How ShopBack Built Its Vietnam Tech Hub With Talent JDI
Website
https://www.shopback.sg/
Headquarters
Singapore
Industry
eCommerce enabler
Company Size
500+
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ShopBack, the leading rewards and discovery platform in Asia-Pacific, enables shoppers across the region to shop ‘The Smarter Way”. ShopBack provides its over 20 million users with a one-stop rewards platform to earn cashback while delivering performance-based marketing to merchants.
First launched in Singapore in 2014, ShopBack has since expanded its reach to Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, Taiwan, Australia, Vietnam, and Korea.
ShopBack partners with leading e-commerce merchants to reward its users with cashback across a wide range of categories including general merchandise, travel bookings, fashion, health and beauty, groceries, and food delivery. To date, US$100m of cashback has been awarded to ShopBack users.
The Challenge: Scaling Product Engineering Without Slowing Down
Product Engineering Capacity Gap
Long software development roadmaps placed constant pressure on ShopBack's Product Engineering team.
Speed-to-Market Pressure
Any delay in product delivery risked their competitive position across nine active markets.
No Vietnam HR Infrastructure
ShopBack had no hiring network, no employment structure, and no local HR knowledge to build a Vietnam tech team from scratch.
Dual-Market Complexity
Vietnam was both a target growth market and a talent source — requiring a partner with genuine operational depth in both contexts.
To maintain their position as the #1 cashback platform across APAC, ShopBack made the decision to establish Tech Hubs in Vietnam and Taiwan — tapping into local talent to support their Product Engineering team in markets they already operated in and planned to scale further.
ShopBack needed a partner that was both fast and trusted: experienced in the Singapore–Vietnam corridor, capable of standing up a Tech Hub quickly, and able to manage the HR and legal complexity of a cross-border team setup.
In short, the company wanted a trustworthy party experienced in both Singapore and Vietnam markets, which they found in Talent JDI. Being around the startup and SME landscape, Talent JDI has a reputation for being quick and responsive in helping firms set up offshoring in Vietnam.
Building Up ShopBack’s Vietnam Tech Hub With Talent JDI
Following the initial meeting, an ambitious plan with long-term goals was envisioned. Talent JDI provided recruiting support to ShopBack to build up their Tech Hub, and also gave consultation on HR policies and legal documents to keep the transition in favor of the firm’s momentum of development.
Additionally, the payroll for the offshore team in Vietnam was also managed by Talent JDI so ShopBack could focus on their core business.
01
Step 01 · Recruitment
Building the Vietnam Tech Hub Team
We provided recruiting support to build out ShopBack's Tech Hub in Ho Chi Minh City — sourcing engineers from our local talent network to support their Product Engineering team's expanding roadmap.
02
Step 02 · HR & Legal
HR Policy & Legal Consultation
We provided guidance on Vietnam HR policies and legal documentation — ensuring the transition stayed compliant and in line with ShopBack's momentum of development. Our HR management services kept the setup clean from day one.
03
Step 03 · Payroll
Payroll Management for the Offshore Team
We managed payroll for ShopBack's Vietnam-based team — so their Singapore leadership could focus entirely on product and growth without dealing with cross-border payroll administration.
04
Step 04 · Transition
Handing Over to ShopBack Vietnam
After nearly a year, the Vietnam team had grown to a scale where ShopBack was ready to manage their Vietnam operations directly. We handled a structured transition of the headcount to ShopBack Vietnam — supporting the handover while maintaining continuity. Talent JDI continues to provide local expertise as needed.
See how we build dedicated tech teams for global enterprises
Significant cost savings on operations & recruitment
Transitioned to ShopBack Vietnam — independently scaling today
With a core team that is highly skilled and equipped with local knowledge, ShopBack was able to launch in Vietnam successfully.
From an efficiency and effectiveness standpoint, the company saved a significant amount of cost by using Talent JDI services for offshoring to Vietnam. More importantly, ShopBack received guidance from Talent JDI, and was able to save time and avoid costly mistakes.
Since setting up its operations in Vietnam nearly a year ago, Talent JDI has transited the headcount to ShopBack Vietnam. With the transition done, the company is able to independently scale its Vietnam business to greater heights.
From time to time, Talent JDI still provides local expertise as needed by ShopBack’s Vietnam team.
"Talent JDI’s commitment resonates with our core value of long-term partnerships."
ShopBack
Vietnam IT Staff Recruitment Services
Why Choose Talent JDI For Hiring Developers In Vietnam?
Talent JDI is a specialist Vietnam IT recruitment agency with 10+ years on the ground in Ho Chi Minh City.
Our curated 30,000+ network of pre-vetted developers means you receive your first shortlist within 48 hours — not six weeks. And because we are MoLSW-licensed, every hire is fully compliant with Vietnamese labour law from day one.
Whether you need one senior engineer or a full offshore team, our Vietnam tech recruitment process handles sourcing, vetting, offer negotiation, contracts, and onboarding — so you can focus on building your product.
Can Vietnam serve as both a talent base and an active business market at the same time?
Yes, and for companies already operating in Vietnam, the two reinforce each other. ShopBack treated Vietnam as both a product market and an engineering talent hub simultaneously.
Having a local team that understands the market they're building for is a genuine product advantage. Talent JDI's operational presence in Vietnam meant we could support both the HR and commercial side of that setup from a single partner relationship.
Q
How quickly can Talent JDI stand up a Tech Hub in Ho Chi Minh City?
For companies with a clear hiring brief, we can typically present a shortlist of qualified engineers within 2–4 weeks and have the first hires onboarded within 6–8 weeks.
For larger hub builds, the timeline scales with volume, but having a pre-vetted local talent network means we're sourcing from day one rather than starting from scratch.
ShopBack's priority was speed without compliance risk, which is exactly what the combination of our recruitment and payroll management infrastructure is designed for.
Q
What Vietnam HR and legal requirements do we need to be aware of when setting up a Tech Hub?
Vietnam's Labour Code covers employment contracts, probation periods, termination conditions, and statutory contributions (Social Insurance, Health Insurance, and Unemployment Insurance (SHUI)).
For foreign companies, the additional layer is ensuring employment arrangements are structured correctly from the start, as retroactive compliance corrections are costly and disruptive. Talent JDI's HR consultation covers these specifics before the first hire, so the setup is clean from day one rather than patched later.
Q
What does it look like to eventually transition from an ODC model to our own Vietnam entity?
The transition is a sign that the model worked. It typically makes sense once a team reaches 30–50 people and the economics of direct employment justify the cost of setting up and running a local entity. Talent JDI manages the handover process, migrating employment contracts, supporting entity setup documentation, and maintaining team continuity throughout.
ShopBack's transition to ShopBack Vietnam is a direct example: the team was stable, the operations were clean, and the handover was structured rather than abrupt.
Q
How does payroll management work for a Vietnam-based offshore team?
Talent JDI processes monthly payroll in Vietnamese Dong, manages all SHUI contributions as required by the Ministry of Labour, and handles the statutory reporting obligations. Your Singapore finance team sees a consolidated monthly invoice.
For ShopBack, this meant their Singapore payroll and finance functions had zero direct exposure to Vietnam employment administration throughout the engagement.
Q
We're a large company, not a startup. Is the ODC model still the right fit?
Yes, the ODC model scales with company size.
For larger companies like ShopBack, the value proposition shifts slightly: it's less about avoiding entity setup costs and more about speed of execution, access to a pre-vetted talent network, and having an experienced on-the-ground partner who removes the operational risk of a new-market team build.
The model also gives large companies a clean path to transition to direct employment when the team is ready, which is exactly how ShopBack's engagement concluded.
