With the unemployment rate going up, billions of people still under the poverty line, and the mass majority still poorly-informed about financial services and products, the need for financial inclusion is high. Financial inclusion serves as a gateway for everyone to make secure transactions and get access to essential financial obligations such as savings, credit and debit cards, fixed deposits, funding, and more. These modern needs push for a collaborative economy where the goal is to uplift the lifestyle of everyone.

An essential part of being able to do so is the adoption of fintech and continued research and development to advance it further. Fintech offers us a means of accessing sustainable finance. When more users can utilize services provided by financial institutions to store and grow money, make regular payments, receive money from other users, and gain an overall control with their finances, we can say that financial inclusion is spreading effectively.

Fintech offers us the luxury to advance these financial services and not just make payments available to everyone but also remove barriers to entry, spread more financial awareness, and make the digital transaction experience better.  The evolution of technology and the adoption of digital transformation, the financial services industry has been revamped. More businesses and fintech startups have leveraged the applications of financial technologies adopted Open APIs and curated customer experiences.

Let us have a closer and detailed look at how fintech startups spur financial inclusion worldwide.

It is crucial to learn where you can make an impact before setting down to create a roadmap. Fintech startups are working tirelessly in gaining access to new market segments that can give them an in-depth look regarding the size of the requirement and its scope. This access is achieved by joint ventures with venture capital companies for fundraising, crowdfunding, and intelligent fund distribution.

Plus, this also helps fintech create new offerings for the end-users and provide them with reliable, affordable, accessible, and valuable financial products for growth and financial inclusion.

An excellent example of businesses using fintech to access new financial market segments is Santander in the UK. They needed to accelerate the process of underwriting loans to cater to a wide range of audiences in reduced time. Santander needed an automation solution that could stay compliant with all regulations while processing loans for small and medium-sized companies. They licensed Kabbage to automate this process, allowing them to bring in new SMBs into their business portfolio.

Fintech startups are taking a different road than their legacy predecessors. They work mostly in collecting data and running big data analysis on it. Fintech can find out which geolocation has highly targeted customers, the spending habits of a target group, which service is required to be offered to someone, and more.

Big data analysis helps fintech receive actionable insights on their financial products, the preferences and needs of the end-users, the most appropriate channel to reach these customers, and how to push forward the cause of sustainable finance. Harnessing such an advanced innovation also helps fintech receive more opportunities for crowdfunding and joint ventures.

Another purpose that fintech startups are trying to achieve is data security. For active financial inclusion, it is crucial for fintech to provide financial services that are safe and secure. Any shady or threatening services can have a crippling effect on their growth. Big data analysis teamed up with artificial intelligence has helped fintech add additional layers of protection to digitized finance and helped end-users conduct business with improved ease, convenience, and safety.

For long, the relationship between financial institutions and their customers has been strained. Users are hardly able to get in touch with financial institutions for simple queries, every little change to be made had to be taken care of by going to the branch itself, credit cards wouldn’t work sometimes. Plus, the biggest problem was deprived of access to financial services and the high chances of fraud.

However, fintech startups have already brought about a significant change in this aspect. With better fund distribution, they can allocate appropriate resources to build services that are advanced in nature and easy to use and access. This ease has helped fintech startups enhance customer experience and engagement.

It has also enabled them to chalk out a path towards sustainable finance. With increased fundraising and effective partnerships with joint ventures, fintech startups work tirelessly towards creating reliable long-term solutions. These solutions can include anything – advanced digital payment solutions like QR code payments or digital payment wallets, providing easier access to account information, allowing faster query resolution with chatbots, and better targeted financial products.

With smoother, convenient, and global access to such robust solutions, end users can safely utilize them as per their needs. It is only when you grow together that you can spearhead the journey towards 100% global financial inclusion, and that is what fintech startups are striving for.

Open APIs or Application Programming Interface have become a revolutionary technology in a very little time. Used in numerous industries, open APIs have now also found their way into the banking and fintech industry. In terms of its application in the banking and fintech domain, it is a way for a banking application to use a common communication channel and interact with other applications. If there’s a request for data, an open API works by establishing a communication channel and then responding to that data request.

It is crucial to note here that there’s a stark difference between API and webhook. In a webhook, as soon as new data is available, the data will be sent. There doesn’t have to be a request for the data to initiate a response. This fact, however, is not valid for an API. When we say that an API is open to third parties, any of these third parties can utilize it to develop new apps and services. Fintechs rely heavily upon innovative and revolutionary API gateways and API testing tools to bring more value and enhance the customer experiences. The benefits offered have made them incredibly famous, especially API in Hong Kong. Let us have a more in-depth look into how banks and fintech enterprises are benefitting from open APIs and how it relates to fintech megatrends and applications.

When banking and fintech enterprises utilize open APIs, they are enabling data sharing in real-time. Customers now have complete access to all their banking details without going through multiple steps to get their hands on a tiny piece of information. Plus, all of this can happen in real-time, allowing customers to access the data quickly.

With access to real-time data sharing via open APIs, third parties can quickly develop new businesses. This facilitation of innovation would not be possible without uninterrupted access to valuable and actionable data from the banks or fintech. In 2018, HSBC Bank launched the Connected Money app, which enables users to view information related to multiple bank accounts, account information, account balance, details about loans, and even about fixed deposits and other investments in one single app.

Products built by utilizing open APIs add a lot of value to the customer’s experience. Taking the HSBC example, customers previously had to go through multiple steps to view information related to different bank accounts. However, with the app, they can switch between different bank accounts by using a simple tap. Such apps add a lot of convenience and ease to the customer’s banking experience and enable them to receive added benefits without going the extra mile.

Numerous open APIs have also enabled users to indulge in consumer lifestyle services. Now, banking and fintech apps don’t just allow customers to check their account balance, transfer money, switch from one account to the other, and view investment-related details. They also let them purchase movie tickets, make recharges, pay bills, secure online transactions, make hotel or restaurant reservations, book flights, and more. Any business that provides this level of enhanced experience to its customers can quickly expect continued business with such loyal users.

With new and improved API testing tools and API gateways, banks and fintech enterprises can break down the silos and bring about change faster. These APIs allow fintechs to develop financial products and services much quicker than they could before. Plus, faster development of financial products and financial services using open APIs also means that they are tested quicker with API testing tools and thus released faster into the market. Now, suppose a fintech utilizes big data and can gauge the immediate need of their target audience. In that case, they can quickly use open APIs and bring the financial product into the market with added ease. These changes, inadvertently, are also a massive boost to customer satisfaction.

With new financial products and services in the production line, open APIs offer banks and financial institutions new streams of revenue. Moreover, it is also a great way to reduce costs of development and utilize that expense. For example, decoupling traditional platforms and rejoining them through APIs allows banks and fintech enterprises to reduce costs of development. Companies can then develop better financial products or add more value to the customer experience by utilizing capital. Without these open APIs, it will take a lot of money and time for the company to develop new products.

Plus, the collaboration between legacy banks, fintech enterprises and startups, and third party payment providers cultivate innovation. Thus, open APIs serve as a bridging gap between fintech (which are technologically advanced but require knowledge on financial business and regulatory compliance) and legacy banks (which need advanced innovations to step out of stagnation and offer their customers enhanced security and value).

Drop us a line at info@ndngroup.com to learn more about how our innovating technologies thrive your business in the era of fintech.

UI/UX plays a significant role in any brand’s success. It can help you reach new heights but only if you deliver a good service. This article takes you through the latest UI/UX trends and its benefits to help you understand it better.

What is the difference between UX and UI design

Both mobiles and desktops have a majority of digital users onboard and both the platforms have their own significance. For instance, desktops serve the purpose of quick access to web pages and mobile phones are ideal for creating engagement. Aesthetic graphics and engaging content must be on point while designing a digital presence but another important thing that most of the designers overlook is good user experience and interface. But what exactly is UI and UX?

What is UX?

UX is the abbreviated form of User Experience and it is based on the idea of creating a system that provides the users with the best experience. It aims at turning your customers into loyal customers by offering a positive experience to them. UX is accountable for a user’s journey through the mobile app or website which eventually becomes the deciding factor for the success of the business.

What is UI?

UI is an abbreviation used for User Interface and it’s the way using which users can interact with any mobile application. User interface design for mobile applications focuses on delivering easy, enjoyable and effective interactions between users and the application. In IT, User Interface refers to any device that allows the users to interact with monitors, screens or mobile devices. The primary goal which UI aims for is to provide the best interaction possible.

What are benefits of UX/UI

1. Encourages the use of interaction: Creating content is not a hard task. But creating content that people would like to interact with, is the real challenge. Be it in the form of text, images, advertisements, or call to action, everything must lure the user. There are several techniques to encourage user interaction such as producing the content that appeals to the targeted audience. It can also be about personalised features based on consumer behaviour or things they like. People prefer a software that has consistency in design, is predictable, and comfortable to use.

 

2. Generates loyalty: A good user experience can create customer loyalty for your brand. An application or website that offers easy functionality and backed by great service will make your users use it again and again. The designer can create a Customer Journey i.e. CJM Map to achieve it. It will help the designer to map the entire journey of the user through the website or the mobile application. This journey must be thoroughly tested to make sure that a user’s interaction with the product is as smooth and easy as possible. It’s more like putting the design team in the shoes of the user and thinking from their perspective.

 

3. Generates recommendations: An interactive user experience design is the key to encouraging word of mouth recommendations i.e. it should be good to an extent that the users can’t stop talking about it. A well-designed site or application with the ease of use, offering great features and usefulness will encourage people to tell others about the service. A part of user experience is meant to make sharing easy and a free recommendation from a user itself is way more impactful than a paid advertisement.

 

4. Reduces development costs: A stellar user experience helps you keep a project within budget by lowering development costs along with extensive user research, prototyping, and usability testing. By doing this, you can ensure that development time is targeted on the areas of functionality that matter. This focused approach helps you create better initial design specs, reduces the risk of feature creep, and provides more relevant content. It greatly erases the need for last-minute redesigns and enhancements.

 

5. Reduces internal costs: User experience is an end-user focused approach that concentrates on the design and development, keeping in mind what users want and not what developers think they want. It not only saves money on development costs but it also helps businesses to wisely use their internal resources. For instance, the design will help you identify the products liked or wanted by people. This would help the sales and marketing department to put their efforts on profitable products instead of putting it on the less profitable ones. Moreover, it reduces the need for manual intervention and hence reduces the support costs eventually.

 

What are latest UX/UI trends

 

1. Animation: It makes web pages or mobile applications more appealing to users as it connects with the customers more than any other design. This tool is getting popular amongst the designers as it allows them to create a positive impact on the users. Earlier, we used to have flat logos, icons, buttons, etc. but now they are getting replaced with animated buttons, icons, and even logos.

 

2. Digital illustrations for the web: Custom digital illustrations are trending in the field of UI and UX. These digital illustrations are generally used on web interfaces and add colours, designs while making the information more evident and interesting. They are widely used by blogs and service websites to beautify their website and present sober information in a modern and fancy way.

 

3. 3D designs: It helps you create more impactful design and it’s already being used in many games and movies with high functionality. A combination of animation and 3D is going to be the next trend in UI and UX.

 

4. Split Screen: The idea of using two screens simultaneously appeals to a lot of users. It not only looks cool but also allows you to gather more information at the same time.
5. Voice UI: Voice assistants like Google Home and Alexa have taken over the entire digital world of virtual assistants. People use these services widely to get most of their work done irrespective of its origin i.e. small or big. Performing tasks using your voice is a lot more convenient than operating a device with buttons and making it do the same.

 

NDN Group build a chatbot with personality for hotel group

At NDN Group, we help our clients map out UX/UI to understand their customers, define customer experience journeys and innovate with a strong focus on customers’ needs and awe-inspiring insights about them. From user personas and customer journeys to content strategy, wireframe to website and app design, we help our business clients tell their stories and engage with customers for scaling businesses.

NDN Group’s digital consultancy, New Digital Noise, has been helping a global hotel group to develop an AI-powered chatbot with persona and personality traits, thereby creating immersive and fascinating experiences to its customers. The bot can help guests make suite booking and restaurant reservations as well answer questions on thrilling entertainment and hotel facilities.

To create persona and personality for the bot, our team has gathered insights to understand more about the hotel group from its brand persona, daily operations, gaming and entertainment facilities, world-class dining experience and luxurious and bespoke services offered to customers.

Creating a chatbot conversation flow and putting to the test

Our UX/UI team has arranged empathy sessions for the hotel to learn their customers genuine needs. With our five-stage process – Empathize, Define, Ideate, Prototype and Test, we empathise with the targeted customers through researches, interviews and sharing. We understand customers’ emotional needs, discover human touchpoints and garner insights on the needs of customers in different segments. Our team has created solid solutions to address users’ needs and built a prototype chatbot for testing/validation to excel to entire UX process.

Also, we have embraced six core human needs – Certainly, Variety, Significance, Love, Growth and Contribution – in the process. Then we have clearly defined the background, personalities, tone of voice and manner of the bot.

In the development of the chatbot script, we imagine how the AI-powered chatbot talks to customers based on its persona.  Based on conversational diagram, we have imagined the bot talking to customers in real time when writing scripts. We listened to characters or people who are similar to the bot persona. We try to avoid dead ends and leaving the user hanging. It mimics what we would hear from a concierge in the luxurious hotel. Finally, we have developed a prototype for the chatbot and fine-tuned scripts. We have interacted with the bot to excel its dialogue flow and make it immersive to customers, ensuring that the bot is helpful and meet customers’ needs and expectations.

Conclusion

Our User Experience/User Interface design services are thoughtful, engaging, user–centric. We work with our clients to define their business goals, and every industry is different. The trends of UX and UI have changed a lot and it will continue to do so. But one thing which doesn’t change with time is the quality of UX and UI. To derive better results and satisfy your customers, it is important to offer them an outstanding UX/UI services. Drop us a line at info@ndngroup.com to learn more about how our UX/UI services fit your business needs.

Artificial Intelligence is one of the most popular emerging technologies. AI chatbots are transforming the customer experience in unexpected ways. In this article, you will learn how chatbots enhance customer experience and key benefits of using chatbots for your business.

How AI chatbots interact with customers

Artificial Intelligence is one of the most popular emerging technologies. It’s changing the business dynamics in a lot of ways and one such way is by enhancing the customer interactions. We have AI-driven chatbots that are transforming the customer experience and helping us unfold the newer business opportunities. An ideally perfect chatbot delivers a seamless customer experience in which users can’t tell if they are talking to a machine or a real human being. But before we move ahead and discuss the ways in which chatbots are transforming the user experience, let’s first try to understand what a chatbot is.

A chatbot is an AI-based software that communicates with humans through a live chat interface. This interaction can take place through platforms such as Slack, Skype, WhatsApp, a brand’s website or app, Facebook Messenger, and even Alexa.

Simple chatbots are capable of scanning the keywords from a customer’s inquiry and deliver pre-packaged answers. While on the other hand, advanced chatbots that are powered by artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) use natural language processing and can create responses and conversations that are more complex. AI chatbots are more flexible than simple chatbots while speaking to the customers and when the human doesn’t give the exact message they have been programmed for. Instead, they keep learning from the conversations they have with the users to help customers with their queries.

AI-powered chatbots can tap into customer information and provide personalized experiences as they are better integrated with the CMS and CRM platforms underpinning a brand’s online presence. But how do they actually enhance the customer experience? Here are some of the most popular ways in which AI-powered chatbots are transforming the customer experience and providing customer satisfaction.

AI chatbots enhance customer experience

1. Seamless live chat:
   Customers can easily engage with chatbots in a similar way as they do with live customer support employees in an online conversation. Most of the chatbots follow natural language processing methods that allow them to analyse the questions asked by the customers and answer to them accordingly, meeting the needs of the client. Chatbots can easily be integrated with a company’s website or mobile application for better results.
2. Analysing customer data and insights: A chatbot can pop up on any product page that offers additional information about your services to boost the sales and purchasing process. They can also provide customers with product recommendations by analysing user behaviour. They keep a track of customers’ shopping history, modes of payment, etc and uses them to offer a better and enhanced customer experience.
3. Chatbots make friends and build relationships: Most of the companies believe that it would have helped in transforming the customer experience if their agents had more time to make outbound and proactive contact with their customers. Well! Chatbots can help in revolutionising the way brands stay in touch with their customers. Be it a simple email or a birthday text, or just taking friendly feedback about your services from the customer, chatbots can jazz it all. And as chatbots don’t have human empathy, they don’t have bad days or get frustrated from regular client queries which helps them provide a smooth customer experience.
4. Personalizing the customer experience: Chatbots are exceptionally well at collecting customer data from support interactions. After all, it’s the computer software powered by AI and machine learning that is doing the work. It helps the live support agents to personalize their interactions with customers by making use of this information. Chatbots work as virtual assistants that can easily feed customer data to the customer support agent in real-time, facilitating the agent to give the customers good information and solutions based on their current needs as well as past interactions with the company.
5. 24/7 customer service:
   Unlike your human workforce designated for live chat support that needs some rest, chatbots can work 24*7. Customers’ needs can arise outside of business hours during which your staff members won’t be available at their service but the customers need a way to seek out answers to their vital questions. A chatbot could be your saviour in those cases as it can answer to customer queries irrespective of the time so that your customers don’t have to wait for a response from a voicemail or email message.
6. Automated operations: Most of the operations such as customer support and in-store experience can be automated with the help of chatbots powered by AI. They can send timely notifications to customers about your product updates or new features. Using chatbots, we can implement smart shelves and they can help in inventory control as well. Automating your customer experience not only reduces the chances of errors caused by human intervention but also reduces the cost. Hence, chatbots are an ideal way to transform customer experience in a cost-effective manner.

Benefits of AI chatbots for businesses

There is a lot of benefits offered by the chatbots driven by artificial intelligence and machine learning. They help businesses transform their identity by enhancing the customer experience.  A chatbot is an ideal choice for you as:

1. It provides you with a global goal and reach along with an actively growing base of customers.
2. It offers support across multiple channels such as website, in-app, on social media, and several other platforms.
3. It facilitates you with a 24*7 customer support team with high efficiency.
4. The usage of AI chatbots helps you reduce your customer service costs and find more efficient ways of scaling your customers.

 

It is evident from many studies and reports that modern customers want quick, frictionless solutions to their problems and instant answers to their questions. They don’t like to wait at all. Also, in a world where people have only been using phones for customer support, it is hard to adapt to AI chatbots. But there is a growing need and demand for smart and efficient solutions, just like AI chatbots. They come with a lot of advantages and bring new opportunities to transform your business. Hence, to stay in the competition, it is necessary to change and adapt as per the customer behaviour. Drop us email at info@ndngroup.com to learn how our AI-powered chatbot solutions fit your business needs.

Blockchain technology has completed its transition from geek tech to adoption. Blockchain applications in business are transforming the way data is transmitted, accessed and used. In this article, we delve into blockchain applications that help transform enterprises in a wide variety of industries. Enterprises are investing in blockchain technology to make all transactions more authentic, transparent, and trustworthy. 

The reason why business executives are excited about the blockchain is for its following three distinctive features:

·       Decentralization: None of the data in the blockchain is owned by one centralized entity. All the nodes in the blockchain’s network hold the data.

·       Immutability: After data has been entered in the blockchain, it cannot be tampered with. This happens because of cryptographic hash functions.

·       Transparency: All the nodes of the network can see all the data that has been entered into the blockchain.

Specific Types of Blockchain Applications in Businesses

The blockchain gives users the ability to create value and authenticates digital information. Here are some specific types of blockchain applications that are developed for and how that might change your business.

1)Asset Management

The security and resiliency of the transactional data are imperative in asset management. Blockchain technology allows businesses to create a system consisting of the technology and processes of third-party providers and internal systems, thereby revolving around a single source of truth for the asset management activities. As transactions performed on a blockchain are immutable, it creates an accurate, unchangeable record for asset managers to use and verify the transactions. Asset management organizations and financial institutions use these records to analyze their performance and risks as part of their planning cycles. Asset managers can share sensitive data such as asset history, with relevant providers and partners in a secure way.

The blockchain ledger also reduces error by encrypting the records and simplifies the process as well as cancel the need for intermediaries. Blockchain technology simplifies all processes and actions in managing assets, namely portfolio management, trading and transaction of cryptocurrencies.

2) Insurance claims processing

Claims processing can be a frustrating procedure and insurance processors wade through fragmented data sources. The blockchain provides a system for risk-free management and transparency. Through its use of public ledger, blockchain can potentially eliminate suspicious transactions by logging each transaction. Through its decentralized digital repository, it can verify the authenticity of customers, policies and transactions by providing historical records.

Blockchain can also handle the increase in third-party transactions and claims made through personal devices. Blockchain helps slash costs through automated verification of claims data from third parties. Insurance companies can swiftly check past claims transactions registered on blockchain. This has helped fostered higher degrees of trust and loyalty between insurers and customers.

3) Cross-border payments

The global payments sector is error-prone and time-consuming. It takes several days if not longer for money to cross the world. Cross-border payments supported by blockchain provide significant advantages to businesses and consumers. Blockchain-based payments are cost-effective, almost immediate, secure and transparent. Blockchain payments are completed in close to real time – in seconds rather than days. Instead of paying transfer fees to multiple parties, companies using blockchain only need to pay a single nominal fee or nothing at all. Cost savings will be substantial for organizations that make frequent international transactions.

Blockchain also eliminates the risk of discrepancies in record keeping. As a decentralized ledger, it holds an irreversible record of every transaction and distributes it for all authorized users to see. The ledger is maintained and updated communally by a group of connected computers, and all parties have an identical copy of the ledger. All transaction records are secured by cryptography, tied to previous transactions and distributed among participants in a ledger.

4) Smart contracts

Blockchain technology can power smart contracts to fulfill transactions. It is wise to perform due diligence on any company your company is considering doing business with.  A smart contract is an automated, self-fulfilling contract between two parties. Payment is not released from one party to the other until both parties have fulfilled their terms of the contract. Once this is done, payment is released automatically.

Smart contracts get rid of third parties overseeing the creation and completion of contracts. Parties can use pre-drafted contracts that can be modified and shared in one ledger.

5) Supply chain management

Blockchain technology also benefits supply chain management by providing a way to trace goods while being cost-effective. Enterprises can verify with certainty where items and goods are, thereby eliminating guesswork and inefficiencies.

Blockchain technology have an impact on the supply chain process. It has recorded the quantity and transfer of products as they change hands between supply chain nodes. It has helped track change orders, buy orders, shipment notifications, trade documents and receipts from the blockchain ledger. The blockchain also allows sharing information about processing or manufacturing process, delivery, assembly and maintenance of products with vendors and suppliers transparently.

6) Digital Identity

The traditional identity systems of today are fragmented, insecure, and exclusive. Blockchain enables more secure management and storage of digital identities by providing unified and tamper-proof infrastructure with key benefits to enterprises, users, and Internet of Things (IoT) management systems

The importance of digital identity is prominent than ever for some reasons. Without a proper ID, getting access to education, banking, or health is difficult for users. There is still no global cooperation with IDs, so digital identity can enable a digital-based identification. Blockchain technology can help in tracking and managing digital identities. It eliminates the need for physical identification and replaces it with digital IDs. It offers solutions for many digital identity issues where identity can be uniquely authenticated in an immutable, irrefutable, and secure manner.

7) Blockchain’s Internet of Things applications (IoT)

Gartner predicts that 20.4 billion IoT-connected devices will be active by the end of 2020, with some estimates showing the IoT market will reach US$3 trillion annually by 2026. Blockchain-enabled IoT devices would operate faster and more securely for businesses. As the blockchain is decentralized, it can do what IoT exactly requires. Using blockchain in IoT can help businesses track billions of connected devices in the network.

Integrating the blockchain in IoT devices can also reduce the costs of installing and managing servers for an IoT network. Blockchain uses cryptographic algorithms which ensures the confidentiality and security of the data on the IoT network.

Meanwhile, smart IoT-enabled devices play a crucial role in our day-to-day lives. IoT blockchain enables the home security system to be managed remotely from the smartphone. The traditional centralized approach to exchange information generated by IoT devices lacks the security standards and ownership of information. Blockchain could elevate the smart home to the next level by solving security issues and removing centralized infrastructure. Sensitive user data such as biometrics, voice recognition, and facial recognition are stored on the blockchain for improved security. Once the data is saved on the blockchain, it cannot be modified, and access is only provided to the right person.

Blockchain technology becomes tidal wave of innovation

With deep expertise across various industries, NDN Group has leveraged the Proof-of-Capacity algorithm to build a decentralized open source platform – a scalable, environmentally friendly and adaptable blockchain solution. Practical blockchain applications are becoming more mainstream. As blockchain adoption spreads, it can become a driving force for solving business problems and transforming how we live and work every day.

Explore the blockchain world with us. Drop us a line at info@ndngroup.com to learn more about how our blockchain solutions fit your business needs.

1. AJ Hackett Macau Tower

Following our brand-building effort on WeChat and Weibo previously, we’ve helped the bungee and adventure sports operator to launch an account on popular live-streaming app TikTok, achieving up to 1.9 million exposures. Besides ad promotions, we’ve been managing the daily postings of the TikTok account, including video editing and KOL collaborations.

We also helped AJ Hackett launch a mini-program, a sub-application on WeChat to drive a higher conversion rate. Users can now purchase tickets using WeChat Pay on mobile, play games and learn more about bungee jumping within WeChat without having to be directed elsewhere.

2. Cigna

The insurance brand redefined its lead generation strategy by using Facebook ads to direct traffic to both its official site and the Cigna Smart Health lifestyle blog. Another approach involved using Facebook retargeting to display ads to consumers who have previously visited Cigna’s websites. The team also tapped into Facebook’s lookalike audience function to reach new audience using existing audience data.

Besides social media, our omnichannel marketing approach for Cigna includes the monthly e-newsletters to distribute content from the Smart Health blog.

3. uSMART Securities

In September, online securities brokerage uSMART banks on a holistic online strategy for its full-scale brand launch campaign targeting young adults. Facebook blog posts are used to educate its audience about investment, its brand and product offering. Facebook retargeting has also been implemented at later stages to boost conversion for website visitors.

For search, we’ve been improving uSMART’s SEO organic ranking on search engine results. A/B testing is also carried out for SEM in tandem to optimize ad results.

4. SQM

Real estate agents SQM Global Properties targeted prospective property buyers who are looking for information on digital channels as opposed to traditional print ads and trade shows. The online strategy encompassed SEO, media placement and geo-targeting. SQM also utilized social media and messaging apps such as Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp for Business functions to engage with buyers.

5. Meraas

Targeting Chinese audience, we helped Dubai-based conglomerate Meraas launch a series of splash ads across 60 online platforms including Tik Tok, Baidu, WPS and SelfieCity for a giveaway contest, promoting UAE as a travel destination and a great place to live and work. The campaign has garnered fantastic results, generating over 10 million impressions and 2 million click-through rates.

6. KATE

Going beyond social media content creation, the Japanese makeup brand rolled out a geo-targeting campaign to promote a special event in March. Location-based ads are more personalized, relevant and thereby leading to a higher conversion rate.

Moreover, we collaborated with one of the most popular online magazines for young women in Hong Kong for a product launch campaign with a professional model shoot.

7. KURZ

German hot stamping technology brand KURZ launched a Chinese New Year red packet giveaway campaign on WeChat that incorporated the hong bao (red packet) and shaking trigger functions of the platform. We developed a festive-themed H5 page for Kurz using interactive graphics and videos for users to share on WeChat moments. The H5 feature allows data tracking and includes several performance indicators such as views and frequency of interactions.

8. McCafé

McCafé launched a geo-targeting campaign across key business districts in Hong Kong to push ads to mobile users, closing the gap between online and offline channels. The consumer data collected provides insights on shopping behavior and the best time to push the ads.

The second phase of the campaign involved Facebook push notifications on sales to the IDs captured from geo-targeting. A/B testing was conducted to boost click-through rates and ROI through better user experience (UX).

9. Galaxy Macau

We’ve worked with the world-class casino resort in developing a powerful loyalty app with superior UX, serving a range of target groups across all stages in the customer journey. Since 2017, our UX team has been coordinating the project from initial user research, design, prototyping, app launch to ongoing maintenance and feature updates until today. The next phase of the project will kick start in early 2020.

10. Pilot

Pilot intends to create some brand differentiation for itself to foster top of the mind awareness. We carried out a series of rebranding exercise for Pilot’s product lines across its owned media through Facebook. The campaign generated significant brand mentions and share of voice across earned media to help Pilot build its digital presence.

Frustrated customers who don’t get quick answers may leave website and never return. Chatbots can eliminate that scenario and help you keep your customers.

Increase Customer Base

There is another benefit of using chatbots in business. They may help enterprises reach more people which can increase your customer base.

Since chatbots can be used in many applications, enterprises can take advantage of that to help businesses grow. Chatbots can answer multiple questions at the same time as well.

Streamline Procedures and Automation

Other benefits of using chatbots in business are that they help businesses streamline procedures and automation. When used on website they can provide fast, automated answers to most questions. Their use prevents customers from waiting a day or longer to receive responses as they would have in the past. This enables business to serve greater numbers of people while saving costs.

NDN Group and Mobinology’s chatbot service and solution

NDN Group and Mobinology, world-class business software developer, has forged global partnership to deliver enterprise-grade chatbot solution to empower enterprises to accelerate business growth. Powered by leading artificial intelligence and cloud computing technologies, the industry-leading and end-to-end chatbot solution enables global and regional enterprises with secure, scalable and agile operations, combined with machine learning and data analytics capabilities. The all-in-one chatbot solution defines new pathways for enterprises to deliver seamless and personalized customer experience.

NDN Group and Mobinology’s intelligent chatbot offers distinctive capabilities at scale. We design immersive dialogue flow to chart out extraordinary dialogue and conversational flow to create high-impact and personalised customer experience. We also curate tone of voice and manner to reflect enterprises’ branding for creating maximum customer engagement and loyalty, and bot personality and persona to interact with users and immerse them in conversational journey.

The self-intelligent bot learns from the inputs it experiences and garners deep understanding on the intent behind customer requests as well as provide smart answers. Also, the bot augments the importance of Big Data through their automated data collection that enables enterprises to conduct in-depth analysis on the conversational journey and understand end-user behaviour. The Natural Language Processing (NLP) powers all forms of language recognition including Cantonese and switch languages to enable enterprises extend global reach.

The bot uses their wealth of knowledge to provide comprehensive answers to queries. It is also specially designed to parse documents, crawl website content and convert into rule-defined structure data. It is empowered to use real-time information for accelerating revenue opportunities automatically after conversation with customers.

Types of chatbots

Depending on how the specific bots were programmed, we can divide them into two large groups: working according to pre-prepared commands – simple chatbot and AI-powered chatbot.

 

Simple chatbots work based on pre-written keywords that they understand. Each of these commands must be written by the developer separately using regular expressions or other forms of string analysis.

Smart chatbots rely on artificial intelligence when they communicate with users. Instead of pre-prepared answers, the robot responds with adequate suggestions on the topic. In addition, all the words said by the customers are recorded for later processing.

Many business owners are beginning to understand what benefits chatbots can bring to them. This technology is still in an early stage, its capabilities continue increasing and the best chatbots have yet to be created. Invest in building a chatbot for your business and be at the forefront of innovation.

Enquires on NDN Group and Mobinology’s chatbot solution:

NDN Group email: info@ndngroup.com 

Mobinology email: info@mobinology.com 

What is geo-targeting

Location-based technology – namely location data, geo-targeting and geofilters – is opening up a world of possibilities for marketers. Yet it is also complicated as new capabilities and use cases seem to emerge every day. With the goal of breaking down some of the most important “geo” concepts to provide a better understanding of the basics and a jumping off point for exploring how far the power of location may take us.

What does geo-targeting mean?

Geo-targeting is the practice of delivering content to users based on their geographic locations. This can be done on the city via IP address or device ID or even through GPS signals and geo-fencing.

Marketers geotarget users on their mobile devices, making it easier to deliver relevant and engaging ad content. The idea is that the more relevant an ad or offer is, the more likely it is to drive sales up sharply for businesses.

How does geo-targeting apply?

The central idea behind geo-targeting is that understanding consumer real-time. Location helps marketers achieve an ultimate goal of delivering the right message to precisely the right people at exactly the right time.

Geo-targeting doesn’t have to be solely based on a consumer’s real-time location. Locations or businesses a customer has visited recently can maker marketers accurately predict their interests and intent and therefore adding targeting based on their location can be essential to delivering a captivating message.

For NDN Group, we have worked with McCafé – owned by Mcdonald’s – that piloted coffee delivery service in Hong Kong, exclusively available on the McCafé App. We have helped McCafé to launch a large-scale advertising campaign on social media with geo-targeting, an advertising effort combining online and offline technology based on geographic location.

We have activated seamless touch points in specific areas in Hong Kong to identify target audience in three core business districts – Central, Causeway Bay, and Quarry Bay. Seamless touch points were placed at all the McCafé branches in the above locations, plus some of the nearby commercial buildings and competitor stores, gaining more data on insightful analysis over competitors and mapping out ads campaigns. Whenever someone carrying a mobile device passes by one of the touchpoints, anonymized data of that device will be captured instantly. We’ve captured over 500,000 device ID. Then we pushed McCafé offer “Buy 4 coffee, get 2 free” via Facebook to target audience. We have also conducted A/B testing to maximize ROI and to refine our creative designs and improve user experience.

Meanwhile, we have worked with fast food franchise Subway on the promotion of Everyday Value, a combo launched to compete with fellow fast food chain’s meal set deals. With some 20 stores in Hong Kong, Subway was set for an effective online campaign that reached out to the right customers in the right place with the help of geo-targeting. 

We have activated seamless touch points at 18 of Subway stores and some of its nearby competitor brick and mortar stores, collecting anonymised data from the mobile phones of visitors every day. This system effectively identifies potential customers and classifies them into different segments, allowing us to re-target ads on Google Display Network, Facebook, Line and Weibo accordingly. 

Why geo-targeting is the key to greater ROI

Geo-targeting is key to greater ROI as it offers a personalized customer experience, delivering ads, offers and shopping information to an overwhelming number of high-potential customers. The technology monetizes online social networks and offline location data to drive brand engagement and actual sales at the same time.

Throughout geo-targeting, businesses lure consumers in a highly targeted area rather than wasting money on people outside region. Consumers generally want ads customized to their specific location.

When consumers want to know more about a business, they expect to find them on the major social networks – Facebook, Instagram, Twitter. This boosts credibility and trust. Make choosing you easier by being visible and attainable.

With a location-based marketing platform, businesses have the power to build these custom audiences to achieve their goal to deliver the right message to precisely the right people at exactly the right time. A great geo-targeting campaign requires excellent creative and messaging. Without a relevant and engaging message, audience targeting may produce less impactful results.