Retail News CRM

Author: Mei Ling Tan

  • Ministry striving to attract 400 thousand South Korean tourists

    Ministry striving to attract 400 thousand South Korean tourists

    The Indonesian tourism ministry is taking innovative steps to achieve this years target of attracting 400 thousand tourists from South Korea, including by participating in the “Wedding Expo” in Seoul on July 9-10, 2016.

    Assistant Deputy for Market Development of the Asia-Pacific region of the Ministry of Tourism Vinsensius Jemadu stated from Seoul, South Korea, on Monday, that the ministry continued to fill innovation gaps.

    “We are looking for the slightest opportunities to promote Indonesias segment aboard. It has been almost three years that we have participated in events promoting this segment, but now, we will try again,” he noted in connection with the Tourism Ministrys participation at the wedding exhibition to offer honeymoon packages to various tourism destinations in Indonesia.

    Jemadu is optimistic that its target of drawing 400 thousand tourists from South Korea would be reached.

    In 2015, a total of 359,468 South Korean tourists visited tourist destinations in Indonesia.

    Jemadu pointed out that Bali and Bintan were now the most sought-after locations for pre-wedding photographs among brides and also the venues for the weddings of young Korean couples.

    “They really like the beach and the ambience of the tropical waters in Indonesia,” he noted.

    South Korea has direct flight connectivity to Indonesia. As many as three airlines operate flights to two international airports in Indonesia, and there are some 618,748 seats available on flights to the country.

    “This exhibition is held in summer in South Korea. We hope that during winter, South Koreans will leave the country and visit Indonesia that has moderate weather and is always a good option for couples on honeymoon,” he said.

    “Of course, we did this exhibition to promote the country as a wedding destination for couples planning to wed in autumn. It is this momentum that we are pursuing,” he stated.

    Meanwhile, Head of Asia-Pacific Exhibition of the Ministry of Tourism Rita Sofia in South Korea expressed hope that all engaged in supporting the tourism sector in Indonesia will continue to prepare various attractions, amenities, and access to support the arrival of newlywed South Koreans.

    Tourism Minister Arief Yahya seconded Sofias view as he believed that Korea was a potential market that could be tapped by showcasing Indonesias cultural and natural attractions.

    “The Asian market must be tapped by showcasing the oriental culture, and the countries must be frequently visited to create a joint program. For instance, the distance from Seoul to Indonesias tourism destinations, including to Manado, is not too far, so we just need to increase the number of direct flights,” he explained.

    Yahyas recent visit to South Korea already resulted in a commitment made by the two South Korean airlines —Jeju Air and Jin Air Korea — to operate flights to Indonesia.

    “It will boost the number of South Korean tourist arrivals in the country,” he affirmed.

    Industries participating in the exhibition had also prepared a variety of honeymoon vacation packages. General Manager Globlindo Arief Authority has prepared various packages: Bali Honeymoon Escape, Lombok Honeymoon, Tanjung Lesung Honeymoon, Kepulauan Seribu Honeymoon, and Raja Ampat Honeymoon.

  • Fujitsu, Oracle form cloud alliance in Japan

    Fujitsu, Oracle form cloud alliance in Japan

    Fujitsu and Oracle are forming a new alliance to deliver cloud services to customers in Japan and their international subsidiaries.

    Under the alliance, Oracle’s Cloud Application and Platform services – such as Oracle Database Cloud Service and Oracle Human Capital Management (HCM) Cloud – will be powered by Fujitsu’s datacenters in Japan. Under the new strategic alliance, Fujitsu will work to drive sales of robust cloud offerings to companies in Japan and their subsidiaries around the world.

    Fujitsu will install the Oracle Cloud services in its data centers in Japan and connect them to its K5 cloud service in order to deliver enterprise-grade cloud services.

    The first Oracle application that will be offered to Fujitsu customers under the joint offering is Oracle HCM Cloud. As part of the agreement, Fujitsu will implement Oracle HCM Cloud to gain insight into its workforce throughout the company’s worldwide network of offices.

    The combination of these solutions including Oracle Database Cloud Service, Oracle HCM Cloud, and K5, will enable Fujitsu and Oracle to deliver mission critical systems over a cloud environment within Fujitsu’s data centers while maintaining the high levels of performance and reliability that had previously been achieved in on-premise environments.

    “We at Fujitsu support the digital transformation of our customers, and aim to contribute to optimized customer systems and business growth with the roll out of our Digital Business Platform MetaArc,” said Shingo Kagawa, SEVP, head of digital services business & CTO, Fujitsu Limited.

    “In particular, we offer the core cloud service on MetaArc, K5, which addresses systems of engagement (SoE) and systems of record (SoR). Oracle is a leader in Japan’s database market segment and possesses strong capabilities in the SoR domain. Now, as we look to strengthen MetaArc and K5, taking part in this strategic alliance with Oracle will work to meet the cloud needs of our customers.”

    “In order to realize the full business potential of cloud computing, organizations need secure, reliable and high-performing cloud solutions,” said Edward Screven, Chief Corporate Architect, Oracle.

    “Oracle’s new strategic alliance with Fujitsu will allow companies in Japan to take advantage of an integrated cloud offering to support their transition to the cloud.

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  • Thai PM details Thailand 4.0 policy

    Thai PM details Thailand 4.0 policy

    The Thailand 4.0 policy will chart the country’s new direction, according to prime minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha.

    During his recent national address on the program “Return Happiness to the People”, the prime minister said Thailand 4.0 is a new economic model to develop Thailand into a valued-based economy.

    It is envisioned to change the country’s traditional farming to smart farming, traditional SMEs to smart enterprises, and traditional services to high-value services.

    The policy also seeks to promote creativity, innovation, and the application of technology in various economic activities, the objective of which is to create equilibrium between the environment and society.

    The report in the government website said Thailand has passed through three economic development models – Thailand 1.0, which emphasized agricultural development; Thailand 2.0, which focused on light industries and helped upgrade the country’s economy from the low-income to middle-income status; and the third model, Thailand 3.0, which emphasized heavy industries for continued economic growth.

    In Thailand 4.0, the country needs to pull itself out of the middle-income trap and deal effectively with disparities and the imbalance between the environment and society.

    “This model will be carried out along with the 20-year national strategy and economic reform through the mechanism of “public-private-people partnership.” It will transform Thailand’s comparative advantage into a competitive advantage. In this regard, new engines of growth will be introduced,” the report noted.

    The Prime Minister was also quoted as saying that 10 target industrial groups will become new engines of growth. “Thailand 4.0 also consists of seven industries that are considered the backbone of the digital economy,” the report added.

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  • Optus to compensate customers after regulatory probe

    Optus to compensate customers after regulatory probe

    Australia’s Optus has been ordered to pay around A$2.4 million ($1.8 million) in compensation to mobile customers after an investigation found that some users were overcharged or mislead while signing up for mobile phone insurance.

    Regulator Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) has instructed Optus to refund around 175,000 Optus mobile customers and write to around 500,000 customers who may have been affected.

    Optus self-reported breaches including a failure to provide some mobile insurance customers with a required product disclosure statement and financial services guide, which may have prevented many customers from being aware of key features and limitations of the insurance they purchase.

    The operator also disclosed that some customers did not receive the one month free insurance they were entitled to under a promotional offer, were incorrectly charged a premium during a rain-check period and in some cases were issued the wrong cover.

    Inadequate training, monitoring and supervision of staff were some of the factors to blame for the oversights, the investigation showed.

    Optus will pay compensation including interest in the form of direct credit to customers’ accounts. The operator is also proposing to donate the compensation owing to former customers who cannot be located to a charity aiding with financial literacy.

    Optus has also taken steps to address the cause of the issue, including providing additional training for sales staff and appointing an independent company to conduct a thorough review of its regulatory compliance functions.

  • ABFRL takes over Forever 21 India

    ABFRL takes over Forever 21 India

    Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail (ABFRL) will acquire US-based clothing brand Forever 21 India from existing local franchise partner Diana Retail.

    The Rs.175-crore (US$26 million) transaction involves a business transfer agreement, not share transfer, says ABFRL in a filing with the Bombay Stock Exchange.

    The Forever 21 business will become part of ABFRL’s Madura Fashion & Lifestyle division.

    ABFRL was formed after the consolidation of the branded apparel businesses of the Mumbai-based Aditya Birla Group, one of India’s largest conglomerates. It has a presence in 375 Indian cities.

    Forever 21 has a network of more than 700 stores worldwide.

    “With the acquisition of Forever 21, we aim to create a strong foothold in the womenswear business in the western-wear segment, which is growing at 20 per cent,” ABFRL MD Pranab Barua said in May when the company announced it would enter into a deal to acquire Forever 21’s online and offline rights for the Indian market.

    In March, it is reported that Flipkart’s online fashion store Myntra, which sells Forever 21 products, was seeking to take over management of the US brand’s India  brick-and-mortar stores.

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  • Binding offers sought for McDonald’s China

    Binding offers sought for McDonald’s China

    Selected bidders for McDonald’s China and Hong Kong, including China Cinda Asset Management and dairy producer Beijing Sanyuan Foods, have been asked to make binding offers.

    Also invited earlier to submit a second-round bid are Sanpower Group, which owns UK department store House of Fraser, and GreenTree Hospitality.

    McDonald’s is selling 20-year mass franchise rights in China and Hong Kong, which could fetch $2 billion.

    Illinois-based McDonald’s has hired Morgan Stanley to run the sale of about 2800 restaurants in China, Hong Kong and South Korea along with 20-year franchise rights. The South Korean McDonald’s business is also being sold, with local cinema and cafe operator CJ Group reportedly the front-runner at this stage.

    McDonald’s announced in March that it was reorganising in Asia by bringing in partners to own restaurants within the franchise business. Competitor Yum Brands, which has the KFC and Pizza Hut chains, is also restructuring in China.

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  • Banila Co moves into Malaysia

    Banila Co moves into Malaysia

    South Korean cosmetic manufacturer Banila Co has launched outlets in Malaysia, its fourth overseas market following China, Taiwan and the Philippines.

    Banila says its first cosmetics store in Malaysia opened in Mid Valley Mega Mall, the largest shopping complex in Kuala Lumpur, with its second store opening in Sunway Pyramid, also in the capital.

    Its first foray overseas was into China in 2009, where it now has about 160 shops. It also has a flagship store in Taiwan’s capital, Taipei.

    Celebrating its 10th anniversary last year, the brand aims to establish consumer awareness through outlets at shopping malls.

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  • Muji US to test suburbs

    Muji US to test suburbs

    Japanese lifestyle brand Muji US will take its message of minimalism to the suburbs when it opens in New Jersey’s largest mall, Westfield Garden State Plaza in Paramus, next month.

    Its 8600 sqft (798 sqm) store, on the lower level of the mall, will be the first Muji store in the state. Muji has five stores in Manhattan, and some of its high-design housewares are sold at the Museum of Modern Art.

    Muji has 400 stores in Japan and more than 300 internationally, including 11 in the US. Muji’s first store outside of Japan opened in London in 1991, with its first US store opening in 2007.

    Founded in 1980, its original name, Mujirushi Ryohin, means “no brand, quality goods”. By “no brand,” Muji means no logos on its products.

    The company’s website offers a different view of marketing from that of the typical American retailer. “We do not make objects to entice responses of strong affinity like ‘This is what I really want’ or ‘I must have this,’” it says. Rather, it strives to trigger the response “This will do”, which it says expresses “conciliatory reasoning”.

    Muji USA president Asako Shimazaki says the vibrant setting of Garden State Plaza is a perfect location for the company to reach the New Jersey market and test its first store in a more suburban community.

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  • 250 thousand tourists visit Gunung Kidul during Lebaran holidays

    250 thousand tourists visit Gunung Kidul during Lebaran holidays

    Around 250 thousand tourists visited numerous tourist attractions in Gunung Kidul District, Yogyakarta, in a week during the 2016 Lebaran holidays, according to local Culture and Tourism Office spokesman Hary Sukmono.

    “Based on reports received from several tourist attractions, the total revenue generated from 250 thousand tourists visiting the areas amounted to Rp1.57 billion,” Sukmono remarked here on Tuesday.

    However, the spokesman acknowledged that the number of tourists visiting Gunung Kidul during the Lebaran holidays in 2016 had dropped slightly from 362 thousand during the same period in 2015.

    Sukmono explained that until the end of December 2015, more than 2.6 million domestic and foreign tourists had visited all tourist attractions in Gunung Kidul District.

    He said the number of tourists visiting Gunung Kiduls tourist attractions last year had exceeded 2.6 million, with the total local revenue reaching Rp20.9 billion.

    The target of tourist arrivals in Gunung Kidul District in 2016 is set to be more than 2.6 million people, and the local culture and tourism office will continue to innovate to welcome tourists who will visit the district, he noted.

    The Gunung Kidul local government in Yogyakarta is making efforts to promote and develop the districts tourist spots under the framework of its tourism investment development mission, according to regional development planning board spokesman Syarief Armunanto.

    “The tourism investment development mission will focus on natural tourism, village tourism, cultural tourism, and special-interest tourism,” he remarked here some time ago.

    Gunung Kidul has several natural tourist attractions, such as the Ngrancah waterfall in Ngleri Village, along with the pristine beaches of Gesing, Ngrenehan, Ngobaran, and Baron, in addition to Krakal, Sunduk, Watu Lawang, Drini, and Sepanjang.

    “In 2016, we are going to build and renovate various supporting infrastructure facilities, such as souvenir shops and restaurants,” Syarief said, adding that the district had several interesting tourism villages.

  • Introducing Antony, the virtual concierge built by Red Ant

    Introducing Antony, the virtual concierge built by Red Ant

    Visitors to the recent Retail Asia Expo in Hong Kong found themselves taking part in a unique experience – chatting to Antony, an AI bot fluent in English, Cantonese and Mandarin and eager to help them find their way around the expo.

    Built by connected retail technology specialist Red Ant, Antony was developed as a proof of concept AI and speech recognition platform. Attendees interacted with him as a virtual concierge, getting details about food and beverage options, key locations within the expo and background information on Red Ant.

    Antony was created by using a speech to text API for the input – voice commands are sent to an AI platform where they are processed – and output generated using a text-to-speech API. Users simply walked up to his terminal and were prompted to greet him. Then, through a series of guided questions, Antony was able to give information about the venue and catering arrangements.

    He proved very popular among the visitors, generating enquiries from a number of representatives from malls, office blocks, transport hubs and hotels.

    Jonathan Cummings, Managing Director of global creative agency StartJG, said: ‘It was brilliant to have Antony and his Red Ant colleagues be part of our Interact Zone at the Expo. We curated the space to demonstrate the best and most innovative things happening in retail right now and Antony was a huge hit with visitors. We hope to see much more of Antony and bots just like him in the future.’

    Elisa Harca, Red Ant’s Regional Director for Asia, said: ‘The Retail Asia Expo attracts more than 10,000 visitors from 60 countries – it was the ideal arena for showcasing Antony and what he can do. The right technology in the right place is key to ensuring customers have a first-class experience, and Antony demonstrates just how innovative and engaging the latest tech can be.’

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  • Mobile video revenue on pace to $25b by 2021

    Mobile video revenue on pace to $25b by 2021

    Worldwide revenue from mobile video will reach $25 billion by 2021, according to the latest research by Strategy Analytics.

    Growth in mobile video revenue is expected to be driven by advertisers seeking to reach an increasing audience of users that are consuming video on their smartphones and tablets.

    The report also predicts users of mobile video to more than double to 2 billion users by the end of 2022, equal to 36% penetration among the global mobile users.

    Social platforms with audience scale, like Facebook, Twitter, WeChat and others are increasingly looking to video to increase user engagement rates while reducing churn, but will offer potential for monetization in future.

    Source: Strategy Analytics

    “Despite growing video consumption on mobile devices, advertiser expenditure on mobile video has yet to catch-up with this growth,” said Nitesh Patel, director at Strategy Analytics.

    “Furthermore, new modes of mobile video services such as live streaming platforms like Periscope and Facebook Live are focused on building audience before revenue,” said Patel.

    “Currently, social networks have launched live video streaming as a tool to increase user engagement and to extend the time spent by users while inside of social networks, but we expect direct monetization to follow.”

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  • Netflix teams with Globe in the Philippines

    Netflix teams with Globe in the Philippines

    Netflix has entered into a partnership with Globe Telecom, to provide access to viewers the Philippine telco’s mobile or broadband service.

    Globe customers will be able to subscribe to Netflix through Globe, and enjoy its content anytime, anywhere, on nearly any internet-connect screen, while conveniently charging the monthly subscription to their Globe mobile or broadband accounts.

    “The Filipino’s swift adaption to the digital lifestyle and our shift to smartphones also changed the way we enjoy entertainment,” said Globe chief commercial officer Albert de Larrazabal.

    “Our partnership with Netflix gives us this extensive library that will allow us to give our customers their much-awaited TV and movie titles whether they are at home or on-the-go,” said Larrazabal.

    Tony Zameczkowski, Netflix VP of business development in Asia Pacific, said Netflix content is now available to over 81 million members in 190 countries.

    “Our partnership with Globe brings us closer to consumers who love entertainment and enables us to connect even more Filipinos to our top-quality Netflix original shows and movies like Marvel’s Daredevil, Orange is The New Black, Narcos and many more,” said Zameczkowski.

    Netflix will also soon be available to customers on Globe’s new customized Broadband plans. Customers can now mix and match their preferred internet speeds that can be bundled with access to  content and entertainment devices ranging from smart HD TVs, speakers, streaming devices, gaming consoles and even security cameras.

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  • Singapore’s EDB, MasterCard enter smart city alliance

    Singapore’s EDB, MasterCard enter smart city alliance

    The Singapore Economic Development Board has entered an agreement with MasterCard to help Singaporean companies build innovative solutions in urban mobility, tourism and trade.

    The announcement was made at the World Cities Summit 2016 being held this week at the Sands Expo & Convention Centre, Marina Bay Sands in Singapore.

    The two parties said they will focus on tackling some of the biggest urban challenges of our time in the next two years: how to promote mobility, tourism and trade while enabling seamless experiences and sustainable growth.

    MasterCard and the EDB in partnership with other Singapore-based companies plan to work together to design and build technology platforms in the three mentioned.

    In tourism, the goal is to help Singapore residents and visitors navigate the city state’s attractions easier and in a more connected way. In urban mobility, the platform will strive to ensure that residents and visitors have an easy time using the local transit system. In trade, the goal is to digitize and automate how companies buy, sell and pay each other.

    For each of these three areas, solutions will be designed and developed out of Singapore, further enhancing Singapore’s ability to create innovative products and services which are exportable and can be globally deployed.

    “We are happy to work with MasterCard to enable the creation of new solutions in the identified themes. This is in line with EDB’s drive for Singapore to be a hotbed for innovation and creation of new businesses, which in turn will contribute to economic growth and the creation of good jobs,” said Kelvin Wong, assistant managing director at EDB.

    In major cities around the world including London, Athens and Bogota, MasterCard is already working with local authorities and other technology companies to make public transport more accessible and more efficient.

    Ari Sarker, co-President MasterCard Asia-Pacific: “For many years, Singapore has been setting the benchmark for what it means to become a smart city and a smart nation.

    Since 2012, Singapore has been one of MasterCard’s global R&D Centers (MasterCard Labs) – which most recently launched the first commerce application for SoftBank Robotics’ humanoid robot Pepper.

    Earlier this year, MasterCard also teamed up with IBM to offer smaller merchants in Singapore and across the Asia-Pacific region market insights that integrate IBM Watson Analytics with insights based on aggregated and anonymized transaction data through MasterCard Advisors Local Market Intelligence (LMI).

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  • Airtel cleared to buy 4G spectrum from Aircel

    Airtel cleared to buy 4G spectrum from Aircel

    India’s Bharti Airtel has received approval for its 35 billion rupee ($521.2 million) acquisition of 4G spectrum from Maxis-owned Aircel.

    The Telecom Ministry has agreed to allow Bharti Airtel to acquire 20 MHz of 2300-MHz spectrum in eight of India’s 22 telecoms circles.

    Airtel announced in a stock exhange filing that it has now concluded the acquisition in six of the eight circles – Tamil Nadu, Bihar, Jammu and Kashmir, West Bengal, Assam and North End.

    The operator announced it will issue a new market update once the transactions are closed for the remaining two circles of Andhra Pradesh and Orissa.

    Airtel was required to surrender 1.2 MHz of spectrum in one circle as the acquisition would have left the company is breach of regulations limiting operators from holding more than 25% of the total spectrum allocated in a single circle, sources told Press Trust of India.

    But Maxis, which owns 74% of Aircel, is facing legal action from an activist lawyer over proposed deals with Airtel and RCom. The lawyer, Prashant Bhushan, had called for the spectrum.

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  • Smart commences enhanced Wi-Fi project

    Smart commences enhanced Wi-Fi project

    Smart Communications is rolling out enhanced WiFi to the Philippines’ major transportation hubs, government offices and key business establishments.

    The PLDT subsidiary has earmarked close to 1 billion pesos ($21.2 million) for the service expansion. The investment forms part of PLDT’s 43 billion pesos in capital expenditure for 2016.

    Smart said its free WiFi public hotspots are currently undergoing upgrades in all the four terminals of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Pasay City; Francisco Bangoy International Airport in Davao; Iloilo International Airport; Bacolod-Silay International Airport in Negros Occidental; and Dumaguete-Sibulan Airport in Negros Oriental.

    It  has also been expanded to cover more public areas such as city halls, schools, and establishments such as malls, restaurants, and coffee shops, and  terminals of major bus companies.

    Eric R. Alberto, Executive Vice President at PLDT and Smart, and ePLDT President and CEO, the aggressive rollout of the Smart Wifi footprint was made possible through key partnerships with government institutions and business establishments.

    Users of the service can avail of free connectivity for an initial number of minutes just to be able to check essential services such as email, after which they may purchase credits.

    Beyond providing internet access to as many people as possible, Smart WiFi is also designed as an essential tool for small and medium enterprises and institutions.

    “WiFi connectivity has been proven to contribute to business growth by equipping SMEs and various organizations with an indispensable tool to engage customers, build loyalty, and gather significant information that will help them understand customer needs,” said Alberto.

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