The GenAI features will transform four key dimensions of eCommerce shopping, termed 4Ds, including discovery, dependability, deals, and decision making, to deliver a more personalised and interactive experienceLazada is also leveraging Alibaba’s newly-launched improved iteration of its AI translation tool, Marco MT, to support language localisation needs in the diverse region of Southeast AsiaIn parallel, Lazada has partnered with Kantar to launch its inaugural “Artificial Intelligence Adoption in eCommerce in Southeast Asia” whitepaper on consumer preferences, sentiments and behaviour towards AI

SINGAPORE, Oct. 30, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Lazada, Southeast Asia’s pioneer eCommerce platform, today announced a major leap in online shopping with the launch of all-new GenAI-powered in-app features. These enhancements promise to revolutionise the shopping journey by offering shoppers a more personalised, engaging, and dynamic experience. Alongside this, Lazada also launched its Artificial Intelligence Adoption in eCommerce in Southeast Asia whitepaper, jointly developed with Kantar, to better understand AI awareness, trust and preferences, shopping behaviour, and consumer pain points in the region.

Lazada’s GenAI features include an AI-powered personal shopping assistant – AI Lazzie, smart recommendations, AI-generated product information, and even AI-generated models, which position the platform at the forefront of a rapidly evolving eCommerce landscape in Southeast Asia. Lazada is also leveraging Alibaba’s newly-launched improved iteration of its AI translation tool, Marco MT, to support language localisation needs in the diverse region of Southeast Asia. The AI translation tool is based on Alibaba’s proprietary model Qwen, and is designed to help sellers create product pages in the language of their target market. The improved version – Marco MT, is powered by large language models, with the ability to interpret contextual clues such as cultural and industry-specific terms.

As AI and GenAI continue to serve as major growth catalysts, Lazada is addressing the four critical dimensions (4Ds) that are transforming online shopping:

1.     Discovery: Enhancing Product Search and Shopping Inspiration

AI is reshaping how shoppers discover products by providing personalised recommendations and improving search efficiency. The whitepaper reveals that nine out of ten respondents in Southeast Asia believe that AI enhances their search efficiency when shopping online. Lazada’s AI tools, such as the personal shopping assistant, AI Lazzie, are designed to help shoppers not only find products, but also discover new ideas and lifestyle additions, offering 24/7 tailored assistance to enrich and elevate the shopping experience.

2.     Dependability: Building Trust and Loyalty through Tailored Experiences

With the new GenAI updates, Lazada will now be able to offer more dynamic and engaging content on its platform. For instance, AI-generated product descriptions and images can be tailored to different regions, languages, and cultural nuances, ensuring that shoppers feel a deeper connection with the products they are browsing. This capability is particularly valuable in Southeast Asia, where linguistic and cultural diversity are both varied and vast.

Insights from our whitepaper also revealed an exceedingly high level of trust towards AI-powered platforms, where a majority of shoppers trust and rely on AI for personalised recommendations (92%) and product summaries (90%). Here, Lazada’s GenAI features such as its AI-powered smart reviews and personalised product recommendations based on shopping habits and past purchases can enhance shopping experience by offering shoppers quick, comprehensive, and reliable product insights. These tools foster customer loyalty by enabling dependable and seamless interactions that build trust, while helping shoppers make more informed decisions.

Given the impact that AI delivers, we are witnessing a huge majority of shoppers using AI features on eCommerce platforms at least once a week (80%), with a high willingness to pay more for AI-powered shopping experiences (83%).

3.     Deals: Helping Shoppers Find the Best Value

The whitepaper highlights that approximately a third of Southeast Asian shoppers are price-conscious and actively seek out deals (41%). In fact, more than half of the respondents identify competitive pricing (54%) and the availability of vouchers and discounts (51%) as key factors that influence repeat purchases.

Lazada’s AI-curated offers, exclusive vouchers, and the integration of LazCoins as a rewards mechanic further ensure that shoppers can access the best value for every purchase. By leveraging AI, Lazada helps shoppers discover deals tailored to their personal preferences, habits, and interests to ensure that the best deal is secured.

Going above and beyond, the humanised aspect of GenAI means that Lazada is also able to gamify the shopping experience, by rewarding positive behaviour such as high user engagement rate with additional surprise discount voucher codes and bundle deals.

4.     Decision-Making: Smarter Shopping Choices

Lazada’s findings reveal that an overwhelming 88% of respondents in Southeast Asia make purchase decisions using AI-generated content and product recommendations, and over half (51%) indicate that product and seller reviews are key features they prioritise when shopping online. Harnessing this insight, Lazada’s GenAI update is designed to create unique content by harnessing product reviews, product key selling points, as well as tailored product recommendations to optimise the shopper research process and support their purchasing decisions with facts and data.

To further expedite the decision-making process, AI Lazzie can answer shopper queries promptly to address concerns, which can result in increased order conversion rates, as well as enhanced customer satisfaction and loyalty.

James Dong, Chief Executive Officer of Lazada Group, commented, “At Lazada, we have embraced GenAI as part of our customer-centric, long-term growth strategy to enhance customer experiences, as we stribe to stay ahead and steer into a new era of online shopping. We foresee that GenAI will accelerate an eCommerce revolution and reshape the way we currently shop, sell, and engage. Our goal is to make every experience sharper, more individual, efficient, and enjoyable. Through these innovations, we’re not only supporting our shoppers, but also empowering our sellers to make smarter, data-driven decisions, from product positioning to customer engagement.”

Dong added: “As Lazada implements AI at scale, we strive to create win-win scenarios for all eCommerce players, while maintaining the human touch that remains essential in fostering authentic, lasting relationships with our shoppers, sellers, and partners in the ecosystem. By embracing GenAI, we aim to create a more accessible, inclusive, and personalised shopping experience for all.”

About the Whitepaper

The Artificial Intelligence Adoption in eCommerce in Southeast Asia whitepaper is derived from the research conducted in partnership with Kantar in six Southeast Asian markets – Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, and the Philippines – which surveyed more than 6,000 eCommerce users between the ages of 18 and 60 in September 2024.

Download the Lazada app: Apple App Store | Google Play Store

About Lazada Group

Lazada Group is Southeast Asia’s pioneer eCommerce platform. For the last 12 years, Lazada has been accelerating progress in Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam through commerce and technology. Today, a thriving local ecosystem links about 160 million active users to more than one million actively-selling sellers every month, who are transacting safely and securely via trusted payments channels and Lazada Wallet, receiving parcels through a homegrown logistics network that has become the largest in the region.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/apac/news-releases/lazada-announces-suite-of-genai-features-to-transform-shopping-and-seller-experiences-in-southeast-asia-302290849.html

SOURCE Lazada Group

Survey on robocalls conducted in response to the rapid global expansion of risks, such as fake phone calls during the US presidential election

PLANO, Texas, Oct. 30, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Ribbon Communications Inc. (Nasdaq: RBBN), a global provider of real time communications technology and IP optical networking solutions to many of the world’s largest service providers, enterprises, and critical infrastructure operators to modernize and protect their networks has conducted a survey on robocalls (automated voice calls) in Japan.

Machine-generated robocalls, also known as automated voice calls, often utilizing AI technology. While these calls can enhance operational efficiencies and reduce manpower requirements, they are frequently misused for fraudulent activities, such as obtaining personal information or conducting scams.

Earlier this Spring, robocalls mimicking President Biden’s voice using generative AI technology were used to dissuade voters from participating in the New Hampshire electoral primary ahead of the November 5th presidential election. Globally, robocalls have become a significant social issue. In Japan there has been a sharp increase in fraudulent robocalls, including scams involving false claims of unpaid fees.

Key survey findings include:

Awareness Gap: Approximately 90% of respondents had never heard of robocalls. However, among those who were aware, approximately 85% recognized their use in fraudulent activities around the world.Suspicious Calls: One in five respondents reported receiving suspicious robocalls soliciting personal information or suspected of being scams, suggesting that despite limited public awareness, fraudulent robocalls are currently being made in Japan.Impact on Daily Life: Over 90% of those who received suspicious robocalls felt uncomfortable answering their phones, indicating that the impact of suspicious robocalls extends into everyday life.Limited countermeasures: 70% of respondents believe that individuals only have limited options in fighting against unwanted calls.As generative AI continues to evolve, the potential for damage caused by abusive robocalls is likely to increase. This underscores the need for companies and telecom providers to deploy robust tools to combat the misuse of robocalls are abused.

Comments by Yoshikazu Kuwabara, Senior Manager, Systems Engineering Department, Ribbon Communications
Robocalls have been increasing around the world over the past few years, and while not all robocalls are malicious, thery are contributing to a growing loss of trust in telephony. More and more, people refuse to answer calls from unknown numbers, blocked numbers, or avoid answering the phone altogether.

As robocalls are not a daily occurrence in Japan at present, many people are unaware of them. However, as 42% of respondents have experienced robocalls (automated voice calls), indicating that robocalls do exist in Japan and could become more common in the future. In the USA, where robocalls have become a major issue, call verification (STIR/SHAKEN) has already been mandated by the FCC and Congress.

In this context, Ribbon Communications offers Ribbon Call Trust as a solution for assuring the identity of callers (Identity Assurance Solution). It provides caller Reputation scoring, robocall and fraudulent call detection with anomaly analysis, STIR/SHAKEN services (Caller ID authentication, signing and verification), blocklisting, encryption, CAC, policy routing and CVT (Call Validation Treatment). functions, contributing to the creation of a safe and secure telephony environment.

Survey Summary

90% of people have never heard of ‘robocalls’!Of those who know about robocalls, about 85% know of cases where they have been used fraudulently.Around 42% of respondents have experienced robocalls!One in five people have experienced a suspicious robocall!Approximately 94% of those who experienced a suspicious robocall had negative feelings about the call they subsequently received.When a call comes in from an unknown number, the countermeasure taken by around 70% of people is: ‘I don’t answer unknown numbers’.About 71% of respondents feel that there are limited measures that individuals can take against unwanted phone calls!

Survey Overview

Almost 90% of people have never heard of ‘robocalls’!
When asked if they had heard of robocalls, close to 90% of respondents said they had not heard of them or did not know about them. Although robocalls are a problem worldwide, they are still not well recognised in Japan. (n=330）

About 85% of those who know about robocalls are aware of cases where they have been used fraudulently.
Approximately 85% of those who are aware of Robocalls, know that they are being used fraudulently around the globe, including for various scams. Those who were aware of robocalls were also aware of a high percentage of cases of abuse. (n=39）

Around 42% of respondents have experienced robocalls!
When asked if they had received robocalls to their mobile or landline, around 42% said they had.（n=330）

The survey also found that more than half of those aged 50-65 years had been targeted by robocalls.

One in five people have experienced a suspicious robocall!
Of those who said they had experienced robocalls, around 46% said they had experienced suspicious robocalls that attempted to ask for personal information or were suspected of being a scam. These results show that one in five people have experienced a suspicious robocall. (n=138）

In terms of age, the most frequent experience of suspicious robocalls was in the 30s, at around 70%, followed by those in their 50s at around 50%.

Approximately 94% of those who experienced a suspicious robocall had negative feelings about the call they subsequently received
Of those who had experienced a suspicious robocall, around 94% said that they felt uncomfortable or did not pick up the subsequent call because they felt uncomfortable. This suggests that abusive and suspicious robocalls are having an impact on daily life. (n=63）

When a call comes in from an unknown number, the countermeasure taken by around 70% of people is: ‘I don’t answer unknown numbers’.
When asked what they do when they receive a call from an unknown number, the most common response was that they do not answer unknown numbers, at around 70%. A certain number of people do not take any countermeasures, with around 20% of respondents saying they have not thought about it. (Multiple answers) (n=325）

About 71% of respondents feel that there are limited measures that individuals can take against unwanted phone calls!
Around 71% of respondents felt that there are limited measures that individuals can take against unwanted calls, indicating that most people feel that this is a challenge. (n=325）About Ribbon Call Trust®
Ribbon Call Trust is an Identity Assurance Solution (Identity Assurance Solution) designed to guarantee the  identity of the caller. To prevent excessive robocalls and fraudulent calls, it is important to understand the caller’s intentions and reputation. To this end, it provides Reputation Score, robocall and fraudulent call detection through anomaly analysis, STIR/SHAKEN services (Caller ID authentication, signature and verification), blocking, encryption, CAC, policy routing and CVT (Call Validation Treatment), Ribbon Call Trust is widely used by telecom operators, mainly in the US and Canada, but also in France and other countries where STIR/SHAKEN is mandatory.

Providing a comprehensive Robocall Reputation Score in real-time using ML (Machine Learning) from multiple data sources, including external fraud information databases, telecom operators’ own databases and statistics from analytics, to enable telecom This enables operators to perform appropriate CVT (Call Validation Treatment), such as announcement connection, activation of CAPTCHA authentication and call disconnection, for calls deemed to have a high potential for robocalls or fraud.

Ribbon Call Trust® website
https://learn.rbbn.com/jp/identity-assurance

About Ribbon
Ribbon Communications (Nasdaq: RBBN) delivers communications software, IP and optical networking solutions to service providers, enterprises and critical infrastructure sectors globally. We engage deeply with our customers, helping them modernize their networks for improved competitive positioning and business outcomes in today’s smart, always-on and data-hungry world. Our innovative, end-to-end solutions portfolio delivers unparalleled scale, performance, and agility, including core to edge software-centric solutions, cloud-native offers, leading-edge security and analytics tools, along with IP and optical networking solutions for 5G. We maintain a keen focus on our commitments to Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) matters, offering an annual Sustainability Report to our stakeholders. To learn more about Ribbon, please visit rbbn.com.

Japanese website https://learn.rbbn.com/jp

Important Information Regarding Forward-Looking Statements 
The information in this release contains forward-looking statements regarding future events that involve risks and uncertainties. All statements other than statements of historical facts contained in this release, including those regarding the expected benefits from use of Ribbon Communication’s products, are forward-looking statements. The actual results of Ribbon Communications may differ materially from those contemplated by the forward-looking statements. For further information regarding risks and uncertainties associated with Ribbon Communications’ business, please refer to the “Risk Factors” section of Ribbon Communications’ most recent annual or quarterly report filed with the SEC. Any forward-looking statements represent Ribbon Communications’ views only as of the date on which such statement is made and should not be relied upon as representing Ribbon Communications’ views as of any subsequent date. While Ribbon Communications may elect to update forward-looking statements at some point, Ribbon Communications specifically disclaims any obligation to do so.

Media Contact
Ribbon Communications Public Relations Office（Within Kyodo Public Relations Co.）
Kanno, Otsuka、Kikuchi
TEL: 03-6260-4856 E-mail: ribbon-pr@kyodo-pr.co.jp

Logo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/633020/Ribbon_Logo.jpg

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/apac/news-releases/close-to-90-of-people-have-never-heard-of-robocalls-302290612.html

SOURCE Ribbon Communications Inc.

SINGAPORE, Oct. 30, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Fly Wing Technologies Pte Ltd (“Fly Wing”), a wholly owned subsidiary of Matrixport, the world’s leading and largest one-stop crypto financial services platform in Asia, today announced that it has received an in-principle approval (“IPA”) from the Monetary Authority of Singapore (“MAS”) for its Major Payment Institution License (“MPI license”) application.

As a leading global financial centre, Singapore is a key market and jurisdiction in Matrixport’s Global regulatory licensing strategy. The IPA marks an important milestone for Fly Wing’s journey towards obtaining the MPI license, further strengthening its leading position as the premium Over-the-Counter (OTC) desk in Singapore.

John Ge, Co-founder and CEO of Matrixport, said, “Singapore, as one of the world’s leading financial centers, has a positive and open attitude toward the emerging Web 3.0 industry and provides clear and definite regulatory framework for digital payment token services. We are very optimistic about Singapore’s strong potential in the Web3 field. This will continue to empower us to provide more compliant and innovative financial products and services to eligible clients worldwide, and to fulfill our commitment to achieving the highest compliant operational standards in the jurisdictions where we operate.”

Fly Wing can offer innovative Digital Payment Token services in a compliant and responsible manner, and will continue to optimize blockchain-driven Digital Payment Token services, helping more users easily enter the Web 3.0 industry. The company will also continue to work with global benchmark regulatory agencies to jointly create a compliant and secure blockchain financial ecosystem.

About Fly Wing Technologies Pte Ltd

Founded in 2019, Fly Wing Technologies Pte. Ltd. (“Fly Wing”) is a wholly owned subsidiary of Matrixport, a leading digital asset financial services platform in Asia. Fly Wing serves a diverse clientele, including crypto miners, trading firms, investment firms, and high-net-worth individuals from both crypto and traditional finance. The company engages in OTC market making, facilitating over $100 million in monthly transactions and providing liquidity for major cryptocurrencies, as well as fiat on- and off-ramps.

Fly Wing has received the IPA from MAS for an MPI License to provide digital payment token service for OTC trading in Singapore.

Fly Wing official website: https://www.flywing.com/

About Matrixport

Founded in 2019, Matrixport is the world’s leading all-in-one hub for crypto financial services. The platform is committed to providing every user with a personalized Super Account that integrates crypto trading, investment, loan, custody, RWA, research and more. With $6 billion in AUM (assets under management), Matrixport offers global users diverse crypto-financial solutions designed for optimal capital efficiency and sustainable returns.

As a Group and through its local subsidiaries, Matrixport has received the Trust and Company Service Provider (TCSP) / Money Lender Licenses in Hong Kong, and the FINMA Asset Management License in Switzerland. The company operates as an Appointed Representative in the UK, is registered as an MSB in the US, and is a member of Switzerland’s FINMA SRO-VFQ. It was recognized by CB Insights as one of the “50 Most Promising Blockchain Companies” and featured in the Hurun “2024 Global Unicorn List.” Additionally, Matrixport’s subsidiary, Fly Wing, has obtained IPA for the MPI License in Singapore.

Matrixport official website: https://www.matrixport.com

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/apac/news-releases/matrixports-subsidiary-fly-wing-receives-in-principle-approval-for-major-payment-institution-license-in-singapore-302290174.html

SOURCE Matrixport