Fynd, a Singaporean based startup which is an online platform that provides mobile and tablet repair services at your doorstep has recently expanded into Thailand. As it stands it's a robust technology which provides convenience and a quick service for all customers.

Fynd has established itself as a trusted brand and is currently in 7 Asian countries; Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, and Philippines. By June 2018, they will be in their 8th country Japan.

“Fynd is not just a website and app for technicians,” said Co-Founder and CEO Albert Tirtohadi, emphasizing the full-fledged management system for phone repair requests he has developed. “From the moment the customers see the price, to when they book an appointment and a technician gets the job done, and we provide warranties.  We are an end-to-end solution for the entire repair process.”

Tirtohadi strives to make a difference with Fynd, by creating economic opportunities for technicians in Asia’s biggest cities. “We’re helping to solve the income gap by creating a platform for technicians to have opportunities to connect with customers and earn money, without committing to high fixed shop rentals,” he said, adding that the current market for phone repairs is highly fragmented, with several small competitors and no clear leader. “In the repair market, both price and quality matters: you’re skeptical of the cheapest place in town, but you don’t want to pay a lot either.” Tirtohadi declined to disclose the proportion of each transaction pocketed by the company and paid to the technician respectively, but maintains that Fynd is cash-flow positive and “makes money on every repair.”

Fynd saw significant traction in Singapore during its first year of operation in 2015, and completed the JFDI Accelerator Program in Singapore that December. The company raised their seed round of $570,000 from Far East Ventures and other angel investors in early 2016, after which it began expanding to neighboring Asian countries. Tirtohadi said Fynd is slated to open in Japan next month. “We’re doing thousands of repairs each month, and phone repair is an obvious pain point that needs an obvious solution,” he said. “Everywhere we go, as long as there are smartphones, we are a proven market solution.”

Such rapid expansion can only be facilitated by a well-oiled and scalable franchise model, which Tirtohadi is proud of. “We are growing this franchise model as we scale globally and want to be in every major city,” he said, adding that the growth of such a model does not require continuous investment. “Our long-term objective is to create a large network effect of economies of scale and data.” Despite his team’s success to date, Tirtohadi is aware of the challenges that arise with Fynd’s ambitious expansion efforts. He cites Asia’s crowded urban markets, country- and culture-specific issues, and the general volume of competition as Fynd’s main setbacks.  As Tirtohadi anticipated, Fynd’s entry into the Thailand market has posed new challenges for the team in the form of unexpected consumer differences and market conditions.

“Trust is the issue here in Thailand, and sketchy over-the-counter repair shops are prevalent” said Linda Srifuengfung, Fynd’s Thailand Country Manager. “An important consideration of the customer is the legitimacy of the company they’re working with, and they can see we offer excellent services and quality phone parts.”

Srifuengfung also mentioned the differences in Thailand’s consumer behavior, which led her and Tirtohadi to revise Fynd’s approach to the new market. “Customers in Thailand prefer to have a lot of information, such as how exactly repairs are done and how many issues are being resolved with their smartphone,” said Srifuengfung, who also noted the widespread tendency and effectiveness of word-of-mouth marketing among Thai consumer communities.

Due to the widespread competition in the phone repair market in Thailand, Fynd experimented with pricing to test sensitivity and settled on a healthy optimal price that keeps the company competitive yet earnings-positive. In terms of marketing efforts, Srifuengfung has identified Thai consumers to be most responsive to Google Ads to find new businesses in Thailand, so Fynd has explored advertising in this channel.

The company differentiates itself from its Thai competitors by offering a fully automated website to immediately fulfill consumer needs and provide upfront price quotations. Fynd has support representatives in each country who speak both English and the local language, and offers each customer an on-site experience for unrivaled convenience.

In future, Fynd seeks to engage Thailand’s large population of tourists, who often lack the knowledge of neighborhood technicians that locals have, and may seek more professional support from trained professionals. “Local mom-and-pop shops offer everything in Thai, whereas we have the advantage of being able to provide all these services in English,” Srifuengfung explained.

In addition, Fynd will leverage its trustworthy reputation across Asia to develop corporate partnerships and discount initiatives with Bangkok’s leading hotels and businesses to access a more exclusive clientele.  Fynd’s Thai website can be found at www.getfynd.co.th and its LINE ID is “getfynd”.

Across all its franchises, Fynd is beginning to incorporate artificial intelligence into its solutions, and use AI systems. “We aim to be the world’s first franchise powered by tech and AI,” said Tirtohadi, who added that Fynd began using AI earlier this year, and is currently conducting tests on its systems. “We are strengthening our competitive advantage by growing quickly in different countries to lower our costs and increase efficiency through our use of AI by gathering data and consolidating it for new insights.”