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Category: Living

Retail News Asia is committed to providing both local and global retailers with the latest Living news throughout the Asian market. This on a daily base.

  • TikTok may soon let you dislike comments

    TikTok may soon let you dislike comments

    Today, almost everyone is on TikTok, and — although the short-video platform is extremely addictive and entertaining — as with any social platform, there’s the potential for inappropriate or harmful content as well as comments. To help its users “feel more in control over their interactions”, TikTok is testing a new dislike button for its comment section.

    In a blog post, TikTok said that the new button will allow users to flag comments that they find irrelevant or inappropriate. The dislike reaction will be private, only visible to the person who pressed it. The social platform stated, “This community feedback will add to the range of factors we already use to help keep the comment section consistently relevant and a place for genuine engagement.”

    The dislike reaction to a comment will signal the platform’s algorithms that there may be something wrong or simply irrelevant in said comment. We assume that a certain amount of dislikes would cause a comment to sink further down the list, or flag it for review.

    If you wish to straight-up report a disruptive, spammy, or plain inappropriate comment — you can do so currently by tapping and holding on to the comment and then choosing the “report” option.

    Another feature that TikTok said is in its testing phase is reminders that the social platform sends to creators who receive a “high proportion of negative comments.” The reminders will tell creators about features such as comment filtering, bulk block, and bulk delete, which can be used to battle harmful comments. The social platform also noted that it would decide whether to roll the feature out or not in the coming weeks.

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  • Priceline Pharmacy launches health insurance

    Priceline Pharmacy launches health insurance

    Priceline Pharmacy has launched a unique health insurance brand and products in partnership with health fund nib.

    The launch of the health insurance products sees Priceline Pharmacy become the first pharmacy retailer to offer this to its customers.

    The cover includes all the stuff people would typically expect with private health insurance but the real benefits are the Priceline perks thrown in for good measure.

    “Priceline has operated as a health and beauty destination for over 40 years. We are constantly looking to provide products and services that our customers want and Priceline Health Insurance now provides an extension of our brand’s trusted pharmacy offer,” General Manager, Priceline Pharmacy, Andrew Vidler said.

    “There is no other health insurance product like this: from $5 vouchers, which accrue with every $50 purchase (and I can tell you they add up quickly!) to offering annual flu vaccinations through more than 370 Priceline Pharmacies around Australia.

    “It’s important to us that our Franchisees who operate these local pharmacies in their communities will also see these new health insurance customers in their stores and create even more loyal Sister Club members for our brand,” he said. 

    Priceline says the pharmacy brand is leveraging the power of its Sister Club program. Specifically, Priceline health insurance members will receive Sister Club bonus points for every $1 spent on the premium and a $5 voucher for every $50 spent in Priceline and Priceline Pharmacy stores.

    Additionally, Priceline says that health insurance members will also be bumped up to automatic ‘Pink Diamond’ status, which is the highest status a Sister Club member can attain. This comes with numerous benefits including more $5 vouchers and gifts for birthdays and Christmas.

    Additionally, every health insurance customer will reportedly receive an annual flu vaccine at Priceline Pharmacy.

    nib’s Chief Executive Australian residents’ health insurance, Ed Close said the launch of Priceline health insurance presented a unique and exciting opportunity, particularly for the more than seven million Sister Club members.

    “As one of Australia’s largest loyalty programs, Sister Club members will benefit from a bespoke range of best-in-class health insurance products, but with the bonus of Sister Club points on joining and when they pay their premium, making sure they get ongoing value from simply being a Priceline health member,” Mr Close said.

    “In addition, we will be able to use Priceline’s national pharmacy network and digital assets to provide an enhanced service offering as well as ongoing customer benefits.”

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  • Spotify’s standalone Greenroom app gets a new home and a new name

    Spotify’s standalone Greenroom app gets a new home and a new name

    Spotify is constantly changing its app to provide users with a wide range of features. Last year, Spotify bought a company called Betty Labs, the creators of Locker Room, a live audio app where fans and insiders can take part in conversations focusing on various topics.

    A few months later, the Locker Room app has been renamed to Greenroom and offered separately as part of the Spotify ecosystem. Starting this week, Greenroom will be available from the Spotify main app to make it easier for everyone to enjoy its features.

    Additionally, Spotify announced that it decided to change Greenroom’s name to Spotify Live. It’s important to mention that Spotify Live is now available both as a standalone app and as a livestream function in the Spotify app.

    Spotify users can now tune in to live programming on the service via the creator’s podcast or artist page, and if whey wish be part of the conversation or join the host onstage, they can head to the Spotify Live app to make it happen.

  • Netflix adds a ‘Double Thumbs Up’ button to further improve its recommendations

    Netflix adds a ‘Double Thumbs Up’ button to further improve its recommendations

    In an attempt to better attune its recommendations to its users, Netflix introduced a third button to its rating system. Yes, from now on, Netflix will have not two, but three reaction buttons: a thumbs up, a thumbs down, and a double thumbs up button.

    According to Netflix, the thumbs-up button shows Netflix’s algorithms what movies and TV shows you like, but the double thumbs-up button shows which movies and TV shows you love. Based on which movies and shows received your double thumbs-up reaction, Netflix’s algorithms will better recommend similar movies and shows that “what you enjoy.”

    As Netflix explained, if you reacted with a double thumbs up to the TV show Bridgerton, the platform may even recommend you more movies or series starring some of the show’s cast or other movies and shows from the same production company, which in this case is Shondaland.

    Netflix’s double thumbs-up button is located next to the thumbs-up and thumbs-down buttons. You can see and use it now on the TV, web, and mobile versions of the service. And as Netflix said, “Don’t be shy. Express yourself and tell us what you’re loving on Netflix. You know you want to.”

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  • Amazon Music Unlimited’s monthly subscription price set to slightly increase

    Amazon Music Unlimited’s monthly subscription price set to slightly increase

    Every once in a while, major streaming services are adjusting their subscription prices, especially if they prove to be successful. Netflix, HBO, Hulu, Spotify and many other similar streaming service have had their prices increased a few times in the last couple of years.

    The latest on that list is Amazon Music Unlimited, which is expected to increase its monthly subscription price by $1. Many Amazon Music subscribers have started to receive notifications via email that confirmed the monthly Amazon Music Unlimited Individual Plan price will increase from $7.99 to $8.99 .

    Strangely enough, Amazon did not announce anything yet, but it’s probably just a matter of time before the move is officialized. According to the email, the new price for Amazon Music Unlimited will go live on May 5.

    On the bright side, the Amazon Music Unlimited Family Plan price has been kept the same, so anyone who currently pays the $14.99 monthly subscription will not be affected by the price hike.

    With access to more than 75 million songs in HD, as well as several important top-tier audio features, including Spatial Audio, Amazon Music Unlimited is one of the cheapest offerings on the music streaming services market. Despite the $1 price hike, Amazon Music remains a great deal for those looking for high-quality music content at a low price.

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  • Apple TV+, Netflix drop out of bidding for rights to Will Smith’s biopic following “the slap”

    Apple TV+, Netflix drop out of bidding for rights to Will Smith’s biopic following “the slap”

    One of the most bankable and likable stars in Hollywood has seen his reputation shattered in the time it took Will Smith to rise out of his seat at the Academy Awards and slap Chris Rock in the face. Everyone knows the story now and since film and television aren’t part of our beat, there is no sense in taking a deep dive and analyzing the whole affair. However, Apple is on our beat and there is part of this story that has an impact on the tech titan.

    Apple TV+ and six other companies including Netflix have been bidding for the rights to a film version of Smith’s biography; the best-seller was published in 2021. A source said “Apple TV+ and Netflix have pulled out of the bidding for the project and are now planning to use the funds to develop original ideas pitched by new black actors. The source added that “Working with Will has become a risky business. They (including Apple) now plan on developing ideas with more family-friendly stars like Mike Epps and Michael B. Jordan.”

    Think about how strange this all sounds. We should point out that Smith was scheduled to star in a new original film for Apple TV+ called “Emancipation.” Production had been halted on the set because of Covid and it isn’t clear what the film’s status is at this time.

    After the slap, the awards show continued and Smith won the Best Actor Oscar for his part in “King Richard,” a film about Richard Williams, the father of tennis stars Venus and Serena Williams. In winning that award, he beat out Denzel Washington who was nominated for starring as Macbeth in the Apple TV+ movie “The Tragedy of Macbeth.”

    The slap heard around the world is going to hurt Will Smith as companies like Apple drop him like a bad habit. Apple has enough bad press thanks to its App Store policies without having to carry Smith’s baggage too.

    Eventually, the American people will forget, and Smith’s name will grace the “A” list once again. But right now, you can’t blame Apple for taking a hard pass on streaming a Will Smith Biopic. Speaking of streaming, Apple did become part of motion picture history on Oscar night as Apple TV+ became the first streaming service to take home a Best Picture Oscar as CODA took the victory in that category.

    Winning “Best Picture” has helped Apple TV+ subscriptions soar 25% in the aftermath of the televised awards show. At the same time, the number of Apple TV+ subscribers viewing CODA soared 300% week-over-week. The film was also the first with a mostly all-deaf cast to pick up the hardware for “Best Picture” at the event. Apple has never released subscription numbers for Apple TV+, but by one estimate it is believed to have 40 million accounts with 20 million paying customers.

    Apple secured the rights to the movie by paying a Sundance Film Festival record of $25 million. While it would seem that Apple made a smart investment in purchasing the movie rights, it isn’t clear whether many new subscribers were taking advantage of the seven-day free trial of the service that Apple offers just so they could view CODA and see what all of the excitement was about.

    Apple also gives away three free months of Apple TV+ to consumers who purchase an iPhone or other Apple products. Apple will have to see whether these subscribers stick around before it can make a final statement about its investment in CODA. With the huge jump in subscriptions thanks to CODA’s Best Picture victory, it does seem that the world famous “slap” didn’t completely grab all of the attention away from the actual winners during the 94th Academy Awards.”

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  • Vietnam faces electricity shortages from April

    Vietnam faces electricity shortages from April

    Vietnam may face a power shortage from April due to tight coal supplies, Vietnam Electricity (EVN) reported.

    Some thermal power plants are operating at 60-70 percent capacity, which has led to a decline in electricity supply as the high-demand season nears.

    The decline in power production is seen at Nghi Son 1, Vung Ang 1, and Vinh Tan 2 thermal power plants in the central region and Duyen Hai 1 in the Mekong delta, EVN said in a report Wednesday. Hai Phong thermal plant in the north has shut down three out of four turbines, it added.

    This has led to a shortage of 3,000 megawatts of electricity. The decline came as coal delivery to EVN plants was 23 percent short of its need for the first quarter.

    As the country’s two biggest coal miners Vinacomin and Dong Bac struggled to have enough supply, there could be an electricity shortage starting April, EVN stated. Vietnam, especially the northern region, usually has high power demand between May and July due to high heat.

    The state-run Vinacomin reported earlier this month that the shortage of miners in the first two months due to Covid-19 and surging import prices have caused its supply to fall. As of March 14, the company had provided only 74 percent of what it promised to thermal power plants for the first quarter.

    The company has also sought official approval to raise selling prices as import rates increase. It has not hiked prices for the last two years. The Ministry of Industry and Trade has ordered Vinacomin to ensure that there would be no coal shortage under any circumstances. Coal-fired plants accounted for 43.6 percent of total power generation in February, according to EVN.

    Vietnam promised to target net-zero emissions by 2050 at the 2021 U.N. Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Scotland last November.

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  • Ikea set to open in downtown Bangkok

    Ikea set to open in downtown Bangkok

    Swedish home furnishings retailer Ikea is expanding its footprint in Thailand with a new store slated to open at Bangkok’s latest shopping mall, Emsphere on Sukhumvit Road.

    The company announced on Facebook that Ikea Emsphere will mark the brand’s fourth store in the country after Bangna and Bang Yai in Bangkok and its third store in Phuket. The opening date has not yet been disclosed.

    “Ikea and partners will announce details of cooperation soon and look forward to a warm welcome from all customers as well,” Ikea said.

    Emsphere is part of The Mall Group’s EM District project which includes The Emporium and The EmQuatier opposite. Currently under construction, the new centre is expected to be completed later this year. The mix-used building will span more than 200,000sqm, and besides Ikea is set to become home to a series of luxury brands.

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  • Google will soon allow you to book a healthcare appointment using search

    Google will soon allow you to book a healthcare appointment using search

    Google announced today that it is making it easier and faster to find appointments for healthcare providers. A new feature will allow users to check the availability of appointment openings at certain medical facilities and book an appointment. Google says that it is in the early stages of rolling out this feature and is working with its partners which include quick care provider MinuteClinic at CVS.

    Google says, “We hope to expand features, functionality, and our network of partners so we can make it easier for people to get the care they need.” Imagine how fast and easy it will be to use your phone to look up MinuteClinic in your city and tap on the Appointments tab. That will bring up a list of appointments available for certain conditions that you can book immediately from the display.

    Today is Google’s second annual Health event that it calls The Check-Up. Teams from Search, YouTube, Fitbit, Care Studio, Health AI, Cloud and Advanced Technologies and Projects will be making presentations about their latest healthcare initiatives. For example, starting this week in Japan, Brazil, and India, YouTube is adding health source information panels on videos to help viewers differentiate between real factual medical information and made-up phony misinformation that you see on social media.

    Also involved is the Fitbit team. During today’s event, Fitbit co-founder James Park explained how wearable devices can help those with chronic conditions including heart problems such as atrial fibrillation (AFib). A study conducted by Fitbit has been able to identify undiagnosed AFib 98% of the time.

    Google has submitted its algorithm to the FDA for review and going out on a limb here, we would imagine that this algorithm could end up on a Fitbit wearable helping ordinary consumers learn whether they have AFib. This algorithm also could make its way to Wear OS in the future.

    So if you’re fed up playing phone tag with your doctor’s office, or are not feeling well enough to sit on hold and listen to muzak so bad that even elevators can’t stand hearing these tunes, relief is on the way from Google.

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  • Spotify is now testing a new Car Mode UI for safer music listening while driving

    Spotify is now testing a new Car Mode UI for safer music listening while driving

    Driving is always more fun when you’re enjoying your favorite music, or listening to a podcast while you’re stuck in a traffic jam. Now, iMore reports about a new Car Mode look that Spotify is working on, designed especially to make it easier and safer for drivers. Check it out.

    The new Car Mode is a feature that will make it safer to use when you’re driving. This new feature comes after Spotify abandoned Car View, which actually was doing something similar.

    For now, the feature is not official, but the new look has been showcased on Android, and you can see what it will look like once it gets officially released. Most likely the feature will also have its testing period on iOS devices as well, and some might have gotten to test it already.

    What it is is bringing larger buttons that are easier to tap on while you’re busy looking at the road, and as a whole, the interface of the popular music-streaming app is simpler. However, it does have more options than what Car View had, as Car View was quite simplistic.

    Killing Car View was actually in order to have Spotify users look into the Car Thing accessory that the company released recently.

    Spotify is now prompting some users to “test drive” the new feature when they connect their phones to their car. One of the best features Car Mode brings is that you can easily browse and search for different music to play in your car, something that the old version, Car View, didn’t have.

    You get to have a home screen, a library view, and a voice control button so you can just give it commands and have your hands on the steering wheel. Of course, you get also simple media controls like play/pause, and others.

    The Library tab gives you a glance at the music you’ve listened to most recently. This feature is still in testing for Android (and probably soon for iOS users), and no official release date has been announced as of yet.

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  • Spotify to move Greenroom to its main app, rename it to Spotify Live

    Spotify to move Greenroom to its main app, rename it to Spotify Live

    It seems that the Clubhouse craze is slowly dying out – Spotify is the latest company to make changes to its live conversation app, Greenroom. According to inside sources, Spotify plans to integrate Greenroom into the main app, and rename it to Spotify Live.

    The change is apparently happening in the second quarter of the year, with all the features migrating to Spotify. Creators will be able to organize and start conversations in Spotify Live, and subscribers will be able to listen to them in the main app.

    There’s another piece of evidence, tied to the change – it was found in the beta app by developer Steve Moser who allegedly shared the matter with Bloomberg. Spotify reacted to the popularity of Clubhouse, which exploded last year, by acquiring Betty Labs, the maker of social audio app Locker Room, and then rebranded the product to Greenroom.

    The short-lived success of Clubhouse resulted in many companies trying to replicate the functionality – Twitter introduced Spaces, and Facebook launched Live Audio Rooms. According to data from SensorTower, Clubhouse scored less than 1 million active monthly users in October 2021, compared to the top result of 9.6 million active users back in February of the same year.

    Integrating Greenroom into Spotify is probably a wise choice, as the standalone app failed to take off and managed to haul only 140,000 installs on iOS as of July 2021. Spotify, on the other hand, ended 2021 with 406m active users and 180m subscribers, and giving them the opportunity to listen to these Clubhouse-like streams may breathe a new life to the feature.

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  • Netflix subscribers are getting more free mobile games this month

    Netflix subscribers are getting more free mobile games this month

    Netflix’s games library is getting bigger every month, as the streaming service signs new partnerships with mobile game developers and publishers. The latest batch of games coming to Netflix subscribers include a variety of genres yet are made by just two studios.

    The first two games are hitting Netflix games platform today, while a third title will be available at a later date. Starting today, Netflix subscribers will have access to Shatter Remastered and This Is A True Story, developed by PikPok and Frosty Pop, respectively.

    Shatter Remastered is a brick-breaking game that mixes classic action with interesting twists and challenging boss battles. It seems to draw inspiration from the retro Arkanoid games. As the name suggests, this is an updated version of Shatter, a game that was originally released on PlayStation 3 back in 2009.

    This Is A True Story is a narrative puzzle game that tells the true story of a Sub-Saharan African woman’s daily struggle to get water for her family. According to developer Frosty Pop, the game is based on actual interviews and experiences and has been designed to allow players to explore beautiful scenery while surviving a windstorm or catching poachers.

    Finally, a third title, Into The Dead 2: Unleashed, is coming soon to Netflix. The sequel to hit zombie action game Into the Dead promises multiple chapters, dozens of stages, as well as hundreds of challenges.

    All games can be downloaded directly from the Netflix mobile app or from the Apple or Google app store. Also, all three are available on both iOS and Android platforms.

  • Vietnam unable to match minimum wages with living standards

    Vietnam unable to match minimum wages with living standards

    The minimum wage – minimum living standard gap has been widening for years, but there is no solution in sight as workers struggle to make ends meet.

    Vietnam first introduced the “minimum living standard” term in its 2012 Labor Law, which requires that the minimum wage must meet the minimum living standard.

    A decade later, the gap between the two has kept widening and the current minimum wage far is from matching the level needed for an average laborer to make ends meet.

    The minimum wage in Region 1, referring to the most developed areas of a province or city, has stayed unchanged at VND4.42 million ($194) since 2020, which is 5 percent shy of the official minimum living standard, according to a study by the Research Center for Employment Relations.

    When compared with the acceptable living standard, the figure is 41 percent lower, it said.

    One of the reasons for such a wide gap is that the starting point of the minimum wage was too low, said Mai Duc Chinh, former deputy chairman of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor.

    In 2013, representatives of businesses and workers negotiated and agreed that the first minimum wage level would be VND2.35 million, 30 percent lower than the minimum living standard at the time.

    In 2014, the labor confederation proposed that the gap be eliminated, but the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) and the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs opposed it, saying a sudden surge would hurt businesses.

    They finally agreed to increase the wage by 15 percent to VND2.7 million.

    In the following years, the minimum wage level was increased mostly to make up for inflation, which means technically the “15 percent gap” is still there, Chinh said.

    Another reason that the gap still exists is the lack of an independent organization to determine the minimum living standard, said Vu Quang Tho, former head of the Institute of Workers and Trade Union.

    Labor representatives think that raising a child costs 70 percent of an adults’ living costs, but businesses think the ratio should be around 50 percent. The labor reps also say that the average daily amount of food a worker needs is 2,300 calories, but businesses think the figure should be 2,000 calories.

    Chinh said that current labor laws allow business owners to increase workers’ salaries “according to the ability of the business,” which is something that authorities cannot evaluate and manage.

    Therefore, if a company claims to continuous losses or plunging revenues, it can keep workers’ salaries unchanged for years, which is what happened over the last two years of Covid-19.

    Do Quynh Chi, director of the Research center For Employment Relations, said many countries have shown that a well-designed minimum wage set of policy will protect workers at the “bottom” of the labor market.

    He said: “Other countries have strong union organizations, and the wage there meets minimum living standards.”

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  • Vietnam promises adequate gasoline supply for Q2

    Vietnam promises adequate gasoline supply for Q2

    Vietnam has enough gasoline for the second quarter even without the supply from Nghi Son Refinery, the Ministry of Industry and Trade assured.

    The refinery, which accounts for around a third of domestic supply, has no plans to deliver products in April and May. It also has not made clear its production plan after that, the ministry reported to lawmakers Tuesday.

    For this reason, the ministry will not take into account Nghi Son’s supply for the second quarter, but would ensure enough supply “in every scenario”.

    It has tasked 10 gasoline distributors to increase its import quota by 2.4 million cubic meters for the second quarter.

    Vietnam’s gasoline supply has met with difficulties in the last two months, partly because a cash crunch forced Nghi Son Refinery, one of two such plants in the country, to reduce production from 105 percent to 80 percent, then 55 percent.

    The other refinery, Dung Quat, has increased its supply to 105 percent since earlier last month to bolster the market.

    With the Russia-Ukraine crisis sending oil prices up, Vietnam’s gasoline prices have risen by 28 percent since the end of December to an all-time high of VND29,820 ($1.30) now.

    The government has proposed to lawmakers that a 50 percent cut on environmental tax on gasoline and diesel be implemented to reduce prices.

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  • Gasoline prices surge 10 pct

    Gasoline prices surge 10 pct

    Vietnam gasoline prices skyrocketed by 10 percent to another new record Friday, after authorities adjusted them upward for the seventh time in three months.

    The price of popular gasoline RON 95 and biofuel E5 RON 92 both rose from VND26,830 per liter to VND29,820 per liter and from VND26,070 to VND28,980, respectively. ($1 = VND22,875)

    The price of other fuels, including kerosene, diesel, and mazut, also climbed by 12-16.5 percent. Friday’s was the seventh hike since Dec. 10, 2021 without a downward adjustment in between.

    Compared to December, RON 95 gasoline prices are already up by over 30 percent, while those of biofuel E5 RON 92 have risen 31.3 percent.

    Global oil prices fell on Wednesday by the most in nearly two years after OPEC member United Arab Emirates stated it supported pumping more oil into a market roiled by supply disruptions due to sanctions on Russia after it attacked Ukraine.

    Its prices settled at $109.3 per barrel Wednesday, down $18.7 or 14.6 percent, their biggest one-day decline since April 2020. At the time of writing, oil prices are hovering above $110 per barrel.

    Recently, the Ministry of Finance has proposed to halve the environmental tax on fuel, from VND4,000 to VND2,000 per liter on gasoline and from VND2,000 to VND1,000 on diesel.

    Environmental tax, together with other taxes and fees, adds up to 43 percent of gasoline retail prices in Vietnam.

    Vietnam authorities make gasoline price adjustments on the 1st, 11th and 21st day of the month; therefore, changes follow global movements after a certain delay.

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