Welcome to Tech in Asia’s daily newsletter, your essential dose of Asia’s tech and startup buzz. Not yet a subscriber? Register here. Got a story tip? Send it to editors@techinasia.com.
In focus
- Indonesian streaming unicorn Vidio wants to turn viewers to shoppers
- A Carousell co-founder’s robotics firm got new funding to power robot “brains”
- Anthropic CEO flags rising risks in the AI spending of tech firms
Hello reader,
Over the past year, my mom has often talked about the things she buys on TikTok. She frequently discovers products while swiping through videos, especially household or fashion items, and she purchases them even though she initially had no intention of shopping.
This kind of impulse buying has become a new segment in ecommerce since the rise of TikTok Shop, which first hit Southeast Asia in 2021 and which we chronicled extensively here.
Now, Indonesian video-streaming unicorn Vidio wants to capture this market through its shopping feature. It has partnered with Shopee to showcase products from the ecommerce platform on its content, particularly free-to-air TV shows. Users can check out without leaving the show.
In today’s first Top Story, I take a closer look at this strategy. Although both Vidio and TikTok Shop are targeting impulse buyers and tapping into video commerce, for instance, there are some notable differences between the two.
And for Vidio, converting views to actual transactions remains to be seen, as its approach is still new.
In this edition, we also feature the robotics venture of Carousell co-founder Lucas Ngoo. His company, Cortex AI, has just raised US$6 million in seed funding to build its team in Singapore and the Philippines. My colleague Miguel spoke exclusively with Ngoo to understand the mission of Cortex AI.
Jofie Yordan, journalist
Top Stories
1️⃣ Turning dramas into carts: Inside Vidio’s ecommerce playbook
Image credit: Timmy Loen
Video commerce isn’t new, but what Vidio brings with its shopping feature is unique: turning free-to-air TV shows or on-demand content like dramas, reality shows, and sports into shoppable content. Even streaming giants like Netflix and Disney+ don’t do this.
Its early traction between August and October has been solid, as order volumes more than doubled and gross merchandise value grew 1.5x.
Put your startup in the spotlight
Trending news
Stay updated on the go with our mobile app.
Get latest insights with smoother, more personalized experience through TIA mobile app.
