Author: Mei Ling Tan

Prepare to wait If You Want an Apple mixed reality headset

Just the other day we told you that reliable TF International analyst Ming-Chi-Kuo told clients to expect Apple’s mixed reality headset to be introduced next year “with the same computing power level as the Mac.” Kuo believes that the device will first see the light of day during the fourth quarter of 2022 and will sport a pair of processors. But even if the device becomes official, you might not be able to buy it immediately.

When Apple introduces a brand new product, it usually makes eager consumers wait before they can purchase the device. Gurman gives three examples of this. The OG iPhone was unveiled on January 9th, 2007, and released 171 days later on June 29th, 2007.

The OG iPad was introduced on January 27th, 2010, and released 66 days later on April 3rd, 2010. The longest wait belongs to the OG Apple Watch at 227 days as the timepiece became official on September 9th, 2014, and was released on April 24th, 2015.

Gurman notes that Steve Jobs has said that he didn’t want the FCC to leak the iPhone during regulatory approval, so he unveiled the smartphone early. But the truth, according to the Bloomberg writer, was that the hardware and software were not ready to be released to the public. Additionally, the iPhone needed to be tested on cell networks.

The iPad delay was needed to make more e-books ready for the device, and give developers the time needed to optimize their apps for the larger iPad display. Also, Apple needed the time to polish off the tablet’s operating system.

Apple has some major new devices coming including the mixed reality (AR/VR) headset, the AR glasses, and the self-driving car. Gurman expects the delay between the introduction of the mixed reality headset and the release of the product to challenge the 227 days that Apple Watch buyers had to wait. That’s because the mixed reality headset has a complex design including interchangeable lenses.

While the mixed reality headset is going to be an interesting product, the AR glasses should be a bigger deal. That’s because Ming-Chi Kuo says that Apple will be looking to kill off its most important product in 10 years and replace it with AR. This looked to be Google’s plan when it released that now-infamous video in April 2012. But Google Glass never replaced the smartphone and anyone wearing the device ended up being called a “glasshole.”

Google Glass wearers got tossed from theaters (for fear that they were secretly recording the movie being played) and bars (for possibly taking photos of patrons without their permission). If Apple truly sees the iPhone being replaced by AR glasses in a decade, it must be optimistic about wearers not getting the same reaction.

And Apple might want to get the product out for the public to see before it is handed around to its manufacturing partners and its own employees any of whom might spill the beans about the device. Apple will also need the time to persuade developers to create games for the device. Gurman writes that he can see Apple introducing the product at WWDC 2022 next June with a release date later next year or even into 2023.

Getting a self-driving car on the streets might be more of an ambitious task for Apple. you can imagine the media sensation any test drive of an Apple Car might produce. After all, testing the car in the U.S. will take years. Using Tesla as an example, Gurman pointed out that the company showed off the Model S in 2009 before it started shipping in 2012. The Model T first saw the light of day in 2016 and was released in mid-2017. And the Model Y was announced in March 2019 and was offered to buyers almost exactly one year later.

The point is that even if Apple introduces the Apple Car in 2025 as it wants to do, it could still be years before you see the vehicle motoring down the road sans driver.
Lees ook:
- Thai Kasikornbank, IBM join forces on blockchain network

November 29, 2021

Novartis receives certificate of merit from Vietnam’s Ministry of Health

Novartis has marked its 25 years of development with a certificate of merit from Vietnam’s Ministry of Health for its social commitment during the Covid-19 pandemic.

“This achievement affirms Novartis’s leading position in the global pharmaceutical market and its long-term commitment to community health support,” a Novartis representative stated.

Over the past 25 years, Novartis has achieved medical breakthroughs in cancer care, heart disease and the fight against inflammatory conditions. The company uses innovative science and technology to address some of society’s most challenging healthcare issues. It discovers and develops breakthrough treatments and finds new ways to deliver them to as many people as possible.

Partner of Vietnam’s healthcare

Novartis began its journey in Vietnam in the 1950s through the presence of Sandoz, Ciba-Geigy, and other partners. Over the past two decades in the country, Novartis Vietnam has cooperated with the Ministry of Health (MoH) and domestic and international organizations to launch several programs to enhance public health awareness, promote training, and strengthen primary healthcare in many cities and provinces.

In 2008, the representative office of Novartis Pharma Services AG was established in Vietnam to promote and support the supply of medicines, and delivery of drugs to patients, as well as clinical trials of Novartis Group.

Over the past 13 years, Novartis Vietnam has been focusing on four areas including science-based innovation and clinical trials; scientific and academic cooperation; quality and local manufacturing, along patient access to high-quality, innovative healthcare.

The company has collaborated with the MoH to develop a strong healthcare system that covers the lowest income segments of the population and to provide the Vietnamese people with high-quality medicines, thus contributing to the MoH’s objective to shape a strong and sustainable healthcare system and achieve universal healthcare coverage.

A lot of significant programs have been carried out over the past years. In 2014, Novartis and the MoH signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to enhance the Vietnamese people’s access to essential, affordable generic and innovative medicines, and strengthen the country’s science, medical, and technology capabilities

It is followed by another MoU inked in December 2019 on raising primary healthcare in Vietnam through activities at commune and district levels from 2019 to 2021, making it a testament to public-private collaboration in this area, aiming to achieve the Universal Healthcare Coverage and United Nations Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.

2020 marked a special milestone in Novartis Vietnam’s development journey when it inaugurated its new legal entity in the country and became one of the first multinational companies to successfully transform from a representative office to a foreign-invested enterprise importer. Also that year, the company was honored as a pioneer in digital transformation for its efforts and outstanding contributions to the Digital Transformation of the Healthcare Sector at National Digital Transformation Congress.

Moreover, Novartis Vietnam teamed up with Docquity to offer an exclusive digital network for medical staff. The company has also been named among the top 100 Vietnam Best Places to Work in the country thanks to its appropriate human resource policies and quick response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

In 2021, the company keeps the momentum of good performance with its recognition as a Global Top Employer for 2021, thus contributing to encouraging Novartis to continue attracting talents and strengthening its offering as a destination for employers in the future.

Contributions to the Covid-19 fight

Novartis received the certificate of merit from the MoH for its social commitment during the Covid-19 pandemic and its contributions to the country’s Covid fight, and training of HCPs, among others.

Novartis supports the initiative of six medical universities in Vietnam to train HCPs to serve Covid-19 prevention and control. At least 1,800 final-year medical students got training from April to July 2020. This effort was in response to the call of the government and the MoH, mobilizing more than 90,000 HCPs for the pandemic fight.

Moreover, the company has so far donated over $400,000 to the pandemic battle in Vietnam. The company also joined hands with other members of EuroCham Pharma Group to donate an equivalent total of $100,000 to the Vietnam Fatherland Front national campaign on the prevention and treatment of Covid-19, and donate via the HCMC Red Cross Society medical supplies to frontline hospitals, and Covid-19 treatment centers.

During the pandemic, Novartis has taken effective measures to ensure the continuation of the supply of medicines, as well as promote technology application to maintain regular medical training for HCPs, thus ensuring healthcare access.

Amitabh Dube, country president, Novartis Vietnam, said: “Vietnam and countries worldwide are still facing pressing health issues that need more innovations to address them. Novartis commits to be a reliable partner in this effort, and will continue the discovery and development of new treatments to help more people.”

Long-term investment commitments

Novartis’s strategy is to build a leading, focused pharmaceutical company powered by advanced therapy platforms and data science. Looking at the next 25 years and beyond, the company will continue reimagining medicine to improve and extend people’s lives.

To implement the strategy, Novartis has five priorities to shape its future and help it continue to create value for the company, its shareholders and society: unleash the power of its people; deliver transformative innovation; embrace operational excellence; go big on data and digital; and build trust with society.

In Vietnam, the company will continue to collaborate with Vietnamese societies, associations, and health facilities in programs to improve healthcare services for Vietnamese, showing its strong commitment to accompanying the local health sector in future sustainable development.

November 29, 2021

Vietnam’s e-commerce traffic higher than Thailand, Malaysia

E-commerce web traffic from Vietnam is double that of Thailand and triple that of Malaysia in Q3, showing high demand for online shopping amid the pandemic, a report has found.

Digital consumption has become a new habit as the number of online vendors increases, with Vietnam becoming “a star” on the Southeast Asian e-commerce market, according to the Q3 market report by iPrice Group.

Vietnam is set to exceed Thailand by 2025 to become the second-biggest internet economy in Southeast Asia with a scale of $57 billion, behind Indonesia at $146 billion, according to the e-Conomy Southeast Asia 2021 report by Google, Temasek, and Bain & Co.

However, foreign companies are still dominating Vietnam’s e-commerce market in terms of web traffic.

Singapore’s Shopee accounted for 57 percent of traffic in the third quarter, followed by another Singaporean company Lazada at 16 percent.

Vietnamese startup Tiki ranked third with 13 percent of traffic.

The report also pointed out Vietnamese consumers interact on the social media pages of e-commerce platforms more frequently than Thai but less than Malaysians, showing the importance of Facebook in promoting brands in Vietnam.

November 29, 2021

Japanese retailers expand Vietnam presence

Japanese retailers have started to expand their business in Vietnam as localities loosen social distancing restrictions and accelerate vaccination against Covid-19.

Coffee chain %Arabica, which currently has over 100 outlets in 18 countries, has announced it will open its first shop in Vietnam on walking street Nguyen Hue in District 1, HCMC.

Late last month, casual wear producer and retailer Uniqlo opened a new store in Hanoi’s Ha Dong District, its 10th outlet in Vietnam. In early November, it had inaugurated an online store in the country.

Beauty brand ReFa has announced it will open three stores in HCMC late this year before expanding to Hanoi by mid-2022.

Retail group Aeon, which has invested $1.18 billion in Vietnam, plans to double the number of shopping malls across the country in the coming time. It also plans to list shares on the Vietnamese stock market, and facilitate export of Vietnamese seafood, garments and other products to Japan.

According to the Ministry of Industry and Trade, Vietnam’s total goods retail sales and service revenues in October rose 18.5 percent over the previous month.

Some Vietnamese securities companies, including VCSC and VNDirect, have predicted that the retail sector would grow late this year, when vaccination is stepped up, more economic activities resume and many festivals take place. The sector’s profit would increase over 20 percent this year.

November 29, 2021

Vietnam Airlines reports $154 mln Q3 loss

National flag carrier Vietnam Airlines recorded a net loss of over VND3.5 trillion ($154.3 million) in the third quarter, a sharp decrease compared to the first two quarters.

According to a summary of consolidated financial statements for the third quarter, Vietnam Airlines earned net revenues of VND4.7 trillion, down 37.6 percent year-on-year.

The sale of goods dropped 20 percent year on year to VND7.7 trillion.

The airline reported a total gross loss in the sale of products and services of about VND3 trillion.

While its financial revenue more than quadrupled over the same period to more than VND560 billion, administrative expenses and costs related to the cost of products increased to more than VND347.5 billion and VND282.2 billion, respectively, resulting in the reported net loss.

The Q3 loss was less than the losses of VND4.9 trillion and VND4.4 trillion recorded in the first and second quarter, respectively.

Its loss in the first 9 months of the year has crossed VND12.1 trillion.

The carrier explained that the sharp drop in consolidated profits in the third quarter was not only due to the decrease in profits of the parent company, but also because the profits of subsidiaries providing aviation services, like Vietnam Airlines Engineering Company (VAECO) and Noi Bai Airport Services Company (NASCO), also decreased sharply.

Vietnam Airlines said that it has proactively implemented drastic solutions in business operations to minimize the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic, resulting in a significant drop in Q3 losses compared to the first two quarters.

As of September 25, the carrier increased its charter capital to VND8 trillion.

The carrier said business activities have gradually stabilized and it is preparing conditions for the recovery and development phase after domestic flights are allowed to operate normally.

As of September, Vietnam Airlines’s total assets were valued at more than VND67 trillion, up more than VND4.5 trillion over the beginning of the year.

The company has posted overdue debts of VND65.5 trillion compared to the beginning of the year, and more than VND1.4 trillion of equity, a decrease of nearly VND4.6 trillion over the same period. Of this, short-term debt is about VND42.2 trillion, up more than VND9.7 trillion.

November 29, 2021

Car registration fee cut by half again

A government decree has cut registration fees for locally made cars by 50 percent for six months starting December 1.

This is the second time in the last two years such a cut is being made to mitigate the difficulties faced by the auto industry due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

In the first six months of last year, 17,600 cars were bought on average each month. In the second half, when the 50 percent cut took effect, sales doubled.

The registration fees are calculated based on car prices in each locality.

The rates are 12 percent in Hanoi and Hai Phong, and 10 percent in HCMC.

Last year, car sales had fallen by 8 percent to 296,634 units as the Covid-19 pandemic badly affected the economy, hitting people’s incomes and discretionary spending.

November 29, 2021

Daimler To Produce First In-House Electric Motor At Berlin Plant

Daimler will produce the first in-house electric motor at its oldest plant in Berlin, the carmaker said on Thursday, providing relief to workers worried that the diesel motor production site was on the brink of deep job cuts.

Workers who feared for their positions after Daimler said in September 2020 its Berlin site would end production of the 6-cylinder diesel motor within a year would also be offered retraining in software and coding, the German company said.

Around 450 of the plant’s 2,300-odd workers have applied to attend a pilot 160-hour training course in software development, works council chairman Michael Rahmel said on a press call, with around fifteen selected for the first round of training.

Investment in the 120-year-old Berlin-Marienfelde plant, previously pinned at a two-digit million euro amount, will rise to a low three-digit million euro amount in the next six years, Daimler said.

The motor, known as an axial-flux motor and designed by the British startup YASA which Daimler acquired earlier this year, weighs a fraction of its diesel equivalent and can boost the range of an EV by up to 7%, YASA’s founder Tim Woolmer told Reuters in July.

Woolmer said at the time that Daimler had briefed YASA to bring costs down in future iterations of its motor so the carmaker could use them across its entire EV range.

The e-motor is simpler to produce than its diesel equivalent, meaning the plant will eventually require less workers – but the exact number of future job losses was not yet clear, head of production Joerg Burzer said on a press call. A start date for the production of the motor was not provided.

The factory’s employees are guaranteed their positions until the beginning of 2030 under an existing union agreement.

The digital training campus, which Daimler partnered with Siemens in March to develop and which will go live in 2022, would also create new jobs, Burzer said.

“If we make an effort here in coming years, there could even be more jobs than before,” head of IG Metall Berlin Jan Otto said.

Production of the 6-cylinder diesel motor and some components would continue at the factory in the short-term but was being wound down, Burzer and union representatives said.

The factory’s employees are guaranteed their positions until the beginning of 2030 under an existing union agreement.

“A year ago, we didn’t know what would happen at the plant. Today we’re embarking on what will hopefully be a successful transformation with our heads held high,” Michael Rahmel, works council chairman at Berlin-Marienfelde, said in a statement

November 29, 2021

Nissan Plans 50% Electric Vehicle Sales By 2030

Automaker Nissan wants half its global sales to be electric or hybrid vehicles by 2030 and plans to plough billions of dollars into the effort, it announced Monday. The move follows in the footsteps of other major global automakers, which have increasingly signaled a move towards electric and hybrid vehicles as concern about climate change grows.

Unveiling its new long-term plan, Nissan said it will launch 23 new models, including 15 new electric vehicles, in a bid to reach the 2030 goal.

Last year, only around 10 percent of Nissan’s global sales were EVs or hybrids, and the firm said the new target would help it achieve carbon neutrality across the lifecycle of its products by 2050.

Nissan has been battered by a series of problems in recent years, ranging from weak demand even before the pandemic, to the fallout from the arrest and subsequent escape of former boss Carlos Ghosn.

Last year, only around 10 percent of Nissan’s global sales were EVs or hybrids

After falling behind rivals during the pandemic, it has begun clawing back performance, tripling its full-year net profit forecast earlier this month despite the impact of a global chip shortage.

In a statement, Nissan CEO Makoto Uchida said the long-term plan announced Monday would “transform Nissan to become a sustainable company.”

It’s a move seen across the auto industry with Sweden’s Volvo pledging to switch all sales away from traditional fuel cars by 2030, and Japan’s Honda setting the same target by 2040.

Top-selling Toyota says by 2030 all the vehicles it sells in Europe will be electric or hybrid models, with a goal of 70 percent in North America and 100 percent in China by 2035.

Nissan said 20 of its new electric models would hit the market in the next five years, setting a target for electric cars to make up 75 percent of sales in Europe by fiscal 2026.

The Japanese automaker said it will invest two trillion yen ($17.5 billion) over the next five years to speed up electrification, aiming to launch electric vehicles with its proprietary batteries by 2028.

Electric and hybrid vehicles are being increasingly adopted in the face of concern about climate change, with Britain moving to ban new sales of diesel and petrol cars in the UK from 2030.

US President Joe Biden earlier this year announced a target for half of all ears sold domestically by 2030 to be zero-emission.

At present, around 10 percent of European car sales are EVs, but the US figure is just two percent.

November 29, 2021

Japan Consortium Plots Digital Yen

Participants include MUFG Bank, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking, Mizuho Bank, Japan Post Bank, Nippon Telegraph & Telephone Corp., East Japan Railway, and Mitsubishi, as well as local governments. The Bank of Japan, Financial Services Agency of Japan, and three ministries are observing its activities.

Digital Currency Forum – a consortium of 74 Japanese firms – is planning to issue a digital yen that will work similarly to bank deposits by the end of 2022, according to a white paper published on Wednesday.

Tentatively called DCJPY, the digital yen will be issued by banks as their liability, and the consortium will also be releasing a beta version of the digital currency marketplace for non-fungible tokens (NFTs) by 2022, DeCurret, the consortium’s secretariat, said.

Members of the consortium will participate in experiments to gauge such a currency’s use in industries ranging from energy to retail, from as early as January, according to the progress report. The consortium’s subcommittee on Settlement in Industrial Distribution, led by Mitsubishi, will be testing the automatic execution of contracts using digital currency in the settlement of maritime transportation for transactions.

November 29, 2021

New graduates want monthly salary around 500$

Almost half of the fresh university graduates expect a monthly salary of VND10-15 million ($435-650), but most employers are only willing to pay VND6-10 million, a survey has found.

The survey by headhunting agency Adecco Vietnam said over 43 percent want a salary of more than VND10 million, and 31 percent want VND6-10 million, but only 27.5 percent of employers are willing to pay above VND10 million.

Up to 88.5 percent of new employees regard to salary and remuneration as the top priority closely followed by training and development opportunities (87.7 percent) and then by promotion prospects (73.8 percent).

Work-life balance and cultural fit are also highly valued (67.2 percent and 55.7 percent).

Many employers said their main concerns when recruiting new graduates are lack of soft skills, unrealistic expectations and instability.

Y Pham, chief growth officer at flexible pay startup Nano Technologies, said she has met many new graduates who start their first full-time job with too high expectations due to the lack of clarity about their career path.

More than 56 percent of employers appreciate the new vision and initiative of fresh graduates, 54 percent appreciate their enthusiasm and 40 percent say new graduates help build a diverse workplace.

Due to Covid-19, nearly 39 percent of enterprises have reduced recruitment demand, with nearly 19 percent cutting it by more than 50 percent.

Over 59 percent of new graduates believe there are fewer job opportunities and 37 percent are worried about labor market instability.

Adecco predicted that 62 percent of fresh graduates would seek new jobs in the next six months when recruitment demand would rise considerably.

November 29, 2021

Vietnamese plunge headlong into meme coin market

Vietnamese are rushing to invest in so-called ‘meme coins’, hoping to make a killing but ignoring the huge risks of buying a volatile asset talked up by social media.

In the second quarter The Nghia in the northern province of Vinh Phuc invested $20 to buy nearly 100 Dogecoins, a cryptocurrency that has overwhelmed the Internet this year.

“I bought the coins because everyone was buying it.”

As his investment doubled after billionaire Elon Musk spoke about the coin on Twitter, Nghia bought more of it and several other similar meme coins such as Shiba Inu and Rici Elon, hoping to make a giant profit from a small investment.

“If only one of these coins increases 10-fold, the profit will exceed the investment in the rest of them,” he said.

On Facebook groups, Nghia and thousands of other Vietnamese discuss meme coins daily as they hope to make a killing through the risk of loss is commensurately high.

Meme coins are cryptocurrencies that originated from an Internet meme or have some other humorous characteristic.

Dogecoin, released in 2013 after being created as a joke by software engineers, is the original meme coin that sparked the creation of many others.

The most popular meme coin in terms of market cap, $28 billion, is the 10th biggest cryptocurrency.

Some 260 meme coins are currently traded, according to cryptocurrency data platform CoinMarketCap.

But only a fifth have a daily trading value of over $100,000. To put that in perspective, the cryptocurrency market daily trading value is worth $131 billion.

One major feature of meme coins is their high volatility. Dogecoin, for instance, gained 1,160 percent in April-May before giving up 69 percent to fall to the current $0.2141.

Quang Tung of Hanoi said that his wallet is like a “zoo” with many ‘animal’ coins though he does not understand all of them.

“It is like playing the lottery. I can lose all or profit multiple times.”

Hoang Minh of HCMC had not intended to invest in meme coins but the fear of missing out urged him to buy a small amount.

“These coins attract people because they are popular memes on social media.”

Squid Game coin, which was created amid the popularity of the Netflix series with the same name, surged 1,373 percent to $523 in three hours on Nov. 1 before plummeting to $0.003399 an hour later, sending many investors into a tizzy.

Nghia and Tung have not made major profits yet since they hold a large number of coins of low value, but hope they would be mentioned by a celebrity in future.

“Before investing in any cryptocurrency, it’s important to understand what you’re investing in and the associated risks, not just the hype around it,” said Douglas Boneparth, certified financial planner and president of Bone Fide Wealth.

November 29, 2021

Samsung finally brings one of the most requested features to its Internet browser

Even though it misses some important features, Samsung’s Internet browser is becoming better with each update. We reported early this month that Samsung is testing a couple of features with the beta version of the browser, but there was no way to tell when exactly these would be made available to everyone.

It looks like today is the day that Samsung Internet users are getting what we knew it came since the beginning of the month. Spotted an MSPU reader, the update brings one of the most requested features: the ability to move the URL bar at the bottom of the screen.

Coincidentally, the UI layout strongly resemble that of the Safari in iOS 15, but the important thing that the feature is there, and Samsung users can take advantage of it. But this is not the only change included in the latest update.

The official changelog also reveals a few other important features that either improve the usability or security of the browser. For example, the Smart Anti-Tracking feature has been enhanced to block tracking by using small pixel images. The same goes for the search experience in URL bar, which now provides search suggestions while you enter search keywords into the URL bar.

If you own a Samsung smartphone, you should be able to download the latest update via the Galaxy Store, but the app is listed in the Google Play Store as well.

November 29, 2021

DLA Piper Hires New Partner in Hong Kong

Over the past couple of years, DLA Piper has welcomed several new partners to its Asia Corporate practice. Now the firm announces another hire.

Global law firm DLA Piper continues to strengthen Asia capital markets offering with new partner hire in Hong Kong, the firm announced Monday. George Wu was appointed as a capital markets partner in its corporate practice. He joins the firm from Herbert Smith Freehills in Hong Kong.

He advises on corporate and securities transactions including IPOs, debt offerings, private equity, M&A, and compliance matters. He represents issuers of securities as well as investors, underwriters and placement agents for both public and private offerings.

Wu has particular experience advising on initial public offerings, follow-on offerings in Hong Kong and U.S. capital markets, as well as debt offering transactions including investment-grade and high-yield bonds, convertible and exchangeable bonds, and medium-term note programs. He also brings in-depth industry knowledge to the table, having advised clients on dozens of corporate transactions in various sectors, including healthcare and life sciences, technology, and consumer goods, among others.

A native Mandarin speaker, Wu is also fluent in Cantonese and English having lived and worked in Shanghai, New York, and Hong Kong.

George Wu’s arrival closely follows that of capital markets partner Arthur Tso who joined the Hong Kong office in March 2021. Over the past couple of years, DLA Piper has welcomed several new partners to its Asia Corporate practice including Philip Lee and David Kuo in Singapore, and Samata Masagee in Bangkok.

November 29, 2021

Four reasons global retail brands like ZALORA look to affiliates and partnerships for growth

Both consumers and retailers have had enough of ads. Digital advertising is becoming a less cost-effective mode of customer acquisition as already inflated costs per acquisition (CPA) continue to rise and performance sinks. Events such as recent privacy shifts at Apple, for example, caused the average cost of conversion for ecommerce marketers to surge 200 percent for tracked users and 155 percent for non-tracked users during a six-month period.

Because ads have become so intrusive and Asian consumers have so many alternative channels to turn to for information or to make buying decisions, retailers must look elsewhere to engage and acquire new customers.

To see where companies are finding success, you need only look at fast-growing brands like the leading sports retailer, Decathlon Singapore. The brand saw its affiliates and partnerships drive 50 percent of new customer acquisition in eight months, with a quarter-over-quarter (QoQ) revenue growth rate of 156 percent.

In fact, many retailers in the region have successfully reoriented their growth strategies toward affiliate marketing and partnerships. In April, online fashion destination ZALORA partnered with H&M in a brand-to-brand (B2B) partnership that will bring ZALORA apparel to H&M’s 400 million consumers across channels in Southeast Asia.

ZALORA has also established an open and inclusive influencer partnership model that has attracted more than 2,000 content creators to its program. The brand doesn’t require its partners to have a minimum number of followers or posts per month to join, and this year it adopted a new commission-based model that invites even more crowd participation. Recommendations that lead to sales earn the influencer up to 15 percent commission in cashback or up to 10 percent in cash. ZALORA’s new influencer program is powered by the partnership management platform, impact.com.

Similarly, the fashion brand Love, Bonito saw 20 percent of total new orders coming from affiliate partnerships just a year after launching its program. The company works to drive growth with its diverse partners, ranging from content creators and influencers to fellow brands.

With full partnership life cycle technology now available for scalability, a broad array of partnership types to explore, and so many successful models to emulate, affiliate marketing and partnerships are a path every retailer in Asia can pursue right now to achieve sustainable, cost-effective customer acquisition. Here’s why.

Four reasons to consider affiliate marketing and partnerships

Low risk, great rewards: As a pay-for-performance channel, affiliate marketing and partnerships keep risk to a minimum and have a track record of great returns. A 2019 Forrester report revealed that brands with mature affiliate and partnerships programs have seen overall partnerships revenue grow to 28 percent of total company revenue. They also experience revenue growth that is two times faster than that of their low-maturity competitors.
Customizable terms: In the early days of affiliate marketing, retailers paid fixed commission rates to every affiliate or publisher that brought customers to their websites. That one-size-fits-all approach left no room to reward high-performing partners, incentivize specific results, or promote select products. Retailers today, however, can customize commission structures in a wide variety of ways to meet their business goals and attract the right kinds of partners. In fact, with the advanced partnerships management technology now available, crafting customized terms and contracts is easy.
Granular measurement: The performance and success of an affiliate marketing and partnerships program can also be aligned with a retailer’s business goals. With the right technology, retailers can see full-funnel attribution across both paid channels and their affiliate program to track key performance metrics such as average order value (AOV) and new customer rate. This attribution also helps retailers optimize the value of each partner at every step of the customer journey.
Customer-focused: In contrast to digital advertising, affiliate partnerships are firmly rooted in consumer trust and authenticity. Consumers are free to seek out the voices and resources they trust for referrals and advice on buying, which makes credibility a lynchpin of the affiliate partnerships ecosystem. Brands and affiliates alike have a stake in delivering value to audiences and maintaining trusted status, which means everyone is aligned toward common goals and priorities.

Opportunities are growing in the partnership economy

Getting started in affiliate marketing and performance-based partnerships has never been easier for retailers. From influencers to podcasters and from content and media publishers to brand-to-brand relationships, today there’s a partnership type to fit every business plan. In fact, the most diverse programs are often the strongest.

For tips on getting started in affiliate marketing, check out this Ultimate guide to affiliate marketing or reach out to impact.com’s dedicated Southeast Asia team at grow@impact.com.

By Antoine Gross, General Manager, Southeast Asia, impact.com Antoine Gross is General Manager for Southeast Asia at impact.com.

November 29, 2021

5 Signs It’s The Right Time To Start Investing In Gold

Gold is a precious metal with intrinsic value that can fetch you great returns. Aside from diversification, gold can serve as a hedge against inflation and protects your finances against market inconsistency. Moreover, it is believed to have high liquidity status, meaning it can easily be converted to cash.

Investment in gold, good or bad, is the result of timing. When you buy when others are selling, you’re probably going to overpay. And when you sell when others are buying, you could be losing. So, you need to know when the perfect opportunity to start investing to avoid risks. The signs are always there, but how do you read them? Read on to learn more.

What It Means To Save In Gold

People see gold as more tangible than money and less political compared to legal tender. Equity investors and traders could trade all day and not feel the weight of their money, which is often stored in the bank. But buying gold coins is different. The materiality it provides and that sense of natural objects like precious metals filling up your bag are incomparable.

Investment in gold is long-term, not short-term. Returns are regarded as mostly stable across countries. An increase in the value of gold is usually at the expense of falling equities. Therefore, investment returns build up over time when equities have started to lose weight. There are several benefits to investing in gold. Some of these include:

Store Of Value: Gold can be saved for future purposes due to its intrinsic value and be trusted to appreciate rather than depreciate.

Transaction Motive: You can easily convert gold to fiat money and exchange it for goods and services.

Speculative Purpose: When you’re speculating, you’re trying to find gaps in the market for rewards. Gold is perfect for leveraging the rate of returns.

Precautionary Purpose: The market is very volatile, so it’s wise to take precautions. Gold has proven itself to be a leveler against an uncertain future time and time again.

Little Maintenance: Unlike money invested in real estate, gold doesn’t require any form of maintenance from you. You can buy gold coins and keep them in your storage unit for many years.

While other assets like money and real estate are risky at some points, gold has always maintained its standard and value. The returns are consistent and values remain largely appreciated. If you’re new at buying metals and need to get some gold coins, try online sources such as https://www.oxfordgoldgroup.com and others similar to it. Nevertheless, you still need to know when it’s time to buy or not.

How Do You Know If It’s Time To Invest In Gold

Although gold is a luxury good, it can still trade like stocks. In such a case, the precious metal is prone to market decisions. This is why you need to know the signs before buying or selling to make the right investment decisions. Not sure how to assess them? Here are tips to help:

Fall In Equities

The response of gold to the stock market’s struggles has been positive. When there’s a fall in equities, there’s generally a rise in gold coins. This has been the case over the years. Hence, there’s an inverse relationship between gold and equities.

The reason for this is simple. The value of equities is mostly the worth of the actual printed paper which reflects political and economic uncertainties. Investors hold gold to protect themselves against these uncertainties as well as market volatility.

Gold value is stable across countries and isn’t easily affected by systematic and political risks. So, a fall in equities can only mean one thing for a gold investor like you—it’s time to invest in as many gold coins and other of its forms as possible.

Downward Trend In Other Investments

A fall in equities leads to an attendant effect on other investments such as real estate. The slide affects almost every currency and investment tied to equities, except gold. This is because gold is the true standard of value; therefore, it reacts positively to changes in other assets.

If you can’t easily read the signs of falling equities, you can look at other currencies to compare. There’s a positive relationship between equities and real estate, for example. Whenever the latter’s prices are up, influenced by the former, you should know it’s time to get gold.

Gold-Silver Ratio

The ratio of silver to gold is the proportion of silver you can hold at a certain amount of gold. For instance, if the ratio of silver to gold is 2:1, it means you can have two silver coins at the expense of one gold coin.

Being familiar with ratios can inform your gold-buying or gold-selling decisions. When the percentage of silver is higher compared to gold, it means you should buy less gold and sell more if you’re holding. But when it’s lower against gold, it suggests the perfect time to invest in more gold withholdings.

Decrease In Gold Prices

Gold is an intrinsic value, meaning it can generate value for itself and be measured for what it’s worth. Consequently, the price of gold can determine if it’s best to buy or sell.

When the price of gold goes up, it shows the demand for gold is higher than its supply. It means many people prefer to hold gold rather than sell it. When this happens, gold is scarce, and inflation sets in. In that case, it’s wise to sell gold rather than buy.

However, when the price of gold comes down, the primary reason is that the demand for gold is lower than its supply. Suppliers are selling more gold coins than people would want to buy. In this case, you should invest in as many gold coins as you want.

Point On Moving Average

Where is the gold value located on the moving average in the last few days? If you must invest, you should put in the time to check information about the former. Moving averages are calculated by dividing the closing price of gold for the total number of periods by its number of periods.

So, if the price of gold is above the moving average, it’s a clear sign that you shouldn’t be buying. It’s probably saying demand is higher than supply. But if the price is at the moving average or below it, there’s little demand for gold. During these times is a good time that you should invest in gold right away.

Final Thoughts

Investing in gold is a decision influenced by timing. If the timing is right, you should buy gold. But if it’s wrong, you’d probably be overpaying for a commodity that may bring you financial losses. Some signs help with the timing. You should be able to find them and learn how to properly analyze them before investing.

November 28, 2021