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.

  • Update to Google’s Duo changes how you use the application

    Update to Google’s Duo changes how you use the application

    The Google Duo app allows users to stream live video, make calls or send video and voice messages to their Duo contacts. A server-side update performed by Google has changed how users select contacts, and whether they are streaming them video or making a voice call to them. In the olden days (like a week or so ago), one would open the Duo app, go to contacts, and tab the video or audio tabs before selecting the recipient.
    After the update, when you open the Duo app, you first select the contact that you want to connect with. Only then do you decide if you are going to stream live video or simply make a phone call to your selected contact. If you want to send a message, as soon as you open Duo, you swipe down on the screen. You then are given the option of creating a voice or video message. Once you create that message, you are given the option of sending it to five contacts simultaneously.
    The Google Duo app is available from both the Google Play Store and Apple App Store for Android and iOS devices, respectively.
    Lees ook:

    Lees ook:

  • Gmail users can now customize swipe actions on iPhone

    Gmail users can now customize swipe actions on iPhone

    Google has just made it official that iPhone users of its ever-growing Gmail email app can now customize a number of swipe actions. The update is clearly meant to enable Gmail users to execute certain actions faster than before, but Google also mentions the addition of the new feature matches the brand new mobile redesign of the app that added many new productivity improvements.

    You’re probably wondering what type of actions you’ll be able to customize in Gmail on iOS, so here is the full list: Archive, Trash, Mark as read/unread, Snooze, and Move to. These actions can now be executed using a single swipe gesture, but you’ll have to configure them first.

    Here is how you can do that: head to Settings / Swipe action, then, choose the swipe options that better fit your usage style. You can choose to swipe left or right on an email to archive it or directly move it to trash, but there are other options available too.

    Besides adding customizable swipe actions, the latest update makes it possible to use the same actions to sort your notifications. Whenever you want to snooze emails, you can now long press on a Gmail iOS notification or use 3D Touch, and then click on “Snooze” directly to pick the date and time when to snooze the email until.
    Keep in mind that while the update has been released on March 28, it will take more than 15 days to arrive on all iPhones out there, so if you don’t see the new feature yet, you’ll have to wait a while.
  • With Apple News+ available, Texture will close on May 28th

    With Apple News+ available, Texture will close on May 28th

    Now that Apple has launched its Apple News+ magazine subscription service, AppleInsider says that the company plans on shutting down the Texture app on May 28th. The app, known as “the Netflix of magazine publishing,” was acquired by Apple last year and immediately rumors started about Apple using the service to launch a premium paid tier of Apple News. Of course, the rumors were true, and earlier this week Apple announced Apple News+. The latter offers over 300 magazines, The Wall Street Journal and the L.A. Times. After a one-month free trial, Apple News+ automatically renews at a price of $9.99 each month.
    Meanwhile, Apple has posted this news on the Texture website, saying “Goodbye Texture. Hello, Apple News+.” A link is included that allows iOS users to sign up for a free one month trial. Right now, in fact, iOS users with a Texture subscription can simply transition over to Apple News+. Android users with a Texture subscription aren’t as lucky since there is no Apple News+ app available for that platform. Android users might want to consider Magzter, available in the Google Play Store. The app is offering one year of unlimited access to over 5,000 magazines for $49.99, a $50 savings off the regular price.
    Apple is aiming to do $50 billion in services revenue by 2020, doubling the $25 billion that the unit grossed in 2016. With over 100 million active iPhone units, this is how Apple tries to combat sluggish iPhone sales in key markets. Consisting of Apple Music, Apple Pay, AppleCare+, the App Store, iTunes and more, the race to hit $50 billion will be helped by the trio of new subscription services that Apple announced last Monday: A
  • February Down for Hong Kong retail spending

    February Down for Hong Kong retail spending

    Hong Kong retail spending shrank in February according to data from Mastercard.

    While the official figures will not be released  by the Census and Statistics Department (C&SD) until next week, Mastercard SpendingPulse, which measures consumer spending across all payment types, including cash, found that retail sales contracted by 3.2 per cent year on year in February.

    However, Hong Kong retail spending data is always affected in January and February by the changing timing of Lunar New Year, which is why C&SD advises both January and February figures should be counted together before comparing with previous years.

    According to Mastercard, which did not amalgamate January and February data for a fair comparison with last year, the drop in February retail sales was seen across the board, with clothing, grocery, health & beauty, jewellery and furniture all experiencing a year-on-year decrease.

    “After an impressive 21-month growth trend, we have seen a decline in retail sales in Hong Kong, particularly around Chinese New Year, due to various reasons ranging from the unusually warm winter to consumer confidence,” said Sasha Krstic, executive VP, services – Asia Pacific at Mastercard.

    Lees ook:

  • Bonjour family to jail for Fraud

    Bonjour family to jail for Fraud

    A family of swindlers who stole more than HK$40 million (US$5 million) from cosmetics retailer Bonjour have been imprisoned for their crimes.

    The highest sentence of 11 years behind bars was dealt out to the Bonjour fraud scheme ringleader Kiu Mei-ling, 64, a Bonjour employee in charge of payroll who funnelled company funds into her family’s personal accounts. Her son Ha Ting-pong, who was also an employee of the firm, received a sentence of seven years, while her husband received a 6½-year sentence.

    Kiu used falsely-inflated salaries and fake employee identities to siphon money from the business between 2004 and 2011. She was caught when a company manager noticed an unusually high salary was being paid to a new member of staff. Most of the funds were not recovered, leading lawyers for the retailer to file a claim for the bail money posted by the family, which is pending further judgement.

    Deputy judge Michael Lunn called the scam a “gross breach of trust” that exploited the firm’s weak internal processes.

    Lees ook:

    Lees ook:

    Lees ook:

    Lees ook:

  • Google Photos update helps Android users capture receipts and documents

    Google Photos update helps Android users capture receipts and documents

    Google Photos, the popular photo sharing and storage service created by Google, is now getting a small but important update on Android. A lot of users are taking advantage of the app/service combo and capture documents or receipts and store them for later use.

    Up until now, if you wanted your picture to look nice and show just the document or receipt, you needed to crop it yourself. Of course, that could have been done very easily with the tools provided by Google Photos, but it took extra time.

    Starting this week, Google Photos will automatically crop receipts and documents for all Android users. Google has just announced that an update to the Android app is now rolling out to all users as we speak.
    Every time you capture a document or a receipt, you should see suggestions to crop them to remove the background and clean up the edges. Everything is done automatically, so you just need to press the “Crop & adjust” option and your pictures will look the way they should (hopefully).

    Naturally, you can further crop or adjust your pictures if the tool provided by Google doesn’t get it right, so this option is not going away. However, for those who just need to remove and/or rotate an image of a document, this update will save you a lot of time.

    Lees ook:

    Lees ook:

  • Twitter for iOS just gained a black “Lights Out” mode

    Twitter for iOS just gained a black “Lights Out” mode

    Twitter has offered a native Dark Mode option for quite some time now, but today the popular feature is getting one highly-requested upgrade which could help improve your smartphone’s battery life.

    After previously teasing the feature, today Twitter announced that it’s rolling out a new “Lights Out” mode which ditches the blue color used by the standard Dark Mode and replaces it with a pure black background.

    To many, this means that the app’s built-in Dark Mode will now be much more aesthetically pleasing. It also means that OLED displays will directly turn off pixels, thus providing true-black tones and saving a bit of battery in the process which is always a good thing.

    In order to access it, users simply need to head to the ‘Display and sound’ menu within Settings, activate Dark Mode, and then select “Lights Out.” The original Blue theme, now called “Dim,” is still available for those who prefer it.

    The new Lights Out option is rolling out today to iPhone and iPad users. A timeline for Android is yet to be announced.

    Lees ook:

    Lees ook:

    Lees ook:

  • How to open links in external browser with Facebook Messenger

    How to open links in external browser with Facebook Messenger

    For a while now, both the Facebook and Messenger app have been opening links in their own, internal browser — a simple webview window, which doesn’t support multiple tabs and is there to allow you to quickly interact with something on the web, and even allow said item to communicate back to your Facebook app instantly.

    That said, a lot of people find the internal browser annoying. Why? Well, sometimes you just tap on a YouTube video only to be greeted by a webview window, which opens a desktop version of the YouTube site that you are not even logged into. Lame. Sometimes, you want to open a web page in your Chrome or Safari browser so that it can stay there as an open tab. Other times, you get so into the information you are reading about that you want to quickly open a few more tabs on it and do a deeper research… oops, you can’t — you are not in your browser of choice, you are in Facebook’s webview.

    Needless to say, many users out there would prefer it if their links simply open in a default app of choice — if it’s a YouTube link, just have it open the video in the YouTube app; if it’s a web link, just launch it in Chrome or Safari.

    Well, there’s a solution for that problem… if you are on Android. That’s right, for some odd reason, Facebook does not allow iPhone users to opt out of using its internal browser. If you are on iOS, you are forced to manually swap apps, though it’s not as slow or painful as it may sound.

    Lees ook:

  • Instagram is preparing to implement a new feature

    Instagram is preparing to implement a new feature

    Instagram is an already hugely popular photo and video-sharing social networking service, with over 1 billion monthly active users as of last year, but believe it or not, there’s still plenty of room for growth, mostly due to the many security and privacy scandals surrounding its parent company’s core platform. At the same time, it’s pretty crazy to think Instagram has reached this insane level of mainstream success without ever offering some basic features.

    Case in point, a fast-forward option for those 15-second clips you can add to your stories or the up to 60-second videos allowed to be uploaded to one’s Instagram profile. Incredibly enough, that’s not yet a thing, even though the video social component has enriched Instagram’s focus and functionality years ago. But according to a Twitter userknown for her very reliable work discovering unreleased features for apps like Facebook and Instagram, the long-awaited video seek bar is currently being tested internally.

    Jane Manchun Wong has the GIF to prove that claim, and indeed, the feature works as expected, with no unnecessary bells and whistles. Unfortunately, we can’t be sure this will roll out to the masses anytime soon, although given its simplicity and potential popularity, we don’t see what could possibly hold off its wide-scale rollout. Once that happens, you’ll presumably be able to both go forward and back in time in any given Instagram video instead of waiting for the whole thing to unfold, then play it back from the beginning if only a small part of it caught your attention.

    Interestingly, this seems to be only one of several Instagram add-ons in the pipeline, alongside a delay and warning for posting comments identified as potentially offensive, a new “Trusted Devices” section in the app’s two-factor authentication settings, and a couple of changes targeting Creator Accounts, aka high-profile influencers. It remains to be seen how many of these features will go public and when.

  • Ex-Apple developer says its breaking its own AppStore rules

    Ex-Apple developer says its breaking its own AppStore rules

    While the reviews of Apple’s News+ have been somewhat mixed, some people think one thing is clear: Apple has a double standard when it comes to its App Store rules. One ex-Apple developer detailed how he believes that Apple News+ would be rejected by the App Store if it were submitted by anyone other than Apple itself.

    Dave DeLong, who had worked at Apple as an engineer for 7 years, said the Apple News+ app breaks App Store rules surrounding the onboarding process for subscriptions. According to DeLong, Apple’s News+ subscription page should include information on how to cancel as well as a link to the app’s privacy policy. Looking into Apple’s Developer Program License Agreement, there is a long list of items that Apple requires apps to display when a user is confronted with a subscription page (below). The list basically amounts to the fine print that you’ll be presented when being onboarded as a new subscriber, but Apple’s News+ subscription page doesn’t include any fine print, it doesn’t even tell users how long the free trial is for the service meaning there’s also no indication of when the auto-renewing subscription will flip from a free trial to paid.

    These omissions would be grounds for any other app being rejected from the App Store and DeLong says App Store reviewers are “huge sticklers about even having the smallest thing missing.” DeLong even went on to wonder if this clear double-standard could be grounds for a class action lawsuit against Apple, but we’ll have to wait and see on that.

    Of course, this isn’t the first time Apple has been accused of a double standard (and likely won’t be the last.) Previously, Apple has been caught sending users uninvited push notifications regarding Apple Music and Carpool Karaoke. This marks the fourth time in just four months that Apple has been found violating its own policies and the company has yet to comment publicly on the issues.

    Lees ook:

    Lees ook:

  • 180 degree reversal by YouTube

    180 degree reversal by YouTube

    A report published says that YouTube has decided to do a 180 degree turn and is backing away from producing original programming. The Google-owned video streamer has canceled plans to develop some new comedies and dramas that it would have streamed to paid YouTube Premium subscribers. By doing this, YouTube is admitting defeat in a battle with other video streamers like Netflix and Amazon Prime to reap profits from original shows.

    Netflix has done quite well by showing its own fare like Orange is the New Black, Fuller House, Stranger Things, House of Cards and more, Amazon Prime has had some big hits including The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. The show, about a married Jewish woman living in New York in the late 1950’s who becomes a stand-up comedian after her husband leaves her, won four Emmy Awards last year including Best Comedy Series.

    Anonymous sources say that YouTube has canceled shows like Origin, a science-fiction program, and comedy Overthinking with Kat & June. In addition, YouTube is no longer listening to pitches for scripted shows that require a huge budget. The report comes on the same day that Apple has unveiled its video streaming service that will include original programming that cost the company over $1 billion to produce. And while Google has enough cash to match Apple when it comes to paying for such programming, YouTube generated more than $15 billion in ad sales last year without offering high-priced original shows.

    The change means that YouTube Premium will turn to music-related content with some programming from established YouTube stars. As a result, the original scripted shows left on YouTube will be available for free, including the one big original hit that YouTube has had, Cobra Kai. This show takes the Daniel LaRusso-Johnny Lawrence feud from 1984’s Karate Kid movie and updates it to modern times. The appeal of the show is helped by the fact that the original actors (Ralph Macchio and William Zabka) recreate their roles as Daniel and Johnny, respectively. There have been two seasons of the show and negotiations are underway for a third season.

    Lees ook:

    Lees ook:

  • Capillary Technologies Announces Continued Business Momentum in Southeast Asia

    Capillary Technologies Announces Continued Business Momentum in Southeast Asia

    Capillary Technologies, a leading provider of CRM and digital retail solutions, announced results for 2018 that show significant year-over-year business momentum. The company highlighted many significant developments that contributed to its most successful year since its entry into Singapore in 2012. In 2018, the company posted a record 100% growth from sales of its omnichannel retailing and CRM software in Southeast Asia. From its headquarters in Singapore, Capillary has established a growing presence in Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia, servicing more than 14 million customers regionally and over 450 brands such as Courts in Singapore, Caring Pharmacy in Malaysia. With over 10 million monthly transactions across 1,400 regional stores, global revenues witnessed an exponential increase of 55% in 2018.

    Solving the region’s retail challenges with AI technology

    The use of artificial intelligence (AI) has been growing by leaps and bounds amongst Southeast Asian retailers. According to a recent report on artificial intelligence in Southeast Asia, more than 24,000 AI-related papers have been published in the Southeast Asia region, with Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand accounting for 86% of the output.

    To help brands realise the full potential of AI and machine learning, Capillary launched several AI-powered solutions: VisitorMetrix, Personalized Campaigns and Instore AI. These innovative products help brands to access accurate and real-time data on visitors and integrate it with transaction data.  Retailers can get insights on store staff effectiveness, power hours, conversion rate, and campaign effectiveness among others. Moreover, personalised analysis of each customer’s needs, preferences and motivations empower retailers to create an ‘offline clickstream’ of data which can be used to provide relevant recommendations and a highly engaging shopping experience.

    Abhijeet Vijayvergiya, President & Managing Director, Global Accounts and APAC, Capillary Technologies said, “Capillary is delighted with the results that we have achieved in Southeast Asia for 2018. The regional retail industry is moving towards providing personalised and seamless experiences to the ever-changing digital consumer. With greater AI implementation, we will see brands capturing more and more data on consumer behavior and preferences across multiple channels to start building individual profiles for each consumer. We are proud to work alongside these online and offline retailers to deliver superior experiences.”

    Leading brands tap on Capillary to drive customer engagement

    In Southeast Asia, Capillary Technologies has partnered with leading brands such as Bata, a leading shoe retailer, to strengthen its omnichannel CRM strategies. “To really improve our brand-customer relationships, we feel it is imperative for us to find ways to walk and talk with our consumers across the various channels they use in their buying journey. The engagement had to be consistent, connected and seamless across platforms,” said Roberto Longo, President – Asia Pacific, Bata on the brand’s objectives for its CRM initiatives. With Capillary, Bata was able to achieve 2.2 times higher returns from targeted campaigns in Singapore and registered 57 times more ROI from Facebook campaigns in Malaysia. In other markets as well, the brand has seen 10 times increase in ROI from its overall CRM investments.

    One of Singapore’s leading F& B chains, TungLok Group recently partnered with Capillary to drive digital customer loyalty and personalised engagement. As a result, TungLok Group experienced a 350 percent increase in sales and a 139 percent increase in loyalty sales. Carolyn Tan, Senior Vice President, Marketing & Corporate Communications at TungLok Group said: “TungLok Group takes immense pride in serving its customers a high-quality experience at every touch point. With Capillary, we extended this beyond our restaurants and outlets. Their inputs on who to target, when and with what offer has been key to improving customer relationship and in turn, contribute to our growth.”

    Ready for 2019

    Capillary Technologies is preparing for even more significant growth in 2019 with the aim of achieving 70% growth globally. In February 2018, it announced an approximate US$20 million funding raised from investors, including its existing investors, Warburg Pincus and Sequoia Capital. This was followed by another round of funding led by Warburg Pincus in October later the same year. Plans are also officially underway for expansion into Vietnam and the Philippines by the end of 2019.

    Lees ook:

  • Tower Records Tokyo chooses vinyl

    Tower Records Tokyo chooses vinyl

    The Tower Records Tokyo store in Shinjuku is cashing in on the Japanese market’s resurgence of interest in vinyl records.

    While Tower has sold records for a long time, the Tower Vinyl brand is seizing on the global vinyl revival that has seen consumers worldwide take a preference to the physical discs, with all the nostalgia they represent, over the more ephemeral and invisible distribution of digital music. The store now holds 70,000 records in stock – the majority of which are second hand.

    The vinyl revival is blossoming just as streaming technology hits a new peak in the territory.

    When the Recording Industry Association of Japan announced that streaming platforms overtook digital downloads last year, however, the association’s conclusions were criticised for failing to take into account any information regarding physical sales of music media and presenting an incomplete picture of Japanese music consumption.

    Vinyl records have been making a major comeback in Japan for some time, with HMV also launching a vinyl-album store in Shibuya in 2014 – having been absent for the district for several years, and now having expanded its operations since that time. Japanese artists have recently been releasing their music on vinyl, and – rather anachronistically – some 90s-era CDs have been reissued on vinyl record.

    Lees ook:

    Lees ook:

  • Lotte Duty Free expands, Australia and New Zealand are next

    Lotte Duty Free expands, Australia and New Zealand are next

    South Korean travel retailer Lotte Duty Free is expanding into Oceania with the ambition to be the leading operator in Australia and New Zealand by 2023.

    The firm’s entry into the territory began with a grand opening ceremony at one of its new Australian stores at Brisbane Airport. The second biggest travel retailer in the world, Lotte Duty Free is targeting sales of US$200 million in the region during its first year.

    “Successfully entering Oceania is the next step in Lotte Duty Free becoming the world’s number one travel retailer and the most influential in the region,” said Lotte Duty Free CEO Kap Lee. “We have almost 40 years of retail excellence that is being introduced to Australia and New Zealand, working side-by-side with our local colleagues to better understand the unique wants and needs of people travelling through the region from all nationalities.”

    Australia has demonstrated significant growth of more than 10 per cent in incoming Chinese tourists – representing some of the biggest spenders globally – in recent years. The 2019 Spring Tourism Trend Forecast published by Ctrip, the largest online travel agency in China, states Australia is one of the most favorable international travel destinations for Chinese tourists during the New Year period.

    In response, Lotte Duty Free is acquiring five JR/Duty Free stores in the region; four in Australia and one in New Zealand.

    With this launch, Lotte Duty Free now operates in seven countries outside of Korea.

    Lees ook:

  • Octopus inks partnership with JD.com providing retail innovations

    Octopus inks partnership with JD.com providing retail innovations

    Octopus Retail Management (Octopus), a Singapore-based company and a pioneer in offering a holistic suite of retail management solutions, today announced that it has partnered with JD.com for its cutting-edge Point of Sales (POS) suite of solutions which has benefitted a variety of businesses spanning the retail, F&B and ecommerce sectors.

    With Octopus’ partnership with China’s largest retailer, JD.com, Octopus will be the first B2B software provider for the retail industry and will have access to more than 300 million active customers that shop on JD.com. This strategic alliance is in light of Octopus’ vision to digitally transform the retail industry.

    Octopus is a Cloud-Based Retail Management Company that offers a comprehensive Point of Sale solution to brick and mortar SMEs. With a presence across 7 countries — Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines, China, Sri Lanka, Indonesia and the USA, Octopus generates around $2 billion of GMV on their platform from over 20,000 retail points across 3000 customers.

    Ong Whee Shiong, Founder and Managing Director, Octopus said, “The digital age has thrown several challenges at businesses today. It has become critical for retailers to have an efficient retail management system to enhance their business productivity. Our products aim to empower the retailers to embrace digitalisation and streamline their online business.”

    The company’s cloud-based retail management solution helps firms to leverage social media interactions to curate personalised offerings based on consumer’s shopping and dining behaviours. The solutions can also synchronise inventory, support customer promotions, and offer loyalty points to add more value propositions to their customers. The solutions also allow its customers to onboard a mobile platform through its cloud offering. This enables real-time visibility over the network to monitor sales, the performance of staff, and inventory which leads to efficiency and better decision-making.

    According to an article citing joint research by Google and Temasek in 2017, more than half of Southeast Asia’s population is a millennial and of that, 70 per cent are under the age of 40. The retail space per capita remains low, indicating limited access to offline stores and products. Whilst the report shows that consumers in the region show the interest and willingness to shop online, there have been emerging trends focussing on omnichannel and online-to-offline solutions.

    “We believe online and offline need to go hand in hand today. Through our integrated solutions, our clients are able to offer their customers enhanced seamless shopping experience and create more value,” he added.

    Lees ook: