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Tag: E-Commerce

  • Walmart kicks off with redesigned e-commerce platform

    Walmart kicks off with redesigned e-commerce platform

    The world’s largest retailer Walmart has unveiled a complete redesign of its North American e-commerce platform to deliver a more local and personalised experience for shoppers.

    The new website, which is now live, sports a completely redesigned look and feel, as well as several new features, including specialty shopping experiences.

    The move comes after Walmart disappointed the market in February with a slowdown in its e-commerce growth to 23 per cent in the fourth quarter, down from 50 per cent in the prior quarter.

    The retail giant is forecasting a further 40 per cent increase in its e-commerce sales in fiscal 19.

    Walmart’s president and chief executive of US e-commerce Marc Lore oversaw the changes and said that personalisation was a key focus for the retail giant, with new sections introduced that showcase top-selling items based on a customer’s location.

    “The majority of the homepage will be personalised in some way,” Lore said in a post about the new site.

    There will be an area of the site dedicated to customers’ local store profiles, which will provide product availability information.

    Specialty shopping experiences have also been introduced, an area of the site dedicated to a specific category, designed to emulate a specialty retail shopping experience.

    “Customers shopping for groceries and household essentials want to quickly re-buy what they always purchase, while those looking for a new couch want to be inspired while browsing the different options,” Lore said.

    “We want each category to feel like you are shopping a specialty store and we plan to build out these specialty experiences for other categories starting later this year.”

    A home specialty experience has already been launched, while a destination for fashion is on the way.

    Advertising has also changed, providing Walmart’s suppliers with the ability to “better tell their stories” on the website within “seamlessly integrated” ads.

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  • DHL expands e-commerce fulfilment internationally

    DHL expands e-commerce fulfilment internationally

    DHL Parcel and DHL eCommerce are now offering online retailers a global solution for their e-commerce fulfilment needs with a global fulfilment platform and new fulfilment centers in the UK, Americas and South-east Asia.

    Today’s e-commerce market is placing aggressive demands on the retailer to provide fast fulfilment and delivery, and doing so without increasing costs. This is simply not possible for most merchants because they lack capital or the ability to manage the complexity.

    DHL has built a new IT platform that provides access to a network of fulfilment centres and is closely integrated with DHL’s shipping capabilities to allow our customers to meet their fulfilment and shipping requirements in a much more efficient fashion.

    DHL is investing in this platform as well as in expanding its fulfilment centres in key international markets, enabling retailers to reach their consumers worldwide.

    “Without seamless and reliable logistics processes, the current e-commerce boom would be inconceivable. The physical storage of ordered goods, their picking and packaging, the global shipping and delivery to the end-user’s front door or desired address – we now offer all of this in even more markets and from one single source,” says Jürgen Gerdes, CEO of the Post – eCommerce – Parcel division at Deutsche Post DHL Group.

    “By further internationalizing our fulfilment portfolio we will be able to do even more to help online retailers tap into new regions and benefit from the global e-commerce boom.”

    With existing fulfilment centres in the U.S., Mexico, Colombia, Hong Kong, India, Australia, Germany, and now in the United Kingdom and South-east Asia, DHL already covers major e-commerce markets with its own presence and will expand these further in the future.

    Situated near London on an area of about 6,500 square meters, the latest addition to the fulfilment network in the UK town of Radlett, offers great potential for same-day processing for the Greater London area due to the centre’s good transport links.

    Apart from the centre in Radlett, DHL is already working on the expansion of its fulfilment centres across other European markets, like the Netherlands, Poland or Switzerland.

    The new IT platform allows DHL to provide online retailers with access to all of these e-commerce regions from a single source. This ensures simple and secure data synchronization as well as an easy connection to new business locations or regions since a reintegration is no longer required.

    “Online retailers don’t have to look for new logistics partners any more if they want to expand their international reach,” Gerdes says.

    By directly integrating the new DHL solution into the webshop of the relevant retailer, the business can access different reporting options in real time and view current order data, for example, or the stock of individual products.

    More and more retailers and companies recognize the increasing importance of smooth fulfilment processes because traditional approaches that are aligned with individual sales channels have long since failed to satisfy the purchasing habits and expectations of modern consumers.

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  • E-commerce finally cracks $25 billion mark in Australia

    E-commerce finally cracks $25 billion mark in Australia

    Australian consumers spent around $25 billion online in the 12 months to February 2018, a more than 15 per cent boost over the same period last year, according to the monthly Online Retail Sales Index compiled by NAB.

    This equates to eight per cent of spending at traditional bricks-and-mortar retailers, as measured by the ABS in the 12 months to January 2018.

    Trend online retail growth is now well above the lows of this period in 2017, and sales volatility dampened in February, the index shows.

    The sector saw a 0.8 per cent increase in month-on-month seasonally-adjusted sales, compared to the 0.1 per cent growth seen by bricks-and-mortar retailers.

    Growth was mixed across categories, with toys and games and media seeing the biggest increase in online sales, followed by department stores, while grocery and liquor, food catering and fashion sales slowed slightly in the 12 months February, compared to the 12 months to January.

    Small and medium businesses represent just over a third of all online sales and saw slightly faster sales growth in February than larger online retailers.

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  • Mintel integrates ecommerce sales data, social listening and price tracking analytics

    Mintel integrates ecommerce sales data, social listening and price tracking analytics

    Mintel, the world’s leading market intelligence agency, announced today a strategic joint venture with Early Data, ecommerce solutions and market intelligence provider.

    Online retail has gone from an industry disruptor to an everyday, preferred channel for many consumers. In today’s ‘new’ retail world, brands are challenged to meet the needs of a new breed of consumer. By combining ecommerce category performance, social listening and price tracking analytics from Early Data with Mintel’s existing portfolio of Mintel Global New Products Database (GNPD), Mintel Trends and Mintel Reports, brands and companies will have access to game-changing research and insights into China’s online retail market—the biggest in the world. Brands will be able to access category and brand share for both ecommerce volume and value with detailed item level sales performance, helping them continually monitor and strategise their growth within the evolving landscape.

    John Hore, Managing Director APAC at Mintel, said: “The new joint venture between Mintel and Early Data is changing the rules of the research market. We are combining a host of trusted proprietary data sets and a wealth of expertise in ecommerce data, predictive analytics, consumer research, product innovation and market sizing. Never before has this combination of data and unparalleled expertise been available to businesses operating or looking to do business in China.”

    Brian Negley, Executive Vice President of Early Data, commented: “We are proud to partner with Mintel to deliver what we believe is the best market intelligence solution available. By integrating Early Data with Mintel, digital ecommerce, product and marketing teams alike will have a complete picture of their category, a clear understanding of the consumer behaviours driving it, and the expert recommendations of where their company should be headed next.”

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  • Retailers find winning strategy in online-only

    Retailers find winning strategy in online-only

    Retailers have long been using online channels to make up for sluggish sales at their brick-and-mortar stores, but recently, they have taken the shift to another level, introducing products exclusively for online.

    The trend-conscious fashion and cosmetics sectors are at the forefront of this new strategy. Beanpole Ladies, a brand under Samsung C&T, recently introduced Lime Beanpole, a series of products sold exclusively through its website. The target demographic is Koreans in their teens to 30s, and the prices are around 60 to 70 percent of Beanpole’s original lineup. The designs are youthful, including engraved prints and embroideries for fruit.

    The nearly 30-year-old brand has been releasing clothes aimed at younger consumers since 2016 starting with Choco Beanpole. The last line before Lime Beanpole, called Coffee Beanpole, released for the fall and winter season last year, was a success – 80 percent of the stock was sold out.

    AmorePacific brand Innisfree’s True Care cosmetics line is popular among consumers in their teens and 20s and can only be purchased online. Another AmorePacific brand, Etude House, sells its Tapa sheet masks this way. Iope’s Whitegen Essence Cushion foundation, exclusively sold online, has a demo target of consumers in their 30s.

    “In the past, online-only products were special editions for those who don’t shop at brick-and-mortar stores but nonetheless have a sense of loyalty to the brand,” said Lee Min-kyu, senior vice president at AmorePacific. “Now, they’re starting to make exclusive products rather than one-time events.”

    Similarly, LG Household and Health Care’s The Face Shop sells 14 products from its Bifida line only online. Another well-known cosmetics brand, Nature Republic, has 18 products from its series Bulgarian Rose sold the same way.

    The biggest reason why companies are developing online-only products is their cost effectiveness. Operating brick-and-mortar stores incur high maintenance costs and investment in various stages of distribution.

    “If a product is sold at brick-and-mortar stores, it’s practically impossible to sell the same thing at a lower price online,” one industry source said. “Online-exclusive products can be sold at a lower price while maintaining the same level of quality, which is why it’s more effective in attracting new customers.”

    Another important motivating factor in the strategy is boosting brand loyalty among younger consumers. If something is sold exclusively online, this can attract more people to the company’s website, even if it’s just out of curiosity.

    “To prevent a brand from aging, it’s important to constantly pull in younger consumers,” said Won Eun-kyung, head of Bean Pole Ladies. “But conventional ways [of rebuilding a brand image] through [such methods as] a logo change are expensive, whereas the same results can be obtained by releasing online-only products.”

    Companies anticipate that if they succeed in creating a more favorable perception of the brand, sales will be affected positively in the long run.

    Some companies think online is a better channel to present the product’s differentiating points to the public.

    “A characteristic of online consumers is that they tend to compare the pros and cons of a product through multiple sources like blogs rather than rely on one-sided information offered by the manufacturer’s ads,” said Koh Hyang-sook, who leads one of Woongin Foods’ marketing teams. “Apart from raising awareness of the brand, online-only is now a method used to effectively highlight the product’s advantages.”

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  • DHL Launches Same-Day Delivery for E-commerce Merchants

    DHL Launches Same-Day Delivery for E-commerce Merchants

    DHL eCommerce launched a same-day and next-day delivery service for online retailers that is targeted to compete with Amazon, FedEx Corp., UPS Inc., and the U.S. Postal Service.

    The Parcel Metro service is a network of local and regional delivery vendors and crowd-sourced drivers and vehicles designed to ensure flexibility and capacity in last-mile deliveries, according to DHL. It has begun operating in Chicago, Los Angeles and New York, and DHL plans to expand the service to Atlanta and Dallas in the second quarter, San Francisco in the third, and Washington, D.C., later this year.

    DHL’s software platform allows it to find the best drivers for each route. Customers can choose from several delivery time windows, including two-hour, same day and next day, as well as their preferred delivery address. Consumers can use a mobile device to track shipments in real-time, send instructions to their courier, reschedule a delivery and rate the experience. Retailers can customize the mobile interface with their own branding.

    “DHL Parcel Metro is part of a number of innovations we are actively implementing, including augmented reality glasses for greater pick accuracy, ‘follow me’ robots and autonomous vehicles,” said Charles Brewer, CEO, DHL eCommerce.

    E-commerce sales grew 16% in 2017 while total retail sales grew 4.4%, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

  • Why e-commerce and social media platforms will keep growing

    Why e-commerce and social media platforms will keep growing

    If China’s online retail sales increased by 30 percent, does that mean the revenue growth for e-commerce platforms would also be about 30 percentIf online sales growth decelerates, does that mean e-commerce platforms will also face slower growth?

    Not exactly.

    That’s because shopping websites get most of their revenue from advertisements placed by online vendors. As long as online sales continue to be a main source of growth, and rivalry intensifies in the online shopping space, the need to increase online advertising spending will go up.

    A decade ago, China’s online shopping market boom had just started. There weren’t too many online shops, so making money was relatively easy for e-vendors and they don’t even have to spend much to promote themselves.

    The booming business has lured more and more brands to migrate online, which in turn has stimulated online shopping. China now has 500 million to 600 million online shoppers.

    With thousands of e-shops competing for customers, a bigger advertising budget becomes necessary. Major e-commerce platforms are the big winners amid such a trend.

    The same is happening to social media platforms.

    Brands used to hire advertising firms to design an ad for broadcast or print media. Now, they’ve shifted to online celebrities, or Key Opinion Leaders (KOLs), who get paid in cash or in kind to help promote their products online, and it cost KOLs almost nothing to tap into the huge user base of social media.

    But if social media sites start to charge KOLs to prioritize their postings, that will translate into fresh income streams for these platforms.

    Shopping online and visiting social media sites have become part of daily life, and it is hard to change that.

    So with their massive user base, leading online shopping and social media platforms will continue to enjoy good business.

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  • Amazon unveiled its plans for Whole Foods

    Amazon unveiled its plans for Whole Foods

    Ever since Amazon spent $13.7 billion on Whole Foods in June 2017, theories have been swirling as to why the world’s biggest e-commerce firm would get into the old-time business of selling groceries in stores.

    Now it is becoming clearer that what Amazon really wanted was a slice of real estate closer to consumers, to get goods faster to them than ever.

    The clearest signal so far: Amazon announced Thursday that people subscribing to its Prime service in four major U.S. cities (Austin, Cincinnati, Dallas and Virginia) can get groceries from Whole Foods delivered within just two hours of placing an order, for free. They’ll be able to order fresh meat, seafood, flowers and “most” of the items stocked in their local Whole Foods outlets, the company says.

    That means you could theoretically eat lunch, and then order your dinner ingredients on the same day.

    The move could have far-reaching consequences once Amazon begins introducing speedy delivery from other Whole Foods outlets across the world, raising consumer expectations and putting pressure on other grocers to offer the same kind of shipments too.

    In one movement, Amazon has also taken the so-called “last mile” delivery problem it’s been trying to solve with one-day deliveries on Prime, and flipped it on its head.

    Instead of driving goods to your house from a vast warehouse on the edge of the city, it’s bringing them direct from main street; with an order being processed just down the road, the last mile is now the “first mile.”

    For now, this applies to the groceries that are traditionally available in Whole Foods. But some in the e-commerce industry believe Amazon has been planning to seriously restructure Whole Foods stores, sectioning off areas that it can turn into miniature versions of its highly-automated warehouses.

    That could allow Prime customers to not only receive Whole Foods fresh fish and veg, but popular household items like toothpaste and baby diapers.

    Amazon wants to build a distributed supply chain, says Elram Goren, who runs CommonSense Robotics, an Israeli startup selling automated-warehouse technology to rival grocery chains, and to be “close to their customers.”

    While that might seem like a threat to other grocers, Goren contends that Amazon is setting an example those competitors can follow too. That is, if they’re willing to make radical changes to the way they use their stores, and also turn sections of them into “micro-fulfilment centers.”

    “For a very long time, e-commerce was growing extremely fast and companies like Walmart, Kroger or Albertsons, didn’t really have have any kind of strategic advantage over Amazon,” he adds.

    “But with online groceries they have that infrastructure. Think of a store. It already has a supply chain coming in, and it is by definition close to the customer.”

    Tom Adeyoola, who founded the British e-commerce startup Metail, agrees retailers need to embark on a “big change in mindset,” and take advantage of the fact that their stores are physically closer to customers than Amazon’s warehouses.

    “If you could have a big store footprint, how can you turn that into a fulfilment center?” he says. Companies with a trusted logistics model and reliable delivery service could have the most success, he adds.

    Amidst a so-called retail apocalypse that’s swallowing up storied retailers like JCPenney and Toys R’ Us, that could be a model worth thinking about.

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  • Amazon : AR will change how we shop

    Amazon : AR will change how we shop

    Amazon saw its biggest holiday shopping season yet, as the draw of its Prime membership program seemed to kick into overdrive, with consumers around the world buying at record levels, the nation’s largest online retailer said.

    Over the course of one week, more than four million people either started free Prime trials, or purchased a membership outright, wooed by benefits such as free two-day, one-day or same-day shipping, as well as one-hour and two-hour delivery perks.

    The retailer’s holiday findings hint at what is poised to propel retail sales next year and beyond — from merchandise purchased via voice commerce to furniture shopping aided by the magic of augmented reality.

    Alexa-enabled Amazon devices such as the Echo Dot and Fire TV Stick with Alexa Voice Remote were not only top selling Amazon items, but also the best-selling products from any manufacturer in any product category and brand sold on the site, according to the e-tailer.

    Amazon additionally scored a hit with its Echo voice-assistant devices, as the Echo Spot, Echo Dot and Echo Buttons sold out. At the same time, the Echo Dot, Fire TV Stick with Alexa Voice Remote and TP-Link Smart Plug Mini ranked as the most popular items purchased by voice.

    Amid a $2.3 trillion global ecommerce market, Amazon shipped more than one million customer packages in a single day in North America and Europe alone, with 19 December 2017 marking the mega load for picking, packing and shipping at its 10 fulfillment centers.

    To meet that demand, the retailer increased the size of its fulfillment and shipping network by more than 30% worldwide this year.

    Just as holiday 2017 is poised to go down in the retail record books as a tipping point for mobile shopping, consumer purchases on Amazon’s app soared nearly 70% this season, the retailer said.

    To take that out of the abstract, more than 1,400 electronics products were ordered per second on the site via a mobile device this holiday.

    “The mobile phone is the new mall, and how a brand looks on a smartphone replaces the physical store window,” according to Oliver Chen, retail analyst with Cowen, in a research note.

    Meanwhile, Amazon shoppers can now see how a sofa would look in their own living room via its AR View feature.

    Shoppers are beginning to give AR more attention on the site, particularly when viewing function-driven, feature rich, high-consideration purchase, such as furniture. Top categories viewed via AR included furniture, toys, Amazon devices, kitchen items and consumer electronics, with the retailer’s black chair with ottoman getting the most views.

    In its Future 100 report, J. Walter Thompson’s Innovation Group files this trend under the “transcendent retail” category, as shopping is “ leaping on the screen and morphing into a more immersive experience,” said Lucie Greene, Director of JWT Innovation, in a press statement on the report.

    Voice technology, augmented reality, and artificial intelligence are transforming the retail industry “to make buying products quicker, easier and more enjoyable.”

  • aCommerce expects online-shopping market share to double to 5.5 percent

    aCommerce expects online-shopping market share to double to 5.5 percent

    E-commerce in the Philippines is gaining ground, given the expectation that its contribution to the total retail market would double to 5.5 percent, according to Southeast Asia’s retail-solutions provider aCommerce.

    Paul Srivorakul, aCommerce Group CEO, said the improved penetration of the online marketplace in the country will further improve as more and more brands move to Web-based retail to expand their presence.

    “Before, it was enough for brands to simply have a web site. But now, brands are starting to realize the importance of utilizing an omnichannel approach to stay ahead of the retail game,” he said.

    The company said this move is due to the changing behavior of the buying public, as they are now beginning to realize that online purchasing is more practical than visiting the so-called “brick-and-mortar” or physical stores.

    In the Philippines aCommerce currently has 25 brand partners. The number could grow to at least 40 next year as its portfolio encompasses consumer goods, home and living, fashion and electronics.

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  • E-commerce players feel the heat as bargain hunters call shots

    E-commerce players feel the heat as bargain hunters call shots

    Buyers have become more price sensitive and less loyal to the online platforms in a trend that has prompted an intense “pricing game”, the event heard. Consumers are switching over to the e-commerce operators that offer better promotions and prices.

    The seminar also heard that so-called social commerce (s-commerce) has become another competitor, under a model where sellers and buyers can make shopping transactions directly.

    Pawoot Pongvitayapanu, founder and managing director of Tarad.com, said the platform was launched about 10 years ago as the first e-marketplace in Thailand.

    “Today, we are adjusting the positioning of Tarad.com to cope with more intense competition in the e-marketplace model. Without the new positioning, we would not be able to compete against other marketplaces,” he said.

    Speaking at the e-marketplace forum held on Sunday at Thailand e-Commerce Week 2017, Pawoot said that nowadays competition in the e-marketplace has become more of a pricing game. Consumers have become more price sensitive and have less loyalty as they follow the bargains.

    “Today, the actual competitors in the e-marketplaces are not other e-marketplace players, but s-commerce operators, such as Facebook and Instagram, where sellers and buyers can make their own transactions directly,” said Pawoot.

    Thanida Suiwatana, chief financial officer – Thailand, Lazada Group, said that that Thai consumers have become more confident about online purchases.

    “We spent a lot of money in doing marketing campaigns. both offline and online, to generate traffic,” said Thanida, adding that Lazada is now a top 10 e-marketplace in Thailand in terms of traffic.

    “Having good traffic is one of the most important factors for both bricks and mortar stores and online marketplaces. Any online platforms that can generate good traffic will have more chances to sell products.”

    Nuttawit Pholwattanasuk, managing director and co-founder of LnwShop, said that the platform serves individual vendors, enabling them to have their own website and space. It is similar to the idea of a developer of a market or shophouse allowing individual merchants or retailers to do business within their own retail space.

    Eric Bui, head of operation, Shopee Thailand, said that online marketplaces now go beyond the transactional, with a focus on the engagement between buyers and sellers as part of an ongoing relationship.

    “The way we do our listings and provide services to the sellers, everything is free, with no commissions or listing fees,” he said. “The shipping fee has been subsidised by Shopee. There is no reason why the listings on Shopee should not be the cheapest in the country.”

    Haejin Pyun, general manager, marketing strategy, 11street Thailand, said the company started the Thai operation in February.

    “We consider sellers and buyers alike to be very important. While other e-commerce players care about the buyers only, we care about the sellers sometimes more than the buyers,” said Pyun.

    “In Thailand, more than 50 per cent of the transactions come cash on delivery. At 11street, more than 70 per cent of the transactions come from credit cards. We see a big potential to grow in the Thai e-commerce.

    “However, to grow the e-commerce business in Thailand, the payment method is very important. In South Korea, credit card penetration is more than 90 per cent, compared to only 10 per cent in Thailand. Even though they have credit cards, Thai shoppers are still hesitant to put their credit card numbers on an e-commerce site.”

    Thananan Arunragtichai, assistant director of Ascend Commerce, said that the company has operated the weloveshopping.com for 15 years as a store front. For its website, the e-marketplace model was introduced three to four years ago.

    “Today, Thai consumers have greater expectation for marketplace services, such as cheap prices and high quality, as well as good after-sales service. As an e-marketplace operator, we need to manage their expectations properly,” he said.

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  • Ola Cabs merges with Foodpanda in India

    Ola Cabs merges with Foodpanda in India

    Uber rival Ola Cabs has merged with food-delivery platform Foodpanda India, taking control from Delivery Hero Group of Germany.

    Under the terms of the deal, as well as a handover of shares, Ola has committed to investing US$200 million into Foodpanda’s India business.

    With Foodpanda India CEO Saurabh Kochhar having moved on, Ola founding partner Pranay Jivrajka will be interim CEO.

    Rocket Internet-backed Delivery Hero last year pulled out of Indonesia after tough competition, while Foodpanda wound up its Vietnam business in 2015 and scaled back in India.

    “The partnership with Ola will allow us to further consolidate markets where it strategically makes sense to collaborate with local players,” says Delivery Hero CEO/co-founder Niklas Östberg.

    The acquisition comes shortly after Ola raised $1.1 billion in funding from Japanese telco SoftBank Group and Chinese internet giant Tencent.

    Uber Eats launched in India a few months ago.

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  • DHL E-Commerce Launches New Service Points in Asia

    DHL E-Commerce Launches New Service Points in Asia

    DHL eCommerce has launched ServicePoints networks in key Asian markets.

    In a statement issued today (24 November), DHL eCommerce said that it has established a network of more than 200 ServicePoints in Thailand – which will enable commerce sellers to ship nationwide and for online shoppers to conveniently pick-up their orders. DHL added that over 1,000 ServicePoints will be launched over the coming months.

    “We are extremely positive about the e-commerce growth in Thailand, and have seen fantastic growth since we launched our domestic delivery network in Thailand in 2016. We will continue to enhance our existing solutions and launch new services to offer greater convenience and choice for sellers and shoppers across Thailand,” said Kiattichai Pitpreecha, Managing Director, DHL eCommerce Thailand.

    “We are really pleased to now be able to offer parcel drop-off and pick-up locations, all of which are easy to access, simple to use and provide a fantastic customer experience.”

    On Tuesday (21 November), DHL eCommerce also announced that it has launched a ServicePoints network in Vietnam.  The company statement said: “DHL eCommerce has already launched more than 100 ServicePoints and will continue to rapidly expand to more than 1,000 in the coming months.”

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  • Victoria’s Secret Tries ‘See Now, Buy Now’ at Shanghai Show

    Victoria’s Secret Tries ‘See Now, Buy Now’ at Shanghai Show

    Victoria’s Secret, the global lingerie name known as much for its “Angel” supermodels and its “Bombshell” branded products, has brought its iconic fashion show to Shanghai, with Alibaba Group’s Tmall and Taobao marketplaces and video-streaming site Youku used as broadcast channels to reach the world’s most sought-after consumers.

    In addition to locating the event in the world’s second-largest economy—the first time it has been held outside of the U.S. or Europe—the company is leveraging the “See Now, Buy Now” format made popular in China by Alibaba. All items seen on the runway, aside from those not yet released in the market, will be available for immediate purchase as Chinese shoppers watch the show.

    Alibaba’s See Now Buy Now fashion show kicks off the 11.11 Global Shopping Festival season every year. Last month, the show mixed the latest clothes and accessories from international names such as Ralph Lauren and MAC with performances by Chinese female rap sensation VaVa and pop icon Chris Lee to create a retail-as-entertainment experience for viewers.

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  • Thailand’s Pomelo raises extra $19 million capital

    Thailand’s Pomelo raises extra $19 million capital

    Thai online fast-fashion retailer Pomelo has raised an extra US$19 million in a series-B funding round.

    Led by China’s JD.com and Provident Capital Partners, joined by Lombard Investments, it was the largest series-B round by a company based in Thailand.

    Pomelo says it aims to use the cash injection to accelerate global growth.

    A year ago Pomelo raised a follow-on funding round, taking its total series-A funding to $11 million, an investment led by Singapore-based Jungle Ventures.

    Altogether, the three-year-old company has raised $32 million from investors globally.

    “We look forward to continuing the mission of building the first global fast-fashion brand out of Southeast Asia,” says Pomelo CEO David Jou.

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