In a bid to push the development of cashless transactions in the Kingdom, Pathmazing is launching a new e-commerce application alongside one of Cambodia’s first large-scale electronic payment platforms, also partnering with various restaurants and franchises in Phnom Penh.
The app, Tesjor, is currently in its beta phase and is expected to be publicly available for download in late November, according to Pathmazing’s CEO, Steven Path. Once unveiled, it will allow users to order and pay for food at 80 locations in the capital, including at major franchises like Domino’s Pizza, KFC, and Lotteria, he added.
“This is a project we’ve been working on for the past four years and it is going to be the first true e-commerce app in Cambodia that requires e-payments,” he said.“It could potentially be the first business app to go mainstream in Cambodia other than Facebook.”
Tesjor will be linked with Tesjor Coin, a separate e-wallet platform and app for customers to upload funds to their accounts and make payments. Users can access the e-wallet on their phones to check their balance, or top up at any of the 200 Pay&Go kiosks in Phnom Penh, as well as directly through many of the participating restaurants.
Pathmazing partnered with Acleda Bank to allow account holders to link their accounts with the app. However, Path wanted to overcome widespread mistrust of e-commerce transactions in Cambodia by creating the Tesjor Coin so that users can control the amount of money they have on the app.
“I think Cambodians are not really educated on e-commerce yet and they don’t really trust these payment providers to enter their debit card number because they often feel like it exposes their entire account,” he said. “That is why we believe the problem will be solved by an e-wallet solution.”
Once customers join the app, they will benefit from a 10 percent discount for each item they order as well as receive the chance to win coupons and redeem loyalty points for their purchases.
Path expects that once Tesjor is adopted – he is hoping for 100,000 downloads in the first three months – Pathmazing can expand the use of the e-wallet to third party apps. He also hopes to expand Tesjor for shops, transportation services and hotels.
“I do feel that once people start being comfortable with this, it will open up doors for so many other apps and I believe that in the next 12 months, e-commerce in Cambodia will explode,” he explained.
Chris McCarthy, co-chair of the Britcham e-Business working group, thinks Cambodia is ready to adopt this type of e-commerce technology, though stigmas associated with online transactions still need to be overcome.
“I do think that the market is ready for exactly this type of thing and I think it is great to see companies trying to expand the e-commerce market,” he said. “It is going to take some time for Cambodians to adopt cashless transactions but this is the kind of app that can push that forward, especially for the younger generations.”
Online behaviour trends in the Kingdom already point to a demand for e-commerce transactions, according to McCarthy. Additionally, Tesjor can tap into the growing popularity of going to restaurants and eating at international food chains, he noted.
“There already is a robust ecosystem of sellers on Facebook and Instagram, so now it just depends on how quickly people decide to adopt these new apps,” he said.
Furthermore, McCarthy said, “People here are starting to have more and more disposable income as well.”
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