SINGAPORE, July 28, 2015 /PRNewswire/ --
Corous360 Pte. Ltd. ("Corous360"), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Catalist-listed firm, DeClout Limited ("DeClout", and together with its subsidiaries, the "Group"), has today unveiled "PLAYe" -- its new 3-in-1 online-mobile-offline (OMO) platform that will transform the way games and collectibles will be marketed, distributed and consumed in Singapore and the region.
PLAYe is a single, intuitive platform combining the best ways for consumers to enjoy their games and hobbies -- all in one place, 24/7!
Among its many key features, PLAYe serves as a digital personal assistant to the consumer showing the latest range of collectibles and gadgets and offering information on the newest games and products at the push of a button. PLAYe also allows the consumer to engage with fellow enthusiasts and experience that toy or game before purchasing.
PLAYe aims to combine one of the largest and most diverse collections of entertainment brands in Asia with specially curated content to engage fans across different platforms -- on PC, tablet or mobile as well as physical games stores which will be transformed into experiential centres to satisfy the touch-and-feel demands of hard-core enthusiasts.
"We all love fun and entertainment and the new PLAYe platform puts an incredible experience at every fan's fingertips," said Mr Kelvin Tay, Corous360's CEO.
"The many ways people like to enjoy their games or hobbies have come together in one mobile application (app) -- a revolutionary and secure service that is real-time and accessible online, mobile and offline -- in an exciting way for fans to connect with each other, enjoy curated content and to get that dream toy or game that they treasure without hassle or frustration."
Aside from benefiting the consumers, PLAYe is also good news for game retailers as it offers a new business model for products to be created and distributed. Through an alliance with strategic retailers, traditional retail stores can sign on partnerships with Corous360 to expand their sales through PLAYe's innovative platform.
Mr Jacky Choo, CEO of Epicsoft Asia Pte. Ltd. ("Epicsoft Asia"), a 51% owned subsidiary of Corous360, said: "We have invested much time and resources to develop PLAYe. As veterans in the games and collectibles industry, we are able to come up with a platform that offers both the technology and the human touch to create a unique experience to customers and add value to the community."
PLAYe will serve as an integrated e-commerce value chain that allows seamless transactions online, offline and mobile. At a later stage, the platform will grow to serve other forms of lifestyle entertainment needs.
For a start, Corous360 will be targeting one million premium consumers -- fans who spend between USD$100 and $1000 per annum on games and merchandises -- through its exclusive upcoming alliance of 100 retail stores across Asia over the next three years. PLAYe will first be rolled out in Singapore, Hong Kong and Taiwan by the end of 2016. It will then be rolled out in phases across Malaysia, Thailand, Philippines, Vietnam and Indonesia.
Mr Choo added: "PLAYe will be a game changer for the industry as it will bring new value through a seamless eco-system that will connect retailers and users through a dedicated consumer-centric vertical. Through this integrated seamless and cost-effective platform, retailers will be able to enlarge their offerings and sales trajectories to a wider customer base."
"They can also see what is in the pipeline and make more accurate forecast of consumer demand, hence improving the efficiency of their businesses as well as the experiences of their customers who will never have to worry about delivery issues or items going out of stock anymore. PLAYe also helps retailers with customer retention."
The launch of PLAYe is in line with Corous360's overall strategy to be the leading e-commerce player in Southeast Asia.
"This new platform represents a new frontier for Corous360 as we strategically shift towards niche verticals to provide value-added solutions in the e-commerce space that will bring about new revenue streams and capabilities for the Group," said Mr Tay.
The launch of the PLAYe platform will kick off at the Funz Centre store at Orchard Central, which will be a showcase of the experiential centres that will be set up in Singapore. Funz Centre, a homegrown games and collectibles specialist with six outlets in Singapore, is a partner of Epicsoft Asia. Part of the Funz Centre chain of stores in Singapore will serve as experiential stores and convenient collection points -- an integral extension of the entire PLAYe ecosystem.
[1] Source: (Newzoo, 2015)
More about PLAYe
A special domain within the e-commerce VDC for the games and collectibles industry
PLAYe is a specially-crafted domain within the e-commerce Vertical Domain Cloud (VDC) for the games and collectibles industry in Asia, and is set to redefine consumer and business lifestyle trends.
This platform will provide retailers a "plug and play" cost-effective e-commerce channel to integrate their physical stores with a digital channel to drive sales locally and overseas. PLAYe's proprietary integrated POS (point of sale) + APP + online platform offers a user-friendly, customisable register to manage offline and online transactions, while tracking everything sold. At the same time, the platform also handles instant delivery and redemption of digital codes, pre-orders, accurate forecast and stocking. The platform even gives retailers an e-wallet for digital payments.
Best of all, PLAYe will revolutionise the way gamers and collectors experience their passions. They will get a seamless customer experience for offline and online purchases with one account as well as flexible delivery or pick up from the nearest store through PLAYe's retail network. As members, they also enjoy additional perks such as loyalty points or rewards, exclusive invites to stores for new products and promotions and sneak previews of upcoming titles.
Availability
The PLAYe app will be available for free from the Apple App Store and Google Play store from 28 July 2015. The PLAYe experiential centres are expected to be rolled out in the next six to twelve months.
About Corous360
Headquartered in Singapore, Corous360 is one of the leading digital commerce and payment solutions providers in Southeast Asia.
Leveraging on its origins as a games cloud provider, Corous360 has expanded its suite of platform solutions offerings into the e-commerce arena with an innovative payment platform that enables business-to-business, business-to-consumes and consumer-to-consumer payments across web and mobile interfaces, revolutionising the way businesses and consumers transact and establishing Corous360 as the next generation e-commerce enabler.
Corous360 is a subsidiary of DeClout Limited, a global holdings company listed on the Catalist board of the Singapore Exchange Securities Trading Limited. Corous360's subsidiaries include EpicSoft Asia Pte Ltd. and Playworks Pte. Ltd.
DeClout Limited
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