Retail News CRM

Author: Mei Ling Tan

  • Burger King AsiaPac to invade Taiwan market

    Burger King AsiaPac to invade Taiwan market

    Burger King AsiaPac has signed a master franchise agreement with Nexus Point Management to further develop the fast-food brand in Taiwan.

    Terms of the transaction have not been disclosed.

    Burger King president Jose Cil says Taiwan is one of the largest quick-service restaurant markets in Asia Pacific.

    Nexus Point managing partner Kuo Chuan Kung says it will accelerate the expansion of Burger King restaurants in the market and make further investments in technology and infrastructure.

    The burger chain also has outlets in China, India, South Korea and Vietnam. Founded in 1954, i has more than 16,000 locations in more than 100 countries. It is owned by Restaurant Brands International.

    Nexus Point is an Asian private equity fund with a focus on greater China.

  • Net giants ‘must pay for news’ from which they make billions

    Net giants ‘must pay for news’ from which they make billions

    Nine European press agencies, including AFP, called Wednesday on internet giants to be forced to pay copyright for using news content on which they make vast profits.

    The call comes as the EU is debating a directive to make Facebook, Google, Twitter and other major players pay for the millions of news articles they use or link to.

    “Facebook has become the biggest media in the world,” the agencies said in a plea published in the French daily Le Monde.

    “Yet neither Facebook nor Google have a newsroom… They do not have journalists in Syria risking their lives, nor a bureau in Zimbabwe investigating Mugabe’s departure, nor editors to check and verify information sent in by reporters on the ground.”

    “Access to free information is supposedly one of the great victories of the internet. But it is a myth,” the agencies argued.

    “At the end of the chain, informing the public costs a lot of money.”

    News, the declaration added, is the second reason after catching up on family and friends for people to log onto Facebook, which tripled its profits to $10 billion (8.5 billion) last year.

    Yet it is the giants of the net who are reaping vast profits “from other people’s work” by soaking up between 60 and 70 percent of advertising revenue, with Google’s jumping by a fifth in a year.

    Meanwhile, ad revenue for news media fell nine percent in France alone last year, “a disaster for the industry”.

    ‘Pillar of democracy at risk’ 

    “Years have passed (without anything being done) and free and reliable newsgathering is now threatened because the media will simply no longer be able to pay for it,” the news agencies added.

    “Diverse and reliable news sources, a pillar of democracy, risk being undermined.”

    Attempts by news outlets in France, Germany and Spain to force internet giants to pay have only resulted in them coughing up a “few symbolic crumbs”, they added.

    The press agencies insisted that some of the vast imbalance could be rectified if the EU gives them and other media “related rights” copyright to their work.

    However, some European Parliament members were worried that the proposed directive would threaten free access to news for internet users.

    But that would not be the case, the agencies insisted.

    “Internet users would not be touched… simply those who now pocket a disproportionate part of advertising revenue would have to share a significant part of it with those who actually produce the information” on which the money is made.

    The appeal was signed by AFP; the German agency DPA; Britain’s Press Association; the Spanish agency EFE; Italy’s Ansa; the Swedish agency TT; Belga of Belgium, Austria’s APA, and the Dutch agency ANP.

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  • Google opens AI center in China as competition heats up

    Google opens AI center in China as competition heats up

    Google announced Wednesday that it will open a new artificial intelligence research centre in Beijing, tapping China’s talent pool in the promising technology despite the US search giant’s exclusion from the country’s internet.

    Artificial intelligence, especially machine learning, has been an area of intense focus for American tech stalwarts Google, Microsoft and Facebook, and their Chinese competitors Alibaba, Tencent and Baidu as they bid to master what many consider is the future of computing.

    AI research has the potential to boost developments in self-driving cars and automated factories, translation products and facial recognition software, among others.

    Google’s move to open a Beijing office focused on fundamental research is an indication of China’s AI talent, widely seen as being neck-and-neck with the United States in research capability.

    “Chinese authors contributed 43 percent of all content in the top 100 AI journals in 2015,” Li Feifei, a researcher leading the new center, wrote in a blog post on Google’s website.

    “We’ve already hired some top experts, and will be working to build the team in the months ahead.”

    Li noted that Chinese engineers formed the backbones of the winning teams in the past three ImageNet Challenges, an international AI competition to test which computing technology is better at recognizing and categorizing pictures.

    Chinese search engine Baidu’s team was banned for a year for breaking the rules during the 2015 competition.

    The country’s large population and strong mathematics and sciences education has nurtured a slew of engineering talent.

    Google operates two offices in China, with roughly half of its 600 employees working on global products, said company spokesman Taj Meadows.

    Its job board in China shows about a dozen openings in the AI field. The China center will join Google’s other research facilities outside of its Silicon Valley hub, including in New York, Toronto, London and Zurich.

    Google’s search engine and many of its services are blocked by China’s Great Firewall, but internet regulators have recently allowed access to its translation product, one that has made leaps and bounds in accuracy by incorporating the company’s AI research.

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  • Inditex Rises as Global Expansion Continues

    Inditex Rises as Global Expansion Continues

    Clothing company Inditex international, which owns Bershka and Zara, reports a strong performance for its latest nine months.

    Continuing to roll out its global fully integrated store and online platform, the Spanish group opened outlets in 52 markets during the period. Its store count reached 7504 in 94 markets at the end of October.

    It says like-for-like sales growth remains strong, while global online sales launches are on track. It launched online sales for Zara in India in October.

    Net sales for the nine months reached €17.96 billion (US$21.2 billion), up 10 per cent.

    Gross profit reached €10.3 billion, 9 per cent higher, while gross margin reached 57.4 per cent and EBIT was up 6 per cent to €2.99 billion. Net income was also up 6 per cent to reach €2.3 billion.

    During the nine months, Inditex opened 212 stores including 60 for Zara, 30 for Stradivarius and 13 for Pull & Bear.

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  • Rich Data and Midea Smart Home Partner to Improve the Lives of Customers

    Rich Data and Midea Smart Home Partner to Improve the Lives of Customers

    Global leaders in using data science and AI to solve real business problems and make a tangible difference to people, Rich Data Corporation (RDC) is now working with China-based Fortune 500 company Midea Smart Home to support its app development and drive more innovation around consumer data and artificial intelligence. This five-year partnership is set to positively impact the lives of millions through data and smart home technology.

    The promise of the smart home is finally ready to be realised in 2018, with connected devices now capable of monitoring our appliances to anticipate malfunctions, detecting utility usage patterns to provide energy-saving recommendations, and making a range of everyday appliances more fun and convenient to use. Market-leading researchers Ovum have predicted that 2018 will represent an inflection point for smart home technology, with many businesses already primed to explore the retail impact of the smart home.

    RDC is leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) to bolster Midea Smart Home services; in order to enrich the lives of consumers who increasingly demand a tech-enabled, smart home experience to match the digital lives they lead outside the home. Consumers in APAC are some of the most digitally-forward in the world – expecting convenient payment, shopping, and communication services at their fingertips, and increasingly looking for the same conveniences within their home.

    To preempt consumer needs and provide a holistic, tech-enabled lifestyle ecosystem, RDC has deployed an AI-based personalised recommendation engine within Midea Smart Home’s Meiju app. Now, consumers can enjoy compelling, proactive recommendations tailored to their dynamic smart home needs. This superior customer experience is made possible through advanced machine learning algorithms via RDC’s innovative platform.

    “The Midea Smart Home team is changing the conversation with our customers and providing them with products and services that are highly relevant for their daily life via our Meiju app,” stated Mr Qiang Li, General Manager of Midea Smart Home. “RDC’s ability to add intelligence to our deep reserves of consumer data, and their rapid deployment of AI technology enables us to service and engage our customers in a more personalised and meaningful way.”

    Ada Guan, CEO of Rich Data Corporation stated, “Our ultimate vision is to use our data skills to make a difference for people and business; helping enterprises unlock new opportunities while improving everyday life for consumers through data and AI smart home solutions. We are thrilled to be working with a prestigious, global brand like Midea Smart Home. This is the first step in an ongoing journey to leverage AI, consumer and household data in order to set smart living standards for millions of home globally.”

    The RDC Recommendation Engine is currently live for all 3 million Meiju app users within China. The partnership also marks RDC’s entry into the Chinese market, furthering the company’s expansion into the Asia region.

  • Hong Kong International Airport Christmas Big Rewards

    Hong Kong International Airport Christmas Big Rewards

    To celebrate the upcoming Christmas holiday, Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) is launching a series of shopping promotions, including delightful rewards of HKIA cash coupons worth up to HK$15,000.

    Instant Rewards Promotion

    From 20 December 2017 to 2 January 2018, travellers can redeem and enjoy rewards of cash coupons worth up to HK$15,000 when making purchases by electronic payment at HKIA. Passengers making purchases with their UnionPay cards can enjoy additional rewards.

    HKIA’s mascot will be dressed up in full Christmas outfit and walk around in the terminal, ready to meet, greet and take snapshots with travellers to spread the festive spirit.

    Shopping and Dining Offers

    During the promotional period, HKIA will also collaborate with retailers to provide a whole host of fabulous shopping and dining offers. Travellers can get more details simply by scanning the QR code on promotional materials or by visiting our website:
    https://www.hongkongairport.com/eng/shopping/special-offers.html

    Free Delivery Service

    Travellers spending HK$1,000 or more in a single transaction at HKIA can enjoy complimentary local delivery service. Free delivery service to Mainland (for clothing, bags and accessories only), Japan, South Korea, Indonesia, Macao, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam is also offered to travellers who spend HK$2,500 or more in a single transaction. For details, please check with the staff at the retail outlets.

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  • “Invader” First-ever Collaboration with Shopping Mall for Charity Project

    “Invader” First-ever Collaboration with Shopping Mall for Charity Project

    Renowned French urban artist, Invader attacked Hong Kong once again this September and brought us a new series of 32 impressive mosaic artworks. And for the first time he invaded Harbour City, the largest shopping mall in Hong Kong, installing 18 of them on various walls around the mall. Apart from the signature “space invader”, other themed-designs like “Anchor”, “Mermaid”, “emojis” and more match with each location and echo the spirit of Harbour City.

    Harbour City was surprised by the Invasion and successfully contacted Invader afterwards. Harbour City is honoured to invite him for an official collaboration on premium development and charity fund raising. It is Invader’s first-ever cooperation with a shopping mall and he tailor-designed the limited edition umbrella by adapting one of the new mosaic designs in Harbour City, the giant “Anchor” at Ocean Terminal Rooftop Carpark.

    Invader’s cool and playful style is demonstrated on the long umbrella. Silver grey “Anchor” is monogrammed on the charcoal black umbrella of which four of them are in bright yellow of the original artwork inspiring everyone. Printed on the umbrella strip is the response of Harbour City to his Invasion, “Dear Invader, your artworks are safe with us. Harbour City” to show the support and enthusiasm of Harbour City on art development.

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  • Flagship Project of Lai Sun Group Novotown Welcomes New Strategic Partners

    Flagship Project of Lai Sun Group Novotown Welcomes New Strategic Partners

    Novotown, an integrated project with a mix of cultural and entertainment attractions currently under development in Hengqin Zhuhai by Lai Sun Group, today announced a slew of new strategic partners at a ceremony attended by Zengqing Luo, Deputy Director of the Administrative Committee of Hengqin New Area, and representatives of concept brands and media.

    Novotown’s strategic partners include China Mobile Group Guangdong Co., Ltd. Zhuhai Branch, CITIC Bank, Trans-Island Limousine Service Ltd. and travel partners Guangdong Gongbei Port China Travel Service Ltd., Guang Zhilv (GZL) International Travel Service Ltd. and Century Holiday International Travel Group. These partners will work closely with Novotown to craft and build a quality community in the Greater Bay Area.

    ‘Novotown is Lai Sun Group’s flagship project in the Greater Bay Area which aligns ideally with China central government’s Greater Bay Area development plan.’ said John Tse, Chief Executive Officer of Novotown. ‘We’re delighted that so many quality partners are coming onboard to support our grand vision for one of the most immersive and participative tourism and entertainment destinations in China, fostering high technology, travel, culture and creativity to benefit economic development of the area.’

    He added, ‘Novotown has great potential to become the landmark of Hengqin. Together with other lifestyle elements and infrastructure, I am confident that Novotown will become a quality living, leisure and creative destination for both domestic and international audiences.’

    China Mobile unveiled its plans to launch its first concept store in Hengqin at Novotown to elevate retail experience of its guests. In addition, the brand will also introduce a ‘smart mall’ concept to Novotown – by logging-in to the shopping mall’s Wifi system, customers can get access to comprehensive services, such as parking payment, restaurant and locker reservation, locating stores and receiving coupons, via app or website. The system also grants tenants access to certain customer data, which could allow them to better craft their marketing strategies.

    Meanwhile, CITIC Bank intends to open a branch at Novotown, providing financial services for the residents, tenants and travellers in the area.

    Trans-Island Limousine Service Ltd. will provide point-to-point shuttle bus services between Hong Kong and Novotown via the new Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge to encourage customer traffic, while Guangdong Gongbei Port China Travel Service, Guang Zhilv (GZL) International Travel Service and Century Holiday International Travel Group will also help to promote multiple travel products available at the destination to international, mainland China and Hong Kong tourists.

    Wenqiang Hu, Director and General Manager of Guangdong Gongbei Port China Travel Service Ltd., said: ‘We are very excited to be the strategic partner of Novotown. As travellers are more sophisticated these days, Novotown’s partnerships with world-renowned brands create a diverse range of themed entertainment experiences, which together with their comprehensive infrastructure, are the key elements that help us attract these travellers in such keen competition. We are happy to work closely with Novotown and promote it as a vibrant and creative lifestyle community in the Greater Bay Area.’

    In addition to strategic partners, a range of China’s popular concept brands was a part of the ceremony today. They included Super Species, Sports Infinite, and Hutaoli Music Restaurant & Bar.  

    Adjacent to Macau, Novotown is positioned as a cultural and creative incubator. Benefiting from China (Guangdong) Pilot Free Trade Zone and Special Economic Zone policies, Novotown has been actively developing a wide range of leisure facilities which helps elevate the quality of life in the Greater Bay Area. With the addition of other confirmed partners including Lionsgate, National Geographic, Taipei Wellness Clinic and Resort, Real Madrid Football Club, Porsche and a world-class institute, the Innovation Leadership Academy Hengqin managed by Harrow International (China), Novotown is gearing up to become a vibrant and creative lifestyle community in the Greater Bay Area.

  • IDTechEx Research Releases Brand New Report on 3D Printing Software

    IDTechEx Research Releases Brand New Report on 3D Printing Software

    The 3D printing software market was characterised by multiple free and open source build processors, with one or two organisations catering to the industrial user with commercial offerings. In 2017, the landscape has changed considerably: there have been several new entrants following acquisition of smaller start-ups with both established CAD/PLM developers and 3D printer manufacturers keen to carve out a share of this rapidly growing market. The push to develop software that enables Design for Additive Manufacture for users looking to fully leverage the design freedoms offered by 3D printing is one of the key drivers of this growth. Given these market trends, the new IDTechEx Research report 3D Printing Software 2018-2028: Technology and Market Analysis forecasts that the global market for 3D printing metals will grow at a CAGR of 22% and will be worth $966 million by the year 2028.

     

    3D printing software encompasses all software required to realise a 3D model from CAD to print. This report provides a detailed overview of the functions of different 3D printing software technologies including this includes scanning for reverse engineering, CAD, CAE, CAM and workflow management, as well as evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of the most common file formats for 3D printing and their potential alternatives. Areas in which users’ needs remain unmet by current technologies are highlighted.

     

    New developments and trends within the 3D printing software market are discussed in the report including printer-specific software solutions developed by printer hardware manufacturers, as well as recent applications of leading-edge software tools for generative design, mass customisation and multimaterial printing.

     

    This report forecasts the overall 3D printing software market to 2028, with in-depth SWOT analyses of the major CAE, CAM and workflow management products available on the market today. The current state of the 3D printing software market is analysed, and long-range forecasts from 2018-2028 for revenue per annum segmented by commercialised CAE, CAM and workflow management product groups are evaluated.

     

    IDTechEx conducted exhaustive primary research with companies within the 3D printing value chain for key insights into the trends impacting growth to 2028. Over 25 company profiles have been included in the report including Materialise, Dassault Systèmes and Autodesk, among others.

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  • HKCYIA Features in “Hong Kong Maritime Week 2017 Career Expo”

    HKCYIA Features in “Hong Kong Maritime Week 2017 Career Expo”

    Hong Kong Cruise & Yacht Industry Association (HKCYIA) took part in the “Hong Kong Maritime Week 2017”, a major annual event of the maritime and port industries in Hong Kong. Organized by the Maritime and Port Board in collaboration with the Shipowners Association and the Maritime Museum, HKCYIA was a major participant of the event with the setting up of an exhibition booth and the presentation of a series of talks at the “Maritime Career Expo”, a featured event of “Hong Kong Maritime Week 2017”. Held on November 25, the event provided youths and the general public with extensive information about cruise careers and industry developments. With the aim of introducing career opportunities in the maritime sector for youths, the “Maritime Career Expo” featured several sharing sessions given by captains, crew pursers and examiners, industry professionals as well as marine students, during which they shared their seafaring adventures, interview skills and industry information with the audience.

    As the event speakers, Laura Escobar and Joe Li, Purser Trainers of HKCYIA, both gave talks on the title of “How Interesting is Living and Working on board a Cruise?”. They presented the living and working conditions of cruise careers, job requirements and interview techniques, which were well received by participants, with enquiries about cruise careers and their prospects.

    In addition, 15 shipping and tertiary educational organizations set up booths at the Expo to provide information about educational opportunities and career pathways in the maritime industry. Participating organizations included Anglo-Eastern Univan Group, China Classification Society, Dalian Maritime University Alumni, Shanghai Maritime University Alumni, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers, Hongkong International Terminals Limited, Hongkong United Dockyards Limited, Maritime Professional Promotion Federation, Hong Kong Seamen’s Union, Maritime Services Training Institute, The Hong Kong Shippers’ Council, The University of Hong Kong School of Professional and Continuing Education (HKU SPACE), TurboJET, and Wah Kwong Maritime Transport Holdings Limited.

    The 8-day “Hong Kong Maritime Week 2017” offered nearly 50 activities put together by 57 local and overseas industry bodies, academic institutions and professional organizations for participants from the industry and general public. Event highlights included the anchor event “7th Asian Logistics and Maritime Conference”, business conferences and forums, visits, industry networking gatherings, competitions and exhibitions. The event was aimed at showcasing the strength of the local maritime industry, promoting Hong Kong as a preferred base for operating maritime business and enhancing the community’s awareness of the industry and its contributions to the economy.

     

  • DFS Announces New Partnership With Iconic Luggage Brand Rimowa

    DFS Announces New Partnership With Iconic Luggage Brand Rimowa

    DFS Group, the world’s leading travel retailer, is excited to announce its new partnership with prestigious luggage brand RIMOWA. Known for its sleek suitcases with their distinctive hard-shell grooved exteriors in traditional aluminum or high-tech polycarbonate, RIMOWA is recognized as the pioneer manufacturer of luxury luggage for the world traveler.

    “At DFS, we believe that travel and lifestyle go together and so we continue to introduce products that are designed to enhance the experience of our discerning traveling customers,” said Christophe Chaix, Senior Vice President Fashion, Watches, Jewelry and Accessories. “RIMOWA is synonymous with innovation, quality and durability, making it a perfect partner for our accessories portfolio.”

    To celebrate this new partnership, DFS and RIMOWA are rewarding shoppers with special benefits. LOYAL T customers purchasing RIMOWA products from T Galleria by DFS will earn extra bonus points, while in T Galleria by DFS, Hong Kong, Canton Road, customers will get the chance to have DFS’ onsite craftsmen personalize the leather tag that comes with each piece of RIMOWA luggage, as well as to enjoy door-to-door delivery service to the customer’s in market home or hotel at their request upon selected purchase.

    RIMOWA will operate in key DFS locations around the world, launching first December 2017 in Hong Kong at T Galleria by DFS, Canton Road and T Galleria by DFS, Tsim Sha Tsui East; and will also be available in Macau at T Galleria by DFS, Shoppes at Four Seasons; in Japan at T Galleria by DFS, Okinawa; and Venice, Italy, T Fondaco dei Tedeschi, in early 2018.

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  • CapitaLand partners WeWork to cocreate office of the future at Funan integrated development

    CapitaLand partners WeWork to cocreate office of the future at Funan integrated development

    Funan, one of the most highly anticipated developments in Singapore opening in 4Q 2019, has signed its first office tenant. CapitaLand Mall Trust Management Limited (CMTML), the manager of CapitaLand Mall Trust which owns Funan, today announced that coworking space behemoth WeWork has leased 40,000 square feet (sq ft) of space in Funan. WeWork’s space will be located across two floors of Funan’s North Office Block – namely Level 4, which is the prime connector space linking the office blocks with Funan’s retail component, and Level 5.

    Mr Tony Tan, CEO of CMTML, said: “We envision Funan as an aspirational and experiential space that fosters collaboration among complementary partners, sparking inspiration and discovery for consumers. We are thus delighted to partner WeWork, one of the world’s leading innovators in shared office space, to cocreate an office of the future at Funan. Both Funan and WeWork share the same ethos of breaking new ground and building a community of like-minded individuals driven by passion to make a difference. WeWork’s coworking space will leverage Funan’s central location and harness its live-work-play paradigm to create a world-class collaborative workspace that fosters connections and nurtures ideas. It will cater to the new generation of professionals who yearn to work in a collaborative environment that gets them inspired, and unwind in a convenient location where they can shop, play sports, be entertained and enjoy a whole host of lifestyle activities under one roof.”

    Mr Tan added: “As a new-built space, WeWork’s facility at Funan offers plenty of scope and flexibility to implement purpose-built infrastructure and services for WeWork’s members. As a start, Funan will boast a smart office with facial recognition turnstiles and optional card-less entry into the office. WeWork community members will also have full access to the suite of innovations made available at Funan, including video-based smart carparking facilities, a 24-hour drive-through click-and-collect, 100% hands-free shopping service using robotics and app-based booking of all the facilities within the development.”

    Funan is located right in the heart of the Civic & Cultural District with excellent connectivity, including a direct underpass linking to City Hall MRT interchange station. As a new paradigm for live, work and play in Singapore’s city centre, Funan offers a synergistic combination of retail, office and serviced residence components that is designed to appeal to savvy consumers pursuing quality of life in a socially-conscious and creative environment. The Funan integrated development comprises a 500,000 sq ft mall of the future serving as a platform to inspire retail innovation; two Grade A office blocks that meet the needs of a variety of business, including established MNCs and coworking spaces for the mobile workforce; as well as The Ascott Limited’s lyf brand of co-living serviced residence designed for millennials.

    With community, connectivity and convenience at its core, Funan caters to the new breed of consumers who favour a collaborative environment and authentic experiences that reflect their passions and tastes. In support of the global car-lite movement, Funan is set to become Singapore’s first commercial building to allow cycling through the building with a dedicated indoor cycling path, complete with end-of-trip facilities for cycling enthusiasts, including bike shops, bike cafés, lockers and shower facilities. Funan will also boast the largest area set aside for urban agriculture in the CBD with a 5,300 sq ft urban farm and 6,900 sq ft edible yard, where the public can learn more about the origins of their food and “adopt a plot” to grow their own produce.

    Amenities available in Funan include a Golden Village cineplex, a best-in-class gym, futsal court, swimming pool and a 55-lane rock-climbing facility. Theatre goers will also delight in the performances programmed by Singapore’s leading professional theatre company W!ld Rice, which operates the dedicated 380-seat theatre in Funan.

  • This bot-powered Christmas, your gift might have been selected by a non-human

    This bot-powered Christmas, your gift might have been selected by a non-human

    Bot-powered commerce is on a tipping point in Singapore according to the new SAP Hybris Singapore Christmas Shopper Survey 2017. This Christmas, more than half (53%) of Singaporean shoppers are enlisting the help of chatbots for holiday shopping. In fact, majority of shoppers who asked chatbots for gift recommendations have actually acted on the recommendation (74%). Businesses and brands however, should not neglect incorporating the human touch.

    This is because Singaporeans expect assistance from chatbots to be rudimentary, with 58% viewing chatbots as useful only for basic information search, anticipating that more complex enquiries will need to be handled by a human being. Others feel that talking to chatbots have so far been a frustrating experience and they would rather speak to a human being (21%) and close to a fifth expressed an outright dislike for chatbots (17%).

    More than 1,000 consumers in Singapore were surveyed on their use of and attitudes towards chatbots, with the results reflecting that while Singaporeans are open towards engaging with chatbots, they still have reservations. One of the top concerns that Singaporeans have towards chatbots is that their requests might not be understood (61%). A third (35%) are worried that their personal information might be leaked if they divulge too much to chatbots, and 13% say that chatbots are too creepy if they know too much about them.

    Commenting on Singaporeans’ attitudes towards chatbots, Nicholas Kontopoulos, Global Vice President of Fast Growth Markets for SAP Hybris said, “The customer experience can make or break a brand. In view of this, businesses need to stay attuned to these concerns and optimise the use of chatbots as one component in a wider omnichannel strategy. While chatbots can proactively offer answers for initial queries on pricing, product features, or book and make reservations, they cannot fully replace the value of human interaction when it comes to building customer relationships. Any hint of customer dissatisfaction needs to be solved immediately, by a human services officer.”

    To win Singaporeans over, chatbots need to become more understanding and intuitive – almost half of Singaporeans (48%) say that they will engage with chatbots more often if they are able to make more personalised recommendations on what to buy. Other motivating drivers that will encourage shoppers to use chatbots more often is to offer comparison of prices and products from other brands (47%), assure that personal information will be kept private (38%), provide recommendations on similar and complimentary products (34%) or simply becoming more human-like (18%).

    “Singaporean shoppers have an appetite for deeper engagement with chatbots, but what the results really tell us is that they want a more personalised ecommerce experience. Today’s consumer have higher expectations and businesses need to keep a close pulse on the ever-evolving customer journey in order to react to not just changing consumer preferences but context at point of purchase or even consideration. To this end, businesses should view chatbots as more than just an answering machine – they are also a valuable mine of data that offer fresh perspectives into the underlying reasons for sales trends and help brands better understand what their customers are looking for. Armed with these insights, they can then take action to cultivate sales and entrench customer loyalty”, added Kontopoulos.

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  • AirAsia names Riad Asmat CEO, shuffles senior leadership roles

    AirAsia names Riad Asmat CEO, shuffles senior leadership roles

    AirAsia has appointed Riad Asmat (pictured left) as its new chief executive officer (CEO) for its Malaysia-based operations, to succeed Aireen Omar (pictured right), who has been promoted to deputy group CEO – digital, transformation, corporate services.

    Riad Asmat will assume his post effectively on 10 January 2018, and report directly to Bo Lingam, deputy group CEO (airlines) of AirAsia. Riad Asmat is the son of Tan Sri Asmat Kamaludin, a director of AirAsia X. He is currently the director for corporate planning, strategy and business development at Naza Corporation Holdings.

    The airline said Aireen Omar’s appointment signals its determination to transform itself from an aviation company into a digital corporation. “This appointment underlines as well the fact that AirAsia is restructuring its priorities to optimally maximise the enormous potential of the Fourth Industrial Revolution,” it added.

    The new appointments were announced by Tan Sri Tony Fernandes, AirAsia Group CEO, who also denied rumour earlier that he is retiring in the tweets below.

    Apart from above, Fernandes also announced the appointments of Captain Adrian Jenkins, current group director, flight operations as chief operations officer, as well as, Rozman Omar, current deputy group CEO, strategy and MNA as the executive director of AirAsia International Limited (AAIL). AAIL is a holding company of all AirAsia group investments in its overseas joint ventures.

    In his new role, Captain Adrian Jenkins, will drive AirAsia group’s On Time Performance (OTP) and overall customer experience, among others.

    Meanwhile, digital transformation will be Aireen Omar’s priority, where she will be spearheading the non-airline companies such as BIGPay, BIG Loyalty, ROKKI Shoppe, ROKKI Portal, Travel360, Vidi, RedTix, AirAsiaGo, BD4H, RedCargo, Red Box and Santan.

    Additionally, she will oversee large, strategic group-wide initiatives and help transform AirAsia into a global, cloud-driven product and platform company. Aireen will be responsible for AirAsia’s digital strategy, promoting innovation throughout the group and encouraging collaboration across AirAsia’s businesses and markets.

    She will also continue to lead the corporate services sector for the AirAsia group, which includes risk management, government affairs and corporate development. Aireen will report directly to Fernandes, effective 10 January 2018. She joined AirAsia in January 2006 as director of corporate finance, and was appointed as AirAsia’s CEO and executive director on 1 July 2012.

    “The new appointments brings focus to both our core airline business as well as our digital growth businesses. Having Bo Lingam lead the airline business, brings continued strength to our operations, serving close to 70 million guests per year. We are fully confident that Riad Asmat will lead the company into the next phase of its development,” Fernandes said.

    Fernandes added, with Aireen Omar driving on its non-airline and digital businesses, it brings “focus on disruptive growth for our new businesses.”

    “I am looking forward to working closely with the co-founders Fernandes, Datuk Kamarudin, the board of directors, the dynamic management and over 22,000 dedicated Allstars to continue achieving greater heights for the company,” Riad Asmat said. He will be joining a team of other CEOs including Tassapon Bijleveld, CEO of AirAsia Thailand, Dendy Kurniawan, AirAsia Indonesia CEO, Captain Dexter Comendador, Philippines AirAsia CEO, Amar Abrol, AirAsia India CEO and Osamu Hata, AirAsia Japan CEO – all of whom will report directly to Bo Lingam.

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  • Indian Threads expands retail network in Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Rajasthan

    Indian Threads expands retail network in Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Rajasthan

    Indore based start-up Indian Threads is changing the fashion industry for men. It is the online style destination for men in India. They bring you the most sharp & premium men’s shirts. Indian Threads love to make great clothes that suit every individual. They want people to love their clothes and enjoy wearing them.

    In offline market, they are majorly working in 3 states Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Rajasthan and in online, they have been selling their shirts nationwide.

    Indian Threads launched in 2015. It all started with a simple idea – to design fresh high-quality items at nominal price range. After dropping out of college in January 2015, Abhishek Rawal & Vishi Porwal (22 yrs) started Indian Threads, they found themselves brainstorming about launching their own brand centered on love for design and fashion. What started as an online web store for their passion and entrepreneurial experiment quickly grew into much more than just selling a few shirts.

    Indian Threads shirts are hand crafted at their state of the art facility in Indore. Their skilled operators use single needle construction to ensure clean finishing and durable seams. Collars are fused with high quality interlining to achieve a fine balance between volume and pliability. Much attention is paid to both the provenance of their raw materials and craftsmanship. People will love Indian Threads shirt.

    High Quality fabric shirts shouldn’t necessarily mean expensive – Indian Threads believes in serving the finest quality shirt at the cheapest rates possible. By cutting the over whelming profit ration & selling directly to customers on their online platform, they cut out the middle men, and pass the savings on to you.

    Their aim is to open their own brand Store all over India in next 5 years and expand the Indian Brand by exporting to different countries. Their vision is to empower their members to feel like a million bucks without spending a million bucks. They want everyone to stay fresh, for less and keep you on the forefront of trending fashion – They aim to continuously redefine everyday style for Men in India.