On Friday, January 23^rd, a group of AUPP students attended a reception to celebrate the opening of the new facilities for WorldBridgE Commerce, a WorldBridge initiative that is meant to help increase e-commerce in Cambodia. WorldBridge International and WorldbridgE Commerce were founded by Oknha Rithy Sear.

The goal of the WorldBridgE Commerce project is to help increase access to not only shopping, but also online microfinance, methods of payment, and the transfer of money between people. In other words, it is intended to boost the online industry. The company’s mantra is not to change the online industry in Cambodia, but to create it.

The guests were greeted by Tomas Pokorny, the CEO of WorldBridgE Commerce, and Rami Sharaf, the CEO of the WorldBridge Group. Students were able to talk to industry leaders and other invitees about the state of e-commerce in Southeast Asia, the barriers to increasing e-commerce in Cambodia, and how WorldbridgE Commerce will accomplish their goals of changing the “very meaning of the word ‘online’.”

Students were also given a sneak preview of how technology is changing the way people can shop online. In one demonstration, students took turns standing in front of a virtual mirror. This mirror was able to superimpose clothing onto the person, simulating what the person would look like if they purchased a particular article of clothing. Through the same device, the customer can purchase the clothing and have it shipped to their door. This was one of many examples of how technology is changing the way people do business, and even the way people interact.

AUPP student Taing Bun Hong says, “It is encouraging to learn that Cambodia’s business sector is using advanced technologies to make our lives easier.”