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Category: General

Retail News Asia is committed to providing both local and global retailers with the latest General Retail news throughout the Asian market. This on a daily base.

  • 7-Eleven Hong Kong opens its 1000th store

    7-Eleven Hong Kong opens its 1000th store

    7-Eleven has officially opened its 1000th store in Hong Kong – a milestone moment for both the brand and its customers. 7-Eleven launched its very first store in Happy Valley back in 1981 and, 40 years later, has opened its 1000th store on Des Voeux Road in Central. An integral part of the community and a true neighborhood store, 7-Eleven is committed to bringing convenience closer to its customers wherever they are, whenever they need.

    Evolving alongside the people of Hong Kong, the brand has constantly innovated to live up to changing consumer expectations. To mark this landmark achievement, a series of promotions and offers are being rolled out to thank customers for their loyal support.

    A Journey of 1000 Stores: the story of 7-Eleven in Hong Kong

    The Journey of 1000 Stores, a retrospective showcase outlining the story of 7-Eleven in Hong Kong, was held today in Central on 8 July. The exhibition charted 7-Eleven’s journey from its very first store right up to the opening of its 1000th store highlighting the brand’s milestones over the years, which many Hongkongers may still fondly remember from childhood.

    These include the immensely popular Hello Kitty badge collectible program, from 2004 and the launch of HOTSHOT, its ready-to-eat range of authentic Hong Kong-style treats beloved by students of all ages!

    Serving the community for 40 years

    7-Eleven has always been committed to giving back. Since 2013, it has worked with Caritas to offer training and job opportunities to over 40 people with special needs. In 2017, it teamed up with Pei Ho Counterparts to donate and distribute food to the homeless, the elderly, and low-income families. It also hands out small gifts every Christmas to children in need to spread festive cheer.

    In 2020, 7-Eleven launched the Charity Meal Voucher Programme: 553,787 vouchers were collected within eight days and then distributed in local neighborhoods hardest hit by the pandemic in collaboration with Food Angel, St. James’ Settlement, Foodlink, Hong Kong Christian Service, and Pei Ho Counterparts.

    Fun and exciting offers to say a big thank you to all its customers!

    7-Eleven’s continuing success is down to its team members, business partners, and, most importantly, its customers. To thank customers for their ongoing support, several tempting promotions and offers are taking place throughout July. For example, 7-Eleven launched an Instant Win Game, a first-of-its-kind Augmented Reality lucky draw with over $10 million worth of prizes to be won including 2,000 free cups of 7CAFÉ, 1,000 $100 cash vouchers, and a whole host of product discounts. To mark 7-Eleven Day on 11 July, 7-Eleven will be running unmissable offers such as $7 cups of 7CAFÉ, $7 and $11 discounts on a wide range of products and more. There will also be “1000-themed” promotions exclusively for you Rewards members such as product redemptions for 1,000 yuu points and 1,000 yuu point giveaways. 7-Eleven deeply appreciates the continuous support of its customers and looks forward to sharing this milestone moment with everyone!

    #7ElevenHK #7ElevenConvenienceStore #7Eleven1000thstore

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  • Singapore to invest $70 million in research, innovation and enterprise

    Singapore to invest $70 million in research, innovation and enterprise

    Speaking at the opening address of the ATxSummit, Singapore Deputy Prime Minister and Coordinating Minister for Economic Policies, Mr Heng Swee Keat announced that Singapore will be stepping up investments to unlock the full potential of the digital revolution through collective action.

    Investment in research and innovation is key to building solutions for the future and staying at the forefront of the digital economy. Singapore will invest close to S$70 million (US$50 million) under the Research, Innovation and Enterprise (RIE) plan, to launch our first national Future Communications Research & Development Programme (FCP).

    The FCP supports cutting-edge communications and connectivity research, and will in turn grow local capability to translate that into innovative products, services, and companies. This will be accomplished through the setup of new communications testbeds in 5G and beyond-5G, and support technology development, translation and training, while building up the talent pool in the areas of communications and connectivity technologies. As a start, the FCP has established a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the 6G Flagship of Finland.

    As the Global-Asia node for technology and innovation, such digital cooperation with like-minded partners reaffirms Singapore’s role in bolstering growth opportunities in the global digital economy. Singapore Minister for Communications and Information Mrs Josephine Teo also signed a Memorandum of Cooperation (MOC) with Japan and an MOU with Thailand, at the sidelines of the ATxSummit.

    The MOC seeks to strengthen ICT collaboration between Singapore and Japan, enabling closer policy alignment and regulation on businesses. The MOC will facilitate a pilot project on electronic transferable records and the exchange of information on best practices and policies relating to the Digital Economy, Artificial Intelligence, and cybersecurity. It also includes closer collaborations through joint training and programs on AI implementation, AI governance and ethics, as well as cybersecurity capacity building.

    The longstanding Thailand-Singapore relationship will deepen with the signing of this MOU, which has been expanded to include new areas of cooperation in the Digital Economy such as digital connectivity, smart cities and AI governance. Both sides are also exploring interoperability between digital systems and frameworks that enable e-documentation.

    The pandemic has accelerated the overall shift to digital. Building a common “digital infrastructure” to underpin and ease data sharing will enable multiple stakeholders to come together and drive economic transformation. A new common data infrastructure and framework, the Singapore Trade Data Exchange, or SGTraDex was therefore launched to enable this trusted sharing of trade data. Designed as a neutral and open digital infrastructure through a public-private partnership, it was conceptualized by the Alliance for Action (AfA) on Supply Chain Digitalisation. SGTraDex will support ecosystem-wide digital transformation, connecting supply chain ecosystems both locally and globally.

    Three initial use cases were developed to push the boundaries of a trusted data exchange. The use cases demonstrated how SGTraDex can enable participants to strengthen the financing integrity of trade flows, enhance operational efficiency by optimizing logistics functions across partners, and provide visibility on supply chain transactions. The use cases have the potential to unlock more than S$200 million (US$150 million) of value annually when fully developed.

    SGTraDex will continue to build on this initial momentum, develop more use cases, and drive adoption locally and globally. SGTraDex also has the flexibility to be the data infrastructure for many other sectors ranging from construction to aviation, unlocking even more potential value. This is part of a suite of digital infrastructure and utilities being developed, including the SGFinDex for the financial sector, that provides a strong foundation for Singapore’s Digital Economy.

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  • What Happened To Ethereum Price In 2021?

    What Happened To Ethereum Price In 2021?

    Ethereum price isn’t even trading at half the all-time highs it once was, and it has investors, traders, and analysts alike talking about a bear market in crypto. However, with such a severe selloff, it could be enough to stave off a longer bear phase, and a rebound from current levels could send Ethereum to new highs from here.

    Only time will tell how it all turns out, but for now, we’re looking back at what happened to Ethereum price in 2021, and also looking ahead at what Ethereum trading strategies to rely on in case the market does turn fully bearish instead.

    The First Half Of 2021 Reviewed

    Ethereum started off the year in 2021 at under $1,000 and at the peak traded for more than $4,000 per ETH. Things turned that bullish, that fast for the top altcoin by market cap. Bitcoin was also bullish and dragging up the entire crypto market, but what really sent Ethereum into overdrive was the sudden explosion in NFTs, DeFi, and other technologies tied to smart contracts

    Ethereum was introduced to do a lot more than Bitcoin can do, and that shows today with how much is built on the foundational blockchain layer. That scale in the amount of tokens and projects running on Ethereum also slowed down the network and sent gas fees soaring, but it also made ETH the hottest currency around that everyone needed to spend to transact in crypto.

    If a user wanted to mint an NFT, they had to spend ETH in gas fees. Most DeFi applications also heavily require ETH, and most popular stablecoins also run on Ethereum. There was a rush to create cross-chain solutions, but there is no beating Ethereum’s reach.

    Hype around ETH 2.0 and staking also drove up prices. ETH residing on exchanges reached a critical low. At the high, Ethereum traded around $4,400. But in a flash the crypto market crashed, and Ethereum collapsed by 50%.

    At the current low, the second ranked cryptocurrency dropped to as low as $1700 or around the 61.8% Fibonacci retracement level – an ideal zone to watch for a possible reversal.

    What the Second Half Has In Store For Ethereum

    The more than 60% crash very closely resembles the drawdown and final shakeout before the last time Ethereum ran to a new all-time high back in late 2017 into 2018. Ethereum more than tripled in value from the previous peak. A similar run higher post sell off would put each Ethereum at over $10,000 per token.

    At some point, however, no matter how bullish crypto is long term, because the assets are speculative, price discovery is volatile and another bear market will ultimately result. If and when that happens, the worst thing anyone can do is HODL.

    Investing is a mistake, and even buying the dip or going long can lead to a string of losses. When the bear market troughs come back, the right strategy is short trading Ethereum through CFDs. CFDs mean you don’t have to hold the underlying asset and can still short it, making profits from a crash instead of losing capital. CFDs are offered at margin trading platforms such as PrimeXBT, for example, which lets users long and short crypto, forex, commodities, and stock indices all under one roof.

    Knowing exactly when things turn bearish is much more difficult to tell. Watching for a high timeframe bearish crossover of the MACD is one way to tell as technicals recently revealed. On higher time frames, such as the two week or monthly, losing the middle-Bollinger Band – a simple moving average – can also be a signal to go short and a bear market is here.

    Ethereum still hasn’t lost the key level, and a future upgrade that improves scarcity could turn things back bullish sooner than later. Ethereum still hasn’t revisited the former all-time highs against Bitcoin on the ETH/BTC trading pair, which could suggest future outperformance over Bitcoin.

    Ethereum has actually outperformed Bitcoin in terms of raw ROI since its inception, however, because Bitcoin has been around a lot longer it has more ROI overall to show for it. If Ethereum can keep pace, it could someday even surpass Bitcoin’s market cap. The rest of 2021 and what happens from current levels will determine if that bullish outcome is possible, or if a bear market for altcoins is ahead.

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  • Google replaces Backup and Sync with new Google Drive desktop app

    Google replaces Backup and Sync with new Google Drive desktop app

    Google has just released a brand-new version of its Google Drive desktop app, bringing Google Backup and Google Sync together with Google Photos and other features, along with additional improvements. It will be replacing previous home and business versions alike, aiming to make many of the regularly used Google Workspace features easily accessible in a single space.

    We know some of the main highlights of what the new Google Drive app will feature:

    • Uploading and syncing photos to Google cloud storage—including automatic compression and resizing, for those choosing “Storage saver” rather than original image quality
    • Syncing external storage devices (thumb drives, USB hard drives, and SSDs) to Google Drive
    • (Optional) two-way file and folder synchronization—automatically download files to local folders and vice versa
    • Locally mounted Drive folders in either Stream or Mirror mode—automatically downloading files on-demand or automatically prefetching all files from the cloud
    • In-app support for shared Google drives (new feature, was not present in Backup and Sync)
    • Integration with Microsoft Outlook and Google Meet scheduling

    The download size is rather hefty for the new Google Drive app, coming in at 238 MB and a reportedly fairly long installation time.

    For people who are eager to replace their old Sync and Backup app with this upgrade, they will soon start seeing the in-app prompt to download the new, unified version very soon, when they open either of the old apps.

    Users of the two apps will be supported by a guided transition to the new Google Drive starting July 19, and in-app push notifications reminding you to upgrade will start appearing as of August 18.

    Google recommends that users complete the transition by the end of September in 2021. That’s because on October 1, both the Google Sync and Backup apps will stop working and lose all support from the company. Both business and personal Google Workspace users benefit equally from the simplified workflow made possible in the new, unifying Google Drive app, so it may be better to go ahead and switch sooner than later.

  • AirAsia to raise up to $244mn in rights issue

    AirAsia to raise up to $244mn in rights issue

    AirAsia Group has revealed plans to raise up to MYR1.024 billion ringgit (USD244 million) through a renounceable rights issue, with the funds to be diverted to the group’s working capital and operational costs, as well as to further boost efforts to diversify through its AirAsia Digital businesses.

    The cash call to its shareholders includes seven-year redeemable convertible unsecured Islamic debt securities (RCUIDS), based on two RCUIDS with one warrant for every six AirAsia shares held, the group outlined in a Bursa Malaysia filing. Each RCUIDS security is also convertible to one new AirAsia share on a one-to-one basis.

    The proposed rights issue is expected to be completed in the fourth quarter of 2021, it added, and the AirAsia (AK, Kuala Lumpur Int’l) parent “is also well progressed in discussions to secure a number of other fundraising initiatives.”

    AirAsia Group CEO Tony Fernandes pledged that “the exercise will provide a platform to seek a fresh funding injection from shareholders to maintain liquidity during the downtime in flying and fuel growth of the key non-airline digital businesses.”

    AirAsia seeks “unconditional and irrevocable written undertakings” for a full subscription from group co-founders Fernandes and Kamarudin Meranun and their investment vehicles Tune Live and Tune Air. Tune Air holds a 13.25% stake in the company, Tune Live 13.06%, while Fernandes and Meranun themselves have direct stakes of 0.04% and 0.05%, respectively.

    Collectively, the two, who therefore control a 26.4% equity interest in AirAsia Group, are expected to inject MYR257.27 million (USD61.38 million) in fresh capital into the company. The other substantial shareholder, Stanley Choi Chiu Fai, a Hong Kong-based entrepreneur and professional poker player, holds 8.53% as of June 30. He subscribed to a private placement earlier this year.

  • You will soon be able to use your phone as a walkie-talkie with Microsoft Teams

    You will soon be able to use your phone as a walkie-talkie with Microsoft Teams

    A new roadmap update by Microsoft shows us a Microsoft Teams feature you will be able to use starting September and it is: walkie-talkie with your phone, over a wireless or cellular connection. The new feature will make communicating with your co-workers quicker.

    Figuratively speaking, with the new feature, your phone or a tablet will be able to be used as a walkie-talkie (of course, via the MS Teams app). The new feature will be available in September worldwide. The walkie-talkie option seems quite convenient for first-line workers, and it will help reduce the number of devices they need to carry while at the same time providing the necessary security.

    Emma Williams, CVP of modern workplace verticals at Microsoft, stated that the new natively built into Teams functionality will help lower costs for IT from companies and organizations. She also added that the feature is more secured when compared to analog devices with unsecured networks, and you will not need to worry about eavesdropping or crosstalk.

    The feature will work over Wi-Fi or cellular data and can be used across different geographic locations.

    Earlier, Samsung has showcased how you can use the new MS Teams feature with the rugged Galaxy XCover Pro; without even unlocking the phone, given the fact that you can access it via the programmable button on the phone.

    To further augment Team’s walkie-talkie feature, you can use it with a wireless headset. For example, the Jabra BlueParrot and Klein Valor Speaker are validated to work with the new functionality.

    The feature will roll out in September, and in order to use it, you will first need to open the app on your smartphone and look for the Walkie Talkie icon in the navigation bar. It’s either going to be there or in the ‘More’ options.

  • WhatsApp is working on a simpler way to request a banned account review

    WhatsApp is working on a simpler way to request a banned account review

    WhatsApp has been suffering from some intensive spam, and for that reason, it has been taking banning accounts seriously. With this, though, some users might have actually gotten their account banned without spreading spam. Now, a new feature, currently under development, will make un-banning your account easier.

    The feature is currently seen as a hidden one in the beta version of WhatsApp and is yet to become publicly available. It will allow a user with a banned account to request a review of the situation from WhatsApp’s team.

    Once you have submitted a request, you will receive an in-app notification once it has been reviewed and whether your account has been restored. Reviews typically would take up to 24 hours, while, in the meantime, chats will not be deleted.
    As you may probably know, to battle spam and illegal activities, WhatsApp has automated systems for banning suspicious accounts. However, these systems aren’t always accurate and your account might get banned without any wrong activity whatsoever. Although this is a very rare occasion, it still can happen. If that’s the case, the reviewing of the ban will restore your account.

    Of course, if WhatsApp finds the ban was accurate, it will not remove it and you will need to register another phone number if you want to use the chat service. The feature has been spotted in the beta for iOS, but it will most likely be developed for Android as well.

    At the moment, it is unclear when this feature will make its way to the general public.

  • Aldi launches Corner Store in convenience push

    Aldi launches Corner Store in convenience push

    Aldi Australia is planning to convert a supermarket in a densely populated urban area into a trendy small-format ‘corner store’.

    The budget grocery chain has submitted a development application to North Sydney Council about its proposal for transforming its existing North Sydney outlet into a brand new concept store in a major shake-up to the supermarket industry.

    The smaller format store will appear different to what shoppers usually expect from a standard Aldi supermarket, with plans to offer an urban-style outlet featuring a new layout, a ‘hole in the wall’ cafe, new signage and street art.

    Aldi Australia is planning to convert a supermarket in a densely populated urban area into a small format ‘corner store’

    ‘We know that Australians are looking for new and convenient shopping experiences, especially in densely populated areas, so we are exploring a smaller format store in North Sydney under a new store concept name: ALDI Corner Store,’ an Aldi spokeswoman said.

    ‘The development application in North Sydney has yet to be approved, so we will have more to share on this proposal at a later date.

    ‘But we can confirm the proposed small format update will offer a new store layout and more convenience-driven experiences to North Sydney shoppers.’

    The budget grocery chain has submitted a development application to North Sydney Council about its proposal for transforming its existing North Sydney outlet into a brand new concept store in a major shake-up to the supermarket industry

    If the proposal goes ahead, Aldi’s new corner store could rival major supermarkets Woolworths Metro and Coles Local, which are smaller formats mostly located in urban areas.

    The new plans come nearly a year after Aldi opened a new supermarket store in Lane Cove on the lower north shore of Sydney – complete with state-of-the-art features and unique Special Buys products.

    The modern format store features ‘better’ product displays, improved navigation, a modern interior design, redesigned shelving, expanded wooden produce bays, as well as extended energy-efficient chillers.

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  • HelloFresh to pick up beleaguered Youfoodz

    HelloFresh to pick up beleaguered Youfoodz

    YouFoodz is set to exit the ASX less than a year after listing after accepting a $0.93 per share takeover bid from HelloFresh – a 109 percent premium on the past month’s average trading.

    The bid values YouFoodz at approximately $125.3 million and will push HelloFresh into the pre-made meals market – a segment of the food delivery pie it hadn’t yet picked up.

    “The transaction combines YouFoodz’ strength in developing and manufacturing delicious ready-made meals with HelloFresh’s expertise in supply chain management, technology and direct-to-consumer marketing,” YouFoodz said in its statement to shareholders.

    “Both companies are unified in their purpose to provide Australians with delicious, high quality and affordable fresh meals.”

    YouFoodz’ board unanimously recommends its shareholders back the scheme, which will be voted on in October following an independent expert review.

    The ready-made meals brand launched its IPO last October at $1.50 a share, where it raised $70 million to list, and landed at a market capitalization of just over $200 million.

    However, the business struggled to hit the financial benchmarks it set itself, with EBITDA and revenue landing below expectations earlier this year.

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  • What future holds for online gambling?

    What future holds for online gambling?

    Innovation is by all accounts the best thing in progression in the previous decade. Cell phones, the internet, and things like that have come up in the past few decades, and individuals made use of them for their advantages and turned into a piece of this change. The online gambling business is an industry whose future advancement is incomprehensible without the utilization of the most recent pattern in innovation. Innovation contacts pretty much all aspects of our lives nowadays and online gambling and gaming are the same. While land based casinos will always be there, online gambling is intended to target young people who get most of their entertainment by utilizing their cell phones. The online gambling business is shockingly flourishing in spite of the pandemic. At the point when the pandemic began, the online gambling area fairly exploded. Below are some of the things that can change in the future and impact the way we see online gambling.

    Virtual reality

    Connection with augmented reality will permit the future to grow without limitations. Online gambling as of now has the element of Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR), yet it will take some efforts to make their space in the realm of wagering. It will take a long time for them with the stage to turn out to be considerably more intuitive and vivid for the gamer. It gives the gamer the ideal experience. Clients might actually be transported into the floor of the world’s most well known club. The opportunities for considering the involvement of augmented reality in online gambling are genuinely stunning.

    Online gambling may soon be legalized everywhere

    With the casinos, there are specific arrangements of rules per country. Set up casinos are legitimate in numerous nations and taking a look at the consideration that online gambling is getting, numerous nations may legitimize online gambling in the within five years. There are negligible guidelines with subsidiary advertisers, and the pressure is all on the online gambling casino’s shoulders. Maybe, there would be legitimate guidelines with those engaged with the promoting or the activity of gambling. Online casinos bring in a great deal of cash and will continue making something similar or better later on. However a few nations are against betting, and they are firm not to authorize it at any rate. However, if it brings profit, each nation will without a doubt consider legitimizing online gambling.

    Growth in mobile gambling

    For online casinos, mechanical headways will permit them to truly improve the way that they offer their types of assistance to their users. As online gambling focuses on a more youthful market, it must be through smartphones. Truth be told, just those organizations that stay current on smartphone application innovation will remain suitable since a greater part of online action has moved from PC to cell phone use. Innovation has likewise made the online gambling experience over and above anyone’s expectations. It is likewise beneficial to execute online gambling these days as individuals are more able to partake in online exercises like shopping and betting. With the tremendous growth of smartphone clients, people get more friendly freedoms to practice online gambling. The modern devices help to save time and are more advantageous for playing.

    Cryptocurrency

    Online gambling is one of the quickest developing business sectors out there yet it’s anything but without impediments. Crypto betting is present with the mission to give crypto users a simple method of playing with their Bitcoins. Crypto exchanges make casinos innately solid. Block chain is one of the most recent essential innovations, without which the advancement of the gambling industry is unthinkable. It permits you to accelerate and improve on cash exchanges that are completed every day. The gambling clubs are accepting crypto currencies; there are numerous online casinos that are at long last taking digital currencies. By making these exchanges, no data is saved on the site. In different organizations, it has been demonstrated that the crypto-based wagering framework is safer and straightforward. The advantages of crypto currency mean that it has a bright future when it comes to online gambling.

    With the growing headways in innovation and the expanding ubiquity of digital money, there isn’t any idea where web based betting can go. Not exclusively would they be able to make new games where individuals can wager, yet they can likewise rethink exemplary casino games to make them more fun and available for the overall population. You may observe another sort of betting on online casinos that will be preferable and much more energizing over in-land clubs. Online gambling casinos have for some time been pioneers of innovation for their structure, security and enhancement of games. Online gambling is a strong industry, with constant improvement capacity, developing consumer loyalty, and a drive to satisfy the need in undiscovered spaces of the world, the fate of betting will be prosperous.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

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  • WhatsApp developing a way for users to send hi-res videos without attaching them as documents

    WhatsApp developing a way for users to send hi-res videos without attaching them as documents

    WhatsApp is developing an improvement to the options that users have when they send videos from the app. Unless they send a video through WhatsApp as a document, their clips will be automatically compressed on its way to recipients which negatively impacts its quality. At the beginning of this month, WABetaInfo discovered that WhatsApp is working on a way for Android users to customize the quality of their video uploads on WhatsApp and send hi-res video to others.

    The options being developed for WhatsApp beta users include “Auto,” “Best quality,” and “Data saver.” The “Auto” setting is the one recommended and continues using compression to send videos through a slower data network. “Best quality” will allow a WhatsApp user to share a higher resolution version of a video without having to send it as an attached document. Instead, with this setting, a high-res video can be sent through the app’s gallery (perhaps taking a little bit longer to disseminate because it is a larger file size) without a huge loss in quality.

    “Data Saver” will send a video without you worrying that you are about to run through your data cap. Of course, saving data while sending video means that the quality of the clip is going to be lower. And today, WABetaInfo found that in beta version 2.21.14.16, WhatsApp users get the ability to not only improve the quality of video that they are sending, but also improve the resolution of photos being uploaded.

    The three options for still photos are the same as the three offered for video: Auto (Recommended), Best quality, and Data saver. WhatsApp reminds users that “Best quality photos are larger and can take longer to send.” These options will be found in the “Media upload quality” section in “Storage and data” although this cannot be found yet on the current version of WhatsApp available from the Google Play Store.

    WhatsApp users are hoping that this update will be arriving very soon.

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  • China Tightens Offshore Listing Rules

    China Tightens Offshore Listing Rules

    Chinese companies are set to face more even more pressures when listing abroad following a statement from the country’s cabinet that signaled tighter supervision.

    China will increase supervision over Chinese firms listed offshore, according to a statement from the State Council underlining a focus on cross-border data flows and security as well as illegal activities in the securities market such as fraudulent issuances, market manipulation and insider trading.

    The rule changes will empower domestic regulators to have influence over Chinese firms seeking to go public on foreign stock exchanges.

    The decision by Chinese authorities to revise listing rules follows ride-hilling giant Didi’s $4.4 billion market debut in New York last week.

    Shortly after Didi’s IPO, the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) launched a probe against the firm and banned it from accepting new users during the review.

    Didi’s stock price has fallen by a around quarter to $12.49 from its post-IPO peak of $16.40.

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  • Coles boosts baby products range with 150 new products

    Coles boosts baby products range with 150 new products

    Coles is expanding its baby products range by more than 150 new products while reducing retail price of major baby brands during the next four weeks.

    The 150 new products include reusable nappies and baby wipes such as Nat Baby and Cub Bare, bamboo feeding accessories, organic baby food pouches and limited-edition toys and clothing.

    Coles has also rolled out affordable items such as Little Tikes toddler toys, playpens and baby monitors part of the limited edition Coles’ Best Buys range which is available across 340 Coles supermarkets.

    “We know that more than ever, our customers are looking for baby products that are practical and affordable,” said Jonathan Torr, GM for health and home at Coles.

    Besides boosting the baby products range, Coles has also reduced prices for selected products, including Huggies nappies, Ecostore, Aveeno Baby and Johnson & Johnson bath and body products.

    “The new baby range and slashed prices across the baby aisle are another way we can provide more value to our customers when trying to manage the weekly shopping budget for their growing family,” said Torr.

  • EU may force Apple to allow app side-loading

    EU may force Apple to allow app side-loading

    Apple has been in some hot water around the world for a while now, regarding its monopolistic practices in the App Store (not to even mention the whole right-to-repair movement).

    The inability for mobile developers to offer iOS apps anywhere outside the official App Store has been a long-standing issue and the cause for many a lawsuit so far. Now, Reuters reports Apple has received a special warning by Margrethe Vestager, who is both Tech Chief and Executive Vice President of the European Commission.

    Vestager has accused Apple of “using privacy and security concerns to fend off the competition on its App Store,” which is the driving reason the company cites for forcing all developers to publish through the App Store, where Apple can approve or reject them, and levy the 30% commission fee from one and all (Apple has since loosened up a bit in that regard, to its credit).

    Apart from the official warning to Apple last Friday, since 2020, Vestager has also been working on implementing a new Digital Markets Act (DMA), which is a set of rules meant to force Apple into allowing the side-loading of apps from outside Apple’s native App Store onto iOS devices, be that from external app stores or downloaded straight from the web.

    While Tim Cook rejected the idea at a public speech in June, saying that this would destroy the privacy and security of the iPhone ecosystem, Vestager agreed about the importance of security but claimed that the argument is not necessarily always relevant.

    The important thing here is, of course, that it’s not a shield against competition because I think customers will give up neither security nor privacy if they use another app store or if they sideload… I think privacy and security is of paramount importance to everyone.

    Vestager’s proposal is open to change, and would have to go through multiple EU countries and lawmakers in order to be finalized and leave Apple legally bound to allow apps outside the App Store within countries in the European Union.

  • TikTok is testing a custom paid video format called Shoutouts

    TikTok is testing a custom paid video format called Shoutouts

    TikTok creators are about to get another tool to help them make money. The top-grossing app in H1 2021 is apparently testing a Cameo-like feature called Shoutouts.

    The new format will allow TikTok users to request custom videos from their favorite creators and pay for them with in-app currency.

    The new feature is available for some creators in Turkey and Dubai but there’s no information on when Shoutouts will arrive in other countries.

    You pay upfront when you submit a request and then wait for up to three days for your creator to accept. Then, in a week or so, you should receive your custom video in your direct messages (after it’s been reviewed and approved by TikTok – this isn’t OnlyFans, guys).

    Earlier this month, TikTok announced that it will be introducing longer videos (already rolling out), allowing users to upload up to three minutes’ worth of content.

    Shoutouts is the last addition to a slew of new TikTok features, including the recently introduced TikTok Jump – mini-widgets that creators can link to within their videos.

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