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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.

  • Coles partners with Accenture to cut costs

    Coles partners with Accenture to cut costs

    Coles is powering ahead with plans for a more digitally-focused future by signing a long-term agreement with global technology services company Accenture.

    The partnership is part of Coles’ Smarter Selling initiative which is hoped will cut costs to the tune of $1 billion over the next four years through the rollout of new technology.

    As part of the strategy, the supermarket plans to increase automation of manual tasks and use artificial intelligence for quicker and more accurate stock ordering.

    The supermarket giant has amped up its technology since its demerger from Wesfarmers last year, having recently announced a strategic partnership with Microsoft to transform its shopping experience and improve productivity.

    Accenture has a global strategic relationship with Microsoft and will work alongside the tech giant to help Coles deliver “simpler, more efficient, and robust operations”.

    Accenture will also support the modernization of Coles’ supply chain with online grocery leader Ocado, which Coles partnered with in March.

    “We have committed to being technology-led in our stores and throughout our supply chain to reduce costs while delivering an even better shopping experience for customers and making life easier for our team members,” Coles chief executive Steven Cain said.

    “The partnership with Accenture will enable us to deliver the efficiencies we need for long-term sustainability, and provide the agility to respond to rapidly-evolving consumer needs. This is a vital part of Coles winning in its second century,” Cain said.

    As part of the expanded relationship with Accenture, the companies will invest in a joint innovation fund set up to explore new technology applications within Coles.

    “The evolution of the relationship with Accenture reflects the company’s strategy to win together through genuine partnerships with suppliers,” Coles chief information and digital officer Roger Sniezek said.

    “Accenture is a global leader in the digital space and in working together over the past years across a wide range of areas of Coles Group, we have each come to understand each other’s businesses, strengths, and ways of working,” he added.

    “By leveraging this enhanced relationship, we will work together to build Coles’ technological capability, so we have the tools we need to inspire our customers and make life easier for our team members.”

    Accenture will also support the implementation of SAP solutions across procurement, human resources, and finance at Coles.

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  • VF Corporation posts first results after Kontoor spinoff

    VF Corporation posts first results after Kontoor spinoff

    Apparel giant VF Corporation has reported a 9 percent increase in same-store sales on a currency-neutral basis in the June quarter, to US$2.3 billion.

    VF Corporation owns a portfolio of outdoor and activity-based lifestyle and workwear brands, including Vans, The North Face, Timberland and Dickies. In May it spun off its denim business, which includes Lee and Wrangler labels, in a new company called Kontoor Brands.

    The company said its gross margin increased by 140 basis points to 54.4 percent, driven by favorable mix and timing of foreign-currency transaction hedge gains.

    Operating income was $133 million.

    “Our first quarter represents a new chapter for VF following the spin-off of Kontoor Brands and our relocation to Denver, Colorado,” said Steve Rendle, chairman, president and CEO.

    “Our first-quarter results demonstrate the power of VF’s evolved portfolio and our progress along our journey to become a purpose-led, performance-driven, value-creating enterprise anchored in our commitment to be more consumer-minded and retail-centric in everything we do.”

    VF Corporation recorded an after-tax net loss from discontinued operations was of $48 million in the first quarter of fiscal 2020, which reflects the operating results of the jeans business, including $59.5 million of separation costs related to the spin-off.

    Figures in the quarterly results above are compared with comparable trading period last year, after the removal of the discontinued (spun-off) business.

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  • Kmart opens New Zealand’s first 24/7 store

    Kmart opens New Zealand’s first 24/7 store

    Kiwis will soon be able to shop at Kmart 24/7 when the retailer’s newly refurbished Sylvia Park store opens on August 15.

    The retailer is billing the store as the first department store in the country to stay open 24 hours a day.

    “For us, it’s about offering better support to New Zealand families who are busy balancing work, family and leisure commitments; and more convenience for shift workers and people working non-traditional business hours,” said Jason Picard, Kmart New Zealand country manager, in a statement about the launch.

    Kmart entered the New Zealand market in 1988 and now has more than 200 stores across Australia and New Zealand. The 5000sqm Sylvia Park store will be the retailer’s seventh location in Auckland when it reopens next month in the space formerly occupied by Countdown Supermarket.

    “At Kmart, we want to make everyday living brighter for our customers, whether that means creating on-trend products at everyday low-prices everyone can enjoy, opening stores in new communities or extending operating hours to make shopping more convenient,” Picard said.

    “We want our customer experience with the brand to be a really positive one, which is why we are proud to offer click and collect services across our entire New Zealand store network; and why we are constantly expanding our online offer.”

    Helen Ronald, Sylvia Park center manager, said the shopping center was “proud to be working with retailers like Kmart that are pushing the boundaries”.

    “This really reinforces Sylvia Park’s standing as New Zealand’s favorite shopping destination.”

    In the last year, the shopping center has added 600 new car parks, ANZ Raranga, and its first office tower. Once the Galleria expansion is complete in 2020, it will have 60 new stores and nearly 5000 car parks.

    Kmart Sylvia Park will open on August 15, celebrating the occasion with a series of family fun activities staggered throughout the day.

    Entertainment will include prize giveaways, face painting from 4 pm, a late-night market, and interactive workshops hosted by the Kmart team.

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  • Body Shop Malaysia and Vietnam operator to list

    Body Shop Malaysia and Vietnam operator to list

    The retailer and distributor of The Body Shop products in Malaysia since 1984 has yet to fix the issue price and the opening and closing dates of the IPO. But local news reports have suggested the IPO may raise up to MYR200 million (US$48.6 million).

    InNature has indicated plans to use any IPO proceeds for capital expenditure, working capital and new business development.

    The firm has 89 locations in Malaysia and 26 in Vietnam, including online platforms. It plans to enter Cambodia later this year.

  • L’Occitane sales down in Hong Kong

    L’Occitane sales down in Hong Kong

    L’Occitane sales plunged by nearly one fifth in Hong Kong and Macau during the June quarter.

    According to a stock exchange filing, the Hong Kong-listed retailer’s sales in the two territories, which includes Asian travel retail wholesale business, fell by 18.8 per cent on a currency-neutral basis. That contrasts with 9.3 per cent growth in the same quarter last year.

    On the mainland, L’Occitane sales rose by 8.3 per cent which, given the higher store count of 190 versus just 36 in Hong Kong and Macau, somewhat compensated. Sales in Japan were up by 6 per cent with sales stable in Taiwan, the other Asian market the company breaks out.

    Globally, group sales rose 18.8 per cent at reported rates and by 16.2 per cent at constant exchange rates.

    The company’s standout market was the UK which recorded a massive 253 per cent increase in sales, driven by the inclusion of the Elemis business in the quarter-on-quarter data, and recovery of the core L’Occitane en Provence brand there.

    L’Occitane sales globally reached €352.5 million. Elemis became a subsidiary of the group in March and its sales are consolidated from April.

    Globally, L’Occitane finished the quarter with 1575 stores, up a net three during the quarter.

  • AirAsia India announces new routes

    AirAsia India announces new routes

    AirAsia India is on an expansion spree. the budget carrier will start operating daily direct flight on the Delhi-Chandigarh route from 1 August onwards. The launch fare on Delhi-Chandigarh route is ₹1,365, the airline mentioned. The flight would leave from Delhi at 10.40 am every day and would reach Chandigarh at 11.50 am. The return flight would depart from Chandigarh every day at 12.50 pm and arrive at the Delhi airport at 1.55 pm, the low-cost carrier said.

    The airline will also be introducing fourth additional flight on the New Delhi-Bengaluru route from 5 August onwards. The airline currently runs three flights daily on the New Delhi-Bengaluru route.

    As part of expansion plans, AirAsia India is likely to launch international services by September-October with flights to destinations in South East Asia, including Malaysia and Thailand.

    Air Asia India, which started operations in June 2014, is a joint venture between Tata and AirAsia Berhad. It currently operates 164 flights a day, covering 19 destinations and carrying over 25,000 passengers.

    GoAir is also expanding its operations with five new international services to the Gulf region, two to Bangkok and eight new domestic services. GoAir’s new international services are Delhi-Abu Dhabi, Mumbai-Abu Dhabi, Mumbai-Muscat, Delhi-Bangkok, Kannur-Dubai, Mumbai-Bangkok and Kannur-Kuwait routes.

    GoAir is expanding its India operations from Hyderabad with eight new flights covering cities like Cochin, Chennai, Jaipur, Bengaluru, Chandigarh and Patna.

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  • Anello opens at Changi, Singapore

    Anello opens at Changi, Singapore

    Japanese backpack and accessories brand Anello has opened its first Singapore store, at Jewel Changi.

    Targeting Singapore residents and visitors alike, the 625sqft store offers a wide selection of designs as well as exclusive and limited-edition collections specifically for the Singapore market.

    From July 23 to 29, to mark its opening, Anello Jewel Changi will be offering a 50-per-cent discount for any second item purchased

    Founded in 2015, Anello – which means “ring” in Italian – is known for its minimalist, chic designs.

    The brand now has stores in China, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam.

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  • Large queues for Sephora store opening

    Large queues for Sephora store opening

    After much anticipation, Sephora’s first New Zealand store opened last weekend on Queen Street in Auckland, with hundreds of Kiwis lining up for the launch.

    Many would-be beauty-buyers camped out overnight to ensure they were the first into the store, which officially opened at 7am on Saturday, July 20.

    Sephora spent an estimated $5 million to fit out the store, which was announced in early May after months of speculation.

    The launch is part of a larger expansion into the Asia-Pacific region, which will see the make-up retailer set up shop in Hong Kong and Korea.

    “We believe that New Zealand will be a key market in building Sephora as the most loved beauty community in Asia, and the world,” said president of Sephora Asia Benjamin Vuchot.

    “This expansion to a new market will allow Sephora to continue to amplify global beauty trends locally, elevate what our clients expect of the in-store experience and bring fresh, digital touch points to the retail environment to create a virtual, client-centric cycle.”

    In the lead-up to launch, Sephora toured the country in a “Beauty Bus”, giving remote customers a chance to trial its products before the local offering officially went online.

    However, not everyone was pleased with the launch. The New Zealand Maori Council called for the Government to investigate the cosmetics company after they were “caught dumping hundreds and thousands of waste paper products embedded with cosmetic chemicals down the drains”.

    “And all, according to a spokesperson for Sephora New Zealand, with the permission of the Auckland Council,” New Zealand Maori Council executive director Matthew Tukaki said.

    “As Maori we consider ourselves as protectors of our whenua and our water ways and I will be damned if I am going to standby and allow Auckland City Council to grant a license for this company to dump their waste directly into our system.”

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  • AirAsia ordered to pay at least $9.9 million to Malaysia Airports

    AirAsia ordered to pay at least $9.9 million to Malaysia Airports

    The Malaysian High Court in Kuala Lumpur has ordered AirAsia and AirAsia X to pay operator Malaysian Airport Sepang (MA Sepang) MYR40.73 million ($9.9 million) in unpaid passenger service charges after ruling in favor of the national airport operator.

    The LCC was also ordered to pay MYR972,381 and MYR24,000 for late payment and lawsuit fees, respectively.

    In retaliation, AirAsia Group CEO Tony Fernandes took to Twitter and posted photos of beehives at the airport, as well as uneven parking aprons at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) Terminal 2, known as KLIA2. Since moving to KLIA2 in 2014, AirAsia has been very unsatisfied with terminal design and facilities.

    MA Sepang, a subsidiary of Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) first sued AirAsia and AirAsia X in December 2018 for unpaid passenger service charges after the former raised the charges from MYR50 to MYR73. AirAsia refused to charge its passengers the increased rate as it said the facilities at KLIA2 were sub-standard. The LCC later countersued MAHB in January 2019 for losses and damages incurred by both airlines because of operational disruptions at KLIA2.

    The High Court also dismissed AirAsia’s appeal against the Malaysian Aviation Commission for failing to mediate the issue between the two parties, as regulations stipulate.

    “We will continue to fight the battle on behalf of all Malaysians and travelers to Malaysia,” Fernandes said in his posts, adding he hopes MAHB will act like a partner.

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  • Mainland China retail sales surge in June

    Mainland China retail sales surge in June

    Motor vehicles and the 6.18 shopping festival spurred a healthy increase in Mainland China retail sales in June.

    Official government figures show a 9.8 per cent year-on-year increase for the month, higher than the 8.6 per cent of May and 8.4 per cent for the first half year.

    Summer Wang, an equity analyst at Jefferies, said auto sales surged due to deep discounts on older models ahead of stricter State VI emission standards which took effect on July 1, and the 6.18 Shopping Festival  which drove cosmetics, jewellery and appliance sales. Small-ticket items like food and daily goods also outperformed.

    Urban Mainland China retail sales grew 9.8 per cent, ahead of the 8.3 per cent year-to-date figure, reaching RMB2.896 trillion (US$421 billion) in June, while rural retail sales grew by 10.1 per cent, ahead of 9.1 per cent for the half year.

    Cosmetics sales grew by 22.5 per cent, cars by 17.2 per cent and daily goods by 12.3 per cent.

    “We believe the beauty category is continuing to benefit from functional premiumisation, as consumers – both women and metrosexual men – are willing to pay a premium for a tangible improvement in appearance,” said Wang.

    “Most discretionary categories saw improvement as well, including gold and jewellery (up 7.8 per cent), home appliances (up 7.7 per cent) and apparel and footwear (up 5.2 per cent).”

    By channel, online retail goods sales kept momentum with a robust 21.6 per cent year-on-year growth during the first half of the year, accounting for 19.6 per cent of Mainland China retail sales.

  • AirAsia X opens up on Hawk-less pair of A330neos

    AirAsia X opens up on Hawk-less pair of A330neos

    When the first AirAsia X Airbus A330neo was unveiled at the Paris Air Show amid much discussion about Airbus’ ‘sub-economy’ ultra-narrow seating strategy, two surprises awaited on board — or, rather, didn’t await.

    At last year’s Farnborough Air Show, AirAsia X Group Chief Executive Officer Kamarudin Meranun (now chairman of AirAsia) confirmed to Runway Girl Network that the airline planned to take Mirus’ Hawk long-range version and Collins’ Minipod for its A330neos. Yet on board the two seating products were neither of those.

    It turns out this first aircraft is one of a pair of leased jets from Avalon that Thai AirAsia X is taking earlier than the hundred that will come directly from Airbus. “AirAsia currently has 66 Airbus A330neo aircraft on order. In addition, AirAsia’s fast-growing long-haul affiliate AirAsia X Thailand will take delivery of an additional two leased aircraft in the coming months,” AirAsia X Group CEO Nadda Buranasiri explained to RGN.

    The airline’s head of group communications later followed up to confirm that those 66 aircraft are firm orders, with the additional 2018 Farnborough Air Show order of “34 currently MOU [Memorandum of Understanding] and under review”.

    Mirus confirmed to RGN that the seat on the Avalon aircraft was not the long-range version of the short-range Hawk seat that AirAsia uses on its Airbus A320s, and Buranasiri confirmed that “The two Airbus A330neo aircraft on lease from Avolon have been fitted with the Zodiac UK Aura Lite in Premium Flatbed and Geven Piuma AQ in economy.”

    But Buranasiri also flagged potential evolution in AirAsia X’s passenger experience. “The seating and cabin configuration for AirAsia’s Airbus A330neo aircrafts on order is subject to change. We are currently reviewing cabin space and configuration options on the new Airbus A330neo. This includes options for a new premium and economy class seat.”

    AirAsia X’s Thai operation will put its first A330neo into service at the end of July, with routes expected to include Japan, Korea and Australia, although schedules have not yet been published.

    But starting next year, more A330neos will arrive with AirAsia X, and the company has been expansive with its promises of “new and exciting destinations such as to Eastern Europe and North Asia”, according to Buranasiri.

    Within Europe, the airline previously flew to London Gatwick and Stansted as well as Paris Orly with elderly A340-300 aircraft, but with both countries charging relatively high departure tax rates, and costs higher in Western Europe, an Eastern Europe strategy could make good sense for AirAsia. Indeed, a partnership with an airline like Wizz Air to provide feed on the European end of the longhaul flight would make much sense.

    “Our current network strategy is focused on medium haul — five to nine hours — meaning nine-abreast is a comfortable option. Nine abreast on the A330neo gives very similar levels of personal comfort for each guest even compared to other aircraft options with full service carriers,” Buranasiri argued, and with AirAsia’s reasonable legroom combined with the decision of many full service airlines to go nine-abreast on their 787s and ten-abreast on their 777s, this is a fair suggestion.

    More crucially, perhaps, “Nine abreast on the A330neo drives the aircraft economics to allow us to maintain the lowest CASK [cost per available seat kilometre] and therefore deliver the lowest fares to our guests. This brings more guests the opportunity to fly and this mission will continue for our long haul market strategy,” Buranasiri said.

    Given that the passenger experience will be relatively similar to its existing widebody fleet, the efficiency of the A330neo AirAsia X expects is impressive. “The aircraft will reduce our fuel burn by 11% on every trip, and with extended range help us to open up new and exciting destinations,” compared with the existing A330ceo fleet, Buranasiri said.

    AirAsia X has always been very up front about what it offers, and with one-way fares for the 6h20m Bangkok to Tokyo even a few days out at an impressive 79€ (US$89), AirAsia X’s simple way to purchase a second seat for passengers who would want or need to, and the angled lie-flat seats up front at around a 3-4x multiplier of economy, it’s hard to criticize the value for money of its ultra-narrow seats — whoever makes them.

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  • Japanese retailer Daiso Launching in New Jersey

    Japanese retailer Daiso Launching in New Jersey

    Budget Japanese retailer Daiso will launch its first New Jersey store in Edgewater.

    The store will open on August 3 as the second Daiso store in the Tri-State area. Daiso is quickly expanding its presence on the East Coast, with this location opening within just five months of the very first store in Flushing, New York last March. Three more Daiso stores are scheduled to open in the area this year.

    The 7000sqft Daiso New Jersey store will feature products and styles including back-to-school, entertaining and organising supplies, and thousands of products including kitchenware, beauty supplies, stationery, gift wrap, greeting cards, electronics accessories, unique gift items, snacks, and party goods.

    Daiso Japan averages 10 to 20 new store openings globally every month.

  • World AI Leaders from Dell Technologies, Rolls-Royce and Kryon, among others, discuss AI Strategies in Singapore

    World AI Leaders from Dell Technologies, Rolls-Royce and Kryon, among others, discuss AI Strategies in Singapore

    Given its infrastructure capacity, education system and investor-friendly laws, Singapore has all the right ingredients to nurture a robust AI ecosystem that could be the cornerstone for the small island’s economic upswing. According to a recent report by Accenture, AI could add up to US$215 billion in gross value across 11 industries in Singapore by 2035. With the Singapore government’s vehement efforts to foster initiatives in the AI space, the nation was the ideal location to host the 9th edition of the global World AI Show series that had hit the ground running for the second time in Singapore on 24 July 2019. The show was organised by international business events and consulting firm, Trescon.

    “Singapore is one of the top locations for AI and Robotics investments. Our mission was to fuel Singapore’s AI startup ecosystem by bringing in some of the world’s best AI innovators, solution providers, startups and investors to foster business opportunities for the Singapore government as well as regional and international companies”, said Mohammed Saleem, CEO of Trescon.

    300+ top industry leaders from the AI community came together to share their insights on how AI is transcending as a core enabling technology that can power multiple sectors.

    Top speakers for the event included Dr Terence Hung, Chief of Future Intelligence Technologies, Rolls-Royce Singapore Pte Ltd; Sutowo Wong, Director, Analytics & Information Management Division, Data Analytics Group, Ministry of Health; Dragana Beara, Portfolio Messaging Director, Asia Pacific and Japan, Dell Technologies; Prof Nadia Magnenat Thalmann, Director (IMI), NTU, Singapore and Founder & Director, Miralab of University of Geneva, Switzerland and Guido Jouret, Chief Digital Officer of ABB among other top speakers.

    In her keynote speech, Dragana Beara quoted, “Most of the AI development right now is done to create collaborative AI to augment us and give us an ability to leverage our humanity. Everything tedious, difficult or that we are not good at, like computing or getting insights from huge data sets is something we are going to outsource to the AI system.”

    The show also featured a workshop session from Warren Ledingham from Kryon who took the audience through a technical deep-dive session on ‘How to Save 80% of Your Automation Implementation Time’, and an almost human-like Robot interaction between Professor Nadia Magnenat Thalmann and her female humanoid social robot Nadine, that can remember past conversations.

    The global pitch competition for startups in the future-tech space, Startup Grand Slam, was the highlight of the show. Opu Labs, Inc, a digital solutions provider for skin health analysis won the Startup Grand Slam pitch competition and Trsts as runner-up.

    World AI Show – Singapore 2019 was sponsored by Lead Partner, Dell Technologies Platinum Partner, Kanerika; Workshop Partner, Kryon; Gold Partner, Darktrace, Silver Partner, DDN Storage; Badge Partner, QualityKiosk Technologies, Premier Bronze Partner, ADVANCE.AI

     

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  • Tinder swipes left on the Google Play Store’s payment platform

    Tinder swipes left on the Google Play Store’s payment platform

    Dating app Tinder has a UI designed to allow users to make quick decisions on whom to meet. In fact, it has become part of pop culture. Swiping to the right on a profile indicates that you are interested in that person while swiping to the left means that you have no interest. According to Bloomberg, which cited research done by Macquarie analyst Ben Schachter, Tinder’s parent company is swiping left on the Google Play Store’s in-app subscription platform. Similar to music streamer Spotify’s complaint against Apple, Tinder’s parent company, the Match Group, objects to Google taking a 30% cut of in-app revenue generated in its app storefront.

    Spotify took its complaint to the European Union’s competition commission which has opened an antitrust investigation against Apple. But there is a huge difference between iOS and Android. Those using the former are essentially forced to use the App Store while Android users can easily sideload apps. That could be the difference between being called a monopoly or just an opportunist.

    Apple responded by noting that the 30% cut that Spotify CEO Daniel Ek keeps mentioning actually drops to 15% after a year. As a result, Apple claims that a cut of 15% is being applied to only 680,000 Spotify members. These are subscribers who upgraded from the free tier to the premium tier of service between 2014-2016. After that time period, Spotify stopped allowing iOS users to upgrade through Apple’s in-app payment system (iAP). Instead, payments for upgrades must be through Spotify’s website.

    Similarly, those using Tinder are being asked to enter their credit card information directly into Tinder’s own payment platform. While Tinder is free, you are limited to 100 right swipes a day. With Tinder Plus and Tinder Gold, you get unlimited swipes and a few other perks as well. Tinder Gold also allows users to see who has swiped right on their profile. The latter costs $12 per month for a six-month subscription or $10 per month for a year’s subscription. And Match Group has included an ingenious plan to keep subscribers wedded (see what we did there) to its own platform. After the first payment is made through Match Group, every subsequent payment will automatically take subscribers to the platform bypassing the Google Play Store’s payment system.

    If all of this sounds familiar, and for reasons other than Spotify’s complaints against Apple, it could be that what is happening with Tinder reminds you of what Epic Games did with Fortnite. One of the most popular video games ever, Fortnite had to be sideloaded from Epic Games’ own website to be installed on Android devices. This was done to avoid the 30% cut of revenue that Google would have taken on in-app subscriptions.

    More companies are looking to avoid both the App Store and Google Play Store in-app payment systems. Last December, Netflix stopped allowing new and returning subscribers using iOS to pay for their subscriptions using the App Store. And even Apple’s own customers are concerned that the tech giant is forcing them to pay more for apps because of its 30% cut. In fact, a large number of iOS users are part of a class-action suit that claims Apple’s role as a monopoly is forcing them to pay more for apps. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in May that the suit can continue. Apple argued that it merely distributes apps sold to iOS users by third-party developers. That position helped it win a unanimous verdict from the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, in San Francisco. But the Supreme Court decided that Apple is actually more than just a distributor of apps and cited the contracts it signs with these developers as proof of that.

    Both Google and Apple argue that they are providing a high-profile storefront for developers to sell their apps and that they aren’t being unreasonable for asking them to make contributions to the eco-systems that allow their apps to thrive.

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  • App adds Google Assistant functionality to your Samsung Galaxy Watch

    App adds Google Assistant functionality to your Samsung Galaxy Watch

    So let’s say that you’re currently rocking the Samsung Galaxy Watch and you’re not happy with the virtual assistant on the timepiece. After all, Bixby is an acquired taste. And since the watches are running Tizen, well the Google Assistant is out. Or is it? According to Android Police, the GAssist.net app can help you put much of the Google Assistant’s functionality on your Tizen powered timepiece. You will need to visit the Galaxy Store to load the app on your watch and the Google Play Store to load the companion Android app on your phone.

    Installation is a bit complex It will require you to store on your phone a file generated from the Google Cloud Platform website. A YouTube video was created to show you how this is accomplished. You can find that video in the slideshow at the bottom of this article. Once that is done and the correct apps are stored on the watch and phone, the apps themselves will guide you through the remainder of the setup.

    Keep in mind that you won’t be able to access the Assistant by saying a hot word. Activation is accomplished by opening the app and tapping on the word ‘Listen.’ You also can’t use the app to control other functions on the watch, like timers and alarms. But you can use it to handle the requests and demands that you would normally turn over to Google Assistant including turning on or off smart appliances and get the weather. Some Reddit posters say that it opens faster than Google Assistant does on Wear OS devices. And you can allow your watch to receive personal results on the GAssist.net app (after installation of course) by opening Google Assistant on your phone and clicking on the icon at the bottom left of the screen. From there, click on your profile at the top right of the display. Tap on the Assistant tab and scroll down to Assistant devices. You should see a listing for Galaxy Watch. Tap on it and allow personal results.

    The Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2 could be introduced during the same August 7th Samsung Unpacked event that will unwrap the Galaxy Note 10 line. The device will come with an electrocardiogram (ECG) monitor, although that feature requires FDA approval which might not come until the middle of 2020.

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