(From left) Celcom Axiata head of enterprise business and solutions Surinderdeep Singh, Xpand chief executive officer Asri Hassan Sabri and Saporito pose for a photo during the launch of the Koble platform in Malaysia.
KUCHING: Celcom Axiata Bhd (Celcom Axiata) becomes the first operator in Asia to offer Koble, a leading global digital business-to-business matchmaking platform, to enterprise customers.
The launch of the Koble app follows the newly enhanced Celcom Business portfolio for digital enterprise focused products.
In August 2018, Xpand, an enterprise solutions and IoT business of Axiata Group Bhd, signed an exclusive licensing agreement offering the Koble platform in Asia.
Celcom’s launch on Thursday is the platform’s debut in Asia; providing small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) a digital business matchmaking service to meet buyers and suppliers that are a perfect match for potential commercial opportunities.
By integrating Koble’s app into the Celcom Business portfolio of services, the platform creates a network of business opportunities for enterprises in Malaysia at an unprecedented size and scope. Via this partnership, all Celcom Business customers will enjoy exclusive benefits such as preferential rates on Koble packages and tailored campaigns.
“I am pleased to add Koble to our suite of solutions for SMEs and enterprises,” said Celcom Axiata’s chief executive Mohamad Idham Nawawi. “Celcom and Axiata, with a wide LTE coverage and a suite of solutions, are excited to play a major role in assisting both small and large businesses to increase productivity and potentially grow their business in the digital market.”
The Koble platform enables business professionals to discover, connect and facilitate business deals with buyers and suppliers from around the world.
Recognising the need to improve current business-to-business (B2B) networks which are solely designed for building personal brands, the Koble platform combines the power of social networking with the intelligence of anonymous and artificial intelligence (AI) powered matchmaking, improving relationship management for both qualified buyers and sellers who are looking to grow their businesses.
“We are thrilled to make our entry into the Asian market with our launch in Malaysia with Celcom, helping small enterprises across the country to solve their number one business challenge — finding new customers,” said Fabrice Saporito, Koble Founder and chief executive officer.
“I believe the Koble app and platform will quickly become the go-to business social network for Malaysian buyers to discover new customers for their businesses and ultimately close deals with them.”
Although B2B purchasing online is more than double B2C buying, the current US$300 billion digital advertising market is primarily geared towards consumers and dominated by platforms such as Facebook and Google.
The lag in B2B advertising spend behind purchasing is largely due to the complex nature of B2B sourcing and buying.
Koble is eliminating the friction of B2B buying and selling online by blending consumer networking for faster adoption with the requirements businesses need, such as authenticity and privacy.
With a monthly subscription starting at RM40 per user, Koble reduces to the cost of a qualified lead to a fraction of the cost Malaysian businesses are paying for qualified leads today.
A Google Survey commissioned by Koble in July 2018 found that Malaysian businesses are currently paying between RM300 to RM900 for a qualified lead.
Celcom customers, existing and new, will benefit from exclusive pricing and special campaigns such as three-months Koble Pro Plan for free for an annual commitment to the plan as well as 50 per cent off Koble Starter and Pro Plan list prices.