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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.

  • Melorra set to revolutionize shopping for gold with its brick-and-mortar store launch

    Melorra set to revolutionize shopping for gold with its brick-and-mortar store launch

    India’s fastest growing lightweight fine jewellery brand designing affordable jewellery for everyday wear, recently launched its first brick-and-mortar store in Orion Mall, Rajajinagar Bangalore on 21st December 2020.

    The women-centric jewellery ‘experience centre’ for millennials is fresh and fun, driven by Melorra’s three pillars — fashion, technology and variety. The launch was attended by Siddharth Talwar, Co-Founder and Partner at Lightbox, Sandeep Murthy, Partner at Lightbox and Nirupa Shankar, Executive Director, Brigade Group.

    Built in line with the online experience that Melorra currently offers, the physical outlets are unique, fresh, and iconic. The brand aims to enhance a customer’s sense of touch, feel and trial of Melorra jewellery, through the experience centre.

    Speaking about this, Saroja Yeramilli, Founder and CEO, Melorra, said, “Melorra’s journey in the jewellery world has been completely unique in every respect. From online to offline, the launch of the retail stores will provide a seamless, customer-in-control experience. We are a brand taking inspiration from global fashion trends, and launch a new collection every week. Melorra is known for its design innovation offering customers easy to wear, comfortable everyday jewellery. We offer the largest range of over 10000 unique, contemporary, lightweight gold and diamond jewellery designs.”

    Adding further, Saroja Yeramilli said, “At our physical stores, customers can shop worry free with the option of a digital checkout. They walk in not just to buy jewellery, but also to get informed about global fashion trends. There is a Bliss Bar wherein women can get along their friends, have fun trying Melorra’s latest jewellery or just go through the recent trends.”

    Functionally, the stores are designed for any of the many journeys a customer may choose to adopt: shop online pick up in store; shop in store ship to home and everything in between.

    Melorra warmly welcomes their customers with beautiful full-length mirrors and in-store stylists available as advisors and consultants, enabling the woman to build her fashionable fine jewellery wardrobe. The brand aims to give its customers a high-energy and high-fashion experience – with the physical stores becoming a super happy place to be!

    Melorra has been a disruptor in the jewellery industry since it started operations in 2016. The brand is redefining the way fine jewellery is being perceived and worn. So far, Melorra has delivered to over 1900 towns in the country and made its mark everywhere – from villages with a population of less than 10,000 to cities with population above 1 million.

    Melorra recently raised US $12.50 mn in an oversubscribed funding round led by Symphony Asia (one of Asia’s first private equity firms), Lightbox Ventures, Alteria Capital and other leading family offices. The brand has been recording accelerated growth in order value and numbers ever since the lockdown was lifted.

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  • 9 Unusual Reasons To Take An Online MBA

    9 Unusual Reasons To Take An Online MBA

    Everyone who considers taking an MBA is going to have their own reasons for doing so. Most of those reasons will be the obvious ones, such as wanting to start their own business or reach a higher level in their own career. However, there are dozens of reasons why an online style of MBA might be the right thing for you, and some of those reasons are quite unusual.

    This doesn’t mean they are any less valid or that you shouldn’t sign up for an MBA online if you want to. If one of these reasons resonates with you, perhaps it will help make the final decision as to whether you want to put in the time, effort and money to take this additional degree. Read on to find out what some of the more unusual reasons for taking an MBA are.

    A Chance To Think About Business Issues

    When you are completely focused on a business, working in it day to day, there often isn’t much of chance to take a step back and reflect on the issues that are taking place within the world of business. An online MBA gives you that opportunity, and not only allows it but encourages it.

    Needing to take a degree in order to give yourself this moment of reflection may seem extreme, but since the MBA will have many other benefits too, taking this opportunity to look more deeply into today’s business challenges is something you can see as a bonus. Far from being a luxury of time that you can’t afford, reflecting on the state of business and trying to come up with answers to make things easier not just for you but for everyone working in a business environment is certainly a good reason to take an MBA. You could change the world (or the world of business at least).

    Making Like Minded Friends

    Being in business, particularly when you are a business owner, can be lonely. You need to work long hours, putting in a great deal of hard work to make your business a success and this can mean having to sacrifice time with friends and family, at least at the beginning of the process.

    When you are a business owner or you’re trying to boost your career in business, it may feel as though there is no one to talk to about what you’re going through because no one in your immediate circle will understand. Taking an MBA means you will be with people who definitely understand, and who you can talk to about all kinds of business issues. They might even come up with solutions to problems that you were finding it difficult to get around.

    Of course, being an online MBA means that you won’t be with these people in a physical, face to face setting and often you won’t even be online at the same time – it will depend on the set up of the MBA and whether the lectures are live or recorded for you to listen to at your leisure – but you will still be able to ‘talk’ to those who have the same mindset as you. There will usually be special online groups set up for those who are taking the same course, and being able to talk about business, and potentially your business in particular, can make all the difference. It can certainly help to keep you motivated for the future.

    You’ll Be Humbled

    When you’re working in your own bubble of business it might not occur to you that there is a lot you don’t yet know. It may feel as though there is nothing left to learn because you are doing everything you can every day to make your business a success.

    The truth is, and this is something an MBA will teach you, there is always more to learn. There are always those who are more successful and who know more. Rather than being envious of these people, why not learn from them? They are the ones who will be giving lectures and talking about how they do what they do in business. They are the ones who will give you your MBA after you put in the hard work and listen to what they say.

    You will find that taking a degree like this in a subject that you thought you knew a lot about, will reveal much about you that you weren’t aware of, and in many cases you will be humbled. This is a good thing. Working alone in business, feeling as though you know it all, is bad for your career. It means your mind is closed to new ideas and possibilities. By taking an online MBA, your mind will be opened once more and you will be able to take on board many ideas that you wouldn’t have considered before, making your business much more successful than it would have been otherwise.

    Being humble is a good thing, especially when you are able to learn and build yourself up from it.

    Working As A Team

    Initially, an online MBA may appear to be a solo pursuit, but this is not necessarily the case. There might be team projects that you can get involved in and although they might not be mandatory, they will be useful if you do take up the idea.

    Business owners and those who are working for someone else but who want to get ahead in their careers are not always the best at working in a team. Their personalities are such that they tend to work alone, preferring to do things their own way. This could well sound familiar to you. However, learning to work in a team is something that can easily stand you in good stead for the future and it could make you much more successful as you move forward, so trying in the safe environment of your MBA is a good thing to do.

    Teamwork is something that, once you have mastered it, can help you in many ways. It can turn you into a great leader, for example, which is going to be absolutely crucial when you have your own team beneath you. It can also show you the importance of listening, which again will be of great use when you are an employer or manager. You’ll also know what to look out for in the future when your own team is working on a project; you’ll know who is pulling their weight and who should be doing more.

    Understand The Global Economy

    Due to its very nature, an online MBA is a mode of study that will attract students from all around the world. In fact, you might even decide to study at an international business school yourself.

    There are great advantages to doing this, but even if you decide to stay closer to home you will still have a chance to learn about international business. Is there any point to this when you aren’t importing or exporting and you’re not dealing with international clients?

    The answer is yes, and it’s a big reason for some to take on an online MBA. The world of business is getting smaller thanks to new technology and new ideas. This means that, even if you’re not working with foreign customers and suppliers right now, you might do in the future; learning about international business will help you get prepared for this.

    Even if you never work in this way, learning about how other countries or even entire continents do business could give you some useful ideas about changes you might want to make in your own business.

    Or perhaps you are going to continue working in the way you work, on a local scale. Understanding international business is still important; it will give you knowledge and an overview of the business world that will make you a more well-rounded individual.

    It’s A Challenge

    Not everyone who takes an MBA specifically needs this degree to move on with their careers. So why do they sign up for something that will take so much hard work and be time-consuming (even if, thanks to the unique nature of online degrees, they can work at their own pace to achieve their qualification) if it’s not required?

    The answer is that an MBA is a challenge. If you can learn what you need to learn and focus on your studies, if you can achieve your goal of adding an MBA to your name, if you can do all this and continue to work in or on your business and enjoy your family life (which is the beauty of an online MBA as it allows you to do all this without any sacrifice), then you will have achieved a great thing and the challenge you set yourself will be done and complete.

    You will be able to look back at what you have done and be proud of yourself. Being challenged in life is important as it means you always have a goal to strive for, plus you can keep your brain active. An online version of the MBA is an excellent choice if you want a long term challenge with an excellent reward at the end.

    Guest Speakers

    Although the guest speakers that your chosen MBA may bring in to give you more of an insight into the world of business and management will probably not be the sole reason for signing up for this additional qualification, they will certainly be a bonus that should not be missed.

    Being able to learn from accomplished people who really do know what they are talking about because they have already done it all and now want to impart their wisdom to others is not something to be taken lightly. It’s also not something that everyone in business is able to take advantage of. However, if you are taking an online MBA, it’s something that you can certainly enjoy and benefit from.

    Going into business is difficult and it is full of challenges. Most business owners have to navigate these challenges with their eyes closed, hoping that the decisions they are making within their business are the right ones. When you have taken an MBA and you have been privy to the knowledge and business tips that a guest speaker will give you, your eyes will be wide open as you work on your business, and you’ll have a much clearer idea of how to make it through.

    Refocus Yourself

    If you’re even the slightest bit unhappy in your career choice – or your sector choice – taking the time to study for an MBA will give you the chance to refocus and reassess your situation. This is the time to make a change so that, once you have your degree in your hand, you can move forward immediately.

    No matter what it is you want out of life, when you are completely immersed in your career or business it can be hard to take enough of a step back to see whether it’s the right thing for you. Since we spend so much time and effort at work in our lives, it’s crucial that what you do is something that you are going to enjoy, or at least not hate so much that you stop trying to move forward and do better.

    Although an online MBA won’t give you a complete break from work (unless you choose for this to happen), it will allow you to focus on something else for a while and for a change, and this could be enough to finally be honest about your current situation. If you are happy with it, your online MBA is the next step forward. If you’re unhappy, that same MBA could be the next step sideways, or a leap across to a different career altogether. Once you have the degree you have the power to refocus yourself and do something you’ve always wanted to do.

    Learn Management

    Why is it that some people are born to manage other people and others find it a challenge that they can’t seem to get quite right?  Although we don’t know the answer to that, we do know that an online MBA is a great way to understand more about management and to  learn a management style that will help you in the future.

    Everyone works in a different way and everyone responds to management in a different way. Yet when you have a style that works for you, one you have learned through your studies, you can be sure that your team will work hard for you and be loyal.

  • Cebu Pacific considers sending more aircraft to Alice Springs

    Cebu Pacific considers sending more aircraft to Alice Springs

    Philippine low-cost carrier Cebu Pacific Air is considering putting more aircraft in long-term storage, as it weighs a volatile demand environment amid the coronavirus pandemic.

    The carrier has 14 aircraft in long-term storage at Asia Pacific Aircraft Storage in Alice Springs, Australia, says Alex Reyes, vice president for cargo at Cebu Pacific.

    Cebu Pacific also operates Airbus A321neos. These comprise seven Airbus A321s, two A330s, four ATR72-600s, and one A320.

    “We are looking to put more aircraft for long-term storage, but this is still under study given the volatility in market demand and travel restrictions,” says Reyes.

    Cerium fleets data indicates that overall the airline has 30 aircraft in service and 23 in storage. It also has 56 aircraft on order from Airbus. These comprise 24 A321neos, 16 A320neos, and 16 A330-900s.

    The airline’s in-service fleet comprises 12 A320s, seven A321neos, six A330-300s, and five A320neos.

    “We have had positive discussions with Airbus and our engine suppliers regarding our pending orders,” says Reyes.

    “The current plan is in line with our conservative forecast in the coming years, given our current situation. We will proceed as planned per our long-term vision, which includes the continuation of an orderly exit strategy of older aircraft that began before COVID-19.”

    He adds that the airline continues to target sale & leaseback transactions, per its pre-pandemic plans.

    Cebu Pacific has been working to restore flights after operating less than 10% of its domestic network from June to November. It is now operating 400-450 flights weekly to 28 domestic and eight international destinations.

    In its third-quarter ended 30 September, Cebu Pacific and its units reported an operating loss of Ps6.7 billion ($139 million), reversing the Ps873 million quarterly operating profit it made last year.

    Revenue for the period plummeted 89% to Ps2 billion, outpacing a 52% year-on-year decline in expenses. The revenue decline was led by a dramatic 97% drop in passenger revenue year on year.

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  • Google announces major news for Android users

    Google announces major news for Android users

    Google has announced that Android phones starting with the ones powered by the upcoming Snapdragon 888 Mobile Platform will support four years of Android system updates instead of the typical two to three that Android phones offer. While the actual number of updates that an Android phone supports is up to the manufacturer of that handset, today’s news indicates that newer Android models will have the ability to be updated as many as four times before losing support. That would include an extra year of OS and security updates.

    Unlike Apple, which allows an iPhone model to continue to receive iOS updates until the hardware no longer can do justice to the software, Google typically ends Android support for handsets after three years. Apple has an advantage in that it not only develops iOS itself, it also is behind the design of the phone running the operating system. Google, on the other hand, does develop Android but there are quite a number of individual companies that manufacture Android phones.

    To reiterate, most Android phones can be updated for as long as three years compared to approximately five years for an iPhone model. Google’s announcement today cuts that advantage from two years to just one. But before Android users start getting giddy about that extra year of support, it will be up to Android phone manufacturers to determine whether or not to allow their phones to receive four years of Android updates.

    Extending the number of years that an Android phone can receive an OS update to four will reduce the number of times that an Android user is forced to buy a new phone just to receive the latest version of the Android OS.

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  • Facebook pissed at Apple’s new plan requiring users opt-in to receive targeted ads

    Facebook pissed at Apple’s new plan requiring users opt-in to receive targeted ads

    Apple and Facebook should not be invited to the same dinner party. Facebook fired another salvo at the iPhone maker on Wednesday accusing the company of anticompetitive behavior. Dan Levy, Facebook Vice President for Ads and Business Products, dropped the bomb in front of reporters when he said “Apple is behaving anti-competitively by using their control of the App Store to benefit their bottom line at the expense of creators and small businesses. Full stop.”

    Apple, which has been preaching privacy for its devices (especially the iPhone), is looking to prevent developers from using their apps to start tracking users and running targeted advertisements. Apple says that its new rules won’t force Facebook to change its “approach to tracking users and creating targeted advertising.” But it will force Facebook to give iOS users the option whether or not to opt in to these services. In a statement, Apple said, “We believe that this is a simple matter of standing up for our users. Users should know when their data is being collected and shared across other apps and websites — and they should have the choice to allow that or not.”

    Today, Facebook ran a full-page ad in major newspapers throughout the country. The ads criticized Apple for limiting apps from gathering information from others’ phones. This data is used to send targeted advertisements to consumers. But Facebook says that Apple is unfairly exempting its own ads platform from the new requirements it is imposing on other firms.

    During the summer, Apple said that a pop-up notification will ask iOS users for “permission to track them across apps and websites owned by other companies.” Most digital advertisers expect consumers to decline this request. Facebook’s Levy said that while his company doesn’t agree with Apple, it will comply with the new rules. “We don’t have a choice if we want our app to be available in the App Store, Levy stated. Apple and Facebook have also argued about the 30% cut of in-app purchases that Apple charges developers. Facebook has aligned itself with the small developers most affected by what is known as the “Apple Tax.” This is the same issue that has led Apple and developer Epic Games (creator of Fortnite), music streamer Spotify, and video streamer Netflix to complain about the 30% of in-app revenue that goes into Apple’s pockets.

    Facebook said today in its blog post that it was “committed to providing relevant information” in a “federal antitrust lawsuit filed by Epic Games.” Facebook wouldn’t specify how it planned to take part in the litigation.” The social media giant also paid for full-page ads in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal and the Washington Post. The headline on the ads read, “We’re standing up to Apple for small businesses everywhere.” The ad says, “At Facebook, small business is at the core of our business. More than 10 million businesses use our advertising tools each month to find new customers, hire employees, and engage with their communities. Many in the small business community have shared concerns about Apple’s forced software update, which will limit businesses’ ability to run personalized ads and reach their customers effectively.

    Forty-four percent of small to medium businesses started or increased their usage of personal ads on social media during the pandemic, according to a new Deloitte study. Without personalized ads, Facebook data shows that the average small business advertiser stands to see a cut of over 60% in their sales for every dollar they spend.

    While limiting how personalized ads can be used does impact larger companies like us, these changes will be devastating to small businesses, adding to the many challenges they face right now. Small businesses deserve to be heard. We hear your concerns and we stand with you.”

    The bottom line is that Apple’s plan to beef up iPhone users’ privacy by asking them to opt in if they want to see targeted advertisements is not good for large or small businesses. And Facebook call this anti-competitive behavior on the part of Apple.

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  • Luxury Gift-Giving Ideas in a Crisis Year

    Luxury Gift-Giving Ideas in a Crisis Year

    Gift-giving looks different in a pandemic year, but consumers aren’t eschewing luxuries entirely.

    If you like things you can hold in your hand but still want to get in on the crypto craze, Bitcoin Suisse’s certificates are worth a look: beautifully-crafted paper wallets hold bitcoin, ether, a Swiss franc-backed stablecoin, and others.

    The certificate’s design leans heavily on Bitcoin Suisse’s home: Switzerland’s spiritual mother, Helvetia, adorned by Alprose, features on the front while the reverse depicts crypto valley encircled by 23 stars representing the country’s cantons. The certificates bear a hologram designed to hold security features including nano and micro text, security guilloches, and spectral line patterns.

    Calling Enzo Enea a landscaper is like calling Dom Perignon a drink: the Swiss-based designer has designed greenscapes for the Queen of Bahrain and Prince Charles and worked with Zaha Hadid. He’s just as sought-after in his native Switzerland.

    Enea’s business is booming during the pandemic, as homebound bankers look to upgrade their surroundings. A fixture in design bibles like Monocle and Wallpaper, Enea recently-opened concept store overlooking Zurich’s Sihl river – a stone’s throw from Paradeplatz.

    Outside In embodies the philosophy of meshing the outdoors with interior quarters: the two-story shop includes statement pieces like Oscar Niemeyer’s Rio chaise longue or BassamFellows’ iconic Swiss tractor stool to Serax stoneware-cement tableware.

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  • Headwinds buffet Vietnamese carriers through 2020

    Headwinds buffet Vietnamese carriers through 2020

    The Vietnamese aviation industry has gone through one of its most challenging years ever as the Covid-19 pandemic restricted flights and caused airlines huge losses. The number of flights the country’s five commercial airlines operated fell 36 percent year-on-year in the first 11 months to 196,600, according to the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV).

    They carried 29.4 million passengers, down 41.7 percent, according to the General Statistics Office.

    Vietnam Airlines was the worst hit. Duong Tri Thanh, its CEO, said that the pandemic has set back the aviation industry by three or four years, and has brought down his company’s cash holdings to near zero.

    Vietnam Airlines Group, consisting of the carrier and its subsidiaries Pacific Airlines and Vietnam Air Services Company (VASCO), posted a loss of VND10.75 trillion ($464 million) for January-September.

    The number of passengers it served in the period fell by 41 percent to 10.2 million.

    It has cut sales and management expenses and reduced the salaries of pilots and cabin crew. It has increased the number of repatriation flights bringing Vietnamese nationals home from other countries.

    But these efforts cannot save the company from suffering one of its worst years in nearly three decades as a commercial airline, with its losses this year forecast to rise to VND15.2 trillion. Budget carrier Vietjet is in a similar situation, with losses of nearly VND925 billion in the first nine months and the number of flights falling by 43 percent to 58,300.

    The airline was forced to cut managers’ salaries by half as revenues plunged, and it would take three years for the industry to recover to pre-pandemic levels, a Vietjet spokesperson said in November.

    In contrast, 2019 saw new carrier Bamboo Airways enter the Vietnamese skies, Vietnam Airlines achieve all-time high profits and the number of air passengers continues to grow in double digits.

    The tough times began in March when the government ordered the suspension of all international flights to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus and domestic travel demand slumped amid fears of the pandemic.

    “The impact of Covid-19 has been unprecedented for the aviation industry,” Dinh Viet Thang, head of the CAAV, told the media in June, pointing out there were times when only 1-2 percent of Vietnam’s 250 aircraft were operating.

    The second and third quarters were the most challenging period for the industry as a three-week nationwide social distancing campaign in April caused airlines’ revenues to plummet and the second outbreak in July halted their attempts to boost domestic travel and achieve recovery.

    Aviation expert Nguyen Thien Tong said it would take at least until 2022 for the industry to recover to pre-pandemic levels because the fear of contagion remains globally.

    Air travel demand would rise slowly even after Covid-19 is contained globally because many business people have learned to conduct meetings online to keep their companies running during the pandemic and people’s incomes have shrunk, he said.

    One major factor in any possible recovery will be government support. The National Assembly in November approved a plan for the central bank to refinance Vietnam Airlines and rollover loans. The airline had earlier asked for a relief package of VND12 trillion.

    Lawmakers also cut environmental tax on jet fuel by 30 percent from August this year until the end of next year.

    Tong said: “More low-interest loans should be given to airlines based on how much tax they have contributed in recent years, not how much ownership the government has in them.”

    The tourism industry needs to offer more promotions to foster domestic aviation since it is unclear when regular international flights would resume, he said.

    The newly licensed Vietravel Airlines should wait until the market recovers in 2022 before it begins flying since its entry would only worsen things for existing airlines, he added.

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  • How Do Retailers Secure Online Businesses

    How Do Retailers Secure Online Businesses

    Retailers and shoppers are gearing up for holiday shopping as we are heading to the festive Christmas and Chinese New Year. There is a caveat though. With multiple COVID-19 outbreaks this year, the government announces social distancing measures for crowd control and people are advised to stay home. Shoppers go online to enjoy the seasonal sales and promotion deals.

    Since the first pandemic outbreak, the landscape of the retail industry has gone through massive changes. Retailers must quickly ramp up their e-commerce applications and online platform[1]. According a GlobalData research, e-commerce market in Hong Kong will grow at a compound annual growth rate of 9.9% by 2024 to reach US$29 billion[2].

    While the pandemic has fueled a new stay-at-home economy and unleashed the surging demand for online shopping, this has also attracted the attention of cybercriminals. Findings of a Barracuda report supports it with 72% of retail and catering businesses in APAC saying they see the necessity to accelerate digital transformation to ease the pains of traditional business model. Yet, security could be the major roadblock to their digital transformation agendas.

    The Barracuda survey also found that 45% of APAC retail and catering businesses have already had at least one data breach or cyber security incident since they shifted to remote working amid COVID-19. Fifty percent of them were concerned about unknown threats that will cause business disruption in the next 6 months. Within the industry, the chain apparel retailer Bossini was reported to be hit by Maze ransomware and experienced a data breach.

    So how can retailers minimize business disruptions and improve their ability to consistently serve customers in the rapid age of digital transformation? 

    eCommerce Requires Always-on Availability  

    Organizations working to develop a competitive advantage through omnichannel customer experiences cannot afford sluggish responses. With this COVID-19 crisis, we are all in unchartered waters. While consumers are going online more, the traffic patterns and spikes in demand can be quite unpredictable. Just like e-commerce infrastructure itself, web application security solutions need to seamlessly accommodate traffic volume. Perhaps even more importantly, they need to have Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS)[3] protection, as an unmitigated DDoS attack can block all traffic and quickly bring an e-commerce business to its knees.

    Today, retailers need to protect against sophisticated hackers that are very skilled at breaking into online stores and web applications. In addition, we are seeing a rise of malicious human-like bad bots targeting e-commerce sites that use sophisticated techniques such as credential stuffing[4] to quickly cause major damage.

    In mid-November, Barracuda researchers ran Barracuda Advanced Bot Protection in front of a test web application, and the number of bots they detected in just a few days was staggering, with millions of attacks coming in from thousands of distinct IP addresses. Cybercriminals use bots to run distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks, make fraudulent purchases, and scan for vulnerabilities they can exploit. Retailers need to deploy web application security solutions that can protect against both sophisticated hackers and automated bot attacks.

    Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI-DSS) Compliance

    In e-commerce and digital retail, protecting your customers’ sensitive information is arguably the most important obligation. all companies that accept, process, store or transmit credit card information maintain a secure environment must comply to the PCI DSS, created by the major payment card brands and launched in September 2006, is a set of security standards[5].

    Non-compliance of the PCIDSS may result in fines, reputation damage or even lawsuits. To avoid these and improve trustworthiness, retailers must take the requirements seriously and compliance with PCI-DSS standards. For example, it is important to use a firewall that provides multiple layers of protection and automatic prevention of unknown malware, spyware, and ransomware. It also helps to certify and offers the highest level of encryption to prevent digital theft.

    Beware of Brand Impersonation

    “Brand impersonation” is designed to impersonate a company or a brand to trick their victims into responding and disclosing personal or otherwise sensitive information. It includes “service impersonation” and “brand hijacking”.

    “Service impersonation” is a type of phishing attack designed to impersonate a well-known company or commonly used business application. It is used in 47% of all spear phishing attacks. Cybercriminals can use this technique to steal personally identifiable information such as credit card and ID card numbers. “Brand hijacking”, on the other hand, occurs when an attacker sends emails with false, or spoofed, domain names that appear to be legitimate appears to use a company’s domain to impersonate a company or one of its employees.

    As we are expecting the shift to e-commerce continue to accelerate, retailers must take steps to secure business and customers data from reputational and financial damages at a time when they can least afford it. Ultimately, that is not an outcome that is good for business.Written by

    James Forbes-May, Vice President, Barracuda Networks Asia Pacific

    [1] https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/05/covid19-coronavirus-digital-economy-consumption-ecommerce-stay-at-home-online-education-streaming/

    [2] https://insideretail.asia/2020/07/20/covid-19-fuels-breakthrough-in-hong-kong-e-commerce/

    [3]https://www.barracuda.com/glossary/ddos?utm_source=blog&utm_medium=39697

    [4]https://blog.barracuda.com/2019/04/02/is-2019-the-year-credential-stuffing-dominates-the-threat-landscape/

    [5] https://www.pcicomplianceguide.org/faq/#1

  • Dematic to Commission New Automated National Distribution Centre for Woolworths in Sydney

    Dematic to Commission New Automated National Distribution Centre for Woolworths in Sydney

    Dematic today announced it has been selected by Primary Connect — the supply chain arm of Australia’s largest supermarket, Woolworths Group — to supply a state-of-the-art automated fulfillment system for the new National Distribution Centre (NDC) in Moorebank Logistics Park, Sydney. 

    Dematic, a global leader and innovator in warehouse automation, has a long history with over 50 years presence in Australia serving the supply chain industry. “Our local capability with over 600 employees and a manufacturing facility in Belrose, Sydney, ensures we continue to provide quality service and systems to our customers,” said Michael Jerogin, CEO of Dematic APAC. “We are very proud to be a trusted partner of Woolworths and thrilled to be building on this partnership by playing a key role in Woolworths’ automation strategy.” 

    The Dematic solution for the new NDC will build store-friendly pallets for Woolworths’ retail stores. The Flexible Mixed Case Order Fulfilment system, powered by the Dematic iQ Warehouse Management System (WMS), will handle 9,000+ products from 900 suppliers, delivering daily to over 1,000 stores nationally. 

    The 40,700 square metre Moorebank NDC is planned to feature wall-to-wall automation, providing the flexibility to cater for seasonal and other peaks in demand, such as those experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic. It is designed to deliver store orders, catering for Woolworth’s expected growth with built-in scalability and modularity. 

    The transport advantages alone are expected to provide benefits to Woolworths, helping to remove at least 26,000 truck movements between Woolworths facilities from New South Wales roads annually. 

    “The investment at Moorebank is designed to transform the way we serve our stores, strengthen our network and deliver on our ambition to create Australia’s best food and grocery supply chain,” said Paul Graham, Primary Connect Managing Director and Woolworths Group Chief Supply Chain Officer. 

    “Cutting-edge automation will build tailored pallets for specific aisles in individual stores — helping us improve on-shelf product availability with faster restocking, reducing congestion in stores and enabling a safer work environment for our teams with less manual handling. 

    “We expect the new facilities to also help us progress our localised ranging efforts, with the ability to hold thousands of additional products centrally than we can in our existing facilities.” 

    Pas Tomasiello, Senior Director – Integrated Systems, Dematic and his team have worked closely with Woolworths Supply Chain Development Team to optimise and leverage the full scalability of the Dematic systems. 

    “The new facility is designed to help Woolworths carry a higher range of slow-moving packaged products much more efficiently in a centralised location, rather than being spread across multiple sites,” explained Pas. “Consolidation, coupled with advanced automation, will allow Woolworths to achieve new volume milestones and make significant gains in the speed and accuracy of deliveries to stores across the nation.” 

    The Dematic iQ WMS will interface into Woolworths’ systems and provide Industry 4.0 DC capabilities with system interconnectivity, data-driven intelligence and decision support tools, delivering enhanced DC operations with faster insights and decision capabilities. 

    The Moorebank NDC is scheduled to be operational late 2023. 

    For more information about Dematic, visit dematic.com, check out the Dematic Connections blog, or follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter. 

    About Dematic 

    Dematic is an intralogistics innovator that designs, builds and supports intelligent, automated solutions for manufacturing, warehouse and distribution environments for customers that are powering the future of commerce. With engineering centres, manufacturing facilities and service centres located in more than 25 countries, the Dematic global network of 10,000 employees has helped achieve more than 6,000 worldwide customer installations for some of the world’s leading brands. Headquartered in Atlanta, Dematic is a member of KION Group, one of the global leaders in industrial trucks and supply chain solutions, and a leading provider of warehouse automation. 

    Media Contacts: 

    Philip Makowski 

    Director Marketing APAC 

    [email protected] 

    Kristen Delphos VP, Head of Global Marketing & Communications [email protected] 

    Dematic Pty Ltd 

    24 Narabang Way 

    Belrose NSW 2085 

    +61 2 9486 5555 

    dematic.com 

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  • AirAsia X plans stock issue to raise funds while cutting share capital

    AirAsia X plans stock issue to raise funds while cutting share capital

    Long-haul budget carrier AirAsia X is planning to broaden the extent of a planned capital reduction, and raise additional funding through a new share issue. AirAsia X aims to raise RM300 million from current shareholders plus another RM200 million from new investors – a total of RM500 million ($123 million).

    It describes the new share issue as a “critical component” of a restructuring program for the airline.

    “There are several scenarios envisaged within our business plan and the funds to be raised are adequate for each of these scenarios,” says the carrier.

    As part of the financial restructuring, the carrier is to broaden a planned capital reduction, reducing the issued share capital by 99.9% – rather than the previously-proposed 90%. This will involve cutting the share capital to RM1.53 million.

    “Credit arising from the proposed share capital reduction will be used to offset part of the accumulated losses,” says the carrier.

    AirAsia X is also intending to consolidate its stock with a conversion of every 10 shares into a single share.

    Shareholders’ funds after the capital reduction will remain negative, it says, but the consolidation will “provide a platform to seek fresh funding” from current shareholders.

    The company admits it has faced objections from “several” lessors who are among creditors from which AirAsia X needs to obtain approval for its debt restructuring plans.

    AirAsia X points out that this restructuring is necessary for the recapitalization. “A comprehensive reset of the airline is required to provide a platform to rebuild, and a vehicle attractive enough for investors to invest in,” it adds.

    It says it will “continue to engage” with its creditors in an effort to “allay their concerns”, stressing that the alternative is the liquidation of the carrier.

    AirAsia X argues that a “reset” with fresh equity and repositioning of the airline as a regional, medium-haul low-cost carrier will provide the “best economic returns” to creditors.

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  • Former 7-Eleven Malaysia CEO Colin Harvey passes away

    Former 7-Eleven Malaysia CEO Colin Harvey passes away

    7-Eleven Malaysia Holdings Bhd (SEM) said today that the convenience store chain operator’s adviser Colin George Harvey passed away yesterday due to complications from a recent illness.

    In a statement today, SEM said Harvey was the chief executive officer (CEO) of SEM from July 2018 until November 2020 prior to his current designation as an adviser to the group.

    SEM chairman Tan Sri Abdull Hamid Embong said in the statement: “We are greatly saddened by the passing of Colin Harvey, and on behalf of our board of directors, management team and employees, we extend our deepest sympathies to Colin’s family.

    “We mourn his loss, and he has our deepest gratitude for his dedication and contribution to the group over the years.” Abdull Hamid said.

    According to SEM’s Bursa Malaysia filings on Oct 30, 2020, UK citizen Harvey, aged 50, on Dec 1 resigned as SEM’s executive director cum CEO due to health reasons.

    Harvey was jointly succeeded by Wong Wai Keong and Tan U-Ming.

    According to SEM’s filings, Wong and Tan were appointed co-CEOs with effect from Dec 1.

    On Friday, SEM’s share price closed unchanged at RM1.33, with a market value of about RM1.5 billion.

  • The Latest Retail Technology Trends in Asia

    The Latest Retail Technology Trends in Asia

    The world of retail has seen some major changes in recent years thanks to the introduction of new technology. Even more changes are expected in the near future, as the latest technology trends take hold in Asia and beyond, but which are the more important trends to be aware of?

    Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality Can Enhance the Consumer Experience

    These are two different types of technology that have made huge advances lately. Augmented reality (AR) adds virtual elements to a real-world view, meaning that it could be used to let someone try on clothing without it being physically present. On the other hand, virtual reality (VR) immerses the user in a computer-generated world while being completely isolated from the real world, which would let them re-create the experience of being in a physical store without leaving home.

    Payments company Worldpay has recently looked into this subject, and summed up that VR and AR are growing in popularity across the Asia Pacific region. Their research showed that China is the current leader, with 95% of the Chinese consumers who took part in the survey confirming that they have used either VR or AR while shopping in the last three months. All of the Chinese respondents have tried VR at some point, which compares to the 19% of Japanese shoppers who have done so.

    The room for growth in these areas is seen in the prediction from the Research and Markets site, which predicted at the end of 2019, that the AR and VR markets in Asia should grow at a rate of 38.4% in the period up to 2026. This led to them suggesting that the addressable market value in this area for the next seven years is in the region of $172 billion.

    Artificial Intelligence Analyzes Data and Boosts Efficiency

    While AR and VR applications are pretty easy to spot, the use of artificial intelligence (AI) is often something that the consumer isn’t aware of. For example, it can be used to help the retailer to better understand their customer data and offer a more efficient experience.

    We can see how this might work by looking at how AI is used in other industries. In banking, AI is used to help lenders to make better decisions and to detect fraud or money laundering. They are also starting to incorporate AI into their customer service offerings. It can be used to automate processes in industries like manufacturing, or for data analysis in healthcare too.

    Retail firms in Asia may also learn from the way that AI is used by traders in the financial markets. As an example, the Top Online Forex Brokers site mentions The Skilled Trader and Jet Trader Pro in their guide to forex robots. These robots are designed to keep an eye on the movements that take place in the currency market as well as the overall economic picture, allowing automated trading. This is a great leap forward, especially within an industry that has, for so long, relied on human judgement and expansive computer systems to make decisions.

    A report from Microsoft at the beginning of 2020 pointed out that over two-thirds of Asia-Pacific retailers haven’t integrated AI into their businesses. Even more surprising is the fact that 23% of the retailers in the region haven’t even given this technology serious thought yet. In Singapore, the fact that online shopping has grown considerably in 2020 could help to encourage retailers to look into this area more fully.

    A Look Ahead

    It is clear that these cutting-edge technologies are already helping businesses in many different industries, including retail. Their introduction to the retail sector in Asia is still at its early stage in some countries, although more advanced in others. The next few years will be crucial, as those firms that adopt VR, AR, and AI may be seen to hold a critical advantage over their competitors who take longer to get up to speed in this area.

     

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  • A Japanese First: Japan Airlines to Offer Complimentary COVID-19 Coverage for International Passengers

    A Japanese First: Japan Airlines to Offer Complimentary COVID-19 Coverage for International Passengers

    Japan Airlines (JAL) today announced that the carrier will provide a new service called JAL Covid-19 Cover, as part of its JAL FlySafe program to provide reassurance and support to passengers with essential travel needs during the global pandemic. The new service provided by Allianz Travel—the first of its kind for a Japanese carrier—includes coverage of up to €150,000 in total medical costs resulting from the initial COVID-19 testing fee and subsequent medical treatment for those that test positive during their travels.

    Additional coverage for isolation costs and repatriation is also included for those requiring such after a positive diagnosis. A global 24-hour support line in English and Japanese will also be available to assist customers exhibiting symptoms, providing further peace of mind throughout their journey. Services related to the coverage will be offered from December 23, 2020.

    “As international flights gradually return to service, the JAL Group has implemented key measures against COVID-19 to provide customers a safe and secure travel experience. While it may take time to welcome back customers on a global scale, we hope this coverage with Allianz Travel will provide reassurance to those that need to travel today,” said Hideo Ninomiya, Managing Executive Officer of Passenger Sales, Japan Airlines.

    “AWP Japan is very proud to support JAL in this service. Our assistance teams will help provide peace of mind to JAL’s passengers in these challenging times. Allianz Travel is the specialized travel-related insurance and services brand from Allianz Partners, and we will leverage our vast experience in emergency assistance to travelers and our global medical network to support passengers affected by COVID-19,” said Patricia Moon, CEO of AWP Japan Co., Ltd., member of the Allianz Partners Group.

    The JAL Group has implemented key measures against COVID-19 at the airport and throughout the travel experience. For details on the JAL FlySafe initiative, click here.

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  • Kevin Wong Appointed Commercial Director of Deliveroo HK

    Kevin Wong Appointed Commercial Director of Deliveroo HK

    Hong Kong on-demand platform and food delivery giant Deliveroo has announced the appointment of Kevin Wong Chi Wang as Commercial Director. He will lead the Deliveroo restaurants team, which comprises over 60 account managers, business development professionals, and restaurant operations executives to build the best food delivery partnership experience for restaurants to help them grow their businesses through delivery and establish innovative new ways to drive sales In that context, Kevin will be the face of Deliveroo in the F&B industry to manage a restaurant portfolio of over 8,000 partners and grow Deliveroo’s list of partners in the market.

    Prior to joining Deliveroo, Kevin spent over two decades at The Dairy Farm Group, most recently as the Regional Category Director (Food) in North Asia and as Sales and Merchandising Director for the supermarket leader Wellcome. Immediately prior to joining Deliveroo, Kevin served as General Manager at Asia Wine Service & Education Centre (AWSEC). As the newest member to the Deliveroo Commercial Team, Kevin will utilise his deep understanding of the Hong Kong and Asian food retail markets and current consumer trends, to help the company further its hyper-growth mode. His appointment comes as Deliveroo seeks to boost its commercial team to drive growth ambitions across the city, supporting restaurant and grocery partners, as the company fosters existing relationships and establishes new ones with local favourites, established chains, and homegrown heroes.

    Brian Lo, General Manager of Deliveroo Hong Kong, said: “Kevin is truly a seasoned professional in Hong Kong’s local retail market, and his track record in understanding customers, in-depth industry knowledge, unparalleled merchandising expertise and decades of leadership experience is sure to bring an innovative and thoughtful perspective to the commercial role and the Deliveroo leadership team. He joins Deliveroo at an important time for Deliveroo, as we look to cement the company’s leadership in the on-demand space and amplify recent successes. These include helping steer our ambitious expansion of Deliveroo delivery services, and restaurant partnerships across Kowloon and the New Territories regions, as well as our entry into on-demand grocery delivery. We’re delighted to have Kevin join us here at Deliveroo, and are excited to see what new opportunities and growth he has in store for the business in the coming year.”

    Kevin Wong, newly appointed Commercial Director of Deliveroo Hong Kong, said: “It’s been quite the thrill to see the growth of the food delivery space and the success of Deliveroo in a span of 5 years.Deliveroo is well on its way to becoming the definitive food company here, and I am honoured to be a part of the creative synergy that makes the company uniquely inventive in the on-demand delivery space, especially as we continue to strengthen our relationships with our restaurant partners and help to drive growth here in Hong Kong, while exploring new avenues of growth such as on-demand convenience. I have no doubts that 2021 will be a prosperous year, and look forward to working alongside my passionate team to support more F&B businesses and beyond in Hong Kong to join the thriving Deliveroo network.”

    The expanding Deliveroo team in Hong Kong will support the company’s future ambitions. Following its launch in Hong Kong in 2015, Deliveroo has grown at a record rate and with its accelerated growth and success. Deliveroo is now working with over 8,000 restaurant partners on its platform and has over 7,000 riders. It will continue to invest and expand Editions, which currently has four sites in Hong Kong, supporting 24 kitchens to provide a variety of delicious dishes to consumers. It has attracted significant investment into the HK’s on-demand grocery offerings, partnering with 7-Eleven, Don Don Donki and Marks & Spencer. This year alone, Deliveroo has added more than 3,000 restaurants to its platform, and has opened two new Editions sites within the city, with plans to open more Editions kitchens in Kowloon and New Territories in 2021.

  • How low-cost airline AirAsia is transforming itself into a publisher

    How low-cost airline AirAsia is transforming itself into a publisher

    Sumit Ramchandani, the chief executive of AirAsia Media Group, explains to The Drum why the low-cost airline has pivoted to e-commerce, fintech and lifestyle pillars. With international business travel and the tourist industry on hiatus for much of 2020 (and surely 2021), AirAsia has had to alter the way it does business to keep itself flying.

    It has formed the AirAsia Media Group to consolidate its adtech, content and media-related solutions. AirAsia is keen to offer brands a new way of integrating adtech and data, focused on travellers and pop-culture in Asean.

    AirAsia is therefore able to play an important role in engaging travel consumers. It owns a wide variety of omnichannel media assets, its own first-party data and can rely on a workforce of over 20,000 employees, known affectionately as Allstars; more than 1,000 of whom are influencers in their own right.

    “It made sense for us to come up with a unique set of media offerings under AirAsia Media Group for marketers and unify them under a single group so as to maximize leverage from our ecosystem,” says Ramchandani.

    “With the AirAsia Media Group we intend to help solve the challenges related to media efficacy and attribution while offering solutions that eventually drive business results for our advertising partners.”

    He continues: “We see the media group as the engine to collate all our omnichannel advertising assets with our self-service adtech platform and enrich it with our intent-driven first-party data to create a results-oriented proposition for our advertising partners, from online to in-the-air, from origin to destination.”

    AirAsia’s target customers are diverse, from locals to international travelers to the pop-culture scene, says Ramchandani. This diversity is on display in the airline’s core market of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), where it partners with both agencies and brands, looking to drive transparency and measurable business outcomes from their marketing investments in this region.

    “Our partnership is either through direct buys based on campaign briefs or partnering for growth through our RedCarpet Channel Partnership. We believe that, as a publisher, we are in a unique position to drive full-funnel marketing and offer a strong conversion platform to showcase business results,” he explains.

    “Some of the clients we are currently partnering with include leading e-commerce players in fashion and lifestyle, established travel technology platforms, a rapidly growing local upstart in the automotive space and more.”

    From the ad inventory standpoint, AirAsia claims to have quadrupled its stock of quality media assets, all enriched with its targeted audience solution.

    Its RedCarpet channel partnership allows the airline to connect the dots across its online and offline ecosystem, inflight announcements and Allstars, to drive marketing results for advertising partners.

    “We are also progressing on a series of exciting new initiatives to enrich our engagement from our community base via content, chat and games,” says Ramchandani. “In addition to the above, in partnership with Universal Music Group (UMG), we are in the initial stages of a unique offering that combines fans, travel and talent in a manner that’s never been done before.”

    The partnership with UMG has seen the birth of RedRecords, a music label which will sign new artists from Asia. The label recently concluded an integrated campaign for singer Jannine Weigel, with the debut of her first single Passcode. The aim was to expand awareness for her first single through AirAsia Media Group’s ecosystem within Asean and establish Wiegel as an Asean star.

    The channel mix included digital media, which included homepage mastheads to that provided the volume and quality impressions, in-flight media, which included a slew of assets from branded livery on one of AirAsia’s Airbus A320 aircraft to meal tray backs, & in-flight music and announcements.

    Customer relationship management tools were also utilised as emails, airasia.com super app push notifications, while a branded channel used ‘Connect’, AirAsia’s in-app interactive chat and community channel.

    “In under a month, we managed to over-deliver on our reach target by 140% with a total of 2.9 million impressions at an engagement rate of 1.3% (36% above the category benchmark). During the campaign, Passcode owned 18.9% share of voice (SOV) on airasia.com, which was highest compared to any other campaigns running at that time,” Ramchandani claims.

    The focus for AirAsia now is to grow across Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines and Singapore. While ad inventory continues to remain as a hygiene, AirAsia is increasingly looking at redefining ads through its RedCarpet channel partnerships as the core of its 2021 strategy.

    Through the airasia.com super app ecosystem, the airline wants to look at creating more avenues for brands to find business growth, says Ramchandani.

    “After successfully forming channel partnerships with coffee brand ChekHup in Malaysia and Walch (hand washed and disinfectants) in Singapore, we are now in advanced discussions with some exciting brand solutions with regional partners in the fashion beauty and FMCG verticals,” he explains.

    “We also look forward to partnering with marketers and showcase how the AirAsia ecosystem can help achieve their marketing goals around quality data and leading up to conversion.“

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