Introduction

Embedded SIM cards (e-SIMs for short) differ from your traditional SIM card. For starters, e-SIMs do not require physical phone space, making the installation instantaneous. Gone are the days of ordering a new SIM, waiting for it to arrive, and then inserting it into your phone. You also won’t need to hunt for a SIM ‘ejector tool’ to remove the old SIM. Now, all it takes is a simple phone call or a couple of clicks online to switch to your preferred network.

These capabilities have fueled providers to push for a substantial shift towards e-SIMs. Inadvertently, this shift has transformed how tourists connect in foreign countries, with many local telecom companies offering tourist-specific e-SIMs as a convenient and customisable solution.

The global market for e-SIMs showcases tremendous growth potential, with revenues expected to increase from USD 4.7 billion in 2023 to USD 16.3 billion in 2027.

However, Twimbit’s research across 28 Asia Pacific (APAC) telecom service providers (including Southeast Asia, India, Australia, and New Zealand) reveals a surprising gap. Only one-third (9 of 28 telcos) allow tourists to purchase their e-SIMs online. This reliance on offline purchases makes it much harder for tourists to get e-SIMs, as they often require a local ID or an existing registered account.

To examine how the e-SIM purchasing process for tourists varies across APAC, the ”CX Mark: APAC tourist e-SIM purchase journey 2024” report offers an in-depth exploration of the challenges that tourists face, and opportunities present within the telco sector.

Research Methodology

This analysis benchmarks and evaluates key aspects of each telco’s tourist e-SIM experience, including Google search accessibility, purchasing process, payment methods, and activation instructions.

By thoroughly examining these elements, we aim to highlight current e-SIM customer experience (CX) strategies, identify potential enhancement areas, and provide actionable insights for telecom companies to improve their offerings.

Research Framework

Overall Results

Search Results

Yesim topped the rankings due to its superior discoverability.

Top 3 best practices by Yesim:

1. Easy discoverability: Search terms such as “(country name) tourist e-SIM” prominently display Yesim among the first few results, although it should be noted that some of these are sponsored.

2. Clear call-to-action (CTA): The use of straightforward and relevant keywords like “e-SIM” and “buy online” in links makes navigation intuitive.

3. Streamlined navigation: Users can reach the page displaying various package options in just 2-3 steps, enhancing user experience by minimising complexity.

Purchasing Process

Yoodo MY ranked the highest in convenience and efficiency in the purchasing process.

Top 3 practices by Yoodo:

1. App responsiveness: Yoodo has a swiftly responding app that doesn’t lag or cause any technical difficulties while purchasing the e-SIM.

2. Package visibility and customisability: The steps to purchase and activate an e-SIM are displayed from the start. Furthermore, package options are colour-coded for clear visibility and offer niche plans with specific bundles. Best-selling options were shown first, too. DIY customisability of packages is available, enabling e-SIMs to be tailored to individual needs.

3. Purchasing steps and duration: Yoodo recorded the least number of overall steps required to purchase an e-SIM, ensuring a smooth and quick process for new users.

Payment Methods

Yesim ranked the highest for payment methods mainly because of its abundance in various payment methods.

Top 3 practices by Yesim:

1. Variety of methods: Yesim provides the greatest number of payment methods, including niche services like Binance Pay, Alipay and Paypal for added convenience

2. Auto-prompting payment methods: Yesim prompts users’ mobile phones for Apple or Google Pay if a user has signed in using Apple or Google accounts. This high convenience while purchasing removes the hassle of manually keying in credit card details.

3. Intuitive and responsive interface: The website is systematic and flawless in payment and immediately shows confirmation upon payment.

Activation Instructions

Airalo was ranked highest for activation instructions, given its all-rounded guidance for users.

Top 3 practices by Airalo:

1. Instructions platforms: Airalo provided instructions at the payment completion page and through email for iPhones and Androids.

2. Animations: Airalo also displayed visual animations to depict which buttons to press and which pages to navigate for the easiest view of how to activate their e-SIM.

3. Additional assistance: Their email has a linked YouTube video that explains the activation process in depth.

Additional Insight

Page Speed

AIS was ranked the highest in desktop and mobile website speed and responsivity. These readings were found using Google’s PageSpeed Insights with conclusive results based on their unique core web vitals assessments.

e-KYC process

KYC (Know Your Customer) is a procedure companies worldwide adopt to verify customers’ identity and relevant documents before purchasing. Especially when purchasing e-SIMs from overseas, verifying foreign customers is required in many countries due to safety protocols and the prevailing country’s digital crime rate.

If the country a customer buys an e-SIM for has KYC policies, the customer must verify his passport/ID with a selfie facial recognition step.

While Singtel still requires physical ID verification, others like Yoodo and AIS have features to verify documents through their website digitally. In contrast, providers like Airalo are not always required to “know their customers”.

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Analyst’s Recommendations

1. Companies need to invest in creating effortless onboarding experiences for new customers. This can be achieved with:

a. Simplified Discovery

• i. Include keywords like their target market, immediate benefits and brand name in the link
• ii. Use actionable CTAs for easy discovery
• iii. Avoid chaotic links and unclear language

b. An informative first page that guides users

• i. Provide a comprehensive dashboard displaying all relevant packages and e-SIM information
• ii. Offer new-user promotions in the form of pop-up banners to encourage well-informed purchases
• iii. Auto-select packages on the first page based on location and cost-efficiency

2. Telcos should make their purchasing experience more intuitive.

a. Implement a personalised plan comparison page on their website that allows users to have more information before purchasing and avoid users sifting through long lists of information.

b. Provide a frictionless purchase experience

• i. Guide them step-by-step, clearly showing total purchase steps with a navigation guide.
• ii. Adopt in-built systems to check device compatibility and better assist users instead of them having to read a list of devices and check for themselves.
• iii. Ensure a purchase process with less than 5 steps.

c. Flexible checkout

• i. Provide an array of payment methods, international and national, together with third-party wallet options like Paypal, Alipay, etc.
• ii. Auto-prompt users that have signed into Apple/Google accounts for Apple/Google Pay to simplify the checkout process further

3. Companies should prioritise self-service management and support. They can achieve this by:

a. Providing clarity and instant responses

• i. Send payment confirmation immediately via email and attach activation instructions to that email with the QR code to speed up users’ activation process.

b. Accommodating all customers

• i. Provide instructions specifically for iPhone and Android so users can view instructions specific to their device to avoid confusion.
• ii. Attach video links/animations to provide a proper visual guide to the activation process to guide users further.

c. Multi-channel accessibility

• i. Enable users to contact customer service via several channels that run 24/7.
• ii. Enable self-identity verification that allows new users to register their details within one minute and verify their passport/ID within the hour with an email notification.