Tealive eyes Japan with giftee Inc partnership

Tealive has partnered with Giftee Malaysia to incorporate the latter's eGift sales system at more than 200 of its outlets in Malaysia, excluding those in AEON Delica and MaxValu. Established in October 2018, Giftee Malaysia is the local subsidiary of the eGift service, giftee Inc., headquartered in Japan.The eGift system will allow for the immediate issue and validation of eGifts, which can be purchased online and sent to friends and family via services such as SMS and WhatsApp, allowing for instant gifting with a personalised greeting. Using the eGift unique link, the recipient will obtain an eGift ticket, which is to be flashed at Tealive counters to redeem their drinks.Bryan Loo, CEO of Loob Holdings which owns the Tealive brand, said it hopes that Giftee will be able to link Tealive up with relevant food and beverage players in the Japanese market to enable the brand to break into the country.Last month, Loo said Tealive aims to open 10 corporate stores in China to test the market and prove its franchise model works before collaborating with local Chinese entrepreneurs. China marked the fourth overseas market the company has expanded into, with the other three being India, Australia and Vietnam.Giftee was formed as part of giftee Inc's strategy of expanding into ASEAN countries, with a focus on Malaysia. It plans to extend the system to about 10 brands within the country this year. Meanwhile, the company also rolled out its "giftee for Business" solution in Malaysia, allowing businesses to sell gift tickets that can be used for gifts and rewards in promotions and campaigns. The new business solution can also be used for web-based point-exchange schemes and corporate reward programmes. Also, because the gift products are issued digitally, businesses can track usage outcomes and monitor the effectiveness of their customer management and promotional campaigns, as well as put the accumulated quantitative data to further use in their marketing.Giftee for Business was first used in Malaysia by United Overseas Bank with the provision of an RM10 digital voucher for Sushi King. Gift tickets currently offered through giftee for Business include the “RM6.5 Tealive Drink Voucher”, the “RM7.5 Tealive Black Diamond Milk Tea Voucher “ and the “RM10 Tealive Cash Voucher” usable at Tealive outlets.