Notification of Establishment of Local Subsidiary in Malaysia 〜 giftee launches full-scale eGift business in ASEAN 〜

eGift service(*1)provider, giftee, Inc. (Head office: Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director/CEO: Mutsumi Ota), established GIFTEE MALAYSIA SDN. BHD, a wholly-owned subsidiary of giftee, in Malaysia on September 13, 2018, with the objective of developing its business in the ASEAN region in earnest. The new company commenced operations on October 1, 2018.

giftee, Inc. has as its corporate mission “Using gifts to connect people to people, people to business, and people to communities.” Based on this mission, it provides “giftee”(*2), a casual gift service that allows customers to send gifts online easily, along with the sentiment of “a little thank you” for everyday kindnesses. It also operates a SaaS business providing the “eGift System,”(*3)a gift sales system for businesses. Launching “giftee for Business,” a new solution for businesses based on its original “giftee” service, in April, 2016, and “Welcome!STAMP,” a local e-currency system, in May 2016, the company is using the technologies it has built up in its eGift business to actively develop new businesses.

In May 2018, in advance of the establishment of the Malaysian subsidiary, giftee provided the eGift System to 122 branches (excluding Borneo) in the Sushi King chain of Japanese restaurants operated in Malaysia by Sushi Kin Sdn Bhd (Head office: Malaysia; President & COO: Akihiko Hijioka) and conducted a campaign that targeted approximately 360,000 customers. This project proved successful and it was decided to prepare for a more full-scale development of the business. The ASEAN market, including Malaysia, is expected to experience ongoing population increases and economic growth in the coming years. In Malaysia, 89% of the population now owns a smartphone (Service Businesses Moving into the Expanding ASEAN Market, Japan External Trade Organization, September 2017)and the average time spend on social media is 3.3 hours a day (DIGITAL IN 2017 GLOBAL OVERVIEW, HootSuite). This social background is highly compatible with the eGift business model, making it an extremely attractive new market to move into. giftee plans to introduce its system into about three brands operated by Malaysian capital in 2018 and will accelerate the development of its business in the local market.

With the establishment of this local subsidiary, giftee aims to use the knowledge and experience it has built up in the Japanese market to branch out into the ASEAN’s growth cities, including in Malaysia, and to expand its eGift business there. It also plans to expand its CtoC services into overseas markets, with the aim of creating a custom and culture of casual gift-giving as a means of conveying everyday feelings of gratitude through the popularization of eGIFT both in Japan and abroad. giftee Representative Director, Mutsumi Ota, was appointed as Representative of the Malaysian subsidiary on September 13, 2018.

(*1) eGIFT Service is a service in which the gift-giver purchases a digital gift ticket online and sends it to the recipient, who can exchange it for goods at the store.
(*2) giftee is a web-based service for the sale of eGifts, operated by giftee, Inc.
(*3) eGIFT System is a gift sales system provided by giftee, Inc. to businesses. Businesses that introduce eGIFT System can operate their own eGift services on their own websites.

Overview of GIFTEE MALAYSIA SDN. BHD.

Trade name: GIFTEE MALAYSIA SDN. BHD.
Address: Suite 11.01, Level 11, South Wing, Menara OBYU,
4, Jalan PJU8/8A, Damansara Perdana, 47820,
Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia
Representative: Mutsumi Ota, Representative Director/CEO
Incorporated: September 13, 2018
Paid-in capital: 1 million RM (Approx. 30 million JPY)
Investment ratio: giftee, Inc. 100%
Business description: Operation of “giftee” casual gift service and “giftee e-Gift System” (SaaS) (gift sales system targeted at businesses) and “giftee for Business” (solution for businesses based on “giftee”)