Retail News CRM

Author: Mei Ling Tan

  • De’Longhi links coffee lovers and roasters in virtual Coffee Lounge

    De’Longhi links coffee lovers and roasters in virtual Coffee Lounge

    Small appliance brand De’Longhi Australia has launched an online community for coffee lovers including a marketplace linking consumers with artisan coffee roasters around the nation.

    The Coffee Lounge has been created as a space that “brings together the world of beans, milk and machines,” aiming to help educate and support consumers who want to learn more about coffee and enjoy the culture behind the cup.

    “Whether you’re just starting your coffee journey or a more experienced at-home barista looking to refine your skills, this new website is designed to provide you with all the tools and resources you need to create the perfect coffee,” explains George O’Neil, marketing director at De’Longhi.

    “While lockdowns around the country limit how far we can travel at the moment, we want to be able to support roasters across the country with the launch of this new website. Our aim is to support the coffee industry and become the first destination that coffee lovers head to if they wish to learn more and discover the newest, widest variety of artisan blends.”

    De’Longhi expects coffee lovers from all over the world to participate.

    In the Coffee Lounge’s marketplace, consumers can browse and learn about different types of coffee beans so they can create barista-quality coffee at home. It launches with 28 coffee packs from seven local roasters including Industry Beans, Criteria Coffee and Seven Miles Coffee Roasters.

    In a gamified process, consumers can answer a one-minute quiz that helps create a personalised recommendation for visitors of the roast most likely to suit their taste.

    Industry news on trends and innovations, recipes, and tips and tricks from coffee experts are also included in the lounge.

    “The De’Longhi Coffee Lounge aims to bring the world of coffee machines and beans together for all coffee lovers to enjoy,” says O’Neil.

  • Woolies sells stake in Marley Spoon

    Woolies sells stake in Marley Spoon

    “Marley Spoon experienced strong growth over the term of W23‘s investment and has matured into an established listed company, and no longer fits squarely within the investment criteria of W23,” a Woolworths spokesperson said.

    “Woolworths Group and Marley Spoon remain committed to the continuing five-year strategic growth alliance that covers marketing support and customer origination programs as well as co-operation on logistics and supply chain operations.”

    Earlier this year, Marley Spoon chief executive Rolf Weber said the business’ growth had been boosted by the impact of the pandemic – despite supply chain pressures from drought, bushfires, floods, food shortages, and the global health crisis.

    Weber attributed the business’ impressive retention rates in part to the continued innovation of his team, including the launch of ready-to-heat meals earlier in 2020.

    “Our numbers are very strong and customer retention is extremely high, even as the impact of the pandemic has begun to decrease across Australia,” says Weber. “Ready-to-heat meals had been in product development prior to the pandemic, however, the launch was expedited by lockdowns and the demand from the influx of news customers. With many Australians returning to the office in recent months, the number of ready-to-heat meals sold continues to impress and opens future opportunities and streams to reach new customers.”

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  • Johnnie Walker toasts 200 with global experience centre in Edinburgh

    Johnnie Walker toasts 200 with global experience centre in Edinburgh

    “The story of the world’s best-selling whisky has been brought to life with flair and imagination and we have built a team which includes some of the most talented individuals in their fields,” said Barbara Smith, MD of Johnnie Walker Princes Street.

    The building serves more than 800 flavor combinations in innovative dispensation systems. Visitors can select their favorite whisky and have bottles filled directly from casks and engraved. The experiential space also houses two rooftop bars and a terrace overlooking the Edinburgh skyline.

    According to the company, it took four and a half years in the making to bring Johnnie Walker Princes Street into life. The project is part of Diageo’s US$256 million investment, the largest single investment program of its kind ever seen in Scotch whisky tourism.

    “Johnnie Walker Princes Street is a landmark investment in Scotch whisky and into Scotland and it sets a new standard for immersive visitor attractions,” said Ivan Menezes, CEO at Diageo.

    “It celebrates Scotland’s remarkable heritage, our incredible skilled whisky-makers, and looks to the future by engaging new generations of consumers from around the world in the magic of Scotch whisky.”

    The Diageo investment includes the transformation of distillery visitor experiences around Scotland, including Glenkinchie, Clynelish, Cardhu and Caol Ila – the Lowland, Highland, Speyside and Islay homes of Johnnie Walker, linked to Johnnie Walker Princes Street.

  • E-commerce platforms cater to large groceries demand in Vietnam

    E-commerce platforms cater to large groceries demand in Vietnam

    Leading e-commerce platforms in Vietnam saw bigger demand for groceries, including fresh foodstuffs and beverages, in the second quarter of this year, a market research firm says.

    Google searches for keywords relating to online grocery stores in the second quarter of this year surged 223 percent against the first quarter, Malaysia-based market research firm iPrice Group said. Searches for fresh foodstuff, drinks, pre-packaged items, and fruits and vegetables rose 99 percent, 51 percent, 30 percent and 11 percent, respectively.

    According to a second-quarter e-commerce report by, online grocery has been the only goods segment with continuous growth since the pandemic broke out.

    When HCMC started applying social distancing rules in early July, demand for buying groceries online increased sharply. E-commerce platform Lazada Vietnam sold 120,000 fresh milk cartons in the first three hours of July 7, and 10,000 poultry eggs in the first 12 hours of the day.

    According to iPrice researchers, the surge in searches for online grocery stores and supermarkets is linked to the social distancing regulations imposed by municipal and provincial authorities. Retail sales of essential goods will also go online rapidly, they said.

    The higher demand for groceries prompted e-commerce platform Tiki to open fresh groceries stalls (September 2) that would deliver the products within three hours in Hanoi.

    To lure more customers, online shopping platforms have held shoppertainment (shopping in combination with entertainment) activities since early July. Lazada and Shopee have launched online mini-game contests and music shows, and conducted more livestream sales in combination with recreational activities.

    Lazada’s livestream channel reported that its daily views in the second quarter of this year rose 2.5 times over the same period last year. Shopee said the number of Shopee Live users in the first half of this year surged over 200 percent on-year.

    Online payment and shopping platform MoMo attracted eight million players in one month after organizing a game contest with prizes totaling VND10 billion (nearly $435,000). “We will continue to organize similar programs,” said co-founder and vice chairman Nguyen Ba Diep.

    According to rankings complied by iPrice Group and Israel-based digital intelligence provider SimilarWeb, Lazada Vietnam saw its website visits in the second quarter of this year increase 14 percent against the first quarter to 20.4 million, ranking second after Shopee. Shopee ranked the first for the 12 quarters, with 73 million web visits in the second quarter, up 9.2 million visits against the previous one.

    Among e-commerce platforms in Vietnam, Lazada and Shopee have been the most active in terms of shoppertainment events in recent months. They are expected to host more such programs on September 9, the super shopping day.

    The visits to top 50 shopping websites in Vietnam in the first half of this year totaled over 1.3 billion, the highest number so far. Specifically, web visits in the second quarter rose 10 percent over the first.

  • General director of VietinBank appointed new chairman

    General director of VietinBank appointed new chairman

    Vietnam Bank for Industry and Trade (VietinBank) has elected General Director Tran Minh Binh as the bank’s new chairman for the 2019-2024 term.

    The appointment came Tuesday, two months after the bank’s former chairman, Le Duc Tho, was appointed secretary of Ben Tre Provincial Party Committee from July.

    Tran Minh Binh, 47, holds a Master’s degree in Business Administration from National Economics University – Belgium’s ULB University.

    Binh has more than 22 years of experience working at VietinBank, including 17 years as a professional manager at the head office and branches and eight years as a senior manager.

    On the same day, the bank also assigned Nguyen Hoang Dung, its deputy general director, as general director in charge of the executive board, replacing Tran Minh Binh.

    VietinBank, the third-largest lender by total assets in Vietnam, made a consolidated net profit of VND10.81 trillion ($473.69 million) in the second quarter of 2021, up 44.52 percent compared to the same figure in 2020, according to the bank’s financial report.

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  • Online retailers in APAC drew 154 million new customers last year

    Online retailers in APAC drew 154 million new customers last year

    Asia Pacific’s online retail market is in good form, despite being one of the slowest growth markets when compared to global rates.

    According to new research from Forrester, Asia Pacific’s online retail market will be worth $2.8 trillion by 2025, up from $1.7 trillion in 2020.

    Last year Asia Pacific achieved $230 billion in online retail sales, with China accounting for almost an entire third of global sales.

    Within the e-commerce space China also dominates with an 82% share of the market, supporting overall APAC market growth of 16%.

    The grocery category will reach $473 billion by 2025, surpassing the consumer electronics category for the first time.

    The pandemic also drove newcomers to online retail – in Asia Pacific, 154 million more people bought online last year, which Forrester says is the highest number of new users ever in a single year. Of all the new buyers added globally in 2020, 69% came from Asia Pacific and 53% specifically from China.

    The Australian market experienced the fastest growth, while India was the slowest. Retailers also see the online market as a key way to leverage their distribution centres as a way of improving their reach.

    Forrester notes, “Alibaba took a controlling stake in Sun Art Retail, China’s largest supermarket chain, which has 76% of its stores outside urban areas, allowing Alibaba to break into the underserved nonurban customer market.”

    The strong grocery category attracted players such as Reliance Retail in India, which opened an online grocery company that covers more than 200 cities across the country.

    Forrester notes, “Flipkart in India had a limited presence in grocery; it then added a 90-minute delivery service to make the most of the fastest-growing category in India. Tata Group acquired BigBasket, the largest online grocery player in India, to make inroads into the Indian e-commerce market.”

    Organisations are increasingly looking to livestreams as a way of promoting their companies and fostering brand engagement.

    “ Farmers used livestreaming sessions on Douyin — Tiktok in China — to sell fresh produce, with some earning more than $1 million per month.”

    Social commerce also gained momentum. Forrester notes, “Meesho, a pure-play social commerce retailer in India, reports seeing monthly users grow from just 0.5 million to 5.5 million and monthly orders jump by 500% from 2019 to 2020. In China, community buyers (i.e., buyers congregating on WeChat) purchase grocery in bulk and pick it up from a nearby drop location. Retailers save on the last-mile shipping cost, and buyers get groceries at a discounted price.”

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  • Shopee launching platform in Poland

    Shopee launching platform in Poland

    Sea Ltd’s Shopee is preparing to launch in Poland and is currently recruiting sellers, two company sources with knowledge of the matter told Reuters.

    The move will be the first expansion into European e-commerce for the $190 billion Singapore-headquartered technology group, whose gaming arm Garena is already active in the region.

    Shopee is simultaneously preparing to launch in India, Reuters reported last week, after aggressively expanding in Latin America since earlier this year.

    One of the sources told Reuters that Shopee is cautiously scaling up its global expansion by testing out possible new markets.

    The two sources, who requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to media, said Shopee will also launch in Argentina in the coming months.

    The firm is already the dominant player in e-commerce in Southeast Asia, according to market researchers, bringing in $1.2 billion globally in revenue for the quarter ending June 30.

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  • German companies in Vietnam look to diversify supply chain due to Covid

    German companies in Vietnam look to diversify supply chain due to Covid

    Ninety percent of German companies in Vietnam are seeking new or additional suppliers in Asia Pacific due to mobility restrictions in the country.

    The majority of respondents, 83 percent, reported supply bottlenecks and price increases caused by transport problems, according to a survey by the Association of German Chambers of Industry and Commerce (DIHK).

    What has led to the current transport problems is a lack of freight capacity and containers.

    Other issues that caused supply bottlenecks are increased demand or insufficient production capacity (67 percent) and halted supplier production (58 percent).

    The impacts of supply bottlenecks on German companies are longer waiting times, higher purchase prices, and production halts or downsizing, according to 58 percent of respondents.

    Half of the respondents have no choice but to either increase or plan to increase the manufacturing prices of their products.

    Two-thirds of German companies are also considering relocating their production to the E.U.

    The Vietnam survey is part of the global inquiry by DIHK, which polled 3,000 business leaders from Jul. 22 to Aug. 9.

  • Vietnam’s biggest auto expo canceled again

    Vietnam’s biggest auto expo canceled again

    The Vietnam Motor Show, the biggest automobile expo in the country, has been canceled for the second year running over Covid-19 impacts.

    This year’s show was originally scheduled to be held next month.

    Members of the Vietnam Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (VAMA) and the Vehicles Importers Vietnam Association (VIVA) said in a joint statement the VMS 2021 has been canceled as was VMS 2020.

    Earlier, the VMS 2021 organization board had planned to postpone the expo to the last week of November or the second week of December, but found that such plans were not feasible. The board is expected to make an official announcement about the cancellation soon.

    The VMS 2019 in HCMC drew the participation of 15 firms that displayed over 100 new cars. Many firms in the supporting industry also participated in the event that drew over 200,000 visitors.

    Vietnam’s car sales rose 27 percent year-on-year to over 166,500 units in the first seven months, thanks to a surge in the first quarter.

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  • Bamboo Airways to launch first US route this month

    Bamboo Airways to launch first US route this month

    Startup airline Bamboo Airways has completed the necessary procedures to begin its first direct flight to the U.S. starting Sep. 23, set to be the first Vietnamese airline to do so.

    The airline stated it has received licenses from U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to conduct 12 return flights between the two countries from this month until November.

    It will connect Hanoi and Da Nang City with San Francisco, Los Angeles and Seattle-Tacoma.

    Also starting Sep. 23, the airline of real estate developer FLC will begin a series of events in the U.S. including signing memorandums with San Francisco and Los Angeles airports and opening its first representative office in the U.S.

    Bamboo Airways in May received permits for charter flights from Vietnam to the U.S.

    The U.S. is considered one of the most difficult aviation markets in the world with stringent safety regulations from the TSA.

    Bamboo Airways is the second Vietnamese airline to have acquired permits from the TSA, with the first being Vietnam Airlines which is set to start its first U.S. route next month.

    Vietnamese authorities first wanted to open direct services to the U.S. 18 years ago. However, concerns about profitability have kept airlines from realizing the goal.

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  • Ministry wants betting to be allowed on more global football events

    Ministry wants betting to be allowed on more global football events

    The Ministry of Finance wants more global football tournaments added to the list of those on which people can bet.

    The list comprises 27 events, including 15 leagues in Europe, Asia, North America and South America and 12 tournaments held every two or four years.

    Gamblers will be allowed to bet on matches Vietnam play, including in the World Cup, AFC U-23 Championship, Olympics, Asian Cup, and U-20 World Cup.

    The minimum and maximum bets on football matches, horse races and dog races will remain unchanged from 2017 at VND10,000 ($0.44) and VND1 million.

    A 2017 government decree allows Vietnamese to bet on all football tournaments run by FIFA.

    But gambling remains illegal in Vietnam. There are a handful of licensed casinos, but only holders of foreign passports are allowed to gamble there.

    Vietnamese are known for their love of gambling. It is estimated they spend at least $800 million a year betting overseas, mainly in Macau, Singapore and Hong Kong.

    Illegal betting and gambling are rife within the country too. Da Nang City police last year arrested a man running an online football gambling ring with stakes of nearly $1 million.

  • Twitter testing edge-to-edge photos and videos for a more immersive visual experience

    Twitter testing edge-to-edge photos and videos for a more immersive visual experience

    Twitter has been working on steadily adding new features to the social media platform in the past few months, and now, TechCrunch reports about a new feature that’s undergoing testing right now, and it is edge-to-edge tweets, photos, and videos. The latest test Twitter is currently working on brings a more immersive visual experience with the introduction of edge-to-edge tweets, a feature that’s tested only on iOS right now and will expand to Android later on. This improvement in the way photos and videos are displayed on the app is a part of the general direction the company is going: making your Twitter feed a more visually pleasing experience.

    Earlier this year, Twitter introduced bigger images and more cropping tools to the platform as well, and this change was well received by photographers and photography enthusiasts, meaning to share their content on Twitter.

    The test that’s ongoing now makes tweets fill the full frame from left to right, instead of having a large margin on the left. This change makes allows for larger videos and photos that look more visually pleasing and modern, instead of being squished to the right of users’ profile pics.

    This way, Twitter says it wants to encourage its users to have conversations across photos and videos, and not only texting (which was the traditional approach the social media platform had).

    In the announcement, Twitter stated the new immersive experience will bring life to your Twitter feed and will make it possible for you to concentrate your focus on your message, video, photo, whatever it is you want to share.

    Recently, the social media giant introduced Twitter Spaces, which is a step towards bringing a better audio experience to the users, and it’s no surprise that with videos playing a more prominent role in social media interactions (as an example of which we can look at TikTok’s success and rising popularity as a video platform), Twitter is also ready to take on that route and bring more photo and video features.

    Marketers are partial towards videos for advertisements, so more advertising possibilities could also be playing a role in this change Twitter is currently testing.

    The most recent new feature Twitter has launched is the long-tested Super Follows feature and a new Safe Mode, which is meant to protect you against potentially offensive or harmful interactions (that is, if you enable it). Both these features are currently live for a small set of users, primarily in the US, and will be launched globally soon.

    The Super Follows feature is, basically, a way to subscribe to a creator and receive exclusive content, something similar to Patreon’s pledges. Safe Mode on the other hand uses artificial intelligence to determine potentially harmful messages to you and restrict these users that are sending them. An example of that is someone you haven’t been replying to sending repetitive DMs in an aggressive manner, of course, if the feature has been enabled from Settings.

    Apart from that, Twitter has been spotted to work on the feature to archive previous tweets, a welcome addition meant to help you get rid of old tweets that you don’t like, or just annoy you to be displayed on your profile. The feature will allow you to archive old tweets automatically, so you don’t have to worry about those. Once this feature, which is currently in a testing period, gets released, you will be able to set it up for 30, 60, or 90 days. It will archive these old tweets according to your settings.

  • Disney raises prices at Hulu effective October 8

    Disney raises prices at Hulu effective October 8

    Hulu was one of the few streaming services that didn’t increase prices this year. Unfortunately, that’s about to change as Disney has just confirmed that Hulu price tiers will be increased effective October 8.

    The price of Hulu’s live TV service plans will increase by $1 starting October 8. Taking into consideration the new price hike, Hulu’s ad-supported tier will cost $6.99 per month, while the ad-free tier will be going up to $12.99 monthly.

    The Hulu price hike follows the other increases in recent months at ESPN+ and Disney+. The report mentions that the reason for the price increase could be the addition of thousands of Bollywood titles and Hotstar originals to the streaming service.

    Also, the new price for Hulu’s tiers might make the Disney Bundle more appealing for those who wish to save some bucks (36% to be more precise). Hulu confirmed that the price of the Disney Bundle will not change due to the price increase. It’s also important to mention that the price hike won’t affect Hulu + Live TV plans.

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  • Digital media startup raises another $2.7 mln

    Digital media startup raises another $2.7 mln

    Vietcetera, a digital media startup, raised $2.7 million in a pre-series A round last month after earlier raising $700,000 in March.

    The pre-series A round was attended by U.S. venture capital firm North Base Media, Indonesian investment company Go-Ventures and early-stage venture capital firm East Ventures, Philippine digital lifestyle network Summit Media, Japanese venture capital firms Genesia Ventures and Z Venture Corporation.

    Vietcetera plans to use the money to expand its content catalog by adding new shows and podcasts, and further developing its mobile app.

    In March, Genesia Ventures had led the seed funding round with an investment of $700,000.

    Established in 2016, Vietcetera produces content in Vietnamese and English, ranging from articles about business and stories about lifestyles to podcasts.

    Vietcetera said it has over 20 million users a month, mostly from Vietnam, of whom 60 percent are women. It also said it has witnessed “rapid audience and revenue growth” as users in Vietnam, especially from Gen Z (those born in 1996 or later), demand high-quality multimedia content.

    One of Vietcetera’s most viral content is a rap music video featuring former U.S. ambassador to Vietnam, David Kritenbrink. The video was released in February to welcome the Lunar New Year.

    According to a report by Google, Temasek Holdings Pte and Bain & Co, Vietnam’s digital media market is expected to surge to $7billion in 2025 from $3.3 billion in 2020, and its digital economy to $52 billion, including $29 billion from e-commerce, from $14 billion.

  • AirAsia extends unlimited flights

    AirAsia extends unlimited flights

    As IATF Resolution 136-F allows interzonal travel from GCQ to GCQ or GCQ to MGCQ areas subject to restrictions of the local government unit of destination and strict health and safety protocols such as the presentation of a negative RT-PCR test upon arrival, AirAsia Philippines is giving its 12,000 UNLI Flight Pass holders great value for money and great ease especially with the return of leisure travel in the National Capital Region.

    Beginning September 8-30, 2021, AirAsia will start to fly travelers to Cebu, Davao, Zamboanga, Panglao, Tacloban and Caticlan.

    UNLI Flight Pass’ is extended until 17 January 2022.  Consequently, the travel period has been extended from 30 October 2021 to 31 January 2022.

    In a press release, AirAsia Philippines said UNLI Flight Pass was tremendously welcomed by travel enthusiasts, mostly young professionals and families during its launch in November 2020.  It has also become the travel partner of essential travelers and Authorized Persons Outside Residence such as medical frontliners and members of the uniformed services like different branches of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, Philippine National Police, Philippine Coast Guard, Bureau of Fire Protection and Bureau of Jail Management and Penology.

    More than 5,400 flights have been booked using the UNLI Flight Pass to leisure destinations such as Boracay, Cebu and Bohol.  However, AirAsia reminds the public that the promo is also open to all their domestic destinations including Davao, Cagayan de Oro, Zamboanga and General Santos City.

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