On February 18th, our team brought together partners and brands in Manila, Philippines to talk about rising consumer trends in the region and introduce the new Viber for Business toolbox for 2025 success.
Rakuten Viber and the Philippines: seamlessly connected
Our Chief Executive Officer, Ofir Eyal, opened the event by highlighting the importance of the Philippines for Rakuten Viber, stating that the market often serves as a launchpad for new super app products which are then scaled globally.
He also dived into key trends that are shaping digital lifestyles and consumer behavior in the Philippines:
Efficiently managing digital lifestyles: 84% of internet usage in the Philippines is via mobile–showcasing the need for brands to adopt mobile-first strategies to stay relevant.
Efficient communication: Social media and messaging app usage for business in the Philippines is among the highest in the world. Brands that don’t build their presence in these spaces are losing out on audience reach, engagement, and sales.
High social mobility: In the Philippines, cross-border remittances account for approximately 9-10% of GDP, which is significantly higher than the global average of 3-4%, and highlights the high social mobility of Filipinos. This means there is a demand for platforms and channels that offer easy communication with loved ones at home and convenient ways to transfer money. Viber combines both, with plans for the full launch of Viber Payments in the country in the near future. The range of value-added services on Rakuten Viber makes it an essential super app for Filipinos and a great platform for brands to connect with their audiences.
Brands that want to stay relevant amidst changing consumer trends need to invest in an app that enables rich, engaging experiences for customers, equipped with high security and privacy features. In his presentation, Ofir shared that Rakuten Viber has been developing its ecosystem of solutions for brands, Viber for Business, with this vision in mind - enabling brands to meet their customers on a secure platform where they already spend time, at each step of their journey, from awareness to conversion and loyalty.
Viber for Business: your essential toolbox for 2025
Rakuten Viber’s Senior Director of Advertising Solutions, Jean-Marc Alomassor, and Senior Director of Sales and Partnerships, Noa Bar Shay, shared exciting new features and updates in the Viber for Business suite. In 2025, brands will be able to take advantage of these innovations to reach, engage, and convert their audiences.
Let’s take a closer look at these new and soon-to-be features and solutions.
New Advertising Solutions
Already available:
Branded Gems: Festive animations that are triggered by keywords such as “Happy Birthday” and “Happy New Year” in user chats and can be exclusively customized by brands for special occasions or holidays on the market.
Click-to-Message: An ad format that leads to a predefined chatbot where customers can easily complete a purchase in just a few clicks.
Coming in 2025:
Generative Response Ads: Users will be able to ask questions about the product without ever leaving the ad placement.
Full-Screen Ads: A new format that will grab audiences’ attention for better visibility, engagement, and impact of the campaigns.
Viber Dating Ads: Brands will be able to launch ad campaigns that appear to Viber Dating users.
Video Ads: A motion picture advertising option that will give brands the opportunity to showcase their products & services even better, and increase the engagement for their ad campaigns.
New Rich Business Communication Solutions
Already available:
Verification (OTP): A new message type that enables brands to send one-time passwords to authenticate customers in a secure and seamless way.
SecurePlus Messages: Brands can ensure they send sensitive information to legitimate customers by verifying that the recipient's number isn’t connected to possible fraudulent activity.
Business Calls: An in-app call center designed to enhance customer experience with free one-click calls worldwide.
Coming in 2025:
List Messages: A new message type that makes it easy for brands to streamline decisions, gain insights, and drive action - all in one message.
Carousel Messages: An easy way to showcase your offering in a single message to boost sales and conversions.
How brands use Viber for Business in the Philippines
Many bands are already taking advantage of the Viber for Business solutions available, using them to reach their business goals.
Our Sales Director for Advertising Solutions in APAC, Karla Banua, shared the impressive results from renowned brand KFC, who used Viber Ads and Viber Lenses to boost engagement with product ads, exclusive offers, and gamification. They achieved a 2.8% click-through rate with Viber ads, and 8.5% capture rate with lenses.
Meanwhile, our Sales Manager for Business Messaging, Marc Palomares, had the opportunity to chat with Dymphna Liu Chiang, Digital Media and Content Manager at Kimberly-Clark about how they used Viber Business Messages to increase sales for Huggies with personalized, segmented offers. As a result, they experienced 127% more sales compared to email, a 6x higher click-through rate, and an 80% higher open rate compared to SMS and email benchmarks.
Both success stories were inspiring, showing the power of different Viber for Business solutions to reach and engage customers, and drive sales.
The Future of CX: balancing automation and human connection in a mobile-first world
Among the different business goals, achieving great customer experience is a trending topic for brands.
Customers want to have automated, secure, and personalized experiences that still keep a human touch. From their first interaction with your brand—such as registering on your website—they expect easy verification and want to manage their accounts through a convenient channel.
We had the opportunity to hear an insightful panel discussion highlighting how brands can balance automation with different tools, including AI-powered ones, with human interactions, moderated by Angel Guerrero, Founder, President and Editor-in-Chief at adobo Magazine, featuring industry experts:
Philip Davis, Founder and CEO at Promotexter
Xp Garcia, SVP and Head, Transaction Banking Group at Philippine Bank of Communications (PBCOM)
Shayne Madamba, Chief Digital Officer at HAVAS Ortega
Eduardo Hernandez, Head of Process and System Excellence at Maxicare
They shared their perspective on the role of automation in different industries including healthcare and banking, how to balance demand for innovation with human interaction, and highlighted the top priorities businesses should focus on in 2025.
Here are some of their tips:
Balance speed and efficiency with empathy and emotional connection
Prioritize secure digital channels for customer communication
Make it easier for customers to reach you
Focus on interactive communication and give customers a choice of how to reach you, whether through calling or messaging
The Rakuten Viber team was delighted to meet with brands and partners in Manila! Watch the best moments and highlights of the evening through the video below.
If you’re ready to explore new Viber for Business solutions to reach your business goals, talk to our team.
