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  • Foodpanda Hong Kong partners with OpenRice

    Foodpanda Hong Kong partners with OpenRice

    Foodpanda Hong Kong has partnered with OpenRice Hong Kong, the city’s most comprehensive platform for sharing dining experiences through reviews and ratings.

    This cross-platform collaboration will allow Hong Kongers to order directly from Foodpanda’s partnered restaurants via OpenRice’s iOS, Android App or mobile-friendly website.

    openrice foodpanda

    “The strategic partnership with OpenRice has begun in other markets in Asia and now it’s finally in Hong Kong,” said Alexander Roth, MD of Foodpanda Hong Kong.

    ‘’We hope to provide an enhanced consumer experience by leveraging the strengths of both platforms in this partnership.”

    OpenRice MD Jan Wong said with her company’s app being the most popular dining guide in Hong Kong and Foodpanda a global player in online food delivery, it was a natural marriage.

    “With Foodpanda’s extensive coverage and services, up-to-date dining info and various dining services would be all-in-one in OpenRice, which greatly enhances gourmet dining experience”, said Wong.

    Launched in June 2014, the Foodpanda app has generated over 250,000 downloads in Hong Kong across iOS and Android platforms. The majority of users are aged 20 to 40, with an even split of  male and female professionals and families in Hong Kong. Foodpanda is also planning a new app release focused on enhancing user experience and usability.

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  • Indonesia launches a video portal called MeTube

    Indonesia launches a video portal called MeTube

    Major Indonesian media company MNC Group has launched a YouTube clone. It’s called MeTube. No joke.

    The site itself looks a lot like its American role model. Many elements are similar, like the logo, video layout, positioning of the comments section, and color scheme. Content-wise, MeTube is a mix of MNC’s own shows and videos uploaded by partner sites or individual users. The site lets you search for keywords or browse clips in standard categories like comedy, news, fashion, sports, or travel. Some MNC-owned talk shows and comedy series are highlighted on the landing page.

    Bumpy launch

    Indonesian content creators were not impressed. Film director Joko Anwar and Christian Sugiono, founder of the popular comedy website Malesbanget, both took to Twitter with complaints about the site.

    Sugiono said he was disappointed that a MeTube user had uploaded a number of Malesbanget clips without permission.

    “Sadly I see a lot of content from @malesbange which was uploaded without malesbanget’s approval by another user” Christian Sugionor tweeted.

    Anwar pointed out that a simple search on MeTube revealed a number of “sexy” videos. Showing nudity in images and video is considered pornographic, and thus illegal, in Indonesia.

    “Well and if [MeTube], which was created locally, contains content like this will you also block it, @rudiantara_id?” Joko Anwar tweeted to Indonesia’s tech minister.

    It’s for this reason that video portal Vimeo is blocked in the archipelago. In the eyes of the authorities, it didn’t do enough to remove videos with nude scenes. Anwar raised the question whether the same strict rule would apply to MeTube.

    MeTube meanwhile swiftly removed the videos pointed out by Anwar and Sugiono, which indicates the team is monitoring reactions to the launch closely and wants to avoid more public criticism.

    Business interests

    MeTube’s launch comes at a time when MNC should be worried about its future. MNC’s share price has been tumbling ever since on-demand-video site Netflix launched in Indonesia early this year.

    MNC’s share price has been in steady decline this year. This coincides with the launch of Netflix in the region.

    It’s possible that investors think MNC became less attractive since Netflix’ launch. The company from California offers access to a wider selection of films and TV series for a lower price than the company’s pay-TV service.

    It’s a lucky turn of events for MNC that Telkom, Indonesia’s state-owned telco and internet service provider (ISP), decided to block Netflix recently. It did so on its own initiative, without a mandate from the tech ministry.

    It’s Not You, it’s Me

    In the traditional procedure, it’s up to the tech minister and an independent committee to recommend blocking certain sites. The request is then passed down to all ISPs.

    Telkom argued that it decided to block Netflix to keep viewers safe from “inappropriate content”.

    Some observers believe Telkom’s concern over “negative content” is just a front. “This is purely business,” said Damar Juniarto of the local NGO Forum Demokrasi Digital (Digital Democracy Forum) about Telkom’s move. Like MNC, Telkom has a pay-TV channel which might be in jeopardy if viewers flock to Netflix instead.

    Lame copycat

    Telkom’s and MNC’s business concerns are reasonable, but their strategies to cope with global competition seem out of touch with reality.

    Given MNC’s resources and access to content, it could have done more to craft a unique video portal that wins over local content creators and consumers.

    Instead, it created a copycat whose name and slogan are hopelessly unoriginal.

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  • Deadly virus could force Tata to rebrand new car

    Deadly virus could force Tata to rebrand new car

    It’s a bad time to be called Zica – even if it’s a car we are talking about and not the deadly virus that’s gone global. Zica is a new hatchback from Indian carmaker Tata’s stable, while the mosquito-borne virus that has gone global is called Zika. But who cares about spelling when they both sound the same?

    Such is the panic over the similarity that Tata is reviewing the name –  even though its origins are innocuous enough. Zica is short for “zippy car.” But no amount of shouting that from the rooftops can help now, it seems.

    “The decision to name our car happened many months back when we could not have foreseen any of the recent events. In view of the recent developments, we are now evaluating the situation,” Minari Shah, Tata’s head of corporate communications was quoted.

    Rebranding is often undertaken by corporates for better impact. For instance, Hutbitat, a big data real estate search engine for Australian properties, rebranded to Homekoala after realising that people had trouble understanding the original name and remembering it thereafter.

    Sometimes when a business expands into new markets or domains, a company’s original name may begin to feel ill-suited.

    Startups like Near and Inshorts were called AdNear and News in Shorts before they shed the first words in their names. Few may remember that real estate portal CommonFloor, which was recently acquired by online classifieds site Quikr, was once called Apna Ilaka (“Our Neighborhood” in Hindi). Rebranding obviously worked well in these cases and the new names stuck.

    But the Tata Zica seems to have been caught off guard by the virus.

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  • Tesla’s new Model X will cost you an arm and a leg in China

    Tesla’s new Model X will cost you an arm and a leg in China

    Fans of affordable electric vehicles, avert your eyes. Tesla has announced its mainland China pricing for high-end models of its upcoming SUV, the Model X, and the numbers are not pretty. The 90D model, which will cost around US$100,000 in most other markets, will run Chinese consumers a whopping US$146,000. Chinese Tesla fans who want the fancy P90D Signature Red limited edition model can expect to pay almost US$225,000 (the Signature P90D reportedly costs US$132,000 in the US).

    This news shouldn’t come as a huge surprise. Prices for other Tesla models in China, like the Model S 70D it announced last year, feature similar markups.

    It’s not clear exactly who Tesla fans should blame for the consistently high prices. China does charge high import duties on luxury cars, reportedly around 25 percent. But Chinese state media has accused foreign automakers of price-gouging in China, and a 25 percent tariff doesn’t explain how the P90D Signature model seems to double in price somewhere between Tesla’s US home and Beijing.

    On the other hand, Tesla claims that it charges the same prices for all of its cars after accounting for transportation costs and import duties. And Tesla’s prices are pretty reasonable compared to other imported luxury cars. Tesla’s China markup for the Model X 90D is 53.7 percent. That’s nothing compared to the whopping 188.4 percent markup Chinese consumers pay to buy the BMW M5, for example, which costs under US$100,000 in the US and nearly US$300,000 in China. The China markup on a luxury SUV, the Porsche Cayenne Turbo, is even worse (194 percent).

    Even with the high costs, the Model X could do well in China. A fan tally (which almost certainly doesn’t account for all reservations) suggests the company has over 2,600 Model X units reserved in China already. Moreover, the car features an air-filtering biodefense system that could be a boon to urban Chinese drivers who want to ensure they’re not breathing in Beijing’s toxic haze.

    Lower costs coming?

    It will be interesting to see how Tesla prices its lower-cost Model 3 when that hits the market next year (or later). Currently, its offerings are all luxury-tier, and although the China prices are inflated, China’s luxury car consumers can generally afford to pay them. China has more than a million millionaires, after all. But the Model 3 is intended to be accessible to the middle class, at least in Western markets. Will Tesla price it aggressively to go after that market in China too, or will it become a low-end luxury offering thanks to China price inflation?

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  • Indonesia’s Elevenia marketplace gets $50 million from existing investors

    Indonesia’s Elevenia marketplace gets $50 million from existing investors

    Elevenia just raised another $50 million from its existing investors. The ecommerce marketplace is a joint venture of South Korean company SK Planet and Indonesian telco XL Axiata.

    Elevenia launched in Indonesia in early 2014 with an initial capital of $18.3 million from each partner. It has since received multiple capital injections from its parents, bringing Elevenia’s total funds – including the latest round – to about $110 million.
    The company claims to have clocked $95 million in revenue in 2015. It also says it has about 20,000 daily transactions and four million products listed from 30,000 sellers, with 40 million visitors.

    That’s double the figures it released around its first anniversary in early 2015. At that time, Elevenia announced 20 million visitors a month, 18,000 sellers, and two million product listings. It did not release revenue figures for 2014.

    Elevenia has been a steady yet somewhat quiet presence in Indonesia’s crowded ecommerce landscape. It competes alongside companies like Lazada, Bukalapak, Tokopedia, Qoo10, Rakuten, Blanja, Blibli and MatahariMall.

    With fresh funds at hand, it plans to grow its team, increase its marketing efforts, improve its product and services, and move to a new office, the company said in a statement.

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  • Garuda Indonesia unveils new Business Class

    Garuda Indonesia unveils new Business Class

    The layout of Garuda Indonesia’s new Business Class with Super Diamond Seats is unveiled in this Garuda photo. The Airbus A330-300 is configured with 24 Business Class seats and 263 Economy Class seats.

    Garuda Indonesia has unveiled its new Business Class service following the arrival of its latest Airbus A330-300 aircraft on Monday.

    The aircraft, which is the first of four Airbus A330-300s that will be delivered in 2016, features 24 and 263 Business and Economy Class seats, respectively.

    The former, dubbed Super Diamond Seats,  offer an all-aisle configuration (1-2-1), fully flat-bed seat, adjustable arm-rest, head-rest, meal table and reading light, integrated baby bassinet stowage, new mini bar display, 16-inch LCD touchscreen with a touchscreen handset/remote, double USB plug and power outlet.

    “Garuda Indonesia is the first airline in the world to implement the Super Diamond Seat Business Class service on its A330-300 aircraft; as opposed to competitors who implement it only on their A350 aircraft,” said Garuda Indonesia president and CEO Arif Wibowo in a press release on Monday.

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    Meanwhile, passengers sitting in Economy Class seats can expect new features such as a 4-inch articulating recline ability, foot-rest, 11-inch LCD touchscreen, USB plug and power outlet.

    The national flag carrier also received the delivery of its last Boeing 777-300ER aircraft on Monday, of a total of 10 that were ordered in 2013. Configured with a 393-seat capacity, the 10th aircraft consists of 26 Business Class seats and 367 Economy Class seats.

    Six out of 10 Boeing 777-300ERs operated by Garuda Indonesia are equipped with First Class service, with eight First Class seats, 38 Business Class seats and 268 Economy Class seats.

    unnamed (1)

    As part of Garuda’s fleet revitalization program, the airline is set to receive 16 new aircraft in total throughout this year, consisting of the one Boeing 777-300ER, four Airbus A330-300s, four ATR72-600s and eight Airbus A320s to be operated by Citilink.

    By the end of 2016, Garuda Indonesia Group expects to operate a total of 188 aircraft; 144 aircraft by Garuda Indonesia and 44 aircraft by Citilink.

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  • Lalamove delivers good luck during Chinese New Year

    Lalamove delivers good luck during Chinese New Year

    Hong Kong based logistics app provider, lalamove is going bananas over the Year of the Monkey with delivery discounts for new and existing customers in Thailand. The number eight symbolizes good luck and prosperity in Chinese culture and lalamove is bringing eight days of delivery discounts leading up to Chinese New Year.

    From today, Monday, February 1st until Monday, 8th February, 2016, inclusive, first-time lalamove customers are being gifted with a good-fortune THB 88 discount off their first delivery fee.

    To claim their Chinese New Year gift, newbie customers simply download the free android and iOS app and enter the promo code: CNY88 while making the booking.

    Loyalty is being rewarded by lalamove too, with free credit for lucky customers who already use the 24-7 delivery service. The first 100 lalamove customers who request eight deliveries in one day, during the promotion period, will be gifted with a THB 200 delivery credit for that day.

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    The reliable Bangkok-wide express courier and delivery service is expecting greater demand over the Chinese festive period and its fleet is ready for a prosperous new year. Businesses and individuals find lalamove services an ideal way to send special gifts to corporate customers and partners, as well as good wishes, wealth and happiness for the future to family and friends during the week-long Chinese New Year celebrations.

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  • The Crystal opens new mall ‘Crystal Veranda’ behind its old mall

    The Crystal opens new mall ‘Crystal Veranda’ behind its old mall

    The Crystal, the community mall near the Ramintra expressway, has just opened a new mall “Crystal Veranda” right behind it on Friday, because why not?

    Following the opening of the first mall which consists mostly of restaurants, the new Crystal Veranda sets to serve suburban customers with high purchasing power. It features a SF cinema, Fitness First (with the best view, they said) and its own children’s playground, along with a flagship Lego store.

    Taking over 25,000 sq m of space, the THB6 billion mall was built under the concept of “Five Facets of Crystal”: fun, food, fitness, fashion, and the “Full of Fascination” — which means a luxurious lobby lounge and Italian marble bathrooms.

    For food, there are the familiar franchise restaurants missing from the old mall including Dean & Deluca, Peppina, Coffee Bean by Dao, Water Library, Wine Connection, and another Starbucks.

    There may be a little something special for fashion lovers at the Crystal Boutique Store, supposedly the first ever store in Thailand to incorporate clothing and accessories from both Thai and international designers in one place including Michael Kors, ARAMIS, DKNY, Tommy Hilfiger and Tory Burch.

    As expected, the mall was already crowded when it opened on Saturday. Obviously, it drew some customers from Central Eastville, the new mall that opened in November and is located only five kilometers away.

    central-east-ville

  • President urges to accelerate development of tourism sector in 2016

    President urges to accelerate development of tourism sector in 2016

    President Joko Widodo has called on his officials to expedite the development of Indonesias tourism sector in 2016 in a bid to boost the countrys economic growth.

    President Widodo noted in his opening remarks during a limited meeting held to discuss the Lake Toba Tourism Destinations Development Plan at the presidential office in Jakarta on Tuesday.

    “I have urged the tourism minister to speed up development activities in the top ten tourist destinations,” he noted.

    The top ten tourist destinations to be developed based on the “single destination, single management” concept are the Borobudur temple, Mandalika resort, Labuhan Bajo beaches, Mount Bromo-Tengger-Semeru, Thousand Islands, Lake Toba, Wakatobi diving spot, Tanjung Lesung beaches, Morotai Islands, and Cape Tanjung Kelayang.

    President Widodo is optimistic that by developing the tourism destinations, the local small and medium enterprises (SMEs) would also boost their productivity and absorb more manpower.

    “We need a quick breakthrough in terms of regulation and work in other areas to deliver results at the earliest,” he emphasized.

    In particular, the president has called to boost connectivity and accessibility in Lake Toba by improving the airport and road infrastructure.

    “I am aware that two or three weeks ago, Coordinating Minister of Economy (Darmin Nasution), Public Works Minister (Basuki Hadimuljono), and Tourism Minister (Arief Yahya) had visited Lake Toba,” he remarked.

    President Widodo hoped that the visit would be followed up by a concrete action plan to be rolled out in the area, including organizing marketing activities, implementing international service standards, and holding cultural and art performances.

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  • Thais battle over limited Adidas trainers

    Thais battle over limited Adidas trainers

    One person fainted and a shop door was damaged after hundreds of Adidas fans tried to push into its Siam Center store on Saturday morning to get their hands on the limited NMD R1 sneakers.

    The photos and videos, which went viral over the weekend, show Adidas fans crowding in front of the Siam Center store as the employees desperately yelled at customers to step away and refused to open the doors.

    adidas3

    Some of them had reportedly camped out in front of Siam Center overnight as the store only had 51 pairs of NMD R1 in stock.

    One customer at the front reportedly fainted as the shop door was damaged. On the Adidas Facebook page, some users also left comments that they had seen a few people getting injured in the mad event.

    Some customers had their shirts ripped, others had their eye glasses broken, and some even lost their shoes in the scuffle.

    The shoes cost THB6,990.

    “We’re not gonna sell them today! Please don’t push forward. Our shop is now damaged. We can’t open the shop now!” she continued.

    The chaos ended with the store refusing to open, likely to prevent people from stomping each other to death.

    adidas2

    The shop decided it would choose who could buy the shoes by drawing lots. It is unclear if the lucky draw has taken place yet.

    The NMD R1, or “Nomad,” is described as a “gem of the Adidas design team,” combining design and functionalities in its three models Micro Pacer, Rising Star and Boston Super.

    We admit, the shoes are pretty sexy.

    Adidas Thailand has not issued an official statement after several fans went home disappointed. It only replied to angry comments on its Facebook page apologizing for the “inconvenience.”

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  • Bangkok gets set for Chinese New Year

    Bangkok gets set for Chinese New Year

    Dig out your red clothes, hang up paper lanterns and pick up some firecrackers — Chinese New Year is returning to Bangkok.

    The biggest celebrations will take place on Yaowarat Road in the heart of Chinatown, with cultural displays, dance and musical performances to usher in the Year of the Monkey.

    Kicking off on Feb. 7, the Chinatown festivities will also feature lantern decorations, dragon parades and lion dances, street stalls selling Chinese cuisine and souvenirs, and entertainment from famous artists, including troupes and performers from China.

    Visanu Jaroensilp, Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) deputy governor for Tourism Products and Business said: “Thailand’s celebrations to mark the 2016 Chinese New Year will be even more special, as this is a significant year for the country. 

    “This year marks the 41st year of Sino-Thai diplomatic relations, and the 12th anniversary of cooperation between TAT and the Chinese Ministry of Culture in co-hosting the Chinese New Year celebrations in Thailand.”

    TAT estimates a boost in tourism revenue from the celebrations,  with about 1.01 million international tourists are expected to visit from Feb. 6-14. 

    Of those vistorss, an estimated 476,000 are expected to come from countries with Chinese communities including China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore and Malaysia.

    For more details on Chinese New Year celebrations throughout the country, visit the TAT website.

  • Thai Airways offers discount fares for couples

    Thai Airways offers discount fares for couples

    Lovebirds can fly away on the cheap as Thai Airways is offering discount fares for couples to mark Valentine’s Day.

    The promotional fares are being offered for couples traveling together in economy class during Feb.1- July 31.

    The routes include round-trip tickets from Bangkok to Vietnam, Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea, China, Japan, Australia, London, and Paris.

    Check promotion details on the Thai Airways website.

  • Metro Holdings group MD, Jopie Ong, dies

    Metro Holdings group MD, Jopie Ong, dies

    The group managing director of retailer and property firm Metro Holdings, Mr Jopie Ong Hie Koan, died last night.

    Mr Ong, who was in his 70s, had helmed Metro Holdings since 1973.

    He was the son of the late Ong Tjoe Kim, who founded the Metro chain of department stores. He was also a member of the nominating and investment committees.

    When contacted by The Straits Times, Metro Holdings confirmed that Mr Ong had died yesterday.

    Mr Ong joined Metro in 1964 and helped to grow the retail division, introducing into Singapore luxury brands such as Cartier and Piaget, and guiding Metro to its listing in 1973.

    He had also held board positions in the retail, property development, construction, hotel and leisure industries.

    Under Mr Ong’s leadership, Metro Holdings, founded in 1957 by his father as a textile store, has grown to become a property development and investment group.

    The firm has a turnover of $145.8 million and net assets of $1.4 billion as at March 31 last year.

    Mr Ong was instrumental in the setting up of Transmarco, a group that dealt in luxury brands, watches and computers, and was previously its chairman.

    He also acted as director of Metrojaya, which operated the Metro retail arm in Malaysia, prior to its divestment.

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  • Mobile World crossing borders

    Mobile World crossing borders

    As well as electronics and mobile phones, its usual products, Vietnamese chain Mobile World is planning to distribute groceries in its first stores in Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar.

    CEO Tran Kinh Doanh says the stores will open early next year.

    Meanwhile, he has revealed two goals – to become one of the biggest eCommerce firms in Vietnam, and to bring in revenue of about VND34,000 billion (US$1.51 billion) this year. This would provide an after-tax profit of VND1400 billion – up VND400 billion on the past financial year.

    With 70 stores and a distribution network covering 42 provinces and cities, Mobile World last year earned VND25,000 billion, giving an after-tax profit of VND1000 billion. Both revenue and profit grew by 60 to 70 per cent. Online sales contributed less than 10 per cent of total revenue.

    Mobile World opened more than 200 cellphone stores last year, taking its total to 550, and this year it plans to expand its network to all 63 provinces and cities in Vietnam to become the second-largest electronic and mobile phone retail chain in the nation.

    It decision to join the food market with 13 stores was announced late last year. The corporation has 17,000 employees, expecting to grow this to about 26,000 people.

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  • Banks take up Visa Token Service

    Banks take up Visa Token Service

    An extra layer of security for mobile and digital payments has been introduced by Singapore’s United Overseas Bank (UOB) and Australia’s National Australia Bank (NAB).

    As well as making transactions safer, the new Visa Token Service also makes instore shopping easier.

    Credit or debit cards are no longer necessary under the Australian bank’s new mobile payment service,NAB Pay, which lets customers use their mobile phone for purchases.

    For UOB customers, the Visa Token Service has been integrated into the UOB Mighty digital wallet. It allows UOB Visa credit or debit card users to make contactless payments via an app on NFC-enabled Android smartphones at selected outlets in Singapore and overseas.

    Visa’s new technology replaces sensitive account information found on payment cards with a unique digital identifier or “token” that does not expose account details during the payment process. Tokenised cards are also domain controlled, meaning they link to the user’s phone or wallet application and are validated in real time by the global payment-processing platform VisaNet.

    Launched in the US, the Visa Token Service is being rolled out in several markets across Asia Pacific over the coming months. As payments shift from plastic to digital, Visa is working with financial institutions, merchants and technology partners to offer consumers a secure and easy way to buy.

    A key benefit of the service is that tokens do not carry the user’s primary account number, so there is less risk of storing them on mobile devices, online (eCommerce merchants) or in cloud-based mobile applications.

    Using ISO standards, the tokens can be processed and routed by merchants, acquirers and issues in the same was a traditional card payments.

    Tokens tied to lost or stolen mobile devices can be instantly reissued, and multiple tokens can be used for a single primary account, each tied to a specific device or service. Tokens can also be exclusive to specific merchants, mobile devices, transactions or transaction categories.

    VisaNet is capable of handling more than 65,000 transaction messages a second, with fraud protection for consumers and assured payment for merchants.