WSITC (Western Sydney IT Cluster) - Mobbiexpress is a world beater
31 January 2008
Mobile commerce solution goes international in 2007
The Western Sydney IT Cluster counts among its members innovative, high growth firms such as Mobbiexpress, a pioneer of on-the-road transaction facilities for mobile trades, taxi, sales and service people.
Founded in 2004 by Jace Lai, who had formerly worked as IT manager for
Cabcharge, Mobbiexpress literally started out as a business in the garage at the
Lais’ home, before they moved the business into its current King Park office,
West of Sydney in early 2005.
The Mobbiexpress group has grown from a small family enterprise with a
turnover of around $250 thousand in its first year, to one with an expected
turnover of $5million for the 2007/08 financial year. It has offices and customers
in Asia and is establishing a presence in North America and Mexico.
Mobbiexpress started implementing a small section of its vision by providing
secure EFTPOS facilitation services to the LimoTaxicab industry. It developed
Cabbiexpress as a hand-held EFTPOS terminal that doubles as a personal digital
assistant and phone, connected to a small wireless printer that allows
transactions to be configured and receipts issued securely.
The importance of Cabbiexpress in the fight against fraudulent transactions in
the taxi industry was recognised recently in the Australian Financial Review
( ’Wheel Turns in cab Fraud fight’ Katrina Nicolas, page 6, 18 December 2007).
Mobbiexpress International has since developed its business model as a ’Mobile
eCommerce Ecosystem’ specializing in ’Mobile Micro Payment Facilitation’
making electronic payment, settlement and banking transactions simple for
travelling tradesmen and mobile merchants as well as taxi drivers.
The Mobbiexpress application allows the mobile merchant or tradesperson to
process customer credit cards on the spot and receive payments directly into
their bank account. By downloading the Mobbiexpress application the merchant
instantly turns their PDA into a mobile Point of Sales Cash Register complete
with SMS, email and descriptive receipt printouts, supporting all major credit
cards. It provides a wide variety of electronic micro payment solutions to suit
the practical needs of a range of business operations, its financial services
complemented with jobs finder, jobs bulletin, bookings and cost effective mobile
communications functions.
The Mobbiexpress business model is applicable to many countries and Jace Lai
currently has several proposals before potential partners in countries such as
Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, USA and Mexico.
In the course of its growth Mobbiexpress has been confident it could tap into
government support and assistance as needed. Agencies such as Austrade,
Ausindustry and the NSW Department of State and Regional Development have
provided Mobbiexpress advice from dedicated staff and assistance with overseas
contacts, overseas meeting facilities, endorsements and funding through various
programs.
Mobbiexpress is a shining example of a firm which, through its owner’s vision
and tenacity has grown ’from garage to global’. Jace Lai cautions against
declaring his business model a success yet, but his vision for Mobbiexpress to
become an internationally established mobile commerce (mCommerce) brand is
well under way.
Mobbiexpress has been a member of the Western Sydney IT Cluster since early
2007 and the firm was showcased at the Cluster’s September 2007 breakfast
forum (click here for presentations).
For further information go to the Mobbiexpress International website, tel: +61 2
9676 2328, email: jacel@mobbiexpress.com or visit Mobbiexpress at 13 Turbo
Road, Kings Park NSW.