MANILA, PHILIPPINES — Rakuten Viber, a global leader in private and secure messaging and voice-based communication and a leading chat app in the Philippines, has partnered with Korean online-to-offline casual mobile commerce company Share Treats to introduce the first-of-its-kind gifting experience in South East Asia with Treats on Rakuten Viber. Filipinos can now greet and treat the special people in their lives directly in the Rakuten Viber app, as well as request gifts for any occasion, be it a birthday, a regular fine day, or an upcoming holiday like Mother’s Day.
Thanks to their partnership with Rakuten Viber, Share Treats has become the first company to introduce gift icon technology (a combination of “gift” and “icon”) in the Philippines. With this technology, which originated in South Korea, online gift-giving is as easy as sending a message — and comes with a plethora of options to suit every taste and budget.
With Treats on Rakuten Viber, users can now send online gift cards to their friends and family: from beloved food chains like Jollibee, Dunkin’, The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, Auntie Anne’s, The Bistro Group, and McDonald’s, to essential staples like the convenience store giant 7-Eleven and trusted pharmacy Mercury Drug. They can also share online gift passes for shopping destinations, such as The SM Store and Lazada, or services, like the FoodPanda food delivery and motorcycle taxi app Angkas. They can even give vouchers for ewallets such as GCash and Maya or gift codes for GrabGifts.
To start giving and getting gifts, users need to subscribe to the Treats on Rakuten Viber chatbot or look for it via the app’s search function. They can also subscribe to the bot simply by clicking “Send Birthday Treat” in the one-to-one chat when they see a birthday notification for a person in their contacts. Once subscribed, users can pick a brand and a specific treat. They can proceed to payment through options like GCash, Maya, and GrabPay. After payment, users can select a Rakuten Viber friend and send the treat! Similarly, to request a treat, users can simply choose a brand, or an item from the brand, and then click “Request” and send it to any contact.
As Mother’s Day approaches, Share Treats and Rakuten Viber provide a way to express love and gratitude to mothers — and a variety of options to make the day truly special. Users can now send heartfelt gifts with just a few taps on their smartphones, seamlessly and regardless of distance. Soon, users will be able to create and see their contacts’ WishLists to make the gifting experience even easier.
“It is a significant milestone in digital gifting that allows Filipinos to send greetings with treats while prioritizing ease of use, security, and efficiency,” said Hong Bae Lee, CEO and President of Share Treats Innovation. “Rakuten Viber already has millions of Filipino users who are relying on this superapp to stay connected with their loved ones. It’s an essential part of everyday conversations. Adding the Share Treats experience to the app allows them to give gifts as easily as sending a message.”
“Rakuten Viber is thrilled to partner with Share Treats because it’s part of our goal as a superapp to enrich the overall experience of our users and meet their needs at every touch point,” explained Karla Banua, Sales Lead for Advertising in APAC at Rakuten Viber. “Given the Filipino’s rich gift-giving culture, this partnership with Share Treats allows our users to strengthen connections and express their thoughtfulness in exciting new ways.”
