Retail News CRM

Tag: Australia

  • Citigroup to exit consumer banking in Vietnam

    Citigroup to exit consumer banking in Vietnam

    America’s Citigroup will exit 13 international consumer banking markets, including Vietnam, to shift its focus to four wealth centers.

    The move is part of the bank’s strategic decision to direct investments and resources to businesses with the greatest scale and growth potential, it stated, adding its main markets will include Singapore, Hong Kong, the United Arab Emirates and London.

    Apart from Vietnam, 12 other markets to be affected are Australia, Bahrain, China, India, Indonesia, South Korea, Malaysia, the Philippines, Poland, Russia, Taiwan and Thailand.

    “While the other 13 markets have excellent businesses, we don’t have the scale we need to compete. We believe our capital, investment dollars and other resources are better deployed against higher returning opportunities in wealth management and our institutional businesses in Asia.”

    The bank has not specified when it would leave Vietnam.

    Citigroup in 1994 became the first U.S. financial institution licensed to open a branch in Hanoi. It opened its second branch in Ho Chi Minh City in 1998.

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  • Korean fashion house ADLV lands in Australia this May

    Korean fashion house ADLV lands in Australia this May

    The Korean clothing brand Acmé de la Vie (ADLV) opened its first stationary store in Australia in May of this year in QV Melbourne in front of a local online shop.

    ADLV co-founders Jinmo and Jaemo Goo started the streetwear business in 2017 and opened their first store in the Korean district of Gangnam. Since then, the brand has opened more than 50 stores in Asia, partnering with Disney, Pink Fong, Kakaotalk and The Simpsons.

    ADLV’s Australian director Ying Yang said the company knew streetwear was a staple of Australian fashion.

    “We love to see how consumers adapt pieces to the Australian climate. Given the circumstances and the year we have all been through, we are both proud and grateful that we can continue our growth and better serve our customers on this side of the world. “

    The brand was inspired by the French passage “acme de la vie” ;, which means “the high point of life”.

    Focusing on high-end streetwear fashions like t-shirts, sweats, hoodies, accessories, and outerwear, ADLV is known for graphics and pop culture characters like the Baby Face series.

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  • Finder Acquires Financial Comparison Platform GoBear

    Finder Acquires Financial Comparison Platform GoBear

    Finder, a global comparison platform founded in 2006 in Sydney, Australia, has acquired the GoBear brand as it accelerates its global expansion.

    Finder aims to grow its presence as a key financial comparison platform in Southeast Asia with the acquisition of the GoBear brand, it said in an announcement on Thursday.

    Singapore-based GoBear, which was founded in 2015, operated a platform for insurance, banking, and lending products in seven markets in Southeast Asia, but shut down at the start of 2021, citing a challenging operating environment and its inability to raise new funds from existing or new investors.

    We felt there was a great alignment between the two brands and, after three years with a light presence in the region, we couldn’t pass up the opportunity to step in and purchase the like-minded brand, the announcement said.

    Finder noted the region’s large unbanked market, which includes some 438 million consumers, and said there is a significant opportunity for growth, as digital financial services are set to grow to a $60 billion business by 2025.

    As part of the deal, GoBear’s website content will be integrated into local Finder sites across the seven markets: Singapore, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Thailand, Philippines, Malaysia, and Indonesia. The GoBear brand will continue to operate via social media and email channels

  • Nokia demonstrates record Optus’ 5G mmWave capabilities

    Nokia demonstrates record Optus’ 5G mmWave capabilities

    Nokia and Optus announced that they achieved a record-breaking aggregate site throughput of 10 Gbps during a downlink speed demonstration using 800 MHz of millimeter Wave (mmWave) spectrum at a live 5G site in Brisbane. Powered by Nokia AirScale Radio, the site demonstrates the huge potential of 5G as it is introduced across future spectrum bands. Once deployed, the speed and a capacity boost from the 5G mmWave layer will unleash lightning-fast speeds for consumers and enterprises alike to support a range of new low-latency, high-bandwidth services.

    The recent demonstration showcased the capabilities of Nokia’s 5G mmWave technology and the benefits of adding it on top of an existing 5G/4G site. The demonstration showed how Nokia’s 5G mmWave technology delivers on the promise of super-fast data rates by boosting the site capacity to 10 Gbps and beyond.

    Nokia’s 5G mmWave technology will allow Optus to focus on scalability, automation, and performance by supporting services that utilize the full capability of 5G. Leveraging Nokia’s solutions, Optus can also harness 5G mmWave to serve the enterprise market and explore new use cases in healthcare, mining, port operations, and smart manufacturing, among other industries.

    The decision to select this mixed commercial and industrial area of Brisbane was made keeping these new use cases in mind as they sought to showcase the many real-world benefits of mmWave to the enterprise; thereby gaining early insights into this new exciting technology before wider rollout in the future.

    This achievement further strengthens the long-standing and collaborative partnership between Nokia and Optus. In early 2019, Optus became the first operator globally to deploy Nokia’s FastMile 5G indoor gateway in a live 5G network. Recently, the two companies also successfully launched 5G services at the Optus Stadium in Perth, Australia.

    Lambo Kanagaratnam, Managing Director of Networks at Optus, said: “We’re committed to keeping Australia connected and at the forefront of 5G. By partnering with global technology leaders like Nokia, we’ve taken an exciting step towards unlocking the massive potential that 5G mmWave will bring to the consumers, enterprises and industries in Australia. Reaching 10 Gbps per site is a crucial step in our 5G development and validates the progress we’ve made with the technology together with Nokia.”

    Anna Wills, Head of Oceania at Nokia, said: “This is another milestone in the development of 5G services and demonstrates the confidence operators have in our 5G solutions. Today’s achievement with Optus shows the potential of mmWave deployments, particularly at a time when connectivity and capacity are so crucial. We’re proud of our long-standing relationship with Optus and the great strides we continue to make together in this new era of connectivity.”

  • 70% of Australian Casual Workers More Likely to Get COVID-19 Vaccine If It’s Recommended by Employer

    70% of Australian Casual Workers More Likely to Get COVID-19 Vaccine If It’s Recommended by Employer

    As Australia’s COVID-19 vaccine roll-out strategy ramps up across the nation, 70% of casual workers have indicated that they would be more likely to receive the vaccine if it was recommended by their employer.

    The research by Humanforce, a provider of intelligent workforce management solutions, also revealed that the vast majority of casual workers – 71% – think that employers have a right to ask their workers to be vaccinated.

    However, only 29.60% of these casual staff worked for employers who had said being vaccinated for COVID-19 would be a requirement to secure shifts in the future.

    “Given the scale of disruption the pandemic has caused for so many workplaces across Australia, there was a lot of talk even prior to the vaccine arriving in Australia and being rolled out, about whether workplaces would make it mandatory for staff to be vaccinated,” said  Clayton Pyne, founder and managing director of Humanforce “Many employer groups have publicly advocated for businesses to be able to direct staff towards being vaccinated to help avoid future outbreaks and workplace disruptions, and most casual workers are clearly supportive of this, which is a positive finding for safe work places and business continuity in 2021.”

    Many casual workers (67%) said they had been concerned about their health in the workplace throughout the COVID-19 period. These concerns were likely the reason 64% of workers said they would get the vaccine when it was available to them, while 24% were still undecided and 12% said they did not intend to get the vaccine.

    Interestingly, 79% of casual workers indicated that they would prefer it if their colleagues were vaccinated, which was higher than the number who said they would get the COVID-19 vaccine themselves. A high number (67%) of casual workers were also supportive of their employers requiring customers and visitors to the workplace to show they had been vaccinated.

    “It’s very apparent that casual workers are concerned about COVID-19 and their health at work, and that they expect their employers to step in and take charge of protecting them and others while in the workplace,” added Clayton. “That’s why employers must now ensure they are prioritising the fine tuning of their organisation’s position on COVID-19 vaccines. Engaging casual workers early on is vital in clearly communicating with them your organisation’s position, as well as expectations of them and others when it comes to the COVID-19 vaccine. It’s also important to have the right systems in place to effectively communicate with staff and track staff vaccination information, should it be required by your organisation.”

    About Humanforce: The intelligent platform for your shift-based workforce. Almost every shift has its no-shows, late arrivals, and special requests, but, you’ve also got to deal with the big shifts in how people work – everything from new employee expectations to new technologies, new regulations, and other major changes. Humanforce brings a whole new approach to managing your teams where you can simplify the process, see everything at once, and stay ahead of the curve. That’s why thousands of businesses of all sizes – hotels to hospitals, resources to recreation, stadiums to shops and more – use Humanforce to get ready for the next shift. www.humanforce.com

     

     

     

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  • Australia’s News Corp signs content deal with Facebook

    Australia’s News Corp signs content deal with Facebook

    Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp and Facebook Inc in Australia have agreed on a content-supply deal, easing the tension between media companies and the social media giant involving a new world-first law that seeks payment from social media companies for content displayed on their platforms.

    Through this deal, News Corp becomes the first major media outlet to strike a contract with Facebook under the new laws. The terms of the agreement have not been disclosed.

    Last month Facebook had banned all news content from their platform in opposition to the law. However, it lifted the ban after the Australian government made some amendments.

    “The agreement with Facebook is a landmark in transforming the terms of trade for journalism, and will have a material and meaningful impact on our Australian news businesses,” News Corp CEO Robert Thomson said in a statement.

    Meanwhile, Facebook’s head of news partnerships in Australia, Andrew Hunter, said the deal meant Facebook’s 17 million users in the country “will gain access to premium news articles and breaking news video from News Corp’s network of national, metropolitan, rural and suburban newsrooms”.

    News Corp was among media companies calling for the Australian government to make Facebook and Alphabet Inc’s Google pay for the media links that drive viewers, and advertising dollars, to their platforms. News Corp owns about two-thirds of Australian metropolitan newspapers.

    Google had signed a deal with News Corp and other media outlets before the law was implemented. According to news reports, free-to-air television broadcaster and newspaper publisher Seven West Media had also said it signed a letter of intent for a deal.

    The development is being keenly observed by media companies across the globe and the implementation of the Australia’s law could follow suite in other countries to get payment from digital platforms for news.

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  • Macquarie Telecom signs $34 million exclusive deal with Optus

    Macquarie Telecom signs $34 million exclusive deal with Optus

    The decision follows a comprehensive, strategic review of mobile solutions, and will see Macquarie offer numerous key services to Australian enterprises as the need for greater connectivity continues, including:

    • 5G Connectivity and Speeds: Providing flexibility, faster speeds, and greater capacity across multiple devices, fully managed and supported in Australia by Macquarie’s dedicated customer and engineering teams.
    • Wi-Fi Calling: Extends full coverage and network access across all Wi-Fi areas.
    • Voice over LTE (VoLTE): A network standard enabling businesses to use high-speed 4G data and voice in tandem on devices at any time.
    • Coverage: New tools to enable customers to make coverage decisions.

    Due to the increasing emphasis on mobility and 5G, Macquarie plans to expand its mobile business and hire new staff over the next three years. This continues the company’s unwavering commitment to only provide service from and hire in Australia.

    “2020 changed the way Australians work forever. By providing 5G connectivity along with business-grade NBN, we can ensure Australian businesses can work from more places than ever before,” said Luke Clifton, Group Executive, Macquarie Telecom.

    “The fact is that 5G is here. It is fast becoming a necessity and complimentary service to nbn for Australian businesses. This agreement will ensure we can continue to compete in a market that is still underserved and overcharged. These new mobile offerings will also enable the right tools, technologies and customer service to manage a mobile workforce.”

    Optus currently has more than 1,000 live 5G sites covering more than 830,000 households across Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Canberra, Perth and Brisbane.

    With the agreement, Macquarie will end its wholesale mobile contract with Telstra. It chose Optus’ wholesale offering due to its focus on collaboration, rapidly evolving 5G network, and commitment to future technologies.

    “We’re backing a winner,” added Clifton. “This investment reflects our commitment to Australian businesses and providing the technologies they need today and into the future.

    “Based on our comprehensive review, Optus was the clear choice in terms of superior technology, flexibility to build the right solutions, and cooperation. It is leading Australia’s wholesale 5G market, offers incredibly fast 5G and continues to invest heavily in its 5G network. Crucially, it understands the value of partnership in Australia’s 5G future while others are actively inhibiting it.”

    “Macquarie has a great reputation for customer service and Optus is genuinely excited to be partnering with Macquarie to deliver mobility solutions that businesses need today more than ever.” says Ben White, Managing Director, Wholesale, Satellite and Strategy, Optus.

    The new agreement complements a series of partnerships and technology investments by Macquarie Telecom in recent months and years. This includes its mobile reseller agreement with Apple, a preferred networking agreement with the nbn, its first-to-market VeloCloud by VMware SD-WAN, and a complete core network upgrade and refresh with Juniper Networks.

    The mobile agreement is a multi-year agreement. Services will be available to all customers, with existing customers transitioning over the coming months. The process will be managed end-to-end by Macquarie’s dedicated and local mobile support team. 5G plans are available immediately to new and existing customers.

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  • Chubb Names Australia and New Zealand President

    Chubb Names Australia and New Zealand President

    Zurich-headquartered insurer Chubb has appointed a new president for Australia and New Zealand.

    Chubb names Peter Kelaher country president for Australia and New Zealand, according to a statement, succeeding Jarrod Hill who is leaving the firm. Kelaher reports to Paul McNamee, senior vice president of Chubb Group and APAC regional president.

    Kelaher has 20 years of insurance experience and he joined Chubb in 2008 as a financial lines underwriter before being promoted to product manager for directors and officers, and P&C business lead for Australia and New Zealand in 2016.

    Chub has had a presence in Australia and New Zealand for over a century with seven branches and more than 800 staff.

  • Nokia partners University of Technology Sydney for 5G innovation facility

    Nokia partners University of Technology Sydney for 5G innovation facility

    The 5G Innovation Lab will enable Nokia, UTS and their partners to push the boundaries of 5G technology by testing exciting new 5G use cases with real world applications, including Industry 4.0, IoT and smart cities. While providing a live 5G test bed for commercial partners, the 5G Innovation Lab will also serve as an environment for new research opportunities within the ICT sector.

    This multi-year, multi-million-dollar investment by Nokia reflects the company’s commitment to Australian innovation and the essential role telecommunication plays in both securing critical infrastructure and fostering economic growth.

    Researchers and commercial partners will undertake projects to explore the capabilities of 5G and 6G technologies for Industry 4.0 applications such as industrial automation, agriculture and human-robot interactions, as well as ‘Internet of Things’ capabilities for Internet of Energy applications in smart grid, energy storage and management and wireless power transfer.

    The facility will include a 5G lab and a 5G use case demonstration area, with campus-wide 5G coverage planned to allow for the development & testing of potential 5G use cases in both the lab and the field. The new lab will also connect directly into the university’s anechoic radio frequency test chamber – the largest of its kind in the southern hemisphere – allowing researchers to test the potential of Nokia’s Massive MIMO and other innovative antenna technologies.

    Nokia and UTS are very excited to be partnering together to lead the way for 5G innovation in Australia.

    Ray Kirby, Associate Professor, Director of UTS Tech Lab said: “UTS Tech Lab is a unique facility that supports collaboration with industry on research and development projects, such as this partnership with Nokia, which will drive innovation and growth in 5G and 6G network infrastructure. Our cutting-edge equipment and world-class research talent combined with Nokia’s commitment to innovation and technology leadership, is a strong partnership to facilitate the development of new applications to unlock the huge potential of 5G and 6G.”

    Robert Joyce, Chief Technology Officer at Nokia Oceania, said: “We are pleased to collaborate with UTS on this exciting 5G adventure. This partnership builds upon the existing innovative facilities at the university’s Tech Lab and will enable researchers to develop, test and demonstrate innovative uses of 5G here in Australia. We are already exploring some exciting 5G use cases unique to Australia and look forward to demonstrating these soon.”

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  • Retykle closes funding round to enable growth

    Retykle closes funding round to enable growth

    Hong Kong-based children’s clothing resale platform Retykle has closed a new round of seed funding to support its expansion plans.

    According to the company, funds raised will enable Retykle to invest within its home market of Hong Kong, as well as expanding its reach into Singapore and Australia. The investment will be used on technology development, including hiring engineers to build out personalization, a peer-to-peer marketplace and mechanisms.

    “We’ve focused on the customer experience to cultivate a love for and habit around using the platform to buy and sell which leads to a sticky customer with frequent purchases and sustained customer lifetime value,” said Sarah Garner, founder of Retykle.

    The high-profile angel investors include co-founder of Lazada Tim Rath and investor John Wood, who Room To Read and Powered By Purpose.

    “The businesses best set up for long-term success are those that pursue purpose in addition to profit,” said Wood. “Retykle’s model is great for the planet and for family finances.”

    The funding comes at a time when the Covid-19 pandemic has reportedly made it harder to source investment for startups, especially for women.

    “Recent news from TechCrunch shows that funding for women is reverting back to 2017-era levels,” said Nicole Denholder of Next Chapter Raise.

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  • Amazon acquires e-commerce platform Selz

    Amazon acquires e-commerce platform Selz

    Global e-commerce marketplace Amazon has bought up Sydney-based e-commerce platform Selz.

    The platform works in much the way as Shopify, providing an e-commerce-ready backend for small businesses to utilize when creating their websites.

    “We have signed an agreement to be acquired by Amazon and are looking forward to working with them as we continue to build easy-to-use tools for entrepreneurs,” said Selz chief executive Martin Rushe.

    The acquisition could signal a shift in how Amazon seeks to grow its position in the e-commerce industry – no longer aiming to get all sellers on its marketplace, and instead of working with them behind the scenes to provide a white-label shopping experience powered by Amazon’s platform.

    The option could be attractive for businesses looking to eschew Amazon’s commission and delivery fees, though the difference between the two options are currently unknown.

    An Amazon spokesperson confirmed the acquisition but didn’t disclose any terms.

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  • Dematic to Commission New Automated National Distribution Centre for Woolworths in Sydney

    Dematic to Commission New Automated National Distribution Centre for Woolworths in Sydney

    Dematic today announced it has been selected by Primary Connect — the supply chain arm of Australia’s largest supermarket, Woolworths Group — to supply a state-of-the-art automated fulfillment system for the new National Distribution Centre (NDC) in Moorebank Logistics Park, Sydney. 

    Dematic, a global leader and innovator in warehouse automation, has a long history with over 50 years presence in Australia serving the supply chain industry. “Our local capability with over 600 employees and a manufacturing facility in Belrose, Sydney, ensures we continue to provide quality service and systems to our customers,” said Michael Jerogin, CEO of Dematic APAC. “We are very proud to be a trusted partner of Woolworths and thrilled to be building on this partnership by playing a key role in Woolworths’ automation strategy.” 

    The Dematic solution for the new NDC will build store-friendly pallets for Woolworths’ retail stores. The Flexible Mixed Case Order Fulfilment system, powered by the Dematic iQ Warehouse Management System (WMS), will handle 9,000+ products from 900 suppliers, delivering daily to over 1,000 stores nationally. 

    The 40,700 square metre Moorebank NDC is planned to feature wall-to-wall automation, providing the flexibility to cater for seasonal and other peaks in demand, such as those experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic. It is designed to deliver store orders, catering for Woolworth’s expected growth with built-in scalability and modularity. 

    The transport advantages alone are expected to provide benefits to Woolworths, helping to remove at least 26,000 truck movements between Woolworths facilities from New South Wales roads annually. 

    “The investment at Moorebank is designed to transform the way we serve our stores, strengthen our network and deliver on our ambition to create Australia’s best food and grocery supply chain,” said Paul Graham, Primary Connect Managing Director and Woolworths Group Chief Supply Chain Officer. 

    “Cutting-edge automation will build tailored pallets for specific aisles in individual stores — helping us improve on-shelf product availability with faster restocking, reducing congestion in stores and enabling a safer work environment for our teams with less manual handling. 

    “We expect the new facilities to also help us progress our localised ranging efforts, with the ability to hold thousands of additional products centrally than we can in our existing facilities.” 

    Pas Tomasiello, Senior Director – Integrated Systems, Dematic and his team have worked closely with Woolworths Supply Chain Development Team to optimise and leverage the full scalability of the Dematic systems. 

    “The new facility is designed to help Woolworths carry a higher range of slow-moving packaged products much more efficiently in a centralised location, rather than being spread across multiple sites,” explained Pas. “Consolidation, coupled with advanced automation, will allow Woolworths to achieve new volume milestones and make significant gains in the speed and accuracy of deliveries to stores across the nation.” 

    The Dematic iQ WMS will interface into Woolworths’ systems and provide Industry 4.0 DC capabilities with system interconnectivity, data-driven intelligence and decision support tools, delivering enhanced DC operations with faster insights and decision capabilities. 

    The Moorebank NDC is scheduled to be operational late 2023. 

    For more information about Dematic, visit dematic.com, check out the Dematic Connections blog, or follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter. 

    About Dematic 

    Dematic is an intralogistics innovator that designs, builds and supports intelligent, automated solutions for manufacturing, warehouse and distribution environments for customers that are powering the future of commerce. With engineering centres, manufacturing facilities and service centres located in more than 25 countries, the Dematic global network of 10,000 employees has helped achieve more than 6,000 worldwide customer installations for some of the world’s leading brands. Headquartered in Atlanta, Dematic is a member of KION Group, one of the global leaders in industrial trucks and supply chain solutions, and a leading provider of warehouse automation. 

    Media Contacts: 

    Philip Makowski 

    Director Marketing APAC 

    Philip.Makowski@dematic.com 

    Kristen Delphos VP, Head of Global Marketing & Communications Kristen.Delphos@dematic.com 

    Dematic Pty Ltd 

    24 Narabang Way 

    Belrose NSW 2085 

    +61 2 9486 5555 

    dematic.com 

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  • Older workers in Australia have significantly been impacted by COVID-19

    Older workers in Australia have significantly been impacted by COVID-19

    As Australia’s unemployment rate rose to 6.9% in September amidst the ongoing impacts of COVID-19, 42% of older workers said they had recently lost their job or had their hours reduced, a Humanforce survey has revealed.

    As a result of the challenges faced during COVID-19, older workers are now more open minded to different types of employment and are looking to explore opportunities within the retail sector, with 41% open to casual employment and 39% open to any type of work.

    “We know that COVID-19 is changing the face of work across the world, as unemployment rates continue to rise. Our research shows that one of the flow-on effects could be that older Australians who lose their job because of the pandemic will be transitioning into different types of work, including casual work in the leisure field. This means employers need to look closer at how to support older Australians as casual employees.”

    Older Australian workers said the key factors they would look for in casual retail employment would be a stable income (70%), a reliable number of days and hours (65%) and flexibility with days and hours (62%).

    “A common misconception about older workers is that they aren’t open to learning new technologies or skills as part of their job,” added Bruce Mackenzie. “Yet the overwhelming majority of older workers we surveyed were supportive of casual jobs where automated technologies were used or where they could retrain or learn new skills.”

    Almost three-quarters (73%) of older workers said they are open to using automated technologies and 85% are open to retraining or learning new skills in a new role. Most of them (65%) also said that the best way to support older workers in using technology at work would be through training provided by a manager or colleague.

    “Australian retail businesses are going to need casual workers to assist in their recovery from COVID-19. As older Australians become more open to casual work due to the pandemic, this is an opportunity for employers to also become more open minded about employing and supporting them in casual roles.”

    Methodology

    Humanforce contracted Zoho Survey to survey 500 older worker respondents (workers of ages 45 and over) as part of this research project.

    About Humanforce

    The intelligent platform for your shift-based workforce.

    Almost every shift has its no-shows, late arrivals, and special requests, but, you’ve also got to deal with the big shifts in how people work – everything from new employee expectations to new technologies, new regulations, and other major changes. Humanforce brings a whole new approach to managing your teams where you can simplify the process, see everything at once, and stay ahead of the curve. That’s why thousands of businesses of all sizes – hotels to hospitals, resources to recreation, stadiums to shops and more – use Humanforce to get ready for the next shift. www.humanforce.com

     

    Media Contact:

    Corinne Nolte

    Mulberry Marketing Communications

    +613 9023 9110

    cnolte@mulberrymc.com

     

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  • Amazon duplicates Transparency program to Japan and Australia

    Amazon duplicates Transparency program to Japan and Australia

    Amazon announced the expansion of Transparency to two new countries – Japan and Australia – making it available in 10 countries where Amazon has a store. Amazon Transparency is also celebrating a milestone of enrolling over 10,000 brands into the program. Transparency, launched in 2018, is a product serialization service that builds on Amazon’s long-standing work and innovative solutions focused on ensuring that customers always receive authentic goods when shopping in Amazon’s stores.

    “Transparency has allowed us to grow consumer confidence in our products and prevent inauthentic products from ending up in the hands of our customers.”

    “Transparency is a powerful technology-driven solution that gives brands the ability to uniquely identify every product unit they manufacture and allows Amazon to use this to prevent counterfeits from reaching customers,” said Dharmesh Mehta, Vice President of Worldwide Customer Trust and Partner Support.

    Transparency allows brands to uniquely identify each unit they produce through the application of unique codes on the product or its packaging. These codes allow Amazon to inspect and authenticate every unit enrolled in Transparency proactively, detecting and stopping counterfeits before they ever reach customers. Additionally, customers can use a mobile app to scan the code and verify authenticity regardless of where they purchased the brand’s products. Over 10,000 brands – from Fortune 500 companies and global brands, to startups and small businesses in countries around the world including LG Electronics USA, Spectrum Brands, Cards Against Humanity LLC, Neato, Petrichor, Skullcandy, Salom, Nomader, and Naples Naturals – have already enrolled in Transparency. Across these brands, Transparency has prevented the shipment of over 500K suspected counterfeits in Amazon’s stores.

    LG Electronics USA, a leading innovator in home appliances, said “LG sees Transparency as a great way to ensure that consumers use genuine LG filters while protecting them from counterfeit products.”

    Spectrum Brands, a Fortune 500 company that owns several pet care companies, said: “By having the Transparency seal on our products, we give consumers confidence that the products they are purchasing for their pets are authentic, effective and formulated as labeled.”

    Cards Against Humanity LLC, said: “With Transparency, we’re now more confident than ever that our customers are receiving legitimate products — which is a win for us and for customers.”

    Neato, a maker of robotic vacuum cleaners, said: “Transparency has allowed us to grow consumer confidence in our products and prevent inauthentic products from ending up in the hands of our customers.”

    Sumeet Raj Aggarwal, owner of the small business in India, Petrichor, said: “With Transparency, consumers can buy with confidence knowing that the products are authentic and high quality. This program grows confidence in our brand and prevents counterfeits from being delivered to consumers. It’s a win-win for brands and consumers.”

    In addition to Japan and Australia, Transparency is available in Canada, France, Germany, India, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States. To learn more about Transparency and how to enroll, visit: https://www.transparency.com/

    Transparency is one of many innovations that Amazon has introduced to partner with brands to ensure customers receive authentic products and to protect brands’ intellectual property.

    • Most recently, Amazon launched the Amazon Counterfeit Crime Unit (ACCU), a global team that will investigate and bring legal action against bad actors, protecting customers, brands, and Amazon’s selling partners. To learn more: https://press.aboutamazon.com/news-releases/news-release-details/amazon-establishes-counterfeit-crimes-unit-bring-counterfeiters
    • Amazon’s Project Zero, which empowers brands to drive counterfeits to zero. Project Zero uses automated protections to proactively and continuously scan more than 5 billion attempted product listing updates daily to look for suspicious listings, provides a self-service tool for brands with an unprecedented ability to directly remove listings from Amazon’s stores, and leverages product serialization as an optional service. To join the more than 10,000 enrolled brands, learn more at: https://www.projectzero.com.
    • Amazon IP Accelerator helps businesses more quickly obtain intellectual property (IP) rights and brand protection in Amazon’s stores. The program was designed specifically with small and medium businesses in mind and is available to entrepreneurs worldwide that are looking to secure intellectual property in the U.S. IP Accelerator connects entrepreneurs with US law firms with expertise in trademark applications. Entrepreneurs also benefit from pre-negotiated rates. To learn more: https://brandservices.amazon.com/ipaccelerator
    • Amazon Brand Registry, a free service that gives brand owners access to a powerful set of tools that help them deliver an accurate and trusted customer experience on Amazon while protecting a brand’s IP. More than 350,000 brands are enrolled. To enroll and learn more: https://brandservices.amazon.com/
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  • Forever New furthers international plans with new website

    Forever New furthers international plans with new website

    Australian fashion retailer Forever New has today relaunched its international website, servicing 19 countries including Malaysia, Hong Kong, China, the UK and parts of Europe.

    Customers will be redirected from the brand’s Australian site from today.

    “We are proud of Forever New’s ever-growing international presence and thrilled to be able to expand our offering to new countries via our international website,” Forever New MD Carolyn Mackenzie said.

    The website relaunch follows success in Europe online and in department stores such as Debenhams, House of Fraser and Fenwick, and the US, where it trades under the name Ever New in its own stand-alone stores and with concession partners.

    Earlier this year Mackenzie said the business started a global web ‘replatform’ project in 2018 to replace legacy systems, which were limiting the brand’s agility.

    “Systems were previously bolted on as we went along, and it didn’t give us the flexibility we needed to accelerate some of the new omnichannel experiences we could put in,” MacKenzie said.

    “Our new site is about taking Forever New to customers around the world, including Turkey, Germany, Ireland, and Portugal. The site will give us the ability to become truly omnichannel. That’s the strength of Forever New – with a good platform, you can bring things like True Fit and order-in-store to life and link digital and physical together. It becomes so much more powerful than having just one on their own.

    “If it’s as strong as our site in Australia, it’ll be really good for the business.”

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