Singapore, 13 November 2013 – Sparkline, a Singapore-based web and mobile data analytics start-up, has officially launched. The launch comes as the Singapore government identifies analytics as a key national focus area, and has committed to training 2,500 analytics professionals by 2017. The company, founded by three Google alumni, is one of the first in Asia to provide firms with customised data analytics and strategic solutions, providing insights that improve a company’s bottom line. Sparkline is already advising companies such as Google, SingPost, Malaysia Airlines and INSEAD.
As consumers live their lives online, their searches, consumption and transactions produce huge volumes of data. IBM estimates 90% of data today has been generated in the last two years, mostly from online searches, social media, shoppers, travellers, banking, offline transactions, and images. And yet, less than 1% of the world’s data is analysed and so provides useful insight.
“Sparkline analyses a company’s online and mobile data to extract insights that improves marketing, merchandising and business operations. For example, working with hotel room booking site Amari, our analysis and solutions delivered a 47% increase in hotel room bookings. We make businesses smarter, more efficient and more profitable,” explained Mr Vinoaj Vijeyakumaar, Managing Partner and Co-Founder.
“Data can provide valuable real-time insights into actual behaviour, and help companies better anticipate demand and better serve customers. But the data itself creates significant challenges – complexity, size, volume, speed – that many companies are not equipped to manage,” noted Aleetza Senn, Managing Partner and Co-Founder.
To address the challenges, Sparkline provides services in four key areas: 1) assessment and strategy: including technology and business audits; 2) technology solutions: implementing the most appropriate technology; 3) insights and actions: tracking data against KPIs, testing and iterating to identify the most valuable channels and customers; 4) training: customised training to bring teams up to speed on data. It delivers the services by using the analytics tools of its global technology partners – Google, Adobe, Marketshare, Optimisely and others – to analyse marketing, products and customers.
“The data analytics space in Asia in a huge opportunity. IDC has estimated the APAC (x-Japan) Big Data technology and services market will be worth US$1.76 billion in 2016, up from US$258.5 million in 2011. We are already working with great companies, and are currently recruiting data analysts, system integrators and account managers to capture more of the growth,” concluded Mr Timo Josten, Managing Partner and Co-Founder.
Julian Persaud, Managing Director of Google Southeast Asia noted “Businesses hoping to make the most of the web need to understand online behaviour and digital analytics. Companies like Sparkline have the talent and expertise to fuel the eco-system and enable this important knowledge transformation.”
Khairul Syahar Khalid, Head of Advertising & Promotions at Malaysia Airlines noted the success he has seen working with Sparkline. “We approached Sparkline for their data analytics expertise, to help increase conversion rates on our website. The results we have achieved have been very encouraging. Working with Sparkline has become more than just data analysis; they are business advisors as well. The higher conversion rate that we are seeing is an added bonus!”
The partners bring unrivalled expertise from their nearly 20 years combined experience at Google, having worked across performance marketing, analytics and technology partnerships and digital marketing strategy. Customers include Google, SingPost, IKEA, Malaysia Airlines, INSEAD, Amari, Digi, Dtac and Bangkok Air.
Consulting firm McKinsey has noted “The use of big data will become a key basis of competition and growth for individual firms….when companies inject data and analytics deep into their operations, they can deliver productivity and profit gains that are five to six per cent higher than those of the competition.”
Singapore-Based Analytics Startup ‘Sparkline’ Launched by Google Alumni
ByThe Independent
November 13, 2013