In an April deal, Samsung users in Malaysia snapped up 4,000 free Starbucks Frappuccinos during a two-hour window. In the Philippines, Samsung users got special deals on Radisson hotel rooms. Users in Singapore can receive deals such as 10 days of free access at a local gym, a discounted treatment at a spa or 50% off a box of doughnuts at Dunkin' Donuts. In the third quarter, Samsung plans to start a service providing customized video content on its devices to users in Southeast Asia, Mr. Wodtke said.
Mr. Wodtke's success in luring users to embrace Samsung's apps will hinge on consumers such as Isaac Tan, a 24-year-old Malaysian medical student. On a recent afternoon at an electronics mall in downtown Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Mr. Tan stopped into a Samsung shop to peruse the company's latest gadgets.