AI OCR là gì? Giải thích chi tiết về công nghệ mới nhất và các trường hợp ứng dụng trong ngành

AI OCR là gì? Giải thích chi tiết về công nghệ mới nhất và các trường hợp ứng dụng trong ngành

Xin chào, tôi là Kakeya, đại diện của công ty Scuti.

Công ty chúng tôi chuyên cung cấp các dịch vụ như phát triển phần mềm offshore và phát triển theo hình thức Labo tại Việt Nam, cũng như giải pháp AI tạo sinh. Gần đây, chúng tôi rất vinh dự khi nhận được nhiều yêu cầu phát triển hệ thống kết hợp với AI tạo sinh.

Bạn đã từng nghe đến thuật ngữ “AI OCR” chưa? Trong bối cảnh nhiều công ty và cá nhân đang nỗ lực số hóa tài liệu giấy, AI OCR đóng vai trò rất quan trọng. Công nghệ OCR truyền thống có những hạn chế về độ chính xác và phạm vi ứng dụng, khiến nhiều người dùng không hài lòng về hiệu suất của nó. Tuy nhiên, AI OCR đã khắc phục những thách thức này, cho phép nhận diện ký tự và xử lý dữ liệu tiên tiến hơn. Đối với những người quan tâm đến AI OCR, việc hiểu rõ về cơ chế hoạt động, các ví dụ ứng dụng thực tế và triển vọng tương lai chắc chắn là rất thú vị.

Trong bài viết này, chúng tôi sẽ phân tích chi tiết AI OCR là gì, bao gồm cơ chế cơ bản, các ví dụ ứng dụng cụ thể trong các ngành công nghiệp khác nhau, và tương lai của AI OCR.

Kiến thức cơ bản về AI OCR

Kiến thức cơ bản về AI OCR

AI OCR là gì? Sự phát triển và lịch sử của nó

AI OCR là viết tắt của Optical Character Recognition (Nhận diện Ký tự Quang học), một công nghệ nhận diện các ký tự từ hình ảnh hoặc tài liệu đã quét và chuyển đổi chúng thành dữ liệu số. Công nghệ OCR lần đầu xuất hiện vào cuối thế kỷ 19, ban đầu chỉ giới hạn ở việc nhận diện ký tự đơn giản. Đến thập niên 1960, OCR có thể nhận diện các ký tự tiêu chuẩn, và thế hệ thứ hai cho phép nhận diện cả văn bản in máy lẫn chữ viết tay. Đến giữa thập niên 1970, khả năng xử lý các tài liệu chất lượng kém và nhiều loại ký tự khác nhau được cải thiện, dẫn đến sự phổ biến rộng rãi của OCR.

Ngày nay, với những tiến bộ trong AI, đặc biệt là học máy (machine learning) và học sâu (deep learning), công nghệ OCR đã phát triển vượt bậc. Nhờ đó, AI OCR có thể nhận diện đa dạng phông chữ, chữ viết tay và nhiều ngôn ngữ khác nhau, vượt qua các giới hạn của OCR truyền thống. AI OCR không chỉ dừng lại ở nhận diện ký tự mà còn cho phép hiểu toàn bộ nội dung tài liệu và xử lý dữ liệu dựa trên ngữ cảnh, đóng góp lớn vào việc tăng hiệu quả kinh doanh. Hơn nữa, với sự phát triển của số hóa, AI OCR ngày càng được ứng dụng rộng rãi trong nhiều ngành công nghiệp, mang lại sự cải thiện đáng kể cho quy trình làm việc của doanh nghiệp.

Cơ chế chi tiết của AI OCR


Cơ chế của AI OCR kết hợp trí tuệ nhân tạo (AI) với công nghệ OCR truyền thống, giúp cải thiện đáng kể độ chính xác và tính linh hoạt trong việc nhận diện ký tự. Cụ thể, nó bao gồm các bước sau:

  1. Quét: Tài liệu được quét ở độ phân giải cao và chuyển thành dữ liệu hình ảnh. Chất lượng quét cao ảnh hưởng trực tiếp đến độ chính xác của các bước xử lý tiếp theo.
  2. Xử lý trước: Loại bỏ nhiễu từ hình ảnh đã quét và chỉnh sửa độ nghiêng của văn bản. Ngoài ra, loại bỏ nền và điều chỉnh độ tương phản để làm rõ nét hơn các ký tự.
  3. Phân đoạn: Chia hình ảnh thành các đơn vị như ký tự hoặc dòng, giúp nhận diện dễ dàng hơn. Điều này cải thiện hiệu quả của quá trình nhận diện sau đó.
  4. Trích xuất đặc trưng: Sử dụng các mô hình học sâu (ví dụ: CNN – Mạng nơ-ron tích chập), các đặc trưng được trích xuất từ từng phân đoạn. Điều này cho phép nhận diện chính xác các mẫu chữ từ nhiều phông chữ và chữ viết tay khác nhau.
  5. Nhận diện: Sử dụng mô hình đã được huấn luyện, các ký tự và từ ngữ được nhận diện từ các đặc trưng đã trích xuất. Nhờ vào AI, việc nhận diện các ký tự phức tạp và đa ngôn ngữ, vốn là thách thức đối với OCR truyền thống, trở nên khả thi.
  6. Tinh chỉnh đầu ra: Dựa trên kết quả nhận diện, các lỗi được sửa chữa để cải thiện tính trôi chảy và sự nhất quán của văn bản trong ngữ cảnh. Đồng thời, định dạng cũng được điều chỉnh để phù hợp với bố cục của tài liệu gốc.

Quy trình này giúp AI OCR đạt được nhận diện ký tự chính xác cao và hiệu quả, phù hợp với nhiều mục đích sử dụng khác nhau. Việc ứng dụng AI OCR giúp các doanh nghiệp giảm bớt công sức nhập liệu thủ công và nâng cao hiệu quả hoạt động.

Sự phát triển của OCR và sự ra đời của AI OCR

Conclusion

Sự phát triển từ OCR truyền thống đến AI OCR: Lịch sử và bối cảnh

Lịch sử phát triển của OCR

OCR (Nhận diện ký tự quang học) ra đời vào những năm 1920 với một cỗ máy thống kê do nhà vật lý Emanuel Goldberg phát triển. Sau đó, OCR trở nên thực tế vào những năm 1960 với các ứng dụng như nhận diện mã bưu chính và xử lý séc ngân hàng. Công nghệ này đã đóng vai trò quan trọng trong các ngành như tài chính và bưu chính, cải thiện đáng kể hiệu quả so với các thao tác thủ công.

Nhu cầu về AI OCR

Mặc dù OCR truyền thống xuất sắc trong việc nhận diện ký tự in tiêu chuẩn, nhưng nó gặp phải những thách thức sau:

  • Độ chính xác giảm khi xử lý hình ảnh có độ phân giải thấp hoặc bị nhiễu.
  • Không thể xử lý chữ viết tay hoặc phông chữ không chuẩn.
  • Chỉ dựa trên nhận diện mẫu đơn giản, không hiểu ngữ cảnh.

Để khắc phục những thách thức này và thích ứng với các nguồn dữ liệu đa dạng, AI OCR đã được phát triển bằng cách tích hợp công nghệ AI.

Sự khác biệt kỹ thuật giữa OCR truyền thống và AI OCR

Khác biệt về thuật toán

  • OCR truyền thống: Dựa vào việc đối chiếu mẫu tĩnh, so sánh ký tự với cơ sở dữ liệu phông chữ hiện có.
  • AI OCR: Sử dụng học máy và học sâu để xử lý đa dạng hình dạng ký tự và bố cục, đạt độ chính xác cao ngay cả với chữ viết tay và bố cục phức tạp.

Khả năng học hỏi và thích nghi

  • OCR truyền thống: Dựa trên các mẫu tĩnh, khó thích nghi với phông chữ hoặc định dạng mới.
  • AI OCR: Có khả năng học liên tục, cải thiện hiệu suất thông qua các tập dữ liệu bổ sung.

Hiểu ngữ cảnh

  • OCR truyền thống: Nhận diện từ ngữ một cách riêng lẻ mà không hiểu ngữ cảnh.
  • AI OCR: Tích hợp Xử lý ngôn ngữ tự nhiên (NLP) để suy luận ngữ cảnh và sửa lỗi các ký tự không rõ ràng.

Ưu điểm và nhược điểm của OCR truyền thống và AI OCR

OCR truyền thống

  • Ưu điểm:
    • Tích hợp hệ thống với chi phí thấp.
    • Độ chính xác cao đối với phông chữ in tiêu chuẩn (80–95%).
  • Nhược điểm:
    • Gặp khó khăn với chữ viết tay và phông chữ đặc biệt.
    • Độ chính xác giảm khi xử lý hình ảnh có nhiễu hoặc độ phân giải thấp.
    • Không hiểu ngữ cảnh, dễ dẫn đến nhận diện sai.

AI OCR

  • Ưu điểm:
    • Nhận diện chữ viết tay và bố cục phức tạp với độ chính xác cao.
    • Có thể sửa lỗi nhận diện dựa trên ngữ cảnh.
    • Hiệu suất được cải thiện liên tục nhờ học máy.
  • Nhược điểm:
    • Chi phí triển khai và vận hành cao hơn.
    • Yêu cầu kiến thức chuyên môn.
    • Phụ thuộc vào chất lượng dữ liệu.

Các trường hợp ứng dụng của AI OCR

Các trường hợp ứng dụng của AI OCR

Tự động hóa nhập liệu để nâng cao hiệu quả hoạt động

AI OCR đóng góp đáng kể vào việc tự động hóa các công việc nhập liệu. Ví dụ, trong việc số hóa các tài liệu kinh doanh như hóa đơn và đơn đặt hàng, AI OCR giúp giảm thiểu lỗi nhập liệu thủ công và tăng tốc độ xử lý một cách đáng kể.

Điều này cho phép các công ty phân bổ nguồn lực nhân sự vào các nhiệm vụ quan trọng khác, nâng cao hiệu quả hoạt động tổng thể. Ngoài ra, khả năng xử lý lượng lớn dữ liệu trong thời gian ngắn khiến công nghệ này trở nên rất hữu ích trong môi trường kinh doanh yêu cầu đưa ra quyết định nhanh chóng.

Hơn nữa, bằng cách cải thiện độ chính xác của dữ liệu, AI OCR đóng vai trò quan trọng trong việc nâng cao độ tin cậy của doanh nghiệp. Việc triển khai AI OCR cho phép các công ty tối ưu hóa quy trình làm việc, cắt giảm chi phí và cải thiện mức độ hài lòng của khách hàng.

Xử lý tài liệu viết tay với độ chính xác cao

Công nghệ OCR truyền thống gặp khó khăn trong việc nhận diện chữ viết tay, dẫn đến nhiều tài liệu viết tay không được số hóa chính xác. Tuy nhiên, AI OCR, sử dụng công nghệ học sâu, đã cải thiện đáng kể độ chính xác trong việc nhận diện chữ viết tay và chữ viết nghiêng.

Sự tiến bộ này cho phép số hóa chính xác và tích hợp các tài liệu viết tay như khảo sát và đơn đăng ký vào cơ sở dữ liệu. AI OCR đạt được độ chính xác vượt trội ngay cả trong việc nhận diện chữ viết tay, vượt xa các công nghệ truyền thống, và việc ứng dụng nó được kỳ vọng rất lớn trong nhiều ngành công nghiệp.

Xử lý tài liệu viết tay với độ chính xác cao

Hỗ trợ dịch đa ngôn ngữ

AI OCR cũng được ứng dụng trong lĩnh vực dịch thuật đa ngôn ngữ. Ví dụ, ứng dụng Google Lens cung cấp tính năng nhận diện văn bản chụp bằng camera điện thoại thông minh theo thời gian thực và dịch ngay lập tức. Điều này giúp người dùng có thể hiểu ngay các tài liệu hoặc biển báo nước ngoài, rất tiện lợi cho công việc kinh doanh quốc tế và du lịch.

Hơn nữa, AI OCR hỗ trợ đa ngôn ngữ là một công cụ quan trọng đối với các công ty hoạt động trên toàn cầu. Khả năng xử lý đa ngôn ngữ của nó giúp giao tiếp quốc tế trở nên suôn sẻ và là yếu tố quan trọng trong việc hỗ trợ toàn cầu hóa kinh doanh.

Hỗ trợ dịch đa ngôn ngữ

Nâng cao hiệu quả và tự động hóa trong ngành logistics


AI OCR được ứng dụng rộng rãi trong ngành logistics. Ví dụ, nó có thể tự động đọc ID của các container vận chuyển để tối ưu hóa quản lý hàng tồn kho hoặc nhận diện địa chỉ giao hàng để tự động xác định tuyến đường vận chuyển tối ưu. Điều này giúp đẩy nhanh quy trình logistics, giảm chi phí và cải thiện sự hài lòng của khách hàng.

Ngoài ra, việc sử dụng AI OCR giúp giảm lỗi do con người, cập nhật dữ liệu theo thời gian thực và tăng tính minh bạch trong toàn bộ hoạt động. Việc triển khai AI OCR trong ngành logistics không chỉ là bước quan trọng để nâng cao hiệu quả hoạt động mà còn để cải thiện chất lượng dịch vụ.

Sửa lỗi nhận diện dựa trên ngữ cảnh


AI OCR có khả năng phân tích không chỉ hình dạng ký tự mà còn cả ngữ cảnh xung quanh để sửa các lỗi nhận diện. Dưới đây là các ví dụ cụ thể:

  • Phân tích đơn đặt hàng: Việc phân biệt giữa số “1” và chữ thường “l” thường là thách thức đối với OCR truyền thống. Tuy nhiên, AI OCR hiểu ngữ cảnh—ví dụ: nhận diện “Số đơn hàng 12345” là số “1” và “Tên sản phẩm Line X” là chữ “l”. Bằng cách sử dụng thông tin ngữ cảnh, AI OCR giảm thiểu đáng kể các lỗi nhận diện.
  • Xử lý hóa đơn tự động: Trong hóa đơn, các mục (ví dụ: “Tổng số tiền”) được liên kết với giá trị kèm theo (ví dụ: “¥10,000”). AI OCR kết nối “Tổng số tiền” với “¥10,000” theo ngữ cảnh, tránh việc phân loại sai số liệu vào các mục không liên quan (ví dụ: “Thuế suất”). Điều này đảm bảo việc trích xuất dữ liệu chính xác ngay cả với cấu trúc tài liệu phức tạp.

Xử lý bố cục tài liệu phức tạp


AI OCR vượt trội trong việc xử lý các tài liệu có định dạng dữ liệu hỗn hợp như văn bản, bảng và hình ảnh. Dưới đây là các ví dụ:

  • Xử lý hợp đồng: Các hợp đồng thường bao gồm các mô tả văn bản, bảng phí và chú thích. AI OCR nhận diện và tách biệt các phần này, trích xuất chính xác thông tin cụ thể như “Tổng số tiền” hoặc “Thời hạn hợp đồng” từ bảng phí và đăng ký chúng vào cơ sở dữ liệu. Ngay cả với các tài liệu nhiều trang có bố cục khác nhau, AI OCR vẫn thích ứng và xử lý tối ưu từng trang.
  • Phân tích tài liệu kỹ thuật: Tài liệu kỹ thuật thường bao gồm các điểm đầu dòng, biểu đồ và đoạn văn bản dài, điều này gây khó khăn cho OCR truyền thống trong việc xử lý đồng nhất. AI OCR có thể phân tích cấu trúc phân cấp trong các điểm đầu dòng, đọc các nhãn trong biểu đồ và tích hợp chúng vào bộ dữ liệu. Ví dụ, nó có thể trích xuất các thông số cần thiết từ tài liệu kỹ thuật và phản ánh trực tiếp vào công cụ quản lý dự án, giúp tổ chức dữ liệu hiệu quả.

Thách thức và tương lai của AI OCR

Thách thức và tương lai của AI OCR

Những thách thức hiện tại


Mặc dù AI OCR đang phát triển nhanh chóng, nhưng vẫn còn một số thách thức:

  • Chất lượng hình ảnh: Hình ảnh chất lượng thấp, chẳng hạn như độ phân giải thấp, ánh sáng kém hoặc bản quét bị mờ, có thể làm giảm độ chính xác của nhận diện.
  • Phông chữ đặc biệt và ngôn ngữ: Việc nhận diện các phông chữ không phổ biến hoặc các ngôn ngữ đặc biệt vẫn là một khó khăn, đặc biệt đối với các ký tự không thuộc bảng chữ cái Latin và các phông chữ phức tạp, dẫn đến tỷ lệ nhận diện thấp.
  • Quyền riêng tư và bảo mật: Các vấn đề về quyền riêng tư và bảo mật rất quan trọng khi xử lý tài liệu chứa thông tin nhạy cảm. Cần có các biện pháp bảo mật mạnh mẽ để đảm bảo an toàn dữ liệu.

Để khắc phục những thách thức này, cần có những cải tiến kỹ thuật và các giao thức bảo mật nâng cao. Việc giải quyết những vấn đề này sẽ giúp nhiều doanh nghiệp tự tin ứng dụng AI OCR hơn.

Triển vọng tương lai của AI OCR


Với sự tiến bộ của công nghệ AI, AI OCR được kỳ vọng sẽ trở nên ngày càng tinh vi hơn trong tương lai:

  • Cải thiện độ chính xác: Khi học sâu (deep learning) và mạng nơ-ron tiếp tục phát triển, AI OCR sẽ có thể nhận diện các tài liệu phức tạp hơn và chữ viết tay với độ chính xác cao hơn.
  • Tích hợp với các công nghệ khác: AI OCR sẽ tích hợp với các công nghệ khác, chẳng hạn như nhận diện hình ảnh và xử lý ngôn ngữ tự nhiên (NLP), cho phép hiểu nội dung tài liệu và phân loại tự động.
  • Thúc đẩy chuyển đổi số: AI OCR sẽ đóng vai trò quan trọng khi ngày càng nhiều doanh nghiệp số hóa quy trình làm việc, góp phần nâng cao hiệu quả hoạt động, giảm chi phí và tăng sự hài lòng của khách hàng.

Ngoài ra, tích hợp với điện toán đám mây sẽ cải thiện khả năng mở rộng và tính linh hoạt trong truy cập, giúp AI OCR dễ dàng tiếp cận hơn với nhiều doanh nghiệp và người dùng. Tương lai của AI OCR chứa đựng tiềm năng làm phong phú thêm cuộc sống và công việc kinh doanh của chúng ta nhờ vào sự phát triển không ngừng của công nghệ.

Kết luận

The Evolution of OCR and the Emergence of AI OCR

AI OCR là một công nghệ đột phá được hiện thực hóa nhờ sự phát triển của AI, thể hiện khả năng vượt trội trong nhiều lĩnh vực như tự động hóa nhập liệu, xử lý tài liệu viết tay với độ chính xác cao và dịch thuật đa ngôn ngữ. Những ứng dụng này đã giúp tăng cường đáng kể hiệu quả trong cuộc sống và công việc kinh doanh, đồng thời góp phần cải thiện quy trình làm việc và giảm chi phí.

Trong tương lai, AI OCR được kỳ vọng sẽ tiếp tục phát triển, nâng cao độ chính xác và mở rộng sang các lĩnh vực ứng dụng mới. Bằng cách theo dõi sát sao sự phát triển của AI OCR và khai thác tối đa tiềm năng của nó, doanh nghiệp có thể vươn lên một tầm cao mới.

What is AI OCR? Detailed Explanation of the Latest Technology and Industry Use Cases

What is AI OCR? Detailed Explanation of the Latest Technology and Industry Use Cases

Hello, I am Kakeya, the representative of Scuti.

Our company specializes in services such as offshore development and lab-type development in Vietnam, as well as generative AI consulting. Recently, we have been fortunate to receive numerous requests for system development in collaboration with generative AI.

Have you ever heard the term “AI OCR”? As many companies and individuals strive to digitize paper documents, AI OCR plays a significant role. Traditional OCR technologies have limitations in terms of accuracy and scope, leaving many users dissatisfied with their performance. However, AI OCR overcomes these challenges, enabling more advanced character recognition and data processing. For those interested in AI OCR, understanding its mechanisms, practical use cases, and future prospects must be fascinating.

In this article, we will delve into what AI OCR is, covering its basic mechanisms, specific use cases across various industries, and the future of AI OCR.

Basic Knowledge of AI OCR

Basic Knowledge of AI OCR

What is AI OCR? Its Evolution and History

AI OCR stands for Optical Character Recognition, a technology that recognizes characters from images or scanned documents and converts them into digital data. OCR technology first emerged in the late 19th century, initially limited to simple character recognition. By the 1960s, it could recognize standardized characters, and the second generation enabled recognition of both machine-printed and handwritten characters. By the mid-1970s, its ability to process low-quality documents and various character types improved, leading to broader adoption.

In modern times, advancements in AI, particularly in machine learning and deep learning, have driven significant evolution in OCR technology. As a result, AI OCR can now recognize diverse fonts, handwritten characters, and multiple languages, surpassing the limitations of traditional OCR. AI OCR goes beyond simple character recognition, enabling document-wide understanding and context-based data processing, greatly contributing to business efficiency. Moreover, with the progress of digitalization, AI OCR has found applications across various industries, dramatically improving business workflows.

Detailed Mechanism of AI OCR

The mechanism of AI OCR integrates AI into traditional OCR technology, significantly enhancing the accuracy and flexibility of character recognition. Specifically, it consists of the following steps:

  1. Scanning: Documents are scanned at high resolution and captured as image data. High-quality scanning directly impacts the accuracy of subsequent processes.
  2. Preprocessing: Noise is removed from the scanned images, and text orientation is corrected. Background removal and contrast adjustment are also performed to make the text clearer.
  3. Segmentation: Images are divided into units such as characters or lines, making them easier to recognize. This improves the efficiency of the subsequent recognition process.
  4. Feature Extraction: Using deep learning models (e.g., CNN: Convolutional Neural Networks), features are extracted from each segment. This step allows accurate recognition of patterns in various fonts and handwritten characters.
  5. Recognition: Using a pre-trained model, characters and words are identified from the extracted features. AI learning enables the recognition of complex characters and multiple languages, which were challenging for traditional OCR.
  6. Output Refinement: Based on the recognition results, errors are corrected to improve the fluency and consistency of the text in context. Formatting adjustments are also made to align with the original document layout.

This series of processes enables AI OCR to achieve high-accuracy and efficient character recognition, adaptable to various applications. By implementing AI OCR, companies can reduce the manual effort required for data entry and streamline their operations.

The Evolution of OCR and the Emergence of AI OCR

The Evolution of OCR and the Emergence of AI OCR

Evolution from Traditional OCR to AI OCR: History and Background

Historical Development of OCR

OCR (Optical Character Recognition) originated in the 1920s with a statistical machine developed by physicist Emanuel Goldberg. Later, OCR became practical in the 1960s, with applications in postal code recognition and bank check processing. It played a critical role in industries such as finance and postal services, significantly improving efficiency compared to manual operations.

The Need for AI OCR

While traditional OCR excelled at recognizing standard printed characters, it faced the following challenges:

  • Accuracy degraded with low-resolution or noisy images.
  • It could not handle handwritten characters or non-standard fonts.
  • It was limited to simple pattern recognition, lacking contextual understanding.

To overcome these challenges and adapt to diverse data sources, AI OCR, which integrates AI technology, was developed.

Technical Differences Between Traditional OCR and AI OCR

Algorithm Differences

  • Traditional OCR: Relied on static pattern matching, comparing characters against an existing font database.
  • AI OCR: Utilizes machine learning and deep learning to accommodate diverse character shapes and layouts, achieving high accuracy even with handwritten text and complex arrangements.

Learning Ability and Adaptability

  • Traditional OCR: Based on static templates, making it difficult to adapt to new fonts or formats.
  • AI OCR: Capable of continuous learning, improving performance through additional datasets.

Contextual Understanding

  • Traditional OCR: Recognized words individually, without contextual understanding.
  • AI OCR: Integrates Natural Language Processing (NLP) to infer context and correct ambiguous characters.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Traditional OCR and AI OCR

Traditional OCR

  • Advantages:
    • Low-cost integration into systems.
    • High accuracy for standard printed fonts (80–95%).
  • Disadvantages:
    • Struggles with handwritten characters and special fonts.
    • Accuracy drops with noisy or low-resolution images.
    • Cannot account for context, leading to frequent misrecognitions.

AI OCR

  • Advantages:
    • Recognizes handwritten characters and complex layouts with high accuracy.
    • Corrects misrecognitions using contextual understanding.
    • Performance improves continuously through machine learning.
  • Disadvantages:
    • Higher implementation and operational costs.
    • Requires specialized expertise.
    • Dependent on data quality.

Applications of AI OCR

Applications of AI OCR

Automation of Data Entry for Operational Efficiency

AI OCR significantly contributes to the automation of data entry tasks. For instance, in digitizing business documents such as invoices and order forms, AI OCR helps reduce manual input errors and dramatically improves processing speed.

This allows companies to allocate human resources to other critical tasks, enhancing overall operational efficiency. Additionally, the ability to process large volumes of data in a short time makes it highly effective in business environments that demand swift decision-making.

Moreover, by improving data accuracy, AI OCR plays a key role in enhancing corporate reliability. Its implementation enables companies to significantly streamline workflows, reduce costs, and improve customer satisfaction.

High-Accuracy Processing of Handwritten Documents

Traditional OCR technology struggled with recognizing handwritten text, resulting in many handwritten documents not being accurately digitized. However, AI OCR, leveraging deep learning, has greatly improved the accuracy of recognizing handwritten text and cursive writing.

This advancement allows for the precise digitization and integration of handwritten documents such as surveys and application forms into databases. AI OCR achieves superior accuracy even in handwritten character recognition, surpassing traditional technologies, and its use is highly anticipated across various industries.

High-Accuracy Processing of Handwritten Documents

Support for Multilingual Translation

AI OCR is also utilized in the field of multilingual translation. For instance, the Google Lens app offers a feature that recognizes text captured by a smartphone camera in real-time and instantly translates it. This allows users to instantly understand foreign documents or signs, making it highly convenient for international business and travel.

Furthermore, multilingual AI OCR is an essential tool for globally operating companies. Its multilingual capabilities facilitate smooth international communication and serve as a critical component in supporting business globalization.

Support for Multilingual Translation

Efficiency and Automation in the Logistics Industry

AI OCR is widely utilized in the logistics industry. For example, it can automatically read the IDs of shipping containers to streamline inventory management or recognize package destinations to determine optimal delivery routes automatically. This leads to faster logistics processes, cost reduction, and improved customer satisfaction.

Additionally, leveraging AI OCR reduces human errors, enables real-time data updates, and enhances overall operational transparency. Implementing AI OCR in the logistics sector is a crucial step not only for improving operational efficiency but also for enhancing service quality.

Error Correction Based on Context

AI OCR has the ability to analyze not only the shapes of characters but also the surrounding context to correct recognition errors. Here are specific examples:

  • Order Form Analysis: Distinguishing between the digit “1” and the lowercase letter “l” is often challenging for traditional OCR. However, AI OCR understands context—for instance, interpreting “Order Number 12345” as a numeric “1” and “Product Name Line X” as an alphabetic “l.” By leveraging contextual information, AI OCR significantly reduces recognition errors.
  • Automated Invoice Processing: In invoices, items (e.g., “Total Amount”) are associated with adjacent values (e.g., “¥10,000”). AI OCR links “Total Amount” with “¥10,000” contextually, avoiding misclassifying the value under unrelated items (e.g., “Tax Rate”). This ensures accurate data extraction even with complex document structures.

Processing Complex Document Layouts

AI OCR excels in processing documents with mixed data formats, such as text, tables, and images. Below are examples:

  • Contract Processing: Contracts often include textual descriptions, fee tables, and annotations. AI OCR identifies and separates these elements, accurately extracting specific information like “Total Amount” or “Contract Period” from fee tables and registering them into databases. Even with multi-page documents containing varied layouts, AI OCR adapts to each page’s structure for optimal processing.
  • Technical Specifications Analysis: Technical specifications frequently include bullet points, diagrams, and long explanatory texts, which are challenging for traditional OCR to process uniformly. AI OCR can parse hierarchical structures in bullet points, read labels in diagrams, and integrate them into datasets. For instance, it can extract required parameters from specifications and directly reflect them in project management tools, enabling efficient digital organization.

Challenges and Future of AI OCR

Challenges and Future of AI OCR

Current Challenges

Although AI OCR is rapidly evolving, several challenges remain:

  • Image Quality: Low-quality images, such as those with low resolution, poor lighting, or blurred scans, can lead to reduced recognition accuracy.
  • Special Fonts and Languages: Recognizing uncommon fonts or languages remains difficult, especially for non-Latin scripts and intricate fonts, which results in lower recognition rates.
  • Privacy and Security: Privacy and security concerns are critical when processing documents containing sensitive information. Ensuring robust security measures is essential to protect data.

To overcome these challenges, further advancements in technology and enhanced security protocols are necessary. Addressing these issues will enable more businesses to adopt AI OCR with confidence.

Future Prospects of AI OCR

With advancements in AI technology, AI OCR is expected to become increasingly sophisticated in the future:

  • Improved Accuracy: As deep learning and neural networks continue to evolve, AI OCR will be able to recognize more complex documents and handwritten text with even greater accuracy.
  • Integration with Other Technologies: AI OCR will likely integrate with other technologies, such as image recognition and natural language processing, enabling document content understanding and automatic classification.
  • Accelerated Digital Transformation: AI OCR will play a vital role as more businesses digitize their workflows, contributing to enhanced operational efficiency, cost reduction, and improved customer satisfaction.

Furthermore, integration with cloud computing will improve scalability and accessibility, making AI OCR more widely available to businesses and users. The future of AI OCR holds the potential to enrich our lives and businesses, driven by ongoing technological advancements.

Conclusion

Conclusion

AI OCR is an innovative technology made possible by advancements in AI, showcasing its capabilities in various fields such as automating data entry, high-accuracy processing of handwritten documents, and multilingual translation. These applications significantly enhance the efficiency of our lives and businesses, contributing to workflow improvements and cost reductions.

As AI OCR continues to evolve, further improvements in accuracy and the exploration of new application areas are anticipated. By staying attuned to developments in AI OCR and leveraging its potential to the fullest, businesses can be elevated to the next level.

Posted in AI

Why and where should you hire a Shopify developer in Malaysia for your projects?

Shopify is one of the most popular e-commerce platforms in the world with over 175 countries and over a million stores and is constantly growing.

So, all this analysis suggests that you should build an online store with an experienced Shopify developer to create more opportunities for website development that can expand your business. 

Do you need to hire Shopify developer Malaysia?

Shopify supports users a lot in building and developing a store. You can read more about building your own shop here*Link. You will become more proficient if you spend as *much time practicing construction as many other engineering activities. But there will be a few places where you won’t be able to cover its operation.

Time limitations

You will have a store on Shopify in the shortest time, optimally, efficiently and with the most protection if you hire a Shopify developer Malaysia. Either you will spend more time and have uncontrollable holes. 

Budget

budget to hire the Shopify developer Malaysia

Think about the gain and loss along with your budget for this area. Because to hire the best developers you have to pay a huge amount for their standards. If your budget doesn’t allow it, you just need to ask them to do certain important parts like SEO, themes, protection, etc. In addition, you should also try to find website builders who are in the process of building a portfolio, it will make your pocket more comfortable.

 What can Shopify developer Malaysia do?

A Shopify Developer’s primary role is to develop an interactive and competent Online Shopify Store for driving Sales and Revenue. The most important responsibility of a Shopify developer Malaysia is to generate custom Shopify Themes and modify pre-existing templates based on defined brand benchmarks.

Here is one of the things Shopify developer Malaysia can do for your business:

– Set up a portal and store that suits your needs and market: Once you are sure of your business goals, discuss it with your Shopify developer Malaysia. They survey the market, then, they will create the perfect mix between your idea and the market needs.

– Optimize the necessary functions of the store:

Shopify developer Malaysia optimizes your store.

It is understandable to misunderstand or even lose parts when you create your own store that is easy to understand. Because you are not the pro in this field. That can be the weakness of your business and hard to grow up. So, hiring a Shopify developer Malaysia to optimize your store is needed.

– Create favorable conditions and optimize SEO:

Optimize SEO to promote your store

SEO is one of the most important parts when you market your store. Because the right SEO will make your store as popular as possible and lead your store closer to the right customers.

– Connect to social platforms quickly, seamlessly:

Apart from Shopify platform, other social media can help you a lot in promoting your business. Therefore, a smooth connection and a unified corporate interface across platforms is very important. This is the key to getting users to have an overview of your company.

– Support store security:

Since Shopify is an e-commerce platform, your business must always be prepared for its safety. You may misunderstand or lose Shopify security information when you create it yourself, so Shopify developer Malaysia can completely solve this problem and keep your company safe.

– Regular performance testing, debugging and store development:

While your business may have been active and up for sale for a while, they still need to be updated and tested for safety, added products, or even changed the theme. Shopify’s Malaysia developers can help you do this quickly and clearly.

Scuti- Where you can find the right Shopify developer Malaysia for your Business?

*Scuti:

In addition to popular platforms, Scuti is a technology company that mainly deals in Ecommerce and specializes in Shopify. Most of the programmers at Scuti are fluent in three languages: English, Vietnamese and Japanese. They can use programming languages accurately and nimble regardless of complexity. In addition, with the advancement, they will always update the knowledge and standards to upgrade your business.

They can fulfill all your standards. They can completely set up and upgrade your store to match your ideas and be more interesting than other stores in the market. Uplift SEO and make it perform at its best. Connect to all the other platforms you want with unified visuals. And most importantly, secure Shopify terms and protect your store.

Most of our customers are satisfied with our service and even come back for other projects. So trust and make good decisions for you and your Shopify company.

Best trending products to sell online in Singapore to get high profits

Singapore is a potential e-commerce market, with a wide variety of products. A lot of people have entered this market in recent years and achieved success.  So, what are the best trending products to sell online for easy profit and results? This article will list some of the items that we have researched so you can refer to and choose the product for your online business.

1.Beauty supplies – top trending selling product in singapore​

The cosmetics and beauty industry has always the best products to sell online. In 2022, the beauty and personal care industry in Singapore was expectation can bring in revenue of 1.14 billion U.S. dollars (Statista)

skincare product- best trending product in Singapore

Additionally, this type of product is repeatable, so it can bring a certain number of customers to the seller. A survey on beauty consumer behavior in Singapore in 2022 found that 44 percent of respondents purchased skincare products every three months. In comparison, less than two percent of respondents stated that they bought skincare products weekly.(Statista)

Niche:

-Glass skin: According to the Google Trend, Singapore is the top 2 with 38 percent of the world in finding this niches

The seller should update the trend products to be able to sell more goods. And also the kind of products with high recognition and good products are trusted by reputable websites or reviews to get high profits.

-Lipstick: It’s going to be a great choice if you want to have a safe bed start but still want to get high profit. This market also has a lot of options like hinged vs drugstore, k-brand, us- brand, …

2.Home and kitchen products – One of the best trending products with the highest hits

 The homeware and kitchenware categories will continue to grow in Singapore for many years, so it is one of the best products to sell with the highest hits in Singapore. After covid 19, people really cared about the place that they lived in because they stayed at home more than ever.

Niche:

-Oil-free fryer: An oil-free fryer brings a lot of convenience to today’s life because it is oriented to human health, easy to use, convenient and safe for many users.

oil-free fryer- best trending products

3.Healthcare product- Product category with high purchase

Healthcare products have a large foothold in the online shopping market. Because people are increasingly aware of taking care of themselves from the inside, raising their immunity.

Niche:

–  Tea: This product is called “Asian -drink” This beverage market is very diverse in models and products. In Addition, because of a huge number of helping people who are really good at reducing stress. It can have an effective effect on skin.

Functional food- best trending products to sell online

– Functional food: What we eat every day can make us full but not necessarily enough vitamins needed for the body. In particular, now people appreciate increasing the body’s resistance. Therefore, functional foods are extremely popular to sell in the Singapore online market.

tea- best trending products in Singapore

An aging population in Singapore will lead to an increasing demand for micronutrient/functional fortified packaged foods. It’s have a great support heart and bone health. Which is a common health concern among Singaporeans. elderly consumers. As a result, ingredients like calcium and Omega-3 are likely to become popular. (prnewswire)

4.Hobby and official supplies- Most popular items in Singapore

Official markets like pen, paper, notepads, folders are one of the best products to sell online. It is necessary in many ways, from school to offices. This product also has a buyback with a small and continuous loop, this is a HUGE help. Not only that, but the official function also has a low shipping cost, that’s a great benefit to boosting conversion.

Official supplies- best trending products in Singapore

According to google trend, Words in the office product catalog are searched continuously and always in a high percentage.

To make high profits, you have to have a good product, but you also have to choose a platform with great access and good trading. Top online selling platform in Singapore to selling online to get high profit – (link Online selling platform in Singapore)

Having a website dedicated to the products you are passionate about is essential because it will help you establish trust. In addition, it is also strengthening your brand, strengthen better customer relationships. It’s also inform more people about your business ability- (link to Scuti’s product)

In short, have you chosen a product for your store yet? After finding the right product, it is also important to choose a location. An e-commerce website to promote the product brand as well as chat with customers. If you need help in creating your online store, contact… to get our help.

Top 10 best payment gateways for Shopify in Malaysia with comparison

When you want to start your Shopify ecommerce business in Malaysia, researching payment gateways available here is a crucial step you need to take. This is because your customers may easily abandon their shopping carts if you don’t use the best payment gateways for Shopify. In this article, we will list all payment gateways and compare what is the best payment gateway for Shopify in Malaysia. 

Stripe – preferred payment gateway for Shopify in Malaysia

The top payment gateway for Shopify users that enables credit card payments is Stripe. 

With Stripe, you have access to a variety of adaptable options to personalize your checkout process. Credit cards, wallets, and foreign currencies are just a few of the many payment methods that Stripe-using merchants can accept both offline and online.

With credit card, debit card payment, bank debit and transfers, Stripe charges a predetermined fee of 3% + RM1.00, and +2% if there is a requirement for currency conversion. All cards have the same cost. For international cards or unsuccessful charges, there is no extra charge. 

With digital wallet, Stripe accepts Alipay and Grabpay. For Alipay, they charge 2.9%+RM1.00. Meanwhile, for Grabpay, they charge 3% per transaction. 

Learn more about Shopify pricing plan here.

2Checkout – third-party payment gateway for Shopify in Malaysia

Another top third-party payment option for Shopify is 2Checkout, which enables you to accept online credit card payments from both domestic and international clients.

There are currently more than 200 countries where 2Checkout is active. It accepts all popular credit cards, including Mastercard, Visa, Diners Club, and others. 

There are three payment options that 2Checkout offers for your business in Malaysia: 2SELL (charge 3.5% + $0.35 per successful sale); 2SUBSCRIBE (charge 4.5% + $0.45 for each successful sale); and 2MONETIZE (charge 6.0% + $0.60 per successful transaction).

2C2P – integrated payment solution in Malaysia

Established in Southeast Asia in 2003, 2C2P has expanded to include over 400 professionals worldwide such as Lazada, Lenovo, AirAsia, etc.

2C2P offers your consumers their preferred payment method including cards, digital wallets, and cash. There is a setup fee of RM500 and an annual fee of RM500 when you use this payment gateway. The commission per sale are:

2.5% – 3% per transaction for credit cards and RM1.50 rate for bank transfers. 

Alipay –  payment gateway for Shopify in Malaysia from China 

Alipay provides your consumers their preferred payment method at more than 400,000 sites throughout Asia, including cards, digital wallets, and cash. There are 12 currencies that it presently supports: USD, GBP, JPY, EUR, AUD, CAD, CHF, SGD, DKK, SEK, HKD, and NOK. 

iPay88 – quick and easy payment gateway for Shopify in Malaysia

Leading online payment gateway provider in Malaysia, iPay88 provides both domestic and foreign payment alternatives. For companies searching for a dependable and feature-rich payment gateway, iPay88 is a great choice. You can add several payment options to iPay88 on a desktop or mobile app, including email payments, shopping cart plug-ins, simple payment plans, and more. Noticeably, iPay88 charges your business setup, annual and transaction fees. In addition, iPay88 doesn’t support Visa and MasterCard.

Paypal – payment provider for Shopify in Malaysia

PayPal is an additional choice on the list of the top payment processors for Shopify that you should be aware of. The setup time for this solution is no more than a day. Additionally, you have a choice between free and premium account alternatives.

Any of your Shopify plans can activate PayPal, which has an excellent support staff. A minimum fee of 1.9% to 3.4% of all transactions is also included.

PayPal Payments Pro is the name of the company’s version. This is most chosen because of its reliable performance, adaptability, and compatibility for mobile devices.

Because it enables retailers to make payments without having their customers have a PayPal account, it performs better. As it may be used to handle credit card transactions through phone, fax, and mail (Virtual Terminal), it also offers mobile support.

Today, PayPal has more than 220 million active users worldwide and offers convenient functionalities. It makes sense that it is now the preferred payment gateway in more than 203 nations.

HitPay – a great Shopify payment gateway

You may improve sales and reduce expenses with the support of this great Shopify payment gateway in Malaysia. Numerous online payment options are supported by HitPay Malaysia, including FPX, credit cards (Visa, Mastercard, UnionPay), and e-wallets (Apple Pay, Google Pay, and GrabPay).

Selecting which payment options to show on your Shopify store is simple. The HitPay Shopify payment gateway also provides Smart Checkout, which enables you to tailor payment options based on the order value of your customers. 

Additionally, there are no setup fees or ongoing charges for the Malaysian HitPay Shopify payment gateway. Only when a sale is made do you pay, i.e., per transaction.

WorldPay 

For both large and small organizations, WorldPay is renowned for offering safe payment services. It has a global presence in 100 countries and has earned a reputation for providing excellent customer service and uptime dependability.

The Worldpay Shopify payment transaction charge is based on your revenue, which is the finest part. Accordingly, based on your level of success, you can reduce spending.

You should note that WorldPay is simple to set up and typically takes 3-5 days to launch.

Asiapay

Asiapay is a leading provider of digital payment gateway services, providing individuals, e-businesses, and banks throughout the world with comprehensive, cutting-edge, and affordable digital payment services and solutions. Their integrated payment options include over-the-counter, debit cards, etc. They have 13 operational offices in Asia, including its headquarters. It has a considerably larger customer base than other Malaysian payment gateways. When you start using this gateway, you should note that the setup fee is 1200 RM and annual fee is 1200 RM. However, you don’t need to charge a fee for each transaction you make. It takes 1-2 days to launch. 

Directa24

Directa24 is another fantastic payment processor on the list. You get access to practically all global markets through a single integration. The fact that all transactions are safe and secure with them is the nicest part. The least of your concerns should be transactional insecurity. They accept a variety of payment methods, which makes it a popular option for so many people. There is no setup fee or annual fee you need to charge. However, they support only EUR/USD currencies for transactions. Directa24 takes about 1-7 days to launch. 

Conclusion

You may boost your store’s conversion rates and sales by choosing the finest payment gateway for Shopify that is safe, dependable, and easy to use. Therefore, researching carefully before choosing the right payment gateway for your Shopify store in Malaysia is necessary. If you want to build a website that has the best suitable payment gateway, Scuti is here to help. 

Shopify in Thailand: Market overview and the detailed guide for 2023

One of the most well-known platforms for creating ecommerce websites is Shopify, which is also popular in Thailand. Despite the fact that Shopify is extensively utilized, many potential users are unaware of how to use it. Therefore, in this article, we will give you detailed information you need about Shopify in Thailand 2023.

What is Shopify?

Shopify is a SaaS ecommerce platform that provides a great, user-friendly platform for online businesses, especially suitable for starters who has little to no knowledge of how ecommerce field operates. It’s the biggest platform to build an ecommerce website in the world. Small businesses can create online stores to sell goods on websites or through social media using the well-known ecommerce platform Shopify. Additionally, the business offers point-of-sale, or POS, software that small businesses can employ in their physical locations.

You can accomplish more with Shopify’s add-ons. Several notable add-ons are Shopify Payments, which is used to accept credit cards, Shopify Shipping, which creates shipping labels and offers shipping discounts, and Shopify Markets, which enables companies to sell globally. Obviously, these add-ons may result in additional costs.

How does Shopify operate?

Your entire business is integrated onto a single platform via Shopify.

With Shopify, entrepreneurs can create and personalize an online store and market their products via social media, online marketplaces, pop-up shops, web, mobile, in-person, brick-and-mortar locations, and other channels. 

Here is a description of Shopify’s operation:

  • – Create your ecommerce website: With more than 70 store themes to pick from and drag-and-drop functionality, Shopify makes things simple. The fonts, graphics, and colors are all customizable. The website you create also functions flawlessly on mobile devices. You can list limitless number of products.
  • – Create a payment plan: Shopify Payments, a distinct service that enables you to accept payments, lets you accept credit cards from clients.
  • – Include a Buy button: A product card can be embedded and purchased on a website or social media platform.– Sell via a variety of channels: You’re not limited to selling your goods through your personal website. Shopify allows you to list products on Google, eBay, Tiktok, etc. 
  • – Set up the POS side if you have a physical store
  • – Monitor your business: On desktop and mobile, reports, analytics, and other data are shown on Shopify’s dashboard. The Shopify Mobile app allows you to manage a variety of tasks, including adding product photographs, establishing prices, handling refunds, viewing sales and visitor traffic, receiving order notifications, and corresponding with your team.
  • – Service support 24/7

Shopify pricing plan in Thailand

Basic Shopify, Shopify, and Advanced Shopify are the three available plans. Shopify offers a free 3-day trial period during which no need of credit card.

– Basic Shopify ($19/month)

You get all the essentials you need to launch a Shopify store with Basic Shopify. It includes a blog and e-commerce website in addition to giving two of your employees access to Shopify admin and POS.

– Shopify ($49/month)

This subscription provides you with everything you require to expand your business, as well as access to Shopify admin and POS for five of your employees.

– Shopify advanced ($299/ month)

You may upgrade your business with the innovative features that advanced Shopify offers. It has sophisticated report builders and delivery costs determined by outside parties. The access to Shopify admin and POS for 15 of your employees is provided by advanced Shopify.

Learn more about Shopify payment gateway in Thailand

Who would use Shopify?

Shopify is best suitable for business owners who conduct the most or all of their business online because the majority of its distinctive features are largely applicable to online sales.

Additionally, Shopify’s add-on capabilities may facilitate consumers’ frequent repeat purchases if your business model relies heavily on them. Plus, this may increase customer loyalty and lower the rate of abandoned carts.

Shopify overview in Thailand

According to a report from Store Leads, in the first quarter of 2023, there are 1793 active Shopify stores in Thailand. Regarding the categories for Shopify stores in Singapore, 23% of Shopify stores in Thailand sell clothing products, and 7.8% of Shopify stores in Thailand sell food & drink products. In which, Bangkok is home to 1,032 Shopify stores. 75 Shopify stores are based in Chiang Mai, and Nonthaburi is home to 59 Shopify stores in Thailand. Meanwhile, the most ecommerce store ordered by the worldwide rank of Shopify in Thailand is Moress Charms, established in 2016, ranked 44,386. 

Top Shopify store in Bangkok, Thailand

  1. Moress Charms

Moress Charms is a Thai brand from Bangkok, the capital city of Thailand that sells fashion jewelry. This Shopify store was set up in 2016, ranked 44,386 in the most ecommerce store ordered by worldwide rank.

  1. Sony ประเทศไทย

The ecommerce website of the big brand Sony in Thailand was created in 2021, which ranked 66,547 in the most ecommerce store ordered by worldwide rank.

  1. Geek T-Shirts Store

This clothing brand store was established in 2017, ranked 156,627  in the most ecommerce stores ordered by worldwide rank. 

Conclusion

If you want to start an ecommerce business in Thailand, doing careful research on popular ecommerce building platforms is a must. With Shopify’s user-friendly interface, you can easily build and grow your online store. If you want to hire an ecommerce agency to help you with your Shopify store, Scuti is here to help.

How to hire Shopify experts to promote your ecommerce store efficiently in Singapore

There is a lot for you to keep track of as a small business owner. Even though you are the business expert, it might be difficult to be an authority on every aspect of starting and expanding your company. That’s why you should hire highly qualified experts who are prepared to collaborate with you to manage the typical difficulties of running a firm and utilizing Shopify. In this article, we will give you guidance on hiring Shopify experts in Singapore to promote your ecommerce efficiently.

Shopify experts: who are they?

Shopify experts are qualified professionals who help business owners. They are skilled professionals who are specially qualified to support your company’s expansion but are not Shopify employees. 

The range of services a Shopify specialist offers can surprise you. Experts can utilize the fundamental capabilities of the platform to build an online store that offers your consumers the ideal shopping experience because they are familiar with the Shopify tech stack and all the frequent issues that Shopify users encounter.

Additionally, because of the platform’s size, Shopify has classified experts into the following categories:

  • – Marketing and sales 
  • – Setting up a store front and problem-solving
  • – Branding and visual content
  • – Expert advice 
  • – Content creation

A Shopify professional helps you a lot for your business, but the most crucial one is that they handle all the technical aspects of your online store, freeing you up to concentrate on expanding your brand.

How to hire qualified Shopify experts in Singapore?

As you establish and expand your store, Shopify specialists are there to assist you with any task, no matter how big or small. Even if you’re unsure of what you require, a professional can guide your company in the right route.

When it comes to establishing and expanding your store, Shopify specialists can assist you with any task, no matter how big or small. A professional can help guide your organization in the correct path even if you are unsure of what it is that it needs.

There are a few measures you can take to ensure you’re ready for your discussions with specialists, regardless of the type of service you wish to have done:

  • Indicate your objectives and requirements: You must be specific about your spending plan, timetable, and goals. The more specific, the better. Next, you might look for information concerning supportive Shopify experts. Find out more about them, and see if their expertise and experience line up with your company’s goals.
  • Think about your budget: The majority of your business decisions are dictated by your budget. Your account is crucial in determining your suppliers or, in this case, the agency you’ll be working with. Search for and contact a Shopify expert that can either provide service within your budget or whose packages you can afford. Look around and find the best team that can give you the services you require within your price range.
  • Determine your deadline: When do you need this work to be finished? This will enable you to pick a professional who can accommodate your schedule. The earlier you consult an expert, the better because you might need to be adaptable.

Working with specialists and preparing your requirements in advance can help them provide a more accurate quote for you.

Where can you contact Shopify experts in Singapore?

Shopify experts marketplace 

Many business owners go here, which is where they initially look for a professional, to find one. Freelancers and outside companies that offer Shopify services can be found here. You can either search the market or make a job request so the specialists can find you.

All you need to do is select the service you want from the Shopify Experts Marketplace option. If it isn’t there, you can seek assistance by selecting Expert advice.

After that, you may select filter specialists by cost, nation or location, and language. You can click on the profiles of the experts on the list that appears after this to learn more about them. If you come across someone who seems like they would be a good fit, ask for a quote and include your preferences and job requirements. If they are intrigued, they will get in touch with you to learn more.

Making a job request is the alternative method you can use to discover a specialist on the Shopify Experts Marketplace. The ability to create a job is available on the marketplace menu. Click it to select a service. After entering the necessary information, simply select the “Send Job” option. Experts will be matched with you, and if they are intrigued, they will get in touch with you.

Hire qualified experts in Singapore on the Shopify admin panel

You can hire a professional immediately from the Shopify assistance section inside your admin account, by logging in, going to the account menu in your admin panel, and clicking that option.

You will then be directed to a website with a list of categories, where you can click on a category to make it larger before selecting a goal. The following phase entails submitting your needs, including your suggested timeline and budget as well as information about your company, clients, and customers. The Shopify experts will review it after that, and if they are interested, they will get in touch with you to further discuss it.

Hire Shopify experts in Singapore by freelance websites

On freelance marketplaces like Upwork, Fiverr, and PeoplePerHour, there are thousands of Shopify experts who have profiles. 

You can register on these websites, post a job, or search for freelancers with the Shopify skills you need. On these sites, you may see if a freelancer did a decent job by reading evaluations from clients who have previously hired them on freelance websites.

You should choose a small group of the highest-rated people who have been on the website for a time and have a lot of positive, in-depth reviews.

Additionally, they ought to be able to show you a portfolio of their prior work, and they ought to be open to answering any queries you may have on their qualifications.

Hire ecommerce agency in Singapore

You’ll find a ton of information on Shopify expert agencies if you conduct another online search. Many of these agencies will be recognized by Shopify as Shopify Partner agencies, and they are all striving hard for your business. That does a lot to help you feel confident that you are selecting experts to look after your store.

While larger agencies may handle everything related to Shopify, smaller agencies may focus on only one or two aspects of the platform, such as theme and app development, marketing, or sales. 

As a professional ecommerce agency with years of experience in building Shopify stores for business in Singapore, Scuti is proud to help you in growing your website. With 7+years of experience, we’ve created a global presence and work with clients in many different industry sectors. We place a strong emphasis on scope discovery to accurately identify client goals and objectives. We assist our clients in reducing operational complexity and putting innovative ecommerce solutions for businesses of all sizes, from startups, SMEs to large enterprises. Our main areas of specialty include Shopify, Adobe Commerce (also known as Magento), and ecommerce tools.  

Click here for more information about Scuti

Conclusion

Being a business owner is incredibly wonderful, but it can also be difficult. Fortunately, you don’t have to do it by yourself. No matter what stage your business is in, Shopify professionals are available in Singapore to help you develop. 

Shopify in Singapore: Market overview and how to start a Shopify store

Shopify is one of the top ecommerce website building platforms in the globe and in Singapore. Even though it’s widely used, a large portion of people who are interested in Shopify don’t know how to utilize it. Therefore, in this article, we will give you a complete guide to start a Shopify store in Singapore. 

Before learning how to start a Shopify store, we will take a look at the market overview of Singapore.

How Shopify has grown in Singapore?

According to a report from Store Leads, in the first quarter of 2023, there are 13,011 live Shopify stores in Singapore. In addition, Singapore has 190 Shopify Plus stores. In terms of categories for Shopify stores in Singapore, 22.5% of stores sell clothing products, and 14.3% of Shopify stores offer home and garden products. Meanwhile, 13.9% of Shopify stores offer food and beverage items. The most ecommerce store ordered by the worldwide rank of Shopify in Singapore is Cariuma, which was created in 2017, ranked 2,388. 

How to create Shopify store in Singapore

The step-by-step instructions for creating a Shopify store in Singapore are provided as below.

1. Create a Shopify account

Creating an account on Shopify is the first step in setting up your store. You must go to the Shopify website, select “Get Started,” and complete the registration form. Remember that you must give your store a distinctive name. In any other case, Shopify won’t let you buy the domain.

After finishing the first stage, you will need to indicate your store’s location and the quantity you plan to sell. Your name, address, and contact information are the final steps in creating an account.

2. Add the goods you want to sell in your Shopify store

You will be taken to the admin area of your new site after completing the sign up process. Here, you may make your store more unique and include items that customers will buy.

You can enter information such as the name, description, price, and vendor on the ‘Add Product’ page. Making the information as thorough as you can is advised. More importantly, after entering all the necessary information, don’t forget to press the save button.

It is important to keep in mind that the pictures you use on your merchandise affect the decisions of the buyers. Make sure the images you choose are appealing to your intended audience. You shouldn’t disregard your Shopify website’s aesthetic attractiveness.

3. Customize your Shopify website’s design

Select one of more than a hundred gorgeous ecommerce website templates from our Theme Store to get started. Your chosen design can then be fully customized to fit your company’s needs by adding your logo, changing the colors, choosing gorgeous fonts, and so much more!

Shopify makes the installation and maintenance of your ecommerce website quick and simple with secure hosting and a well-organized backend admin area. Additionally, a drag-and-drop editor without coding gives you complete control over the appearance of your retail website (or full HTML/CSS for the coders).

4. Select your domain

The next step is to choose a domain name so that your website can be published online once you’ve decided on your desired theme and website layout. When you click the “add a domain” option, a question will appear asking you whether you want to add a new domain or move an existing one. Additionally, you will need to choose the Shopify payment option of your choice.

Remember that you can add a domain to your Shopify website by purchasing it from Shopify directly or from a third-party source. Remember to change your DNS records if you are uploading an existing name.

5. Activate digital and credit card payments

Click on the Payments option on the dashboard’s left side if you wish to enable a payment processor for your Shopify store. Shopify streamlines credit card transactions and integrates with more than 100 payment processors, including PayPal, Amazon, and Apple Pay.

Shopify fully hosts your website and optional integrated POS system, and we give your online retail shop a PCI compliance and SSL certificate for security.

Main features of Shopify in Singapore

1. User-friendly interface

Shopify is more simple to use and set up in Singapore than self-hosted platforms. It enables you to open an online store without spending money on development. Shopify provides an easy-to-use interface that enables business owners to efficiently sell their goods.

2. Mobile-friendly

The younger generations of today are heavily reliant on their mobile devices, so making an online website mobile responsive is crucial. Fortunately, Shopify in Singapore is aware of this. For a great user experience, Shopify’s ecommerce platform has mobile-responsive templates that function well on a variety of devices. Customers may shop while on the move thanks to an integrated mobile commerce shopping cart.

3. Strong marketing tools.

A nice-looking website is one thing, but a powerful online store that attracts customers is something entirely different. The good news is that Shopify in Singapore can provide you with the best of both worlds. You may get a distinctively designed website that ranks higher on search engines by using Shopify’s robust Search Engine Optimization (SEO) tools.

Learn more about top best marketing trends 2023 to increase the conversion rate of your website here.

4. 24/7 support

In addition to online forums and the knowledge provided on the Shopify Health Centre, Shopify in Singapore provides exceptional customer support that is available around-the-clock. With Shopify, you can ensure immediate, round-the-clock response, giving you the comfort that your company is never left alone. Contacting Shopify personnel by email, live chat, or phone call will keep your ecommerce store operating smoothly.

5. Offers reliability and security

Dealing with clients’ financial and personal information is a must for setting up an online store. As a result, you must pick an ecommerce platform that provides both effectiveness and security. In light of this, building a Shopify website might be your best option. The fact that Shopify in Singapore offers security and dependability against fraud is just one of its many wonderful features.

Pricing options of Shopify in Singapore

You might wish to first join up for a 3-day free trial if you’re new to Shopify. You’ll be able to do this to open your very first Shopify store and have access to its free Shopify apps.

Shopify provides reasonable prices and pricing options. Here is a pricing guide for Shopify to assist you in determining which one best meets your company’s needs.

Basic Shopify ($29/month)

You get all the essentials you need to launch a Shopify store with Basic Shopify. It includes a blog and e-commerce website in addition to giving two of your employees access to Shopify admin and POS.

Shopify ($79/month)

This subscription provides you with everything you require to expand your business, as well as access to Shopify admin and POS for five of your employees.

Shopify advanced ($299/ month)

You may upgrade your business with the innovative features that advanced Shopify offers. It has sophisticated report builders and delivery costs determined by outside parties. The access to Shopify admin and POS for 15 of your employees is provided by advanced Shopify.

Finding detail information about Shopify pricing here.

Conclusion

In Singapore, where hundreds of businesses use the platform, Shopify is extremely popular. The platform is favored due to its simplicity of use and affordable costs. If you want to hire an ecommerce agency to build your Shopify store, Scuti are here to help. 

About Scuti

Established in 2015, Scuti with 7+ years has developed into a dynamic, flexible, and quick-moving business that specializes in delivering web development for the ecommerce industry. We’ve created a global presence and work with clients in many different industry sectors. We place a strong emphasis on scope discovery to accurately identify client goals and objectives. We assist our clients in reducing operational complexity and putting innovative ecommerce solutions for businesses of all sizes, from startups, SMEs to large enterprises. Our main areas of specialty include Shopify, Adobe Commerce (also known as Magento), and ecommerce tools. 

Import tax & duty in Singapore: The complete guide you must know

Online businesses have a great opportunity to grow thanks to international sales. However, they also bring up a number of issues, such as how to handle import regulations. It is imperative for business owners to do a research on Singapore’s import tax and customs fees before shipping goods there. In this article, we would introduce everything you need to know about import tax & duty in Singapore.

What is import tax in Singapore?

Except for items that fall under an exempt category, all commodities carried into Singapore are subject to the Goods and Services Tax (GST).

Singapore Goods and Services Tax (GST) 

GST is computed using the item’s worth and may additionally take into account the cost, insurance, freight, and other chargeable expenses. You must pay regardless of whether you already paid a foreign sales tax when purchasing the products. All items entering Singapore are subject to a 7% Goods and Service Tax. However, the government has declared that by 2025, this will be increased to 9% (The Straits Times).

Singapore customs duty

All commodities that enter one country from another often have to pay customs duty; because the goods are crossing international borders. Singapore does not often impose Singapore customs duty on imported goods because it runs a free port. 

Singapore excise duty

The majority of nations charge an excise tax on imported goods that they aim to deter citizens from purchasing. As a result, they are typically used in conjunction with products that could be regarded hazardous for both social and environmental reasons. The majority of internet sellers won’t have to worry about paying excise duty when importing goods to Singapore. For this sort of Singapore import duty, the nation mentions the following four product categories: 

      • – alcoholic beverages

      • – motor vehicles

      • – tobacco and cigarettes 

      • – petroleum products and biodiesel mixes

    How does the import tax in Singapore operate?

    All items arriving in Singapore are subject to GST, one component of the Singapore import tax regime, as we have already mentioned. 

    Two ways to pay import tax in Singapore

    In Singapore, there are two ways to pay customs tax:

    The first way is to submit a declaration in advance before returning to Singapore (or before the goods arrive). Utilizing the Customs@SG mobile app or website, you must do this no later than three days before your arrival. Once this process is finished, you should be given an electronic receipt to carry with you in case you are questioned by customs upon entering Singapore. You can easily present this as proof of GST payment on your smartphone or other mobile device. 

    The other way is to submit a GST declaration and payment at the Customs Tax Payment Office.

    As the importer of the products, it is your responsibility to declare the value of the goods honestly, accurately, and completely and to pay the appropriate GST.

    You still need to pay the import tax even if the item(s) you’re importing don’t have a receipt or price tag. The price paid at the time of purchase or the price of comparable or identical items in the nation in which you purchased the item will serve as the basis for an estimation of value for GST purposes.

    GST relief

    You should notice that products brought back for consuming or personal use are exempt from GST. 

    GST relief for Singaporean holiday makers

    You may be eligible for GST relief if you purchase items outside of Singapore with the intention of bringing them back for personal use.

    You cannot receive GST relief if you import goods into Singapore for your company since this does not apply to any goods brought in for business.

    The length of your absence from Singapore will determine how much GST relief you receive. You will receive S$500 in GST relief if you travel abroad for at least 48 hours. You can only receive a GST reduction of S$100 for international journeys that last less than 48 hours.

    The most expensive item you can bring back into Singapore (for personal use) without having to pay customs tax is worth up to this amount. If the price of your items exceeds your GST relief limitation, you will be responsible for paying tax on the balance.

    GST exemptions for postal or courier orders

    You can receive GST relief on purchases up to S$400 if you shop online and use international shipping for postal imports of products from abroad.

    However, a significant distinction from importing items into the nation on your own is that if the order value is greater than S$400, you won’t be eligible for any GST relief. Therefore, the import tax of 7% is applied to the entire order amount if you go over this limit. 

    Singapore GST exemptions

    Not all of the items you want to bring back from your vacation will be exempt from GST. The GST exemptions are (including purchases made during online shopping): 

        • – alcoholic beverages

        • – motor vehicles

        • – tobacco and cigarettes 

        • – petroleum products and biodiesel mixes

      Remember that only Singapore citizens and permanent residents are eligible for the GST relief. You might not be qualified for GST exemption even if your time in Singapore is covered by a work, student, dependent, or long-term pass. Thus, the 7% import tax may apply to everything you ship to Singapore or bring back from outside. 

      Payment of import tax in Singapore

      All import taxes and charges in Singapore must be settled in Singapore Dollars. This holds true even if you purchased things using a different currency. To make this easier, the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) releases a Singapore custom exchange rate each week. The MAS website has the rates released one week in advance.

      The following payment methods are also available for paying duties and GST:

      – Visa or Master credit cards on the Customs@SG Web Application 

      – All major credit cards (MasterCard, Visa, and American Express), mobile wallets, NETS, and Cashcard are accepted at the Singapore Customs Tax Payment Office.

      Conclusion

      Making sure your consumers are at ease making purchases from your store and have confidence that their order will be delivered safely to their location is one of the most crucial aspects of managing a global e-commerce brand. Making sure clients are aware of the exact amount of import tax and duty they will be required to pay is one aspect of this. By assisting you to compute these automatically in your store, Shopify makes this procedure simpler for customers in Singapore and elsewhere. If you want to build an ecommerce website on Shopify, Scuti is here to help. 

      Omnichannel vs Multichannel: Main differences and which one is the best choice for your business

      The terms “omnichannel” vs “multichannel” are frequently used in business and marketing. Additionally, both require using multiple marketing channels to reach customers, so it can be challenging to define the difference between these concepts. In this article, we will distinguish these two terms and guide you how to choose the best one for your business.

      Definition of multichannel

      Multichannel definition

      Multichannel marketing is the use of multiple media channels to reach out to customers to promote and spread a brand’s message. However, there is no integration between these several channels. For instance, the content of your Facebook advertisement may be totally dissimilar from what you publish on Instagram or in your marketing emails. 

      In a nutshell, every channel in a multichannel approach functions independently and presents its own set of sales opportunities.

      Definition of omnichannel

      Omnichannel definition

      The phrase “omnichannel” also describes using multiple channels to communicate with clients. However, in this instance, the various channels are combined to give the customer a smooth experience. In other words, a user can continue where they left off on one channel or another. For instance, a clothing company may sell its goods online, through its app, on Shopee Mall, in the “Shopping” section of Facebook, and in physical storefronts.

      In short, omnichannel allows customers to shift between channels smoothly while interacting with your business. Any marketing content customers encounter when they go to your website, Facebook page, physical store, or any other channel, will be centered on a single idea or message.

      Key difference of “omnichannel” vs “multichannel” 

      The strategy’s goal distinguishes omnichannel from multichannel the most. Multichannel uses one or two marketing channels to focus on a product or service, while omnichannel uses marketing channels that are customer-focused. 

      On the one hand, maximizing the number of channels used to promote a brand is the goal of multichannel marketing. Furthermore, more channels provide customers more options for how they want to interact with a brand. The customer has more options the more channels are available.

      On the other hand, the customer, not the channel, is the main focus of omnichannel marketing. Putting the consumer first, the goal is to give them the best experience possible as they switch between channels, reducing friction across various digital touchpoints.

      In addition, multichannel emphasizes flexibility, whereas omnichannel concentrates around consistency. In detail, the goal of multichannel marketing is to reach as many people as you can in order to increase brand awareness. Meanwhile, the goal of omnichannel marketing is to provide customers who are already aware of and interacting with a company with a consistent customer experience.

      Examples of “omnichannel” vs “multichannel”

      Starbucks omnichannel strategy

      Starbucks is a great example of using omnichannel to focus on the customer experience. The seamless user experience that Starbucks offers is outstanding. Every time a customer uses a Starbucks card to make a purchase, whether they use a physical card or a mobile device, they earn reward points.

      Additionally, on the linked app, coffee enthusiasts are able to:

      • – Find nearby stores
      • – Give gifts
      • – For a quicker experience, place your drink orders in advance.

      Additionally, customers may check the songs that are now playing in that particular store and add them to their playlists thanks to the recent Spotify integration.

      The application of the omnichannel experience is executed brilliantly and effortlessly in Starbucks’ business model. 

      If you want to build a Shopify website to give your customer seamless user experience, learn more here.

      Adidas multichannel strategy

      Adidas, a maker of sporting products, is a good illustration of multichannel marketing. They sell their goods through both online and physical stores, as well as through their own website and the Adidas Concept Stores, which are their flagship locations. Adidas is adaptable when it comes to marketing and communication. They employ a variety of mediums, from traditional TV advertisements to social media. On each channel, they send a different message to reach their customers.

      This is their message on online shop:

      Adidas multichannel strategy

      This is their advertisement on Facebook page:

      Adidas multichannel strategy

      Want to hire web developers in Singapore to build your ecommerce website, learn more here.

      How to select the best choice for your business?

      At first glance, it would make sense to choose omnichannel, which provides a better customer experience. But it’s not quite that simple. You should depend on your business’s goal when choosing between “omnichannel” and “multichannel”.

      Choose the “multichannel” strategy for your business if

      If you want to promote your brands and bring your products to customers quickly, using multichannel marketing strategy should be your choice.

      In addition, if you lack the funds to fully implement an omnichannel strategy, multichannel marketing may be a good alternative. You could think it’s simpler to remain with multichannel marketing because it can still produce positive outcomes even though omnichannel marketing requires more work to deploy.

      The main benefit of multichannel is that it provides flexibility by enabling each channel to operate independently. The stakeholders of each channel can concentrate on expanding their channels without having to worry as much about communication.

      Choose the “omnichannel” strategy for your business if

      Omnichannel marketing, when done correctly, is a fantastic choice for companies of all kinds, including smaller and developing ecommerce marketers.

      Going omnichannel can need additional resources in terms of investment and operation, but the benefits of an effective omnichannel strategy far outweigh these costs. If you’re willing to put in the effort, omnichannel is the way to go. Benefits range from a better user experience and increased customer retention to improved sales and stronger brand loyalty.

      Conclusion

      The first step in choosing the best strategy for your brand is to understand the distinction between omnichannel and multichannel. Whether you invest in multichannel or omnichannel, having the adaptability to incorporate new channels will decide your success in the future. If you are starting your ecommerce business and want to hire an ecommerce agency to help, contact us today.