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Tag: india

  • India’s direct selling industry likely to reach Rs 645 bn by 2025

    India’s direct selling industry likely to reach Rs 645 bn by 2025

    A report titled, ‘Direct 2015 – Direct selling: Mapping the industry across Indian states’ by FICCI-KPMG says that direct selling, the oldest and traditional forms of selling, is today a successful industry operating in over 100 countries, with a market size of $180 billion.

    In India, the market is estimated at Rs 75 billion (2013-14), and accounts for 0.4 per cent of the total retail sales in the country. The direct selling industry in the country has the potential to reach Rs 645 billion by 2025.

    As per the report, North India is the largest region by market size accounting for direct sales worth Rs 22 billion in 2013-14; South India holds the second highest share of the direct selling market is worth Rs 19 billion in 2013-14. While the north east is the smallest market, it has recorded the highest growth rate of 14 per cent in India with revenues of Rs 9 billion.

    The growth in direct selling has primarily been driven by rising income levels, high rate of urbanisation and growing consumerism in the states. The report claims that despite witnessing growth, direct selling industry faces multiple changes, one of the biggest being the lack of regulatory clarity.

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  • Holland & Barrett eyes India

    Holland & Barrett eyes India

    UK health goods retailer Holland & Barrett is negotiating with a potential partner in India as its Asian retail rollout broadens.

    Holland & Barrett expects the Asian expansion to help boost its sales to £1 billion in annual sales by 2020 – turnover rose 12 per cent during the last year.

    Owned by US health group NBTY, the company opened 56 stores this year taking its network to 1071. It has also established two shopfronts on Alibaba’s Tmall.com in China.

    With retail stores in Singapore, Malta, China (34) and Kuwait already, the company changed its name to Holland & Barrett International earlier this year reflecting its growing global reach, but the majority of its shops – 744 – are in the UK.

    The company has not yet revealed details of its India plan, other than to confirm negotiations are underway with a prospective partner and the first store is scheduled to open early in 2016.

    Holland & Barrett says the consumer shift towards healthy eating and greater awareness of food allergies and intolerances is sustaining growth.

    “This year’s performance – especially our rapid growth overseas – underlines the fact that rising consumer interest in healthier living and wellness is by no means a UK or even eastern phenomenon,” says CEO Peter Aldis.

    “Our experience is that the British heritage behind our brand gives us significant advantage in our sector, and overseas consumers, such as those in China, seem to prefer the quality and reliability of our products compared with local competitors,” said Aldis.

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  • Study reveals Asian dining spending trends

    Study reveals Asian dining spending trends

    One in three millennials in Asia are eating at fine dining restaurants at least once a month – more often than those aged over 30.

    The surprise finding is one of a list of revelations uncovered by a MasterCard survey of Asian dining trends away from home. It featured consumers in 17 Asia Pacific markets: Australia, Bangladesh, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Myanmar, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam.

    The most frequent fine-diners in Asia Pacific are millennials (18-29 year olds) from China – on average they visit more expensive establishments two or three times a month. This is higher than the average for millennials across the region and higher than any other age group.

    When choosing where to eat, consumers in Asia Pacific still prefer to rely on word of mouth and recommendations from friends and family (50 per cent). This was applicable for all consumers, regardless of age group, with even millennials trusting word of mouth recommendations (52 per cent) more than online reviews (38 per cent).

    This is despite the fact that more than a third of millennials (36 per cent) post comments and reviews of their dining experiences online. This is especially true of Chinese (61 per cent) and Thai (52 per cent) millennials, where more than half of the young people polled regularly post reviews after a meal.

    Beyond millennials, people in Thailand (39 per cent) and China (30 per cent) are also the most likely to spend more on dining over the next six months with around one in three indicating they plan to eat at more expensive establishments.

    But while consumers may be enjoying fine dining, they are still cost conscious. Sixty-four per cent of consumers in Asia Pacific regularly check for discounts or dining deals from coupon websites, mobile applications or credit card promotions. Sixty-eight per cent of millennials regularly look out for deals before choosing a place to eat.

    Eric Schneider, regional head, Asia Pacific, with MasterCard Advisors, said Asia has always had a strong dining out culture and so it is not surprising that affluent millennials in the region are ‘foodies,’ with many sharing their dining experiences on social media and posting reviews online.

    “While the survey has shown that people are increasingly moving from the hawker centres and into restaurants, young people are still cost conscious, taking a practical and savvy approach by looking for discounts and deals. Young people also still rely on word of mouth recommendations, despite many posting online reviews of dining spots. As Asia’s economies continue to grow, and with technology and social media revolutionizing the dining experience, people will increasingly demand top quality experiences when dining out,” he said.

    Other findings from the survey included:

    • Overall, consumers in Asia Pacific are not looking to make any significant changes to their dining out plans with 61 per cent of all consumers indicating they will look to eat out at the same frequency in the next six months. Twenty per cent plan to eat out more and 19 per cent plan to eat out less in the next six months.
    • The most popular dining option for consumers in Asia Pacific are mid-range restaurants and cafes, followed by fast food outlets and then hawker centres and food courts.
    • Consumers in the Philippines (44 per cent) are looking to tighten their belts with close to one in two planning to eat at less expensive venues in the next six months. Forty-nine per cent also plan to eat out less regularly.
    • A significant proportion of older consumers are going online to check for dining discounts whether on coupon websites/applications or credit card promotions. More than one-third of consumers aged 55 years old and above (36 per cent) indicated they regularly do so before deciding on a dining option.
    • Consumers in China (58 per cent), Taiwan (44 per cent) and Thailand (44 per cent) are the most likely to book dining deals on coupon sites or coupon applications; while consumers in Bangladesh (1 per cent) and Indonesia (11 per cent) were least likely to do so.
    • Diners in Thailand (60 per cent) and China (57 per cent) are most likely to post comments or reviews on social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter with about one in two respondents in these markets reporting that they regularly post comments online following their dining experience.

    The results are based on interviews with 8698 individuals aged 18 to 64 years-old.

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  • Flight Centre India to double network

    Flight Centre India to double network

    Australian travel retailer Flight Centre expects to more than double its network and business in India over the next five years.

    Flight Centre, listed on the Australian Stock Exchange, debuted in India 10 years ago and now considers the nation one of its top five corporate business markets globally.

    “India is an emerging market and a long term business for us,” said Rob Flint, executive GM – Asia and global corporate told the Economic Times.

    “We are expecting a high double digit growth from this market over  the next five years.”

    Flight Centre currently operates a corporate travel arm FCm Travel Solutions along with leisure travel company Flight Shop in India. The company currently has 12 operational stores in the country and plans to open 10 more next year.

    “We currently do about Rs 200 million (US$3 million) of business in India and believe that to be a leader in our space in India, we need to do at least Rs 500 million of business. We want to get to that level in the next five years,” added Rakshit Desai, MD India, FCm Travel Solutions and Flight Shop.

    Consumer travel accounts for about half the company’s turnover currently but it sees the corporate market as its main growth driver. The entire Flight Centre India operations posted profit growth of 12 per cent this year against last.

    The company entered India by buying New Delhi-based travel agency Friends Globe.

  • Delhi’s Khan Market moves up two spots in global retail rank

    Delhi’s Khan Market moves up two spots in global retail rank

    With a rent of $ 235 per sq ft per year, New Delhi’s Khan Market moved up from twenty sixth place to twenty fourth place in the ‘Main Streets Across the World’ report by Cushman & Wakefield, which ranks world’s expensive retail locations.Within the APAC region, Khan Market was the 10th most expensive retail location.

    The top spot has been retained by New York’s Upper 5th Avenue followed by Hong Kong’s Causeway Bay on second spot and Avenue de Champs Elysess in Paris completing the top three.”Despite witnessing no change in the rental values of the location, Khan Market gained in rankings due to marginal changes in the rankings of other countries in the rankings,” Cushman & Wakefield said.

  • Spykar denim plans 250 new stores

    Spykar denim plans 250 new stores

    Spykar, an Indian-founded denim brand, is planning to open 250 stores over the next five years under a franchise program.

    According to Franchise India, Spykar currently operates 200 exclusive brand outlets across India targeting the youth market.

    Meanwhile, the company is also exploring opportunities for international expansion.

    Spykar COO Sanjay Vakharia told Franchise India the brand has operated stores in London and Melbourne, Australia, for three years.

    “The experience gained during these overseas ventures is invaluable and will help us for future propositions. We will explore more global markets.”

    Grounded in denim, the brand has expanded into casual clothing including t-shirts, shirts and winter clothing. Womenswear and accessories are likely to be added to the portfolio “in the near future”.

    Under its Indian franchising program, the brand will open new stores at a rate of about one a week, focusing on tier 1, 2 and 3 cities: Noida, Kolkata, Pune, Mumbai, Jamshedpur, Indore, Calicut, Kota, Bangalore, Hubli, Coimbatore, Vadodara, Lucknow, Ghaziabad, Ranchi, Jaipur, Alwar, Udaipur, Jalgaon, Chandrapur, Satara, Trivandrum, Thrissur, Kottayam, Kannur, Vizag, Vijaywada, Guntur, Nellore, Rajahmundry, Tirupati, Kakinada, Chennai, Madurai, Bilaspur, Ahmedabad and Hyderabad.

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  • New Delhi tops list of Asia’s top cities for shopping

    New Delhi tops list of Asia’s top cities for shopping

    New Delhi has topped the list of Asia’s top cities for shopping, offering a treasure trove of goods through its blend of charming traditional markets and glitzy shopping malls, according to a new survey.

    New Delhi has topped the list for the best shopping city in Asia, followed by Bangkok and Singapore, according to a survey by TripAdvisor.

    “Shopping in Asian cities can be a rich and colourful experience if you know exactly which spots to go to and how to maximise your dollar,” TripAdvisor’s Communications Director for Asia Pacific Janice Lee Fang said.

    Most cities feature top quality malls, where one can find their favourite designer shops, but there are also the night markets or street shops that sell beautiful handicraft and other local gems unique to the culture, she added.

    This ranking is based on the popularity of shopping activities in Asian cities and also includes highly-rated hotel recommendations, which are bookable on TripAdvisor, offering shoppers great value for their stay so they can save as much of their holiday budget.

    The rank of the best cities for shopping is based on the total of commercial activities for shopping, the number of commercial activities for shopping with a good score, the frequency of mention for the word shopping in the reviews relative to the destination and the average score of reviews that talk about shopping in all the languages applicable on TripAdvisor.com.

    Bangkok (Thailand) is second with its huge variety of shopping options for every lifestyle and budget, from the very high-end to street shopping, wholesale and weekend markets.

    Singapore, which ranked third in the list, is famous for its retail options across the city state, with a plethora of shopping malls that open till late.

    Other cities mentioned in the top 10 shopping destination are Beijing in China at the fourth place, followed by Hanoi in Vietnam, Tokyo in Japan, Seoul in South Korea, Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia, Kathmandu in Nepal and Jakarta in Indonesia.

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  • How to choose the right smartphone in India

    How to choose the right smartphone in India

    In this modern era, mobile phone is an important thing for every person and its importance cannot be ignored because of the latest technology by which an individual can use the internet on it and can stay in contact with the dear ones. It is obvious that a mobile phone is an expensive product which cannot be changed after a short period of time, so a person should select the mobile phone carefully. Given below are some points which can assist in making a good decision of choosing the best mobile phone in India.

    Know your requirements:

    A person should list down the requirements because it makes the decision making process and selection easy. He or she should figure out what matters most to him/her like if the person uses the mobile for a lot of texting then the focus should be on the keyboard. Some individuals like physical keyboard while others like to use touch keyboard, so it should also be kept in mind that which keyboard he or she finds easy for texting because some people like to use QWERTY keyboard.

    If the person is fond of taking selfies or clicking random pictures then the attention should be paid on the camera. Nowadays, individuals mostly use mobile phones for using social media platforms or for checking E-mails so, if the person wants it for using the internet then he or she should focus on the internet capabilities. One should not ignore the deciding the size of the mobile and the screen size.

    Prior to making the final decision of purchasing the mobile phone, a person should not ignore listing the personal preferences because not paying attention to the desired choices can result in a wrong purchase.

    A vendor speaks on his mobile phone as he waits for customers at his roadside shop selling clothes in Mumbai

    Choose the brand:

    There are many famous brands available in India so, a person should choose the brand before he/she starts looking for the mobile model.

    Find the right design:

    Mobile also reflects the sense of style of the person holding it so one should find the right design that not only looks great when a person carries it, but a person should also be comfortable with the way it looks so a person should pay attention on its design.

    Browse through search engines:

    A person can browse through the search engines to know about the specifications of different models of different brands, which is the best way of selecting the best mobile fulfilling the requirements. One can also see the looks of the mobile phone on the mobile selling websites which he or she has decided to purchase.

    Read reviews:

    Reading reviews on different mobile selling websites is a great way of getting information about the mobile functioning and it is the best way of purchasing the right mobile because one can avoid purchasing a mobile which he or she has selected if the reviews of the individuals using it are not good. Feedbacks of the mobile users assist a lot in making the final decision and helps in preventing the wrong purchase which saves the hard earned money.

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  • China and India to Dominate Divergent Picture in Asian Real Estate for 2016

    China and India to Dominate Divergent Picture in Asian Real Estate for 2016

    The outlook for real estate in the Asia Pacific region remains largely positive heading into 2016, according to Colliers International’s 2016 Property Outlook. But pockets of weakness are starting to appear, according to the forecasts from Colliers International, while government policy continues to drive the behaviour of investors in many markets.

    China is the proverbial “elephant in the room” for Asian real estate. That’s whether it is as a source of outbound capital or as an investment destination. Its economic slowdown and Beijing’s attempts to rebalance the domestic economy also spill over into its neighbors and trading partners.

    “The focus remains firmly on China and the continued impact it has on all aspects of property activity,” Simon Lo, executive director, Asia research & advisory at Colliers international, says. “The dominance of China means that any changes to government policies in that country will continue to have ramifications throughout the whole region.”

    Amid general caution and cost cutting among multinational finance companies, Chinese banks will continue to drive the office leasing in markets such as Hong Kong and Singapore in the year ahead. China’s outbound tourism is reshaping the hotel sector across Asia, rapidly becoming the No. 1 source of visitors to Japan.

    India is cropping up on the radar for investors, in many cases for the first time. That is mainly as a result of its opening up of its domestic economy to international capital. Players active in India and China should see their cost of financing decline in 2016. In contrast, with U.S. interest rates set to increase, borrowing costs will be on the rise in Hong Kong and Singapore, although landlords should benefit from better yields.

    India and China combined will account for around 70% of the huge impending supply of Grade A office space, Colliers predicts, with 100 million square feet already hitting the market in 2015 and 110 million square feet due for completion in 2016.

    E-commerce is reshaping retail and industrial space around Asia. Logistics should be one of the most exciting spaces for investment, Colliers anticipates, as capital — once almost exclusively local — starts to cross borders in greater volume. Business-process outsourcing has put the Philippines on the map, resulting in large demand for purpose-built facilities there.

    China represents a significant opportunity for retailers and mall operators, Colliers forecasts, since both global and Asian mid-market food & beverage operators are underrepresented there. This suggests China can build on the same kind of trends at play in Singapore, Hong Kong and Japan, where landlords are creating more “experiential retail,” built around wellness and lifestyle as well as a broader range of dining options.

     

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  • India’s Specialty Restaurants plans 24 new ‘fun’ eateries

    India’s Specialty Restaurants plans 24 new ‘fun’ eateries

    Fine dining operator Speciality Restaurants says it will focus on its ‘fun dining’ brands as it rolls out 24 new eateries over the next two years.

    The group currently operates 123 restaurants, a mix of fine dining destinations branded Mainland China and Oh! Calcutta, and what it terms ‘fun’ brands – Mainland China Asia Kitchen, Cafe Mezzuna and Hoppipola.

    Executive Anjan Chatterjee says from now on the company will more or less equally split its capital investment evenly between the two channels – fun and fine dining.

    “At least 50 per cent of restaurants we open in 2016 and 2017 will be fun dining. The vertical will help us maintain leadership in the fine and casual dining restaurants and confectioneries market. Over the years, we have developed a dedicated client base that is sophisticated and appreciates fine dining. But there is another group that is as important who want an informal atmosphere and a fun dining experience,” he said in an interview with the Times of India at the opening of a new Asia Kitchen restaurants at the Acropolis Mall.

    “They are young customers with disposable incomes. We have developed brands for them and will now expand this vertical.”

    The company is also pursuing opportunities to expand overseas.

    With two restaurants in Bangladesh and two in Tanzania, it is about to open its first outlet in Doha. Chatterjee is seeking locations for new restaurants in London and New York.

    Specialty Restaurants also has a small collection of quick service restaurants – one each trading under the brands Zoodles, Shack, Kibbeh and Kix.

    Chatterjee believes consumer dining preferences are changing.

    “Traditionally, people went to a restaurant and had their fill. But the trend has changed. They have become small eaters for health and economic reasons. Food is expensive and people don’t want large portions that will lead to wastage or a doggy bag. For instance, if a portion of mocha chop contained eight pieces, we have now introduced a regular portion that has four pieces. The regular size is good for two. If there are three or more, customers have the option of ordering one more. It is good on the pocket too and will encourage customers to come back more often. We don’t want price to be a barrier,” he said.

    Specialty Restaurants has already introduced regular portions at Mainland China and Oh! Calcutta.

  • Warburg Pincus in $400m bid for MedPlus India

    Warburg Pincus in $400m bid for MedPlus India

    Private equity investor Warburg Pincus is making a bid of up to $400 million for the giant MedPlus India pharmacy chain.

    Nine year old MedPlus currently operates a network of 1200 retail stores in 12 states of India.

    Promoter Madhukar Gangadi, who together with his family owns 31 per cent of the company, wants to ramp up the brand’s rollout to a massive 10,000 stores by 2020.

    Warburg Pincus is one of several in a race to acquire 69 per cent of the business, according to The Economic Times newspaper. Its rivals include General Atlantic and Bain Capital.

    If the chain fetches the figures being broadly quoted – between $350 and $400 million – it would represent a 250 per cent profit on the original investment of the outgoing shareholders, US-based Mount Kellett Capital Management, TVS Capital Funds and Ajay Piramal’s India Venture Advisors.

    Investment bank Credit Suisse is leading the search for strategic buyers to help fund the store rollout.

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  • India is now Alibaba Group’s second largest market

    India is now Alibaba Group’s second largest market

    For Alibaba.com, the business-to-business arm of the world’s largest e-retailer Alibaba Group India is the second largest market globally.

    “India is the second most important market for Alibaba globally, next only to China for us,” said Timothy Leung, head of global business development, Alibaba. The business-to-business subsidiary of Alibaba Group launched an online platform to provide Indian small and medium enterprises (SMEs) access to global counterparts.

    “India is at a critical point at present and from here we will see sharp upswing in ecommerce. We are very excited in building this consortium for SMEs,”he added.

    The company has 4.5 million registered users from India, with the country accounting for the second-highest paid users on the platform after China. SMEs in India can also avail assistance in terms of financing, logistics (domestic and cross-border), inspections and certifications, technology and SME trade-linked education on this platform. The Chinese company has partnered with enterprises such as ICICI Bank, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Crisil Rating, Tally, Capital Float, Jeena, SGS and Mypacco to help Indian SMEs expand their business.

    “There are at similarities in our experience in Chinese and India markets in terms of population size, kind of SMEs and also the core path in the ecommerce. We are also looking at our experience in the past in China and match it with what is happening in India,” added Leung.

    Citing similarities with the Chinese market Leung said that in China, B2B side of the business spearheaded the growth for Alibaba. The company through its B2B platform brought buyers and suppliers together and then ventured into supporting different aspects of the ecosystem.

    “That’s what we trying to build here. Other than matching buyers and supplier we are trying to develop the ecosystem,” Leung said.

    On the consumer side of the business also the Chinese major and its financial arm Ant Financial have picked up stakes Indian ecommerce companies Paytm and Snapdeal. Founder Jack Ma was in India three times in one year and also met the prime minister.

    The recently launched initiative, known as SMILE, hopes to connect Indian manufacturers with quality Chinese suppliers on Alibaba.com, provide Indian sellers the trading support and facilitate the global sales of Indian products through the platform.

    Talking about the fast growing ecommerce industry in the country, Leung said that 16 years ago when Alibaba started China went from becoming a no-internet country to one of the most advanced ecommerce ecosystems in the world. India is at much advanced stage and growing at a very fast rate when compared to China of those times.

  • Indonesia promotes “Wonderful Indonesia” in Mumbai, India

    Indonesia promotes “Wonderful Indonesia” in Mumbai, India

    Indonesia will be promoting “Wonderful Indonesia,” its country branding, in Mumbai, India, from December 2-4, 2015 in order to market tour packages featuring attractive cultural performances and festivals.

    Assistant Deputy for Asia Pacific Market Development, Ministry of Tourism, Taufik Nur Hidayat, said here on Wednesday that India is a potential market as most Indian tourists are high-class travelers.

    Indian tourists generally prefer hotels with five star facilities, so a specific strategy has to be put in place to attract more tourists to Indonesia.

    “We must prepare what they need, such as adventure tour packages as well as comfortable and safe environment, Indian food, and a pleasant night atmosphere,” he said.

    The Ministry of Tourism, according to Taufik, is targeting Indian tourists, hoping that around 250 thousand people will visit the country in 2015, especially Bali, Jakarta and Batam (Riau Islands).

    The tourism ministry also facilitates various Indonesian tourism players to participate in the South Asia Travel & Tourism Expo (Satte), last of which was held in New Delhi recently.

    Taufik explained that the promotion of Wonderful Indonesia in Mumbai is part of the cultural diplomacy to strengthen emotional ties between the two countries, emphasizing that Indonesia has a close relationship with India in terms of history and culture.

    In the ninth century, some Hindu kingdoms flourished in Java. Many Hindu relics are preserved by the people and the Indonesian government.

    The spread of Islam in Indonesia also involves traders from Gujarat, India, who developed trade in various port cities in Indonesia.

    In modern times, Indonesia, along with India, initiated the Asian-African Conference (AAC) in 1955 which resulted in Dasa Sila Bandung (the ten principles of Bandung).

    The number of Indian tourists visiting Indonesia in 2016 is expected to increase by 10 percent to 300,000 visitors.

    The Wonderful Indonesia promotion campaign in Mumbai is a combination of the two programs, namely selling tour packages and cultural festivals such as dance performances, culinary exhibitions and sasando music performances (featuring a Timorese traditional musical instrument).

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  • Bizpluss.in targets $20 billion sales

    Bizpluss.in targets $20 billion sales

    Indian B2B eCommerce startup Bizzplus.in has added 32 suppliers from China to its portfolio, giving 50 brands direct access to its Indian business customers.

    And the company says it aims to become a US$20 billion turnover business within the next three years.

    Its next priority is to add suppliers from the UK, UAE and Europe as it aims to supply 100,000 retailers in the first phase of its growth plan.

    Among the 50 new Chinese suppliers are TCL, Toshiba and G’Five.

    “This new venture will disrupt the long supply chain and will directly connect the retailers and suppliers between India and China for better pricing,” said Yasharth Verma, executive director of Bizpluss.

    “Today with 100 per cent production, the demand is only for 50-60 per cent compared to 120 per cent before. Suppliers from electronics, electrical home appliances and home furnishing are the top categories from China region. Next, we will get children products and garments from European countries,” he said.

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  • Virtual wardrobe tech comes to Singapore

    Virtual wardrobe tech comes to Singapore

    Technology from Metail, a United Kingdom fashion technology company is set to arrive in Singapore tomorrow as part of the company’s first Asian collaboration with new Indian fashion retailer abof.com. The new launch is understood to be in partnership with Singapore Press Holding’s e-commerce portal Shop.SheShops.

    According to Metail, 25% are put off online shopping because they are confused with sizing, with 44% returning clothes due to sizing issues. As it is, a majority of customers (62%) wish that images online would be more reflective of their own body shape.

    The technology from Metail is an attempt to solve – or at least alleviate – these issues by allowing users to try out their clothes virtually. This is done by generating customized body avatars dubbed as “MeModels” sporting users’ vital statistics. According to Metail, the MeModel avatar is up to 92% accurate of the customer’s own body shape.

    The objective is to allow customers to better visualize an outfit prior to making the purchase. When browsing through clothing options, shoppers can see the avatar donning selected clothes in a small docked window at the side. This only works with clothing items tagged with a “Try it on” sign though.

    CMO Innovation gave the Metail demo a spin, and the site asks shoppers for vital statistics pertaining to their weight, height and bust. This is used to estimate waist and hips measurements, which can be tweaked if desired. A handful of models can be used as the base template for the avatar, while the hair type can also be tweaked slightly. Male MeModels are not available at the moment.

    It will be interesting to see how well the technology fares with fashion brands in the region, especially in costly retail locations such as Singapore and Hong Kong. Is the technology too nascent or too hard to implement on a wide scale for brands here? Or is it arriving at just the right time to address the growing propensity for online shopping by Millennials, or Gen Y customers.

    Inline image: Metail avatar donning a Halloween-themed Poison Ivy Dress