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Hello there,
I’ve gone down a rabbit hole of watching YouTube videos on minimalism lately.
One of its tenets is the 30/30 rule: If something you want to purchase costs more than US$30, ask yourself if you can do without it for the next 30 hours. After which, reassess your need for it: Will your life truly be better off owning this new item? (Items that cost above US$100 warrant a longer, 30-day wait.)
Of course, I’m no minimalist. But that rule is one thing I’ve tried to put into practice recently, and not surprisingly, I’ve saved myself a number of wasteful purchases and a fair bit of money, too.
Buying and splurging on new items is often more emotional than we realize. That’s why it’s no surprise that online retailers are zeroing in on smoothening the checkout process: The easier and faster it is to purchase, the less room and time there is for customers to think twice.
If all it took was a single tap of the finger to buy something online (no keying in of card details, no need to check and reenter personal particulars and mailing addresses), we’d all be buying a whole lot more.
This week’s big story by Mike Aquino looks at the rise of one-click payments in Southeast Asia – yes, the same feature that Amazon patented and popularized. Unlike the US, one-click checkouts aren’t as commonplace in this part of the world yet, though there are early signs that the pieces are starting to come together.
— Melissa
THE BIG STORY
2022: A big year for one-click payments in SEA?

Image credit: Timmy Loen
Checking out in one click, a method first patented and popularized by Amazon, could soon become more common in Southeast Asia.
TRENDING NEWS
Check out Tech in Asia’s coverage of Asia’s fintech scene here.
1️⃣ Bank Jago sees first profits since Gojek-backed management took over
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