“depa” Kicked Off the ‘Transform: New-normal Market’ Campaign, Turning All Trades to Online and Embracing Cashless Society

Aiming to support business management, create marketing opportunities and expand sales and logistic channels, the campaign serves consumer needs and lifestyles in a digital era. Starting with over 30,000 entrepreneurs in six pilot provinces, all buy-and-sales channels were to be shifted online with a cashless society. Meanwhile, the campaign also targeted to enlarge other markets’ awareness in the four Bangkok’s vicinities. With its second phase planned for another 25 provinces nationwide, this campaign took an active role in driving Thailand towards a full digital economy.

HE. Mr. Chaiwut Thanakmanusorn, Minister of Digital Economy and Society (MDES), revealed that the ministry’s main mission was to develop a comprehensive foundation of digital innovation and technological infrastructures in all areas across the country. To facilitate an easily accessible technology and digital innovative to everyone, the Digital Economy Promotion Agency (depa) took a lead to promote and support the public from all sectors to be able to access and apply digital technology and innovation with the best potential. Especially, the local economy which is essential for the overall Thailand economy.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has casted a change in consumer behavior. So, the government have to take a leading role in developing the potential of Thai operators and helping and support them as well as turning this crisis into opportunity. As part of the MDES’s pillar, depa has launched a campaign called ‘Transform:  New-normal Market’ to raise the operation standards of Thai SME operators, shops, hawkers and stalls by enabling them to exchange money via secured online system and facilitating all shopping lifestyles into a cashless society. We are optimistic that the digital technology will bring a recovery to the Thai grassroots businesses. In turn, this business group will help propel our economy to overcome COVID-19 crisis. In addition, the first phase is expected to generate over 300 million baht in revenue,” shared MDES Minister.

Dr. Nuttapon Nimmanphatcharin, President and CEO, depa, said that the Transform: New-normal Market campaign aimed at promoting and supporting the SME operators as well as small entrepreneurs like local shops, hawkers and stalls, to access and adapt to digital technology from the existing startups network. This would help improve their business efficacy, create market opportunities, increase distribution and logistics channels, and enable a transform of a new competitive model under sustainable growth. The first six pilot provinces included Bangkok, Nakhon Sawan, Nakhon Pathom, Chainat, Sing Buri and Lopburi, covering over 30,000 operators. Meanwhile, depa also put a plan in place to further create higher awareness in the four Bangkok’s vicinities.

      
The Transform: New-normal Market Campaign would undergo four phases: 
Phase 1 In June 2021, the campaign conducted a selection and mobilization process of Thai digital startups and Thai digital service providers that covered six online-related technology groups, including E-payment, Chatbot, Delivery, Logistics, Point of Sales: POS and Service systems. These knowledge- and technology-wise would be paired up with the SMEs, shops, hawkers and stalls in order to utilize platforms for sales and distribution channels or the existing local applications.

Phase 2 From August 2021 onwards, the campaign launched a series of online training courses, hosted by experts, to advice and educate these businesses on how to conduct marketing activities on social media.

Phase 3 depa together with the selected digital startups would organize on-site visits and prototype market activities in the six pilot provinces, including Bangkok, Nakhon Sawan, Nakhon Pathom, Chainat, Sing Buri, Lopburi as well as deploy the on-site troops to promote these local applications.

Phase 4 Beginning of 2022, depa planned to carry out a showcase event in Bangkok to help revive the city’s economy in the post-COVID-19 crisis period as well as to exchange lessons learned from the transformation of these pioneer fresh markets that has turned into the complete new-normal fresh markets.

“The rapid growth of digital technology and the COVID-19 crisis itself has a great impact on the consumer behavior. Thus, entrepreneurs need to be resilient to the situation and the ever-changing consumer behavior by creating new marketing opportunities, reducing costs, increasing revenue and improving quality of life. depa is opportunistic that this Transform:  New-normal Market campaign will be extended to benefit larger public in other provinces throughout Thailand. So, in 2022, we will continue this effort to reach out to another 65,000 businesses, and create digital prototype markets that will spread in over 20 provinces. This campaign will empower Thai entrepreneurs, create high economic values for Thailand and support the country to be ready to move forward as a total cashless society in the near future,” added depa President and CEO.

   
Interested businesses and individuals, please check out for updates of the Transform:  New-normal Market campaign at transformmarket.depa.or.th, contact depa for more information at E-mail: [email protected] and LINE OA: @transformmarket.