by the end of this year. "SMS is very popular in Singapore. In fact we are supposed to be number two in terms of SMS usage, second to the Philippines, on a per customer basis, so we are expecting a very positive response," Mr Chau said. He added the average number of SMS messages sent per day through M1 stood at three million. "Our record though was on Valentine's Day, when more than 3.7 million messages were sent," he added. Singapore's mobile users have been able to send SMS messages through three mobile operators since April last year. Meanwhile, Asiacontent.com, which previously focused on Web publishing, now offers email marketing through SMS in Asia. Like many dotcoms, the company was forced to change its business model to survive the dotcom shakeout. However, although SMS has gained popularity in regional countries such as the Philippines and Singapore, it has yet to take off in Hong Kong and mainland China, according to Mr Kenny Chan, general manager, Asiacontent.com. "Singapore has picked up SMS very fast. But, although there is a high usage of mobile phones in Hong Kong, SMS hasn't been as popular. The reason is partly because in Singapore telecom restrictions are not as limited as in Hong Kong. But it is also a matter of habit," said Mr Chan.

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