04-08-2012, 11:42 AM
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The Straits Times
www.straitstimes.com
Published on Aug 04, 2012
Osim app targets younger buyers
iPhone, iPad feature tailors massage sequences to suit different users
OSIM International, Asia's biggest maker of massage chairs, is tapping on Apple's iPhone to help boost sales among younger buyers.
The application (app) will allow users of its latest chairs, which cost $5,588 each, to download new massage programmes tailored to individual needs, said Osim's chief executive officer Ron Sim in an interview.
More massage sequences, such as those for tennis or golf players, may be rolled out and downloaded to existing chairs, he said.
"That means the programmes in the future will be 'infinity'," Mr Sim, 53, said on Thursday. "This business is about well-being and we need to continue to innovate products to innovate demand."
Osim, which sells a variety of massage and so-called well-being products in 26 countries, is banking on new technologies to boost sales in the key markets of China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Singapore. The iPhone strategy is crucial as Osim expands sales of its products, including new chairs called uDivine App, among customers in their 20s and 30s, Mr Sim said.
The iPhone feature, which connects wirelessly to the chair via Bluetooth, also works on the iPad, he said. A similar product may eventually be added for phones using other mobile technologies, said Mr Sim, who has run his company for more than three decades.
"It's part of their constant drive to innovate products," said Mr James Koh, an analyst at Maybank Kim Eng Holdings, who rates the stock "outperform".
"For people who have not bought a uDivine chair, that is possibly a very good reason to buy one now."
Osim's massage chairs, which start at $2,000, make up 50 per cent of its sales and may rise to 60 per cent of revenue in three to five years, said Mr Sim, who was named best CEO for the mid-cap category at the Singapore Corporate Awards last month.
To reach younger buyers, Osim is also offering instalment payment plans, Mr Sim said, adding that "a two-hour spa session costs more than an instalment".
Osim last week reported a 20 per cent rise in second-quarter profit to $22.5 million. Sales rose 12 per cent to $155 million.
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The Straits Times
www.straitstimes.com
Published on Aug 04, 2012
Osim app targets younger buyers
iPhone, iPad feature tailors massage sequences to suit different users
OSIM International, Asia's biggest maker of massage chairs, is tapping on Apple's iPhone to help boost sales among younger buyers.
The application (app) will allow users of its latest chairs, which cost $5,588 each, to download new massage programmes tailored to individual needs, said Osim's chief executive officer Ron Sim in an interview.
More massage sequences, such as those for tennis or golf players, may be rolled out and downloaded to existing chairs, he said.
"That means the programmes in the future will be 'infinity'," Mr Sim, 53, said on Thursday. "This business is about well-being and we need to continue to innovate products to innovate demand."
Osim, which sells a variety of massage and so-called well-being products in 26 countries, is banking on new technologies to boost sales in the key markets of China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Singapore. The iPhone strategy is crucial as Osim expands sales of its products, including new chairs called uDivine App, among customers in their 20s and 30s, Mr Sim said.
The iPhone feature, which connects wirelessly to the chair via Bluetooth, also works on the iPad, he said. A similar product may eventually be added for phones using other mobile technologies, said Mr Sim, who has run his company for more than three decades.
"It's part of their constant drive to innovate products," said Mr James Koh, an analyst at Maybank Kim Eng Holdings, who rates the stock "outperform".
"For people who have not bought a uDivine chair, that is possibly a very good reason to buy one now."
Osim's massage chairs, which start at $2,000, make up 50 per cent of its sales and may rise to 60 per cent of revenue in three to five years, said Mr Sim, who was named best CEO for the mid-cap category at the Singapore Corporate Awards last month.
To reach younger buyers, Osim is also offering instalment payment plans, Mr Sim said, adding that "a two-hour spa session costs more than an instalment".
Osim last week reported a 20 per cent rise in second-quarter profit to $22.5 million. Sales rose 12 per cent to $155 million.
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