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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.

  • Twitter Blue subscribers now have up to one hour to edit tweets, possible mailing list functionality

    Twitter Blue subscribers now have up to one hour to edit tweets, possible mailing list functionality

    The new Twitter Blue, rebranded and relaunched upon Elon Musk’s takeover of the popular social networking site, launched late last year with some exclusive features for its subscribers. One of these features is the ability to edit your sent tweets, albeit only for a limited time, a limit which has now been increased.
    Previously, the amount of time Twitter Blue subscribers had to edit a sent tweet was within 30 minutes of posting. This was considered a reasonable amount of time to fix a spelling mistake or to quickly fix any grammar issues noticed after the fact.
    However, there are instances in which you won’t notice a mistake until someone points it out, and that can happen at anytime and not just within a half hour window. To help with this, Twitter has recently announced a change in their policy pertaining to the editing of tweets and has extended this time frame to a full hour.
    This change is also reflected on Twitter’s Help Documentation, explaining how editing tweets actually work. To the surprise of many, editing tweets does not extend to replies, but only to original tweets and quote tweets.
    Edit Tweet: This highly requested feature gives you a 1 hour window to make a limited number of changes to published Tweets. Use it to make updates, tag someone, or reorder the media you attached. Edit Tweet currently only applies to original Tweets and quote Tweets.
    Meanwhile, Musk continues to experiment with new features within the platform. The latest announced via a tweet, seemingly in response to Twitch’s new controversial guidelines restricting streamers and causing a lot of backlash within that community and criticism from Musk himself.
    Though no further details have been shared on this announcement, it is safe to assume that this will function as sort of a mailing list for creators to keep of their subscribers should they ever want to leave the platform. It is unclear at this point how the opt-in process will work, but one could discern that it will be something that can be done in-app either while subscribing to a creator or anytime thereafter.
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  • AirAsia expands Asia presence with Penang-Hong Kong route

    AirAsia expands Asia presence with Penang-Hong Kong route

    AirAsia continues to expand its presence in Asia with a route to Hong Kong from its third biggest hub in Penang starting 10 August 2023.

    This route marks the airline’s seventh direct international route from Penang and is set to further boost regional inbound tourism to the state, bolstering an already thriving state tourism industry. The three weekly flights will add to a total of 217 flights weekly from Penang to both domestic and international destinations.

    The route was announced by YB Yeoh Soon Hin, Penang State EXCO for Tourism and Creative Economy (PETACE); Ooi Chok Yan, CEO of Penang Global Tourism (PGT); and Kenneth Tan, Director, Government Relations (Northern Region) at AirAsia at Komtar, Penang.

    YB Yeoh Soon Hin, Penang EXCO for Tourism and Creative Economy (PETACE) said: “We are confident that the addition of three weekly flights from Hong Kong will not only reinforce Penang’s status as a top tourist hotspot in Malaysia but will also contribute significantly to the island’s overall appeal. Hong Kong is part of China’s Greater Bay Area (GBA) which refers to the Chinese government’s scheme to link their rapidly developing regions together into an integrated economic and business hub. By connecting with China’s GBA, it would be advantageous for Penang to attain higher tourism and economic growth.”

    “The Penang State Government firmly believes that through collaborative efforts with industry players such as AirAsia, we can harness the full potential of our local tourism industry.Forging strong partnerships with private sectors, implementing innovative marketing strategies and investing in infrastructure development will undoubtedly boost visitor arrivals, extend their length of stay and enhance their overall travel experience.”

    Riad Asmat, AirAsia Malaysia CEO said: “We are excited to reconnect Penang to Hong Kong after launching it for the first time in 2009 where we established Penang as a hub at the same time. We are also thrilled to be the only low-cost carrier connecting both islands directly, providing more value and greater accessibility to our guests. This is an exciting historical route for AirAsia and we anticipate a remarkable response from both leisure and business travellers alike.

    “AirAsia Group has the largest international connectivity from Penang with a market share of 40%. This expansion not only strengthens AirAsia’s foothold beyond Asean but also reinforces our commitment to fostering economic growth through tourism. We look forward to working closely with the state government to support the tourism industry and stimulate air travel to the Pearl of the Orient.”

    In celebration of the route announcement, the airline is offering incredible promotional fares starting today from RM299 all-in* one-way for travel period from 10 August 2023 to 26 October 2023. Click on the ‘Flights’ icon on the airasia Superapp or website for booking and explore the iconic Hong Kong for a steal!

    AirAsia Group operates 217 flights weekly via ten routes to Penang from Kuala Lumpur (67x weekly), Johor Bahru (28x weekly), and Langkawi (21x weekly) as well as Singapore (35x weekly), Ho Chi Minh City (7x weekly), Jakarta (11x weekly), Bangkok (14x weekly), Medan (28x weekly), Surabaya (3x weekly), and Hong Kong (3x weekly).

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  • Vietnam excluded from Apple Store plans for Asia-Pacific

    Vietnam excluded from Apple Store plans for Asia-Pacific

    Vietnam does not figure in Apple’s plans for launching 15 new or rebuilt stores in the Asia-Pacific region from now through 2027.

    The U.S. tech giant plans to either build, remodel or relocated 15 sites in China, five in Japan, three in India, two in South Korea, and one each in Malaysia and Australia.

    This means Malaysia will be the next Southeast Asian country to get an Apple Store after Singapore and Thailand.

    Last month, Apple launched an online store for Vietnamese customers, and analysts expected this to lead to the opening of brick-and-mortar stores in the country.

    Apple has been showing increasing interest in the Vietnamese market in recent years. Last year it appointed a country manager for the first time, and set up an official YouTube channel.

    It also mentioned Vietnam as achieving double-digit growth in its financial report for the second half of last year.

    There are over 520 Apple Stores in 26 countries.

  • 1Password rolls out support for Passkeys in beta for browsers

    1Password rolls out support for Passkeys in beta for browsers

    Following its announcement that 1Password was all in on passkeys and were ready to say goodbye to the old-fashioned password, the company is now rolling out passkey support to its users. This initial roll out will only be available in beta, with some caveats.

    Just as major players such as Google, Apple, and Microsoft have joined the FIDO alliance in order to come up with a solution that can replace the use of passwords, and therefore make logins more secure, 1Password made the move last year to join as well. This solidified 1Password’s commitment to taking the next big step and provide passkey support in its very popular password manager.
    Today, the company announced that the day is here and that its users can now begin to save and sign in to online accounts using passkeys. This can only be accomplished using the beta version of the 1Password extensions for Chrome, Firefox, Edge, and Brave (on MacOS, Windows and Linux), and Safari on MacOS.
    Additionally, the 1Password apps for Mac, iOS, Windows, Android, and Linux have also been updated so that users can view, modify, move, share, and delete any passkey that have already been generated using the beta extensions. Also, 1Password’s Watchtower feature — which alerts you when a site has been hacked and recommends when you should change your password — has also been updated in beta to alert you when a site that you log in to has added passkey support.
    To get started with using passkeys on 1Password, you will first need to make sure you have installed the beta extension for the supported browsers mentioned above. Once installed and logged in to, you should be able to open a passkey-enabled website.
    If this is the first time you visit that site, you can create an account for it with the option to use a passkey instead of a password. However, if you are visiting a site you already have an account for, you can sign in as usual and then search for the passkey login option in your account settings and update/save your passkey credentials.
  • WhatsApp beta for Android begins rollout of redesigned emoji keyboard

    WhatsApp beta for Android begins rollout of redesigned emoji keyboard

    WhatsApp, the popular messaging app, is experimenting with a new redesigned Emoji keyboard that divides emoji, GIFs and stickers into three categories on the top. This keyboard was first spotted as being in development but now it’s starting to roll out in the latest version of WhatsApp beta for Android v2.23.12.13 from the Google Play Store.

    This development is being reported by WABetaInfo along with images of what the new keyboard looks like. The rollout is not global though and it looks like it’s being gradually pushed server-side to beta users.
    With this new keyboard, WhatsApp users will be able to scroll up on the keyboard and enjoy a full-screen view of the emoji list. However, you must first initiate a chat to check if your account has this capability. Additionally, a select number of beta testers may also notice a reorganization of the media sharing and emoji keyboard buttons.
    Besides the changes to the keyboard, this latest beta also adds a new feature called “Community Settings,” which lets community admins choose who can add groups. This group setting is set to “Only community admins” by default, but you can change it to allow community members to add their own groups.
    Unfortunately, the beta version of WhatsApp on the Google Play Store is perpetually full and rarely open for new users to sign up for. However, if you were lucky enough to grab a spot, you should definitely update to the newest version to try this out. Likewise, if you are able to sign up in the future, you must definitely sign up as well so you can secure your spot to beta test.
    Emojis have become an integral part of digital communication, allowing users to express emotions, convey messages, and add a touch of personalization to their conversations. By enhancing the emoji keyboard, WhatsApp hopes to elevate the way users engage and enhance the user experience.
  • Vietnam spends over $2B on animal feed, material imports in 5 months

    Vietnam spends over $2B on animal feed, material imports in 5 months

    Vietnam spent US$2.04 billion to import animal feed and raw materials for the production of this kind of commodity in the first five months of this year, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD).

    The figure marks a year-on-year decrease of 2%.

    Animal feed and raw materials from Argentina to Vietnam accounted for 25.8% of the total market shares, followed by India (18.3%) and the U.S. (15.2%).

    Compared to the same period last year, the imports from the three countries increased by 3.9%, 130%, and 28.3%, respectively.

    MARD recommends that to reduce reliance on imported animal feed, farmers in localities should make use of available domestic raw materials, produce animal feed by themselves to reduce cost, and find sources of raw materials for animal feed production.

    Ministries and agencies were asked to tighten control over the import of meat and by-products, support importers to reduce the costs of products, as well as create favorable conditions for the development of material zones for animal feed production.

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  • Yeah1 on course to achieve 5-year high profits

    Yeah1 on course to achieve 5-year high profits

    Online entertainment company Yeah1 expects profits to grow by 20% this year and reach their highest levels in five years.

    Its revenue target, though 35% higher than last year’s figure, is only a third of that of 2019.

    CEO Dao Phuc Tri said Yeah1 bought back a 35% stake in two companies, Yeah1 Edigital and Netlink Vietnam, in February.

    They used to be its subsidiaries, but it had to sell them in 2021 due to financial difficulties.

    The acquisitions mean the company would have a professional team of game show producers and indirectly own social media’s large pages and channels, Tri said.

    Yeah1 has completed restructuring of its business and identified key growth pillars for the next five years, including producing TV series, which account for over 30% of its ad revenues, he said.

    The company plans to sell 45 million shares in a rights issue to raise VND450 billion.

    Last year its revenues had plummeted by 71% to VND314 billion, while post-tax profits fell by 17% to VND25 billion.

    Yeah1 started out as a new platform for youth and grew into a giant online entertainment company with millions of followers on social media.

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  • Gold prices drop

    Gold prices drop

    SJC gold price fell 0.07% to VND66.95 million ($2,851.06) per tael Saturday morning.

    Gold ring price dropped 0.26% to VND56.5 million per tael. A tael equals 37.5 grams or 1.2 ounces.

    Globally gold slipped on Friday as hotter-than-expected U.S. jobs data lifted Treasury yields, but was on track for a weekly gain as a higher unemployment reading kept alive hopes that the Federal Reserve would pause interest rate hikes.

    Spot gold was down 1.4% at $1,951.13 per ounce after hitting a seven-session high earlier. U.S. gold futures settled 1.3% higher at $1,969.6.

    Bullion has gained 0.2% so far this week, and is set to break a three-week losing streak.

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  • Electric guitar maker Fender to open its first Japan store

    Electric guitar maker Fender to open its first Japan store

    U.S. guitar maker Fendi will open its first-ever store in Japan at the end of this month, opting for the nation’s capital, Tokyo, to make its global retail debut.

    Located in The Ice Cubes building, in the trendy Harajuku-Omotesando district, the 1,068-square-metre, four-storey Fender Tokyo flagship store will open its doors on June 30.

    Commissioned by Klein Dytham Architecture, the store will feature the full range of Fender products, including Fender Custom Shop , Made in the U.S. and Made in Japan models, acoustic guitars, ukuleles, amplifiers, pedals and more.

    In conjunction with the store opening, Fender will also launch a brand new Made-in-Japan fashion brand, F Is For Fender, available for purchase in the Fender Tokyo flagship store.

    On the basement floor, the flagship store will house an original coffee shop, Fender Cafe powered by Verve Coffee Roasters, and an event space hosting various events such as broadcast shows, panel discussions, performances and workshops.

    The first floor will feature newly released and featured products including electric and acoustic guitars, basses, artist signature models, and accessories. Visitors will discover all-new, original merchandise exclusive to Fender Flagship Tokyo, which includes clothing, hats, home and office items, stationary, and other lifestyle goods, including the F Is For Fener line, an apparel collection for all men and women inspired by the history of guitar in music culture with an urban, modern spin. All products are sourced and made in Japan and will come in small lot productions.

    The second floor of the store will showcase high-quality guitars and basses, made in the USA and Japan, and amplifiers. This floor will also have a soundproof room where visitors can try out instruments on a wide range of amps, while Fender’s third floor will showcase the renowned Fender Custom Shop, also known as the Dream Factory.

    “We are excited to share more details on what consumers can experience at our first flagship endeavor opening June 30,” said Edward Cole, president Fender APAC.

    “We’ve left no stone unturned in planning and designing every aspect of the musical journey to deliver a complete 360-degree experience for all visitors. Our deep gratitude goes out to our partners, whose unwavering support has helped turn this vision into a reality.”

    The global electric guitars market grew from USD 2.84 billion in 2022 to USD 3.04 billion in 2023 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7.1 percent, with Asia-Pacific the largest region in the electric guitar market last year, according to Report linker.

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  • Indonesia AirAsia launches Jakarta-Perth route

    Indonesia AirAsia launches Jakarta-Perth route

    Indonesia AirAsia has launched its inaugural flights on the Jakarta-Perth route, becoming the only airline to offer direct flights between the two cities post-pandemic. The new route, supported by the Western Australian Government and Perth Airport, initially operates four times a week, providing over 1,400 visitor seats weekly.

    The demand for travel between Indonesia and Australia is high due to convenient flight times and the appeal of both destinations for various activities, including shopping, dining, adventure, beaches, and education.

    Eddy Krismeidi Sumawilaga, Head of Indonesia Affairs and Policy of Indonesia AirAsia, expressed excitement about the new route and reported positive occupancy rates for the inaugural flights. The airline expects the Jakarta-Perth route to be popular among leisure travellers and Indonesians visiting Perth for business, leisure, education, and visiting friends and family. The route also offers Australians the opportunity to explore popular tourist destinations in Indonesia. With the support of Tourism Western Australia and Perth Airport, the airline anticipates strong demand for this new connection.

    The Western Australian Minister of Tourism, the Hon. Roger Cook MLA, highlighted the significance of the Jakarta-Perth flight in strengthening the relationship between the two destinations and enhancing Western Australia’s reputation as a gateway. Kate Holsgrove, Acting CEO of Perth Airport, emphasized the positive impact of the new service on Western Australia’s business, student, and tourism sectors, with the potential to attract more visitors and students from Jakarta.

    The Consul General of the Republic of Indonesia in Perth, Listiana Operananta, expressed support for the new route and encouraged more West Australians to explore Indonesia and vice versa, noting the potential for further exploration between Jakarta and Perth due to their similarities and short flight duration.

    The flights between Jakarta and Perth are operated on Airbus A320 aircraft with a capacity of 180 seats. The flight duration is approximately 4.5 hours, and the frequency is four times a week.

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  • YouTube Music is testing a new style of Artist pages

    YouTube Music is testing a new style of Artist pages

    YouTube Music is one of the major competitors to Spotify. As a music streaming service, it has a wide range of features and even wider selection of artists. But what about the app’s design? Well, huge chunks of it have remained the same for a long time.

    But this is Google we’re talking about. We can see the company’s strive for innovation through products like its Android phones, such as the Pixel 7a and Pixel Fold. So how does that translate into refreshing YouTube Music? Well, with a test.

    Said test impacts the Artist pages in the app, which up until now was pretty straightforward and conventional. With this change, though, users who navigate to an artist’s page will be able to see a new section labeled “Discography” which includes new filters too.

    While users will be able to browse the given discography at leisure, they can also utilize the new filtering options to single out Albums or Singles specifically. As someone who appreciates a full album playlist more than some random selection of songs, I personally welcome this change with open arms!

    That being said, there was a short appearance of another visual mode too: Top Releases. This, of course, features the given artist’s most successful hits, but for some reason the feature was rolled back a few days after release. That being said: some users are still seeing it, which is… interesting?

    That might be because the page launched too early and wasn’t exactly finished, but it also may be due to some other, more dubious reason. Regardless, we’re sure that it will make an appearance again if — and when — the Big G thinks that it is ready.

    This change does limit the content offering on the first page of the artist pane, but in return it is also much easier to navigate. We still don’t know how wide the roll out of this revamp is, so you might want to check for any pending app updates today.

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  • Google announces new Android features including a trio of useful new widgets

    Google announces new Android features including a trio of useful new widgets

    Google today announced new features for Android devices that are designed to get information to you faster, protect your devices, and more importantly, allow you to have fun. First, for those learning to read, is a new feature in Google Play Books available now called Reading practice. You’ll find Reading practice on Children’s ebooks marked with a “practice” badge in the Google Play Books app and it will read aloud certain hard-to-pronounce and unknown words. The child reading the book gets to say the word and receives feedback from the device in real-time.
    Hey widget fans, Google is adding a trio of new widgets to Android phones and tablets that are designed to help you track your stocks through Google Finance, view headlines from Google News, and get recommendations for movies and television shows to view from Google TV. I’m looking forward to adding all three to my Pixel 6 Pro home screen. To install a widget on your Android device, long-press on an empty bit of your home screen, tap Widgets, find the one you want, and add it to your home screen.
    You’ll soon be able to press play on your Wear OS-powered watch and hear Spotify’s DJ “spin” your favorite music, play episodes of your favorite podcasts, and more thanks to new tiles from Spotify for Wear OS. In addition, commuters in Washington D.C. and San Francisco can access their SmarTrip and Clipper cards via Google Wallet via their Wear OS smartwatch. All they need to do is “tap and ride” to start their commute.
    Speaking about Wear OS smartwatches, the always useful Google Keep app is being made available for your wrist with Google Keep for Wear OS. You’ll swipe through your tiles until you come to a shopping list, or anything else you’ve pinned from the app.
    I don’t know about you, but I enjoy using the Emoji Kitchen which mixes up two different emoji to create a weird-looking new sticker. Google is adding aquatic-themed combinations that will have you screaming “shark” on a hot day at the beach.
    Lastly, most Android users with Google Accounts in the U.S. can now use the Google One website or app to see whether their email address has been exposed on the dark web. Google will also advise you on what to do if a scan shows that your email address is part of a data breach. Google says that “Google One members in the U.S. are able to scan for additional personal information, such as their social security number. Access will also expand to more than 20 countries in the coming months.”
    And Pixel users should be looking forward to next Monday when the next Pixel Feature Drop is due. Those running the QPR3 Beta will be able to exit the Beta program without a penalty once they have installed the final version of the June Feature Drop on their compatible Pixel handset.
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  • Google Chat may receive design updates and Mobile App redesign

    Google Chat may receive design updates and Mobile App redesign

    In recent years, group chats have seen a significant surge in demand, especially with the rise of remote work in specific industries. Communication software like Slack, Microsoft Teams, Chanty, and Google Chat have become go-to platforms, making any news regarding their updates worth paying attention to.

    It appears that Google Chat may be gearing up for some design updates, including a fresh logo and a redesigned mobile app, to improve conversation management.

    The tech giant recently showcased a four-color icon when discussing Google Chat. Google clarified that this was a concept for the future of Google Chat. Currently, the logo consists of overlapping speech bubbles, reminiscent of Google Chat’s predecessor, Hangouts.

    The proposed new logo aligns more closely with other Google features, following the same four-color scheme and graphic layout in the style of Gmail, Drive, Meet, Maps, and more. The new logo looks like a chat bubble with a slight drop-off in the right corner—simple and quite similar to the Google Calendar’s logo, which for some might be a bit confusing, especially when in a hurry.

    9to5Google also suggests the possibility of a redesign for the Google Chat mobile app. Right now, the app includes a bottom bar with two tabs: Chat and Spaces. “Chat” encompasses both one-on-one and group conversations, while “Spaces” are designed for larger teams, similar to other popular communication software solutions.

    The redesigned version may introduce top tabs on the app’s main screen. The “Timeline” tab is expected to comprehensively view all conversations, including chats and spaces. Users may be able to categorize their conversations by labels such as All, Unread, Pinned, DMs, and Spaces.

    Another tab could show conversations where you are mentioned directly, which may be a lot easier in terms of managing your conversations.

    With potential improvements in the form of a new logo and enhanced functionality, Google Chat may be aiming at becoming a more competitive app among the many others out there.

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  • Gold prices increase

    Gold prices increase

    Gold ring price rose 0.18% to VND56.6 million per tael. A tael equals 37.5 grams or 1.2 ounces.

    Globally gold prices eased on Wednesday, set for a monthly drop, as progress in the U.S. debt ceiling deal and expectations that the Federal Reserve will likely raise interest rates further eroded bullion’s safe-haven status.

    Spot gold fell 0.2% to $1,955.28 per ounce, and lost 1.7% so far this month. U.S. gold futures eased 0.2% to $1,954.80.

    An overnight decline in Treasury yields have allowed gold prices to defend its support confluence zone at the $1,940 level for now, but intermittent bounces since early-May have been short-lived, which raises the chances that it could be the same this time round as well, said Yeap Jun Rong, a market analyst at IG.

  • Colgate-Palmolive teams up with Bluey to launch new range

    Colgate-Palmolive teams up with Bluey to launch new range

    Bluey has become the first ever Australian brand to feature on Colgate products, with BBC Studios and the global oral care company teaming up to launch a range of toothpaste and toothbrushes, available now.

    Bluey Manual Toothbrushes, Bluey Power toothbrushes, and Bluey Kids Toothpaste in recyclable tubes — featuring loveable characters, Bluey and Bingo, from Australia’s number one kids’ series — have started hitting shelves in Woolworths, Coles, Big W, Chemist Warehouse, ALDI (toothpaste only), and a range of independent retailers across Australia. The products will also be rolled out in New Zealand and Fiji.

    Anthony Crewes, Head of Marketing, Colgate Australia and NZ, said: “We are thrilled with our new partnership with Bluey. We can’t wait to help kids, and parents, make brush time negotiations easier with the help of Bluey and Bingo, and give everyone a reason to smile. We are sure this is the beginning of a strong friendship between Colgate and Bluey. “

    Kate O’Connor, Head of Brands and Licensing, BBC Studios ANZ, said: “We are always looking for ways to bring Bluey and Bingo to life in new, fun ways for our fans, and we’re so proud to be the first Aussie brand to partner with Colgate. We think it’s a wonderful match, as Bluey and Colgate have similar goals – to keep kids (and parents) smiling!

    Colgate joins an esteemed list of brand partner deals inked by BBC Studios’ ANZ team, including Bonds, Peter Alexander, Pauls Dairy, Smiggle, Wahu and Adairs.  

     

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