Retail News CRM

Author: Mei Ling Tan

  • Digitalization key to helping Asian retailers emerge from Covid-19

    Digitalization key to helping Asian retailers emerge from Covid-19

    Retail business leaders in Southeast Asia see digitalization as the driving tool in returning to growth in the post-Covid-19 era according to a study by Ernst & Young.

    The responses reflect a slew of physical store closures as online platforms are increasingly becoming the key sales avenue for retailers during the pandemic.

    Bit, while digitalization is a very visible option in current times, an online strategy alone may be insufficient for retailers to stay profitable or successful in the long run, warns Ernst & Young ASEAN consumer products & retail sector leader Olivier Gergele.

    “We are seeing a fundamental shift in the retail industry that demands a rethinking of business and operating models.”

    According to the survey, 59 percent of retailers intend to digitalize their business within the next year, while 23 percent are looking at restructuring their businesses; 11 percent are seeking an exit due to non-performance, and 3 percent are intending to merge with another retailer.

    The majority of respondents (57 percent) saw improving topline performance through online sales and market listings as a clear and immediate priority, while 40 percent of those surveyed admitted to facing resource constraints. 61 percent of retailers surveyed are turning to work capital optimization to improve cash flow.

    “This crisis is fast-evolving consumer’s preferences, behaviors and values,” said Gergele. “Online retail penetration is expected to grow at an accelerating pace, and the industry’s economics will shift with e-commerce gaining a fair share of the profit pool.”

    The results of the survey suggested retailers in the region should focus on five key areas during the upcoming period: driving an omnichannel strategy; driving supply chain resilience; expanding offerings; engaging in timely M&A; and driving agility.

    “From what we have seen in previous crises, retailers that embrace change are more likely to emerge as leading businesses while those who persist in conducting business-as-usual may fall behind,” said Gergele.

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  • Many Singapore stores set to reopen as restrictions are lifted

    Many Singapore stores set to reopen as restrictions are lifted

    Singapore stores are set to reopen as the country will enter the second phase of reopening on Friday, June 19.

    According to advice from the government, retailers may reopen under Phase Two of the easing of restrictions on Friday, but they must adhere to safe distancing measures.

    For F&B retailers, dine-in will be permitted with up to five diners per table. However, live music, television and video screenings are not allowed under stage 2. Stores will also have to stop liquor sales and consumption at 10.30pm.

    Larger venues with high traffic such as malls, department stores or large-scale standalone retail outlets have to restrict capacity to ensure safe distancing. Operators are required to prevent crowds or long queues from building up.

  • JD and Kuaishou to launch live-streaming partnership

    JD and Kuaishou to launch live-streaming partnership

    Chinese e-commerce giant JD has launched a strategic partnership with video sharing and live-streaming platform Kuaishou.

    The partnership, which focuses on the supply chain, will allow Kuaishou users to purchase products provided by JD without leaving the Kuaishou app, and enjoy fast delivery and after-sales service provided by JD.

    The two firms are launching their first large-scale promotional event on Kuaishou’s platform today, as celebrities and more than 100 well-known Kuaishou KOLs conduct promotions via live streams.

    JD is providing substantial discounts on a range of popular items for today’s promotion, including Apple iPhones and iPads; Chinese Moutai liquor; Nintendo Switches, Estee Lauder essence, and Mac lipsticks, among others.

    Apart from celebrities and KOLs, all anchors on Kuaishou are able to sell the products in their live streams and short videos.

  • Online move limits damage to Cafe de Coral Group’s sales

    Online move limits damage to Cafe de Coral Group’s sales

    Listed Hong Kong restaurant and catering operator Cafe de Coral Group managed to minimize the impact on sales during Covid-19 social-distancing restrictions by expanding its online and delivery operations.

    The company operates the Cafe de Coral fast food and Super Super Congee & Noodles QSR chains, along with the casual-dining restaurant’s Shanghai Lao Lao, Mixian Sense (pictured above),The Spaghetti House and Oliver’s Super Sandwiches.

    Sales for the year to March 31 decreased by a modest 6.2 percent to US$1.03 billion, with the Hong Kong casual-dining business taking the biggest hit, down 14 per cent. Overall Hong Kong sales fell by 6.4 percent and Mainland China sales by 6.2 percent.

    Profit attributable to shareholders for the year plunged 87.1 percent $9.5 million.

    Chairman Sunny Lo Hoi Kwong says the coronavirus outbreak will force a re-shuffle of the way businesses to operate as they adapt to the new market landscape.

    “Once the pandemic is under control, I believe Hong Kong – and the world as a whole – will need to adapt to a new business paradigm.”

    Cafe de Coral Group addressed some of the decline in dine-in sales by measures such as introducing self-service ordering kiosks in stores and increasing its emphasis on online ordering and home-delivery services.

    “At the same time, we are making internal adjustments to our operations by fine-tuning dishes and updating menus to optimize meals for delivery. Anticipating a shift from in-restaurant dining to a broader mix of in-store and delivery options, our focus on technology, efficiency and cost-effectiveness will only intensify going forward,” he said. The company also partnered with home-delivery apps.

    Cafe de Coral Group has also been reviewing lease agreements with landlords to reduce overheads. “With the group’s strong, 50-year reputation and our position as one of Hong Kong’s leading listed catering groups, landlords have been quite willing to work with us,” he said.

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  • China retail sales decline eases in May

    China retail sales decline eases in May

    The decline in China retail sales sparked by the advent of Covid-19 slowed substantially in May as the country continued to reopen for business.

    The consumer goods retail sector in China saw a year-on-year decline of 2.8 percent last month, according to the National Bureau of Statistics.

    That decline was a significant improvement on April, when China retail sales fell by 7.5 percent.

    Retail takings hit US$451 billion during May.

    However, the mainland’s catering industry remained heavily affected by the pandemic, with sales down by 18.9 percent year on year last month. That was still better than the 31.1-per-cent decline of April.

    Statistics show that online shopping is continuing to boom, with a 4.5 percent increase during the first five months of this year over last year’s results.

  • BMW S 1000 XR Teased Ahead Of Launch In July

    BMW S 1000 XR Teased Ahead Of Launch In July

    After introducing the F 900 R and the F 900 XR in the country, BMW Motorrad India is now gearing up to launch the 2020 BMW S 1000 XR sports tourer. The upcoming offering has been teased on the company’s social media handles and comes with several upgrades over the current model. The 2020 BMW S 1000 XR made its global debut at EICMA 2019 in November and brings the prowess of the S 1000 RR’s engine with the versatility of a tourer in a compelling package. The model locks horns with the likes of the Ducati Multistrada 1260 S and the Kawasaki Versys 1000 in the segment.

    The 2020 BMW S 1000 XR has been comprehensively updated and comes with a new frame, new design language and a new engine as well. Sharing its underpinnings with the S 1000 RR, the sports tourer also loses those famed asymmetrical headlamps for a sharper-looking front design. The sports tourer gets a standard two-step adjustable windscreen and sharper bodywork. The new flex frame uses the engine as a stress-member that have improved the ergonomics on the motorcycle. The swingarm is 19 percent lighter than the older version, while the bike has lost about 10 kg over its predecessor.

    Power on the 2020 BMW S 1000 XR now comes from the 999 cc in-line four-cylinder petrol engine that has been tuned for more relaxed usability. Unlike the BMW S 1000 RR, the S 1000 XR misses on ShiftCam technology or variable valve timing, and belts out 163 bhp at 11,000 rpm and 114 Nm of peak torque at 9250 rpm. The engine is paired with a 6-speed transmission but the top three gears get longer ratios that alter performance for more highway-dedicated duties.

    The new S 1000 XR also comes with a semi-active suspension that is electronically adjustable and will alter the response setting depending on the terrain the bike is riding on. The bike rides on 17-inch alloy wheels with spoked wheels as an option but the S 1000 XR is not an adventure motorcycle and has limited abilities off-road. It also comes with road-spec tires, while the whole bucket electronic wizardry has been carried over and includes the six-axis IMU, cornering ABS, lean sensing traction control, drag torque control, bi-directional quick-shifter, cruise control, hill assist, wheelie control and more. There are four riding modes – Road, Rain, Dynamic and Pro. The bike also gets a TFT screen, keeping up with the times.

    The 999 cc in-line four-cylinder motor does not get ShiftCam tech from the S 1000 RR on the S 1000 XR

    Pricing on the 2020 BMW S 1000 XR is expected to remain identical to the current model and we expect the sports tourer to carry a price around ₹ 18-20 lakh (ex-showroom), depending on the exchange rate. The S 1000 XR is expected to go on sale sometime next month.

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  • Google tests replacing URL with site’s domain name in Chrome

    Google tests replacing URL with site’s domain name in Chrome

    There are so many different versions of the Google Chrome browser in the Google Play Store. The Chrome Browser is the public version of Google’s browser. It has a Translate feature, Desktop mode, Dark mode, and other capabilities. Other versions of Chrome that can be installed on most Android phones include the Chrome Dev app. As Google says on the app’s listing on the Google Play Store, “Live on the bleeding edge: Try out our latest features. (They’ll be rough around the edges!) That means that the app will be buggy so you better think twice before installing it. The Chrome Dev app can be found here. This is a little more refined than the Chrome Canary app, which is very unstable and includes a nightly build for developers.

    Google last week started testing a change for the Chrome Dev/Canary 85 apps that hide the URL address of the website that they are on and only shows the domain name of the site (for example, Google.com). A Chromium developer said, “We think this is an important problem area to explore because phishing and other forms of social engineering are still rampant on the web, and much research shows that browsers’ current URL display patterns aren’t effective defenses. We’re implementing this simplified domain display experiment so that we can conduct qualitative and quantitative research to understand if it helps users identify malicious websites more accurately.” In other words, Google is testing whether replacing full web addresses with just a domain name help users easier spot a malicious website.

    To get this feature to work on Chrome Dev or Canary 85, you’ll have to enable a flag. Open one of the two aforementioned browsers on your Android device and go to Chrome://Flags. Search for Omnibox UI and enable “Omnibox UI Hide Steady-State URL Path, Query, and Ref.” Once the flag is enabled and you reboot your phone, instead of seeing a long URL address in the address field, only the domain name will appear. For example, instead of seeing “https://crm.retailnews.asia/major-us-carriers-go-down” you’ll just see the domain name of crm.retailnews.asia/news.

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  • Korean telcos developing unmanned stores

    Korean telcos developing unmanned stores

    Major South Korean telcos are looking to launch unstaffed outlets as they try to provide business services without face-to-face contact amid the novel coronavirus pandemic.

    According to the sources, SK Telecom Co, the nation’s top mobile carrier, is planning to offer unmanned services at a store in Seoul in October.

    Instead of opening a new store without clerks, the company is likely to implement the system at existing stores and operate it during certain time periods, such as late at night, the sources said.

    At the unmanned store, customers will be able to select pay plans and a device through kiosk machines and use their mobile service. When entering the store, customers will need biometric certification.

    For those who struggle to use the store on their own, the company plans to provide a video chat with sales clerks, according to sources.

    “We are reviewing our plans to set up a new type of retail channel that can meet the social needs in the era of non-face-to-face life,” a SK Telecom official said.

    Other mobile carriers said they are also planning to expand unmanned services using their technologies.

    LG Uplus said it will provide more kiosk machines to its stores in the second half so that customers can handle mobile services, such as changing monthly pay plans, on their own.

    KT Corp said it is currently running kiosks at stores in major cities. It plans to expand stores with “contactless zones,” where customers can experience their services without sales clerks’ help.

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  • Porsche Panamera 4 10 Years Edition Unveiled

    Porsche Panamera 4 10 Years Edition Unveiled

    Porsche India has unveiled a special Panamera 4 10 Year Edition model to commemorate the luxury sports saloon’s 10th anniversary in the country. Launched at ₹ 1.60 crore (ex-showroom, India), the special edition model comes with an extensive range comfort and performance features, all offered as part of the standard equipment, and no extra cost. Furthermore, the Panamera 4 10 Year Edition also comes with special design highlights that help the anniversary edition stand apart from the regular Porsche Panamera 4. Compared to the regular Panamera 4, which is priced at ₹ 1.48 crore (ex-showroom, India), the anniversary edition is ₹ 11.47 lakh more expensive

    The Porsche Panamera 4 10 Years Edition gets 21-inch satin-gloss White Gold Metallic Panamera Sport Design wheels

    Announcing the launch of the Panamera 4 10 Year Edition, Pavan Shetty, Director of Porsche India said, “With more than 250,000 Panamera cars delivered around the world since its launch, our luxury saloon has established itself as a coveted model in the last decade. The new Panamera 4 10 Years Edition represents this remarkable achievement. In a market where many luxury vehicles are chauffeur driven, it’s rewarding for me to see the Panamera remains as the only prestige saloon in our market which is focused equally towards the driver as well as its passengers. It’s a true sports car for the drive to the office and fun on the track.”

    The Porsche Panamera 4 10 Year Edition comes with the company’s Matrix LED headlamps, and 21-inch satin-gloss White Gold Metallic Panamera Sport Design wheels. Other visual cues include – white gold metallic “Panamera10” logos on the front doors, the door sills, and the on the front passenger trim panel. The entire cabin is draped in black faux leather with contrast white gold stitching. In terms of features, the car comes with a panoramic sunroof, 14-way comfort seats with the Porsche crest on the head restraints, soft-close doors, digital radio and a BOSE Surround Sound system are also included as standard equipment.

    Porsche also offers PDLS Plus, Lane Change Assist, Park Assist, including a reversing camera. Furthermore, the car also comes with adaptive three-chamber air suspension, including Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM) and Power Steering Plus as standard. Under the hood, the Panamera 4 10 Year Edition comes with the 2.9-litre, biturbo V6-engine developing 326 bhp, and it can accelerate from 0 to 100 kmph in 5.3 seconds before reaching a top speed of 262 kmph. Plus it gets all-wheel drive.

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  • Hong Kong Land unveils premium food hall concept BaseHall in Central

    Hong Kong Land unveils premium food hall concept BaseHall in Central

    Hongkong Land has unveiled a new premium food hall concept BaseHall at Jardine House, in Hong Kong’s Central district.

    The foodcourt houses eight eateries and two bars, featuring concepts carefully chosen for their style and food offer including Moyo Sik from the contemporary Korean spot Moyo and Co Thanh, who offers authentic Vietnamese dishes.

    The two bars, Pub 1842 from Young Master and BaseHall Bar, serve a wide range of drinks, including local craft beer and Asian-inspired cocktails.

    “BaseHall is core to our strategy for attracting younger customers while still catering to our existing loyal customer base,” said Raymond Chow, executive director of Hong Kong Land.

    “BaseHall is breaking new ground in the F&B landscape which creates huge potential growth opportunities, both in terms of the vendor line-up, and the meticulously designed space that allows for multi-purpose use.”

    Besides using sustainable materials, BaseHall has also partnered with a food-assistance programme to distribute leftover food to worthwhile causes across the city.

    “This will no doubt be the new hotspot for the Central office population and the wider Hong Kong community to socialise and enjoy great food,” Chow said.

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  • H&M sales tumbled in May quarter

    H&M sales tumbled in May quarter

    H&M says its sales decline in May was slightly below expectations, and less dramatic than during March and April as stores began to reopen across Asia and Europe.

    The Swedish-headquartered fast-fashion retailer said net sales in the three months to May 31 were down by 50 percent year on year to US$3.1 billion.

    More encouragingly, sales in the first 13 days of June were down 30 percent, suggesting a gradual return of customers to stores.

    H&M has 5058 stores worldwide and almost one in five of those remain shuttered due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the company said in a statement.

    The decline in sales was less than at rival Inditex, the parent of Zara, which last week reported a 34-per-cent decline in the week of June 2 to 8.

    But an H&M spokesperson said the pace of the sales recovery “varies largely between markets” around the world.

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  • The challenges, the opportunities: Post COVID-19 Lockdown Retail Trends

    The challenges, the opportunities: Post COVID-19 Lockdown Retail Trends

    The impact of COVID-19 on the Asian retail sector has been significant. The implementation of isolation measures led to many traditional retail businesses standing-down staff or closing. At the same time, other retailers experienced spikes in ecommerce orders and struggled to meet this unexpected demand.

    As restrictions on retail trading are being eased in many countries across the region in line with economic recovery plans, many retailers will be uncertain. After all, reopening physical stores for business while COVID-19 is still active in the community presents a considerable number of operational challenges. So, what should retail industry professionals understand ahead of reopening, or scaling up their operations? What will be the new ‘normal’ in a post COVID-19 lockdown world?

    Increased use of Mobile POS to eliminate customer bottlenecks

    Given social distancing measures remain in place for many countries across Asia, eliminating areas where people concentrate instore must be a priority. One of the largest bottlenecks of people within a retail store is the check-out counter, where customers must line-up to be served. While marking floors with safe-spacing points for customers to stand while waiting to be served may help at a rudimentary level, retailers should move away from fixed POS terminals that require customers to queue. Additionally, self-service POS may not be the answer either as they require customers to touch the same device over and over, and often don’t work when customers are using gloves. Mobile POS technologies built into mobile computers allow retail staff to assist customers with product information, stock availability and on-the spot transactions from anywhere in the store, eliminating the need for check-out lines or use of self-service.

    Retailers to take control of their reverse logistics operations

    Customer returns became more complicated for retailers when purchased items couldn’t be returned to stores due to closures and this resulted in larger volumes of mail-returns. Mail returns are often managed by reverse-logistics providers, who were themselves disrupted by COVID-19 social distancing rules for warehouse operations, which has led to lengthy delays in retailers receiving the stock again for resale. And if the stock being returned was seasonal, these third-party reverse logistics delays could result in products not being able to be resold at all. To ensure full control over the sales and returns supply chains, retailers should take control of their own reverse logistics operations to speed the time in which they receive returned stock for resale.

    Investment into inventory visibility needed

    Retailers operating across Asia cannot sell what they cannot see. Online order levels grew to record highs over recent months and many retailers were simply unable to keep up with demand, or find the right inventory to fulfil new orders. This resulted in many retailers resorting to cancelling sales, or only partially fulfilling them. The common cause for these issues is that the retailers’ own warehouse management systems (WMSs) were telling them that they had stock to sell, but because of the massive volumes going through their Distribution Centre (DC), often by the time that orders were ready to pick-and-ship, the inventory was no longer available. This false record of inventory arises when an older WMS is in place that does not update inventory levels in real-time. Asian retailers need to upgrade to a WMS that models demand and instantaneously updates inventory details to ensure an accurate picture of stock on hand for sale and shipment every time.

    ‘Fulfilling from store’ is the new standard for retail flexibility today  

    The consumer behavioral shift to online shopping , which has been accelerated by COVID-19, has increased the business case for an expansion of hybrid fulfilment methods that blend ecommerce and store resources. Hybrid fulfilment offers retailers increased flexibility enabling them to pivot, scale, adjust and respond as things change and return to normal. Fulfilling online orders in retail stores is a by-product of this new economy. Customers enjoy picking up online purchases in local stores, which satisfies their insatiable demand for immediacy and flexibility. Further, ship-from-store is vital in an age where ecommerce orders are booming and bricks and mortar operations are operating at much lower levels. Technologies exist today that support underutilised retail staff to handle store order picking, staging, packing, shipping for fast delivery and customer pickup.

    Learn, adapt, grow in a post lockdown world

    The Asian retail sector has faced immense challenges through the COVID-19 period. Many businesses are now trying to answer the question of how to deliver high levels of customer service while practicing social distancing and protecting staff, and those that closed their physical stores temporarily will be faced prospect of reopening with out-of-season stock. However, in every crisis there are learnings, trends and innovation. It will be those retailers that seek to understand and adapt that are best positioned to create better customer experiences, capitalise on opportunities and grow. 

    About Manhattan Associates

    Manhattan Associates is a technology leader in supply chain and omnichannel commerce. We unite information across the enterprise, converging front-end sales with back-end supply chain execution. Our software, platform technology and unmatched experience help drive both top-line growth and bottom-line profitability for our customers. Manhattan Associates designs, builds and delivers leading edge cloud and on-premises solutions so that across the store, through your network or from your fulfillment center, you are ready to reap the rewards of the omnichannel marketplace. For more information, please visit www.manh.com.au.

    Written by: Richard Wright, Managing Director Southeast Asia, Manhattan Associates

     

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  • Maybank Sued for Loan Pullback

    Maybank Sued for Loan Pullback

    Malayan Bank Berhad – better known as Maybank – is reportedly being sued for effectively thwarting a Manhattan-based proper project after allegedly reneging on a loan agreement.

    American real estate developer Sharif El-Gamal said that the Malaysian lender and other syndicate members ignored and breached their obligations under the building facility and related loan documents which caused «irreparable damage to the plaintiff’s relationship with its contractor, leading to a cessation of all work, according to a report citing a notice last week.

    El-Gamal, also chairman and chief executive of Soho Properties, is seeking an award of more than $245 million which he claims is the net sell-out value of the property that has been filed for disclosure by the loan syndicate.

    According to El-Gamal, Maybank reneged on agreements to provide more than $162 million in syndicated construction loans to fund the project in New York.

    At the time of the project’s announcement, El-Gamal reportedly also said in a statement a senior construction loan totaling US$174 million was received from a syndicate that also included Warba Bank of Kuwait and Intesa Sanpaolo alongside US$45 million in mezzanine financing from MASIC, a Saudi investment firm.

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  • Google Stadia has just got an important boost on Android

    Google Stadia has just got an important boost on Android

    Cloud gaming is starting to become a thing as more companies like Google, Microsoft and NVIDIA continue to invest in such services. Although Stadia was off to a rough start, Google continues to bet big on the cloud gaming service.

    Google Stadia works not just on PCs, but on Android phones as well. However, not all Android handsets were compatible with the Stadia app, but very few until recently. As of this week, Google announced that even more Android phones will be able to run the Stadia app and let subscribers play their favorite games.

    First off, Google revealed that all OnePlus smartphones are now fully compatible with Stadia, including OnePlus 5/5T, One 6/6T, and OnePlus 7/7 Pro/7 Pro 5G/7T Pro/7T Pro 5G. These phones join the OnePlus 8 and OnePlus 8 Pro, which were already compatible with Google Stadia.

    But wait, there’s more! Google confirmed that anyone with a compatible Android phone can install the Stadia app and start playing games, including phones that aren’t on the list of officially supported phones.

    This is a major change that basically removes any brand restrictions and only limits Stadia compatibility to your phone’s hardware. While the feature is in development, Android users can try out Stadia for free and play their favorite games on smaller displays.

    Google is calling this move “Experiment” and those who wish to be a part of it must install the app on their Android phones and from the Experiments tab choose “Play on this device.” Even if you’re not a Stadia subscriber, you’ll be able to play games that you already own on your phone via cloud streaming.

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  • Muji convenience-store concept trials at JD HQ

    Muji convenience-store concept trials at JD HQ

    Following the launch of Muji Hotel and Muji Infill (a home-renovation service) in China, the Japanese home and lifestyle retailer has branched into convenience retailing.

    Located inside JD’s Beijing headquarters, the Muji convenience-store concept, called Mujicom, takes up 605sqm and has 71 seats for dining.

    Stocking essential daily goods along with books, food, and beverages, the store serves employees of JD.

    The Muji convenience store actually made its initial debut at Musashino Art University in Tokyo with an additional workshop space for students to use as a working and creative collaborative space.

    The retailer is set to open three new stores in China this month atop of Mujicom, including outlets at Hangzhou and in Shenzhen Airport.

    Muji also recently opened its largest Hong Kong flagship store, expanding its food and catering range with fresh-baked goods and a new coffee and tea bar.

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