Bangkok--29 Apr--DTAC “Happy” announces its success after two years of dogged attempts to expand its electronic-refill (e-refill) channels that finally reward it with a market share of over 50% in the e-refill market. The sky is the limit, it continues to develop new sales teams and channels to reach as many customers as possible. New sales channels include “Gumball Machines”, “Happy Afloat”, and “Street Agents” who can reach customers on trains and in boxing stadiums, racetracks, fresh markets and ferries. It boasts the most prepaid channels in the business and is confident of achieving a 70% market share from 500,000 top-up sites in two years simultaneously with its brand building to be fueled with customers’ satisfaction. Dr.Ketchayong Skowratananont, head of the prepaid business division of Total Access Communication Plc (dtac), says that prepayment is the most sought service and is necessary. Especially in the times of high costs of living, customers add smaller sums of money to their cell phone accounts and thus must do it more frequently. E-refill serves the need because it is convenient and accessible. Happy has developed its Happy Online service for two years and obtained high scores from opinion polls conducted with retailers. “We now have over 220,000 Happy Online agents who are shop owners and people from various walks of life now active in 7,400 sub-districts in total 76 provinces. This results in Happy’s 50% share in the overall e-refill market. We still continue to expand our services and expect to achieve a market share of as much as 70% and 500,000 top-up sites in the next two years,” he said. Voravat Vongsangah, dtac’s head of commercial development division, says Happy focuses on developing top-up channels in the belief that the channels are also an important factor that supports brand building. Prepayment is the best chance for customers to share brand experiences. Prepayment can impress customers when they can do it anywhere and anytime and are also excited with it. For example, they can add only 20 baht to their phone account through our “Gumball Machines” at department stores and movie theaters or they can even prepay in boxing stadiums, on trains or in the middle of waterways when they come across our “Street Agents” and “Happy Afloat”. “We keep looking for places and forms to continuously expand our prepaid market. We also build on our online service by adding other services such as download services for calling melodies and value-added services,” he added.New and active top-up channels of Happy are as follows. Gumball Machines allow 20-baht top up amount. They are in the form of gumball machines with which Thai people are familiar. They are placed at department stores, bus terminals, movie theaters etc. Such gumball machines have been placed at 23 locations. Happy Afloat is active at Ampawa and Damnoen Saduak floating markets, targeting vendors and tourists.Street Agents provide e-refill services at numerous places: - boxing stadiums including Ratchadamnoen and Lumpini stadiums, - the racetrack of the Royal Turf Club (the Nang Lerng racetrack), - fresh markets and weekend markets including the Chatuchak market, - railway stations — the Hua Lamphong railway terminus and stations in nearby provinces, - ferry piers in Bangkok such as the Tha Phrachan pier, and - government agencies.