Retail News CRM

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.

  • Disney arrives with ShopDisney in India

    Disney arrives with ShopDisney in India

    Disney India on Tuesday forayed into the e-commerce space with the launch of its online marketplace ‘shopDisney.’ This will give Disney fans across the country access to authentic toys and accessories related to Marvel’s Avengers, Spider-Man, Mickey and Friends, Disney Princess and Frozen, among others.

    “With shopDisney, our endeavour is to bring genuine Disney-licensed products inspired by our stories and characters to every household in the country. shopDisney will extend the magic of Disney and be a truly immersive experience for kids and families wherever and whenever they want,” said Sanjeet Mehta, executive director and head, consumer products, Disney India.

    Disney India said at launch, over 3,000 items across various categories, including fashion, toys, apparel, back-to-school, accessories, and gifts will be available on the e-commerce site with delivery to more than 500 cities across India.

    “The product line-up will continue to grow to ensure consumers can always find what they want, to add the magic of Disney into their daily lives,” the company added.

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  • Air Asia develops digital health pass

    Air Asia develops digital health pass

    Air Asia has launched its digital health pass, Scan2Fly, to streamline health document checks and determine eligibility to travel.

    Developed in partnership with analytics company GrayMatter, Scan2Fly has already launched on routes from Kuala Lumpur to Singapore, Surabaya, and Jakarta. About 4 in 10 passengers on these flights are already using the system, according to the airline.

    Scan2Fly will enable passengers to scan and upload medical certificates at the time of online check-in. Entry documentation required by the destination country, including Covid-19 test certificates, is verified in real-time. The airline said the technology, which helps travelers minimize contact with airport staff, will eventually be rolled out to other Air Asia destinations.

    Javed Malik, chief operating officer at Air Asia Group said:

    “Covid-19 gave us the opportunity to fast track numerous new technologies to make flying not only safe and affordable but also more hygienic and contactless. We believe this innovation, alongside numerous others that we are rolling out across Air Asia Group, will help restore consumer confidence and stimulate future air travel.”

    Air Asia’s proprietary digital health pass comes amid global efforts to harmonize standards in verifying passenger health data.

    Cathay Pacific and United Airlines are among carriers trialing CommonPass, a digital health pass developed by the World Economic Forum and Commons Project Foundation. International SOS, a travel security company, is also in the process of developing AOKpass with trials in the Middle East. Meanwhile, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) is in the final development phase of its IATA Travel Pass.

    Covid-19 testing and document verification is a priority for the airline industry as it lobbies governments for borders to reopen and international travel to resume.

    Some governments, including China, have regulations to ban airlines if a certain number of passengers test positive upon arrival. Digital health passes, like traditional passport and visa checks, can help airlines reduce the risk of penalties for non-compliance.

    “We have built Scan2Fly with both scalability and global compatibility in mind. Should there be an agreed global tracing app or vaccination app, our solutions can seamlessly integrate and or exchange relevant data as and when required,” Malik added.

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  • Harvey Norman sales suffer in Asia

    Harvey Norman sales suffer in Asia

    Australian electronics and furniture retailer Harvey Norman suffered an 18-per-cent decline in sales in its Singapore store network last year.

    While sales dropped 26.1 percent in local currency during the second half-year due to the Covid-19-related lockdown, first-half sales – described by the company as “poor” – were down as well, by 11.9 percent. In Australian dollars, sales benefited from a 5.8 percent appreciation in the Singaporean dollar in the period.

    Harvey Norman’s 12 company-operated stores in Singapore closed on April 7 and still remain closed by government decree. The retailer has continued to trade online during the store closures, and anticipates being able to reopen offline later this month.

    Meanwhile, in Malaysia the company closed its 23 stores from March 18 to April 17, in line with government requirements, and gradually reopened individual stores, starting with just the electrical and computer categories, and eventually furniture and bedding, between April 18 and May 12. Online trade resumed from April 18 for the electrical and computer categories only.

    Sales were down 4.2 percent year on year in constant local currencies for the six months to May 31, and up 6.5 percent for the full year, thanks to a strong 15-per-cent uptick during the first half.

    In Australian dollars, sales were positively affected by a 5.2-per-cent appreciation in the Malaysian Ringgit during the year.

    In New Zealand, Northern Ireland, Slovenia and Croatia, where the retailer operates wholly-owned company stores, sales were down across the board.

    The only outlier was Ireland, where Harvey Norman operates wholly-owned company stores and saw a significant sales increase in the second half, despite only being allowed to fully reopen stores on June 8.

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  • Soaring gold price, China recovery boost Chow Tai Fook results

    Soaring gold price, China recovery boost Chow Tai Fook results

    Chow Tai Fook Jewellery Group Limited, a Hong Kong Main Board listed company with over 90 years of heritage, today announces its interim results for the six months ended 30 September 2020.

    The Group’s revenue declined by 16.5% to HK$24,673 million in 1HFY2021. Gross profit remained stable at HK$8,143 million. The adjusted gross profit margin was lifted to 35.1% in 1HFY2021, thanks to the improvement in the like-for-like gross profit margin of gold products resulted from the surge of international gold price. Core operating profit benefitted from the adjusted gross profit margin improvement with core operating profit margin widened to 16.5% in 1HFY2021. The Group’s profit before taxation increased by 49.3% to HK$3,284 million.

    Profit attributable to shareholders of the Company increased by 45.6% to HK$2,232 million mainly benefitted from our like-for-like gross profit margin improvement, one-off government subsidies and rent concession, plus foreign exchange gain, netting off impairment on assets. Basic earnings per share were reported at HK$0.22. The Board has declared an interim dividend of HK$0.16 per share. The payout ratio approximates 71.7% in 1HFY2021.

    While business in Mainland China witnessed a steady recovery on the back of the easing COVID-19 situation in 2QFY2021, performance in Hong Kong, Macau and other markets remained lackluster. Thus, Same Store Sales (“SSS”) in Mainland China stayed flat in 1HFY2021 supported by a positive Same Store Sales Growth (“SSSG”) in 2QFY2021 as business activities and consumer sentiment revived. In Hong Kong and Macau, SSS was down by 65.7% during the period as customer traffic remained stagnant.

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  • Jason Freeny Asia Experience store opens at K11

    Jason Freeny Asia Experience store opens at K11

    Renowned sculptor and designer Jason Freeny is bringing his famed art toys to Hong Kong just in time for Christmas.

    Taking place in the city’s K11 Art Mall, “OUTSIDE IN: An Unconventional World of Art Toys” will be the largest and most comprehensive experience store of Freeny’s work to take place in Hong Kong. The showcase will feature many of his most iconic creations, including a 3-meter tall anatomized XXRAY Elmo (Snow Edition), the One Piece character XXRAY Luffy, Dissected POPek, and the Squatting Balloon Dog the creative designed alongside London-based artist Whatshisname.

    Aside from the showcase, K11 will also hold an “OUTSIDE IN” Jason Freeny Asia XXRAY experience store which will carry over 100 of the artist’s toys, including special edition drops made in collaboration with MIGHTY JAXX as well as the exclusive DISSECTED POPek (Metallic White & Silver Edition) once again by Whatshisname and Freeny.

    The Jason Freeny “OUTSIDE IN” experience store will take place in K11’s Atrium and chi K11 art space between November 21 and February 28, 2021, every day from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Additionally, items from the experience store will be available for pre-order via a special landing site for K11 Art Mall, “OUTSIDE IN: An Unconventional World of Art Toys.”

    K11 Art Mall
    18, Hanoi Road
    Tsim Sha Tsui
    Hong Kong

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  • E-Land hit by ransomware attack as McAfee warns retailers of more to come

    E-Land hit by ransomware attack as McAfee warns retailers of more to come

    One of South Korea’s largest retailers had to shut down nearly half of its retail stores on Sunday after a ransomware attack.  E-Land said its corporate network system was attacked early in the morning, forcing it to close 23 of its 50 NC department stores and NewCore outlets.  According to Yonhap, E-Land quarantined part of its corporate network system to contain the damage and police are now investigating the attack’s origins.  Ransomware is malicious software that blocks us.

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  • Twitter now warns you when you like a misleading post

    Twitter now warns you when you like a misleading post

    Twitter’s battle with misinformation has been ferocious in the past few months and especially during the US elections. The company rolled out new labels for misleading content and started to show a warning when users try to retweet such disputed tweets. Now the social network is adding yet another weapon in its arsenal – a new alert will pop-up when people try to like a post that is labeled as misleading.

    Twitter announced the change via its official Support profile, stating that the aim is to reduce the spread of misinformation about sensitive topics like the COVID-19 situation for example. The official post shows how the pop-up warning works – users will see a large exclamation mark with a text saying “This is disputed”. A “Find out more” button will link to an explanation of what Twitter calls “credible information”.

    According to the social network, the warnings showing when people try to quote misleading tweets helped decrease the spread of false information by 29% so the company is hoping to expand on this with the new alert. The update is rolling out for iOS and the web, while Android users will have to wait a couple more days.

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  • Airasia joins forces with Turkish Airlines to prepare for return of international travel

    Airasia joins forces with Turkish Airlines to prepare for return of international travel

    In anticipation of a potential revival in international travel, airasia.com has partnered with Turkish Airlines to allow it to enhance its strong pan-Asia flight network.

    The collaboration will enable airasia.com to tap into Turkish Airlines’ comprehensive destination map, which is the world’s largest in terms of the countries and international points flown by a global carrier, the low-cost carrier said in a statement today.

    AirAsia Group chief executive officer Tan Sri Tony Fernandes said airasia.com welcomes the opportunity to promote Turkey as a major gateway to Europe, to prepare the airline once borders gradually reopen next year.

    “Today airasia.com with its comprehensive portfolio of travel and lifestyle products is well-poised to promote the best that Turkey and the wider European market have to offer.

    “We will continue to collaborate creatively with other industry players to stimulate travel demand and complete our product offering as the one-stop platform for all our customer’s travel and lifestyle needs,” he said.

    While using its virtual interlining technology, airasia.com will now be able to combine Turkish Airlines’ extensive flight inventory with AirAsia flights and offer itineraries with attractive discounted fares from normal fares.

    AirAsia said the partnership is expected to generate a substantial synergy between the two parties through the cross-promotion of destinations, with the mission of being proactively prepared to tap into forthcoming return of travel.

    Travellers can also enjoy the convenience and great value of an end-to-end product offers across airasia.com ecosystem, from flights to hotels and activities, it added.

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  • 7-Eleven to invest $1 billion to reach carbon neutrality

    7-Eleven to invest $1 billion to reach carbon neutrality

    Seven & I Holdings, 7-Eleven’s guardian company, is to invest US$1 billion to reach carbon neutrality by 2050.

    The company goals to scale back its greenhouse gasoline emissions to zero at its retail shops, the place greater than 90 percent of its energy consumption takes place. Seven & I stated it’ll additionally invest $960 million into the environmental sector over the subsequent 5 years.

    To reach the goal, the retail conglomerate will set up photovoltaic panels and LED lamps throughout its retailers whereas partnering with Toyota Motor to run fuel-cell vehicles for the distribution. Renewable energy vegetation, together with wind farms and hydroelectric vegetation, will even be invested

    In the US, 7-Eleven will characteristic charging stations at 250 retail shops, encouraging electric-car use.

    Seven & I generates 2.2 million tons of greenhouse gasoline per yr, accounting for the best quantity amongst Japan’s retail retailer operators. Similar to 7-Eleven, Japanese retailer Aeon has additionally joined the carbon neutrality mission, concentrating on zero emissions by 2050.

  • Entertainment firms bank on smartphone apps

    Entertainment firms bank on smartphone apps

    Entertainment companies in Vietnam are investing in digital transformation with a focus on the smartphone experience as they seek to reach more young users.

    Television content producer MCV Group recently signed a deal with a digital consulting firm to develop an entertainment and dating app called NetLove.

    It will have a live-streaming feature, which operating director Pham Tu Liem said is key since many users want to interact with celebrities.

    Since the company is already the producer of several popular dating shows on television, it will also include in its new app a dating feature to help connect people online.

    “In the digital era, access to and consumption of entertainment content like reality shows or concerts is no longer bound inside a bulky TV,” Liem said, adding that people now want all their favorite shows on their smartphones.

    Other entertainment companies are also keen on digital transformation.

    Galaxy Studio, which runs a nationwide cinema chain, recently opted for an omnichannel collections solution from a bank to provide various types of payment services to customers but all united in one single cash flow to the company.

    This means customers can pay for movie tickets from bank accounts or e-wallets but Galaxy will only need to partner with the one bank that provides the omnichannel service.

    “E-payment is growing and is replacing cash,” Dinh Thi Thanh Huong, CEO of Galaxy Studio, said. “Young people are leading the trend and we need to take advantage of that.”

    There is potential for online entertainment services if companies continue to invest in digital transformation.

    A study by Germany-based data portal Statista found that the online dating market is expected to be worth $18 million this year and grow at an average rate of 16.9 percent annually in the next four years.

    There are now 3.3 million online dating users in Vietnam, and the figure could reach 4.4 million by 2024.

    A survey found that the most popular apps in the first four months of this year were gaming and karaoke ones.

    Trinh Ho, founder of advertising firm Fresh Media, expected the online dating market to see strong growth based on the trends she has witnessed in the U.S. and China.

    It would attract investors with deep pockets, she said.

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  • Retail sales in South Korea going slowly up

    Retail sales in South Korea going slowly up

    Retail sales in South Korea increased 8.4 per cent in October from a year earlier on the back of the pandemic and consumption-boosting events. Sales of furniture and other consumer goods moved up 18.6 per cent over the period, according to the data.

  • Google will bring Stadia gaming to iOS via a web app

    Google will bring Stadia gaming to iOS via a web app

    It seems that the Stadia conundrum on iOS continues. Although Stadia has an official app on the App Store, you can’t use it to play actual games without downloading them first. Google’s true game streaming service was first brought to iOS devices via a third-party app – the Stadium browser. It was then taken down by Apple for violating certain guidelines and then brought back again after the developer fixed the issue.

    Now there’s another development to the saga. Google announced that it plans on developing a web app that will allow iOS users to play Stadia games on their phones and tablets without the need to download them. The company will initiate “public iOS testing” in the following weeks and it will use a web app in order to bypass Apple’s guidelines stating that:

    “Games offered in a streaming game service subscription must be downloaded directly from the App Store, must be designed to avoid duplicate payment by a subscriber, and should not disadvantage non-subscriber customers.”

    Even though the Stadium browser is technically available on the App Store and it can run games with the native Stadia controller hooked up, it’d be nice to have something official from Google regarding iOS users. We have to wait and see how Apple will react to all this.

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  • Hanoi-HCMC world’s second busiest domestic air route

    Hanoi-HCMC world’s second busiest domestic air route

    The Hanoi-HCMC route is the world’s second-busiest in November after South Korea’s Jeju-Seoul, according to British aviation analysis company OAG.

    The flight route connecting Vietnam’s two largest cities, which takes around two hours, has nearly 893,000 seats scheduled for November, while the route between South Korean capital Seoul and Jeju Island has 1.3 million.

    The route between Chinese capital Beijing and Shanghai’s Hongqiao Airport is third with 768,184 seats, followed by the two routes in Japan –Sapporo-Tokyo Hanenda and Fukuoka-Tokyo Hanenda.

    Of the top 10 busiest domestic routes in November, China and Japan have four each.

    “International flights have felt the impact most acutely due to border controls and mandatory quarantine requirements, domestic routes are starting to recover as people are generally able to move more freely within their countries,” OAG said.

    Asia is a standout, home to all 10 of the world’s busiest domestic routes this month, the company added.

    Vietnam has reopened six international flights to mainland China, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan from September 15, followed by Laos, Cambodia from September 22. It had suspended all international routes in March to contain the Covid-19 outbreak in the country.

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  • Google accidentally reveals new icon and name for a key Android app

    Google accidentally reveals new icon and name for a key Android app

    Over the last few weeks, Google has been making changes to the icons for its apps like Gmail, Calendar, Drive, Docs, Sheets, Slides, Meet, and more. Google added more of the company’s traditional colors (blue, red, yellow, and green) to the icons belonging to its apps. Now, an eagle-eyed Reddit user (vihas spotted what seemingly will be the new icon and name of the app currently known as Phone by Google. The leaked icon and name were spotted in an ad found on YouTube.

    Based on the ad, the new name of the app will be Google Call and the icon resembles the illustration of a on the new Google Voice icon. One major difference is that the illustration of the landline ear and mouthpiece is done up in Google’s four colors. Note that the new name and icon are not yet in use in the Google Play Store and when the change will be made is anybody’s guess. The current icon shows a landline hand and mouthpiece in white against a blue background.

    The ad that leaked the new name and logo for what is now Phone by Google highlights the app’s “reliable” caller ID that Google says  “lets you answer with confidence.” Google has been adding new features to the mundane app including Hold for Me. This feature comes into play when you’re placed on hold after dialing a toll-free number. you will see a prompt that reads “Don’t hang up” prompt with the option to “Return to call” always available. When a real live person starts talking, the phone will ring and vibrate alerting you that the call is no longer on hold. A transcription at the bottom of the screen keep tabs on what is being said while you are on hold. As Google states, the Google Duplex technology used to drive Hold for Me “not only recognizes hold music but also understands the difference between a recorded message (like ‘Hello, thank you for waiting’) and a representative on the line.”

    Hold for Me is the typical new Android feature that Google adds to its mobile OS to make to help with the little things in life that can be a big pain in the butt. We probably all agree that waiting on hold is generally as much fun as hammering a nail through your skull.

  • Korean department stores are being converted into culture spaces

    Korean department stores are being converted into culture spaces

    South Korean department stores are on track to transform their outlets from simple shopping centres into culture spaces.

    The primary factor behind the department stores’ increasing efforts to install cultural spaces is the sluggish performance of their offline stores amid the expansion of contactless consumption through online channels resulting from the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic.

    Lotte Department Store, for example, started setting up experience-focused cultural facilities within its outlets across the country last year.

    The company’s flagship store in Jamsil, southern Seoul, is running a cultural space called 291 Photographs, which hosts a variety of photo exhibitions and offers profile photograph services for professional writers, in addition to camera and book sales.

    Hyundai Department Store also built a cultural space at its Pangyo branch, south of Seoul.

    Under the concept of an ‘Art Museum’ that focuses on installing a variety of artworks including sculptures and paintings on each floor of the store, Hyundai Department Store is turning its Pangyo store into a kind of art gallery.

    Shinsegae Department Store is running professional galleries at its flagship location in Seoul and as well as stores in Busan, Gwangju and Daegu.

    As the shopping experience itself is becoming not enough to lure consumers, department store operators are looking for ways to differentiate themselves by transforming their stores into cultural attractions where visitors can enjoy not only shopping but also a variety of culture and art.