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Tag: Singapore

  • Singapore to lead the way in tropical data centers

    Singapore to lead the way in tropical data centers

    Launching the Infocomm Media Business Exchange’s Ministerial Forum on ICT on Monday ahead of the official kickoff of CommunicAsia2016, Singapore Minister for Communications and Information Dr Yaacob Ibrahim (pictured) spoke of the progress that the country had made in becoming the world’s first Smart Nation – to include the world’s first data centers designed specifically for tropical climates.

    Dr Ibrahim explained how he has partnered with industry and academia to launch testbeds for green data centers and is now looking at whether it is possible to design and operate data centers at temperature and humidity levels that are double the current norm.

    The tests for these so-called Tropical Data Centers (TDCs) will target an ambient temperature of 38 degrees Celsius and humidity exceeding 90%. The trial will test how data servers react under various “live” situations, such as peak surges or transferring of data, and in diverse conditions, such as with no temperature or humidity controls. TDCs could reduce energy consumption by data centers by up to 40%.

    This would not only expand the geographical limitations of locating data centers, but also cut back on existing energy requirements of the running of such centers – all of which is part of the Singapore Smart Nation Vision.

    Data centers accounted for 7% of Singapore’s total energy demand in 2012 and is projected to reach 12% by 2030.

    On the cyber security front, Dr. Ibrahim said that Singapore has signed a number of bilateral agreements with France, the UK and India in the area of cyber security. It is also supporting the annual ASEAN computer emergency response team incident drill exercises.

    Earlier, the Cyber Security Agency of Singapore successfully completed a multi-sector exercise a few months ago to strengthen the ability of agencies to cooperate in handling cyber attacks. In October, Singapore will hold its inaugural International Cyber Week, which will also see the unveiling of the country’s national cybersecurity strategy document by the Prime Minister.

    Dr Ibrahim also stated that Singapore will complete its switchover to digital TV by the end of 2017, freeing up spectrum for mobile and mobile broadband services, and will be one of the first countries in the world to impose minimum standards for 4G QoS.

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  • New release: Mango Ramadan fashion range

    New release: Mango Ramadan fashion range

    Spanish fashion brand Mango has launched a range of Ramadan styles, including special festive garments.

    For more than 10 years the brand has been globalising its collections for different markets. Its special-collections department develops exclusive designs in line with the cultural and religious norms of different countries.

    The Mango Ramadan fashion offer includes casual garments such as jackets, kaftans, flowing jackets, oversized shirts, leggings and tunics made of fabrics such as poplin and imitation suede. There are also festive garments such as long dresses and double-layer body wraps (relaxed or fitted), plus midi-skirts made of fantasy fabrics. Satin finishes, lurex and laminated fabrics play a key role, as does lace.

    While the Spanish market is key for development, the brand has about 80 per cent of turnover in other countries. There are more than 2200 Mango stores in 109 countries.

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  • JTG Holdings buys Jones the Grocer global rights

    JTG Holdings buys Jones the Grocer global rights

    JTG Holdings, the master franchisee for Jones the Grocer in the Middle East and North Africa, has bought the global rights to the brand.

    In a separate transaction LVMH investment arm, L Capital Asia has taken a minority stake in JTG Holdings with the aim of backing the brand in its international expansion.

    Another subsidiary of L Capital Asia has taken master franchise rights for the brand in various markets in north Asia, Southeast Asia, Australia and New Zealand.

    While its base in the UAE will give JTG Holdings a global footprint, it aims to stay true to its Australian roots and is committed to supporting franchisees as true partners.

    Jones the Grocer is a cafe and retail outlet specialising in hand-selected specialty products, its flagships featuring a signature walk-in cheese room, charcuterie and deli. Established in 1996 with the launch of its flagship Australian store in Woollahra, Sydney, Jones the Grocer has now has 19 stores across Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Thailand, Qatar, Bahrain and the UAE.

  • New Toys’R’Us Asia-Pacific president named

    New Toys’R’Us Asia-Pacific president named

    The new Toys’R’Us Asia-Pacific president is Andre Javes.

    Taking up the role on May 27, Javes will oversee all operations and business activities for the company’s growing number of stores in Japan, Southeast Asia, Greater China and Australia, and he will be responsible for the profitability and success of the company in these markets. He will report directly to chairman and CEO Dave Brandon.

    A seasoned retail executive with more than 30 years of merchandising and management experience, Javes most recently served as MD of Toys’R’Us, Southeast Asia and Greater China, where he oversaw all operations and business activities for the company’s more than 170 wholly-owned stores and some 2500 employees in Brunei, China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan and Thailand.

    “Since joining Toys’R’Us, Andre has made significant contributions to the continued growth and success of our business throughout Asia and Australia,” said Brandon. “With his extensive retail background, drive for results, commitment to building and leading high-performing teams and proven track record, we expect to further grow and strengthen our brands’ position in the global marketplace.”

    Javes first joined the company in Australia in 2008 as GM merchandising with responsibility for toy and baby products. After a brief hiatus, he returned to the company in April 2013 as MD, overseeing all operations and business activities for the company’s more than 30 stores, eCommerce site, corporate office and more than 1700 employees.

    Prior to joining Toys’R’Us, Javes served as CEO at Anaconda Group from 2009 to 2012, a retail chain of camping, outdoor and adventure gear stores across Australia. Earlier in his career, he spent three years at Kmart as divisional merchandising manager first for seasonal and consumable items and later for the company’s toy and outdoor product categories throughout Australia and New Zealand. He also served as group merchandise manager, grocery at Coles Supermarkets Australia.

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  • Aesop Singapore store marks new design direction

    Aesop Singapore store marks new design direction

    The newly-opened Aesop Ion Orchard features the brand’s newest generation store design concept.

    The store, designed by Snohetta, was officially opened a week ago after about a month’s trading. It is the first time Aesop has had a presence in Ion Orchard.

    Aesop-ION-store-by-Snohetta-Singapore-04

    The store features metals and timber, with a bold polished brass exterior. Narrow square timber batons of differing lengths hang down from the ceiling to create an ‘upside down forest’. The timber was chosen in part to mark the presence of a nutmeg plantation on the site many years before Orchard Rd became a retail hub.

    Aesop-ION-store-by-Snohetta-Singapore

    The walls are painted in a pink hue, intended to be reminiscent of the colour of mace, a spice harvested from the nutmeg fruit.

    “A connection with the nearby Aesop Raffles City is established through the use of brass in functional elements such as the sales counter and sink, and the metal’s lustre is enhanced by overhead lighting,” said the brand.

    Aesop-ION-store-by-Snohetta-Singapore-07

    Aesop-ION-store-by-Snohetta-Singapore-06

    A lot of the product is displayed on circular shelves mounted on steel frames running from ceiling to floor creating a ‘floating effect’ which fits in with the ceiling forest effect. There are vintage style basins with old style outdoor taps for customers to wash their hands before treatments.

    Aesop-ION-store-by-Snohetta-Singapore-03

    Aesop was founded in Melbourne, Australia, in 1987 and has since grown into an international chain of stores and department store concessions selling skin care products packaged in brown medicine bottles.

    Aesop-ION-store-by-Snohetta-Singapore-09

    Aesop Ion Orchard is the fifth of the brand’s shops to be designed by Snøhetta – earlier stores include Raffles City, Berlin and Norway.

    Aesop founder Dennis Paphitis told Dezeen “there’s a direct correlation between interesting, captivating store spaces and customer traffic within a store.”

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  • New beauty range in H&M Singapore

    New beauty range in H&M Singapore

    Fast fashion chain H&M Singapore is to launch its beauty range in its city stores.

    The Swedish company made its debut in the category late last year and in the third quarter of this year Singapore will be the first market in Asia where beauty products go on sale.

    The product line-up includes cosmetics, body, skin and hair care products. The full range will go on sale in the H&M Orchard Building store and H&M Raffles Place will stock make-up.

    “We are very excited to be the first market across Asia to carry the much-anticipated beauty concept,” said Fredrik Famm, country manager of H&M South-east Asia.

    “The H&M philosophy is all about offering shoppers the latest styles and quality fashion while staying affordable, and the upcoming beauty range will stay true to our mission. Similar to our fashion, we hope the extensive selection of our beauty range will allow fans to have fun exploring and creating any kind of look they want.”

    Singaporeans will be able to choose from more than 700 beauty essentials, from nail products to beauty tools.

    Internationally, H&M is about to launch two additional collections within the beauty range: A premium body care line and the Conscious branded range of sustainable products which are Ecocert-approved.

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  • Manolo Blahnik steps up in-store presence in Asia

    Manolo Blahnik steps up in-store presence in Asia

    Footwear label Manolo Blahnik is expanding operations in select Asian markets through a new distribution and retail partnership.

    Beginning with the autumn/winter 2016 collection, Bluebell Group will be responsible for Manolo Blahnik’s distribution and retail development in Japan, Singapore and Malaysia. Depending on the success of the partnership, Bluebell Group will then be tasked with expanding Manolo Blahnik further into the region.

    Finding its footing
    Under the agreement, Bluebell Group will manage and provide support service for Manolo Blahnik’s 41 retail locations already in operation in the Japanese market.

    The Japanese locations will be added to Manolo Blahnik’s existing 290 points of sale in 33 countries. Manolo Blahnik’s retail network consists of 11 standalone stores, including two in Hong Kong and one in Seoul, South Korea.

    In Japan particularly, Bluebell Group will help Manolo Blahnik to launch its first shop-in-shop and corners in the market’s leading department stores. Additionally, the brand is planning its first flagship in Tokyo for 2017.

    Also, Manolo Blahnik’s shop-in-shop in Takashimaya in Singapore will be operated by Bluebell’s local division. The shop-in-shop will undergo renovations later this year.

    manolo blahnik.ss16 illustration

    In the Malaysian market, Manolo Blahnik will open its first standalone storefront in autumn/winter 2016. The boutique will be located in the Pavilion Mall in the speciality retail section.

    “We are delighted to now be working with the Bluebell Group in Asia,” said Kristina Blahnik, CEO of Manolo Blahnik International, in a statement. “Manolo Blahnik is a global brand but with comparatively small distribution in Japan, Malaysia and Singapore.

    “With Bluebell now as our partners we are excited about exploring and building the business in these regions and further territories,” she said. “I have trust in their guidance and experience, and appreciate their company family values that resonate with our own. We look forward to a successful relationship.”

    Manolo Blahnik has recently turned to ecommerce platform Farfetch to expand its global presence. As of March, the online retailer’s Black & White service powers Manolo Blahnik’s monobrand ecommerce point of sale.

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    Manolo Blahnik ecommerce Web site, powered by Farfetch’s Black & White 

    Through Black & White, Manolo Blahnik sells its entire catalog of men’s and women’s shoes as well as books relevant to the brand

  • You can now order pizza from a robot in Singapore

    You can now order pizza from a robot in Singapore

    If your Pizza Hut clerk seems like a robot, you may have stumbled into Singapore and a near future in retail commerce.

    Before the end of this year, credit card giant MasterCard will deploy an actual robot in one lucky Pizza Hut location in Singapore that will not only engage with customers, but help them fulfill their pizza cravings by guiding them through a purchase and assisting them in completing a mobile transaction.

    MasterCard announced on Tuesday that, by the end of this year, it will launch a personalized shopping and concierge experience that will also serve as the very first commerce application for Softbank Robotic’s Pepper robot.

    The experiment “follows our own philosophy that every device is a commerce device,” Tobias Puehse, VP Innovation Management, MasterCard Labs, told Mashable.

    Pepper’s new job comes on the heels of news that Softbank Robotics’ (formerly Aldebaran) adorable and emotive 4-foot-tall robot is finally getting an Android SDK and would soon be coming to America.
    The best robot
    MasterCard chose Pepper because of “its early success in Japan, in terms of being active in a retail environment with various partners,” Puehse said.

    The credit card company spent months programming the commerce experience and had to overcome some challenges, like the fact that Pepper doesn’t come equipped with Low Energy Bluetooth or NFC communication abilities. Eventually they settled on placing a Bluetooth LE beacon near Pepper, which connects to the store’s Wi-Fi network — the same one the Pepper robot will be on — and lets the customer connect via Bluetooth.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6iJId6Lo1LQ

    In practice, Pepper will greet would-be pizza hounds using natural language and cognition, as opposed to interface requests. If you have MasterCard’s MasterPass Wallet application on your phone (Android or iOS), a little Pepper icon will appear in it. If you don’t, Pepper asks you to scan a QR code. Once you’re connected, Pepper will be able to glean your name, as well as your shopping preferences, and might ask you, “Would you like to have your favorite drink again?”

    Pepper will guide you through the product selection process, but, according to Puehse, can also handle random questions about, say, the calorie count in pizza. (But, do you really want to know the answer to that?)

    One thing Pepper does not do, though, is complete the transaction for you. For the sake of security, MasterCard chose to keep the transaction on your mobile device. Pepper will only know that you are ready to buy that slice, send your phone the order details and, once you’ve bought it, get the transaction-complete notification. Pepper will then tell you where to go pick up your pizza.
    Pizza takes time
    Because Pepper is a conversational robot and MasterCard designed the interaction to be “human-like,” Puehse said, there won’t necessarily be any efficiency gains from shopping with a robot. The benefit is that, when using Pepper to get that slice of buffalo pizza, there’s no learning curve. Pepper will, in essence, communicate with you just as a highly skilled pizza retail clerk might. It will know the product, respond to questions about it and, perhaps, be a bit more knowledgeable about your pizza desires and needs.

    Puehse told Mashable that he can envision a store full of Pepper robotics, each one helping a different customer, but the near-term goal is to “make sure it has all the value that we anticipate it will.” If all goes well, yes, MasterCard wants pizza-selling robots to “proliferate in Asia Pacific and beyond,” Puehse said.

    Unfortunately, there’s no timeline for Pepper coming to U.S.-based Pizza Huts. Still, Pepper’s new commerce chops might almost make it worth taking the longest pizza-run in history.

    Have something to add to this story? Share it in the comments.

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  • M1 will launch Apple Pay in Singapore

    M1 will launch Apple Pay in Singapore

    The operator will allow its customers to use the mobile payment service to make purchases at M1 Shop outlets and branches.

    Apple has meanwhile revealed it has extended the reach of Apple Pay to include holders of credit and debit cards issued by five banks in the country – DBS Bank, OCBC Bank, POSB Bank, United Overseas Bank (UOB) and Standard Chartered Bank.

    The five banks combined account for more than 80% of credit and debit cards issued in the country.

    Apple Pay, which launched last month in Singapore, was previously only available to holders of credit cards issued by American Express in the nation.

    The service is currently available in six markets – Australia, Canada, China, United States, United Kingdom and Singapore, with planned launches for Hong Kong and Spain this year.

    The service can be used on Apple’s iPhone SE, iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus, iPhone6, iPhone 6 Plus and Apple Watch devices for payments at physical retail outlets.

    Banks are likely hoping Apple Pay transactions will increase adoption of contactless payments and eat into a chunk of the small payments pie currently dominated by cash transactions.

    OCBC Bank Singapore is offering its credit and debit card customers a 3% rebate for Apple Pay transactions island-wide in the first month of activation, with a cap of up to S$15 ($11).

    UOB is meanwhile aiming to lift the S$100 transaction limit for contactless payments at all its POS terminals island by the end of next year. The limit has been removed from 2,000 of the bank’s 10,000 terminals so far.

    Figures from a recent MasterCard study have revealed an appetite for digital wallets among consumers in the Asia Pacific, with 19.5% using such wallets, a two-fold increase from two years ago.

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  • Singapore e-commerce market to exceed S$7b in 2025

    Singapore e-commerce market to exceed S$7b in 2025

    The e-commerce market in Singapore is expected to be worth US$5.4 billion (S$7.46 billion) by 2025, according to a report by Temasek and Google released on Tuesday (May 24).

    This is larger than the casino industry in 2015, which was valued at about US$4 billion.

    The report found that Singapore’s e-commerce market was valued at US$1 billion in 2015, with online shopping making up 2.1 per cent of retail sales – the highest proportion of all Southeast Asian countries surveyed.

    Come 2025, Singapore’s e-commerce market is expected to make up 6.7 per cent of all retail sales, behind Indonesia’s 8 per cent, the report stated.

    Southeast Asian e-commerce markets in 2015 and projected figures for 2025. (Chart: Google, Temasek)

    Countries covered in the report included Indonesia, Vietnam, the Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore.

    The report also highlighted the growth of ride-sharing services such as Grab and Uber. It noted that in 2015, the Singapore market was valued at US$800 million, tying with Indonesia. Overall, the region’s ride-sharing market was worth US$2.5 billion in 2015, with the figure expected to exceed US$13 billion by 2025.

    Ride-sharing market in 2015 and projected figures for 2025. (Chart: Google, Temasek)

    It added that Singapore will continue to record the highest fare per trip, three times that of the average fare in Southeast Asia.

    The report, which also looked at the venture capital and startup landscape in Southeast Asia, also found that as of 2015, Singapore is the most active country with 37 per cent of deal quantity and 72 per cent of deal value. Activity was mainly driven by two startups – Grab and Property Guru, which recorded investments of about US$350 million and US$130 million, respectively.

    It found that Southeast Asia is the world’s fastest growing Internet region, with an existing Internet user base of 260 million. This is expected to grow to 480 million users by 2020. Consequently, the Internet economy in Southeast Asia is expected to exceed US$200 billion by 2025, driven mostly by the growth of the e-commerce market, followed by online media and online travel, the report said.

    Driving growth are three factors unique to the region: A young population, with 70 per cent under the age of 40, a lack of big-box retail, as well as a rapidly growing middle-class, the report said.

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  • Singapore government to spend $2b on ICT this fiscal

    Singapore government to spend $2b on ICT this fiscal

    Singapore’s soon-to-be-formed Government Technology Agency (GovTech) will continue to partner the ICT industry and invest in technologies such as data analytics, ICT infrastructure, and platform-as-a-service to develop citizen-centric services.

    GovTech, which will be established at the end of this year, will replace the Infocomm Development Agency of Singapore (IDA) and aim to lead technological transformation in government.

    The agency is expected to continue to partner the industry to co-create such digital solutions and will be calling for a projected S$2.82 billion ($2.04 billion) of ICT tenders across fiscal year 2016.

    These ICT tenders will comprise mainly infrastructure and ICT security bulk contracts due to some multi-year contracts ending in FY16, as well as contracts relating to agency-specific systems. Last year, SMEs accounted for more than half of the total contracted value of ICT tenders.

    One key focus for government procurement this year will be to enhance ICT infrastructure to better support the data and digital services needs of a Digital Government in a Smart Nation.

    For example, increased data center virtualization will allow the government to modernize its hosting of ICT applications and ensure faster time to production for new digital services.

    Wi-Fi will be extended to more areas within government schools to support smart learning. The government will also continue to invest in its cybersecurity efforts, with a bulk tender for IT security services to be called in this fiscal year.

    “We want to empower Singapore with possibilities through technology. To do that, investment in infrastructure is necessary so that innovative citizen-centric services can be built and enhanced on a strong foundation,” IDA managing director Jacqueline Poh said.

    “There will be opportunities abound for the government and industry to collaborate and build a smart nation together.”

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  • Singapore, Indonesia, Cambodia, Thailand Seek Free Trade Zone With EEU

    Singapore, Indonesia, Cambodia, Thailand Seek Free Trade Zone With EEU

    Singapore, Indonesia, Cambodia, and Thailand are interested in creating a free trade zone with the Eurasian Economic Union, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Igor Morgulov said Thursday.

    “The desire to sign such an agreement has been expressed by a number of countries in southeastern Asia, including Cambodia, Singapore, Thailand, and Indonesia,” Morgulov said during a briefing at the Russia-ASEAN Summit in Sochi.

  • JCB and Nets sign merchant acquiring deal in Singapore

    JCB and Nets sign merchant acquiring deal in Singapore

    JCB International Co., Ltd, (JCBI) the international operations subsidiary of JCB Co., Ltd., and Network For Electronic Transfers (Singapore) Pte Ltd (NETS) today announced a new partnership to accept JCB cards in Singapore.

    Receiving an average of 15 million visitors annually and with Singapore Changi Airport operating as a regional aviation hub for over 100 airlines that fly to over 300 cities, Singapore is undoubtedly a key destination for global travellers. In particular, there has been a notable increase in tourism arrivals from Asia and India due to the greater affordability of air travel.As JCBI builds its momentum in developing its issuing business in Asia, more emphasis will be placed on increasing its presence in Singapore through this strategic partnership with NETS. NETS is Singapore’s leading payment solutions provider and the largest acquirer with a merchant network of 91,000 acceptance points.

    This latest collaboration between JCBI and NETS will facilitate local and global issued JCB cards with more acceptance points for card usage, thereby aligning with the Singapore government’s vision of a Smart Financial Centre where the usage of cash and cheques are reduced.

    Jeffrey Goh, CEO of NETS said: “This strategic partnership aligns both NETS and JCBI’s interests to deliver greater benefits to Singapore merchants. With our latest offering, Unified POS, which is a single terminal that accepts different types of payments, our merchants will be able to offer more payment options as they tap on a sizeable pool of JCB cardmembers and the significant number of Japanese tourists in Singapore.”

    Vincent Ling, Managing Director of JCB International Asia Pacific Pte Ltd commented: “As Singapore continues to be a key tourist destination in Asia Pacific, a stronger JCB card acceptance will bring about enhanced conveniences to JCB cardmembers. JCBI is pleased to collaborate with NETS and we look forward to working closely together to serve our cardmembers, merchants and business partners better.”

  • Takeover bid of $196m. for Eu Yan Sang

    Takeover bid of $196m. for Eu Yan Sang

    A takeover bid for Singapore-based Eu Yan Sang has valued the traditional Chinese medicine retailer at about S$269 million (US$196 million).

    A consortium comprising Singapore state investment company Temasek Holdings’ unit Blanca, Tower Capital TCM Holdings and some members of the founding Eu family have made the final offer of 60c Singapore a share.

    About 63.2 per cent of shareholders have committed to accept the offer, including members of the Eu family, Aberdeen Asset Management Asia and First State Investment Management (UK), says Eu Yan Sang.

    Tower Capital founder Danny Koh says the consortium’s offer is attractive “considering the company’s recent financial performance and the current challenging environment”.

    Eu Yan Sang launched in Malaysia in 1879, expanding to more than 250 outlets in China, Hong Kong, Macau and Australia.

    Its third-quarter net income slumped to S$286,000 from S$5.45 million a year earlier, and its slide became evident in August when it lost US$3.6 million.

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  • Baidu Wallet launches Southeast Asia foray

    Baidu Wallet launches Southeast Asia foray

    China’s Baidu Wallet has launched its mobile payment service in Thailand, on the eve of the traditional Thai new-year celebration Songkran.

    Part of the Baidu search-engine group, the digital payment service is now connected to more than 400 merchants in four Thai cities – Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Pattaya and Phuket. It covers restaurants, shopping malls and spas.

    Baidu Wallet is also set to launch in South Korea and Japan, with plans to also expand into Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan.

    Baidu Wallet’s smartphone app means Chinese travellers can avoid the bother of exchanging currency. They need only scan the QR codes of partnered merchants and enter the amount of Thai baht they need. The app converts the figure to yuan based on real-time exchange rates.

    China has the highest adoption rate in the world for technology-enabled payment systems, according to a new survey by market data company Nielsen. With information from 13,000 respondents across 26 countries, the survey shows that 86 per cent of Chinese respondents paid for online purchases over a six-month period, while the global average rate was half that at 43 per cent.

    A report by consultancy iResearch shows that China’s mobile payment transactions reached $373.2 billion in the third quarter of last year, a 64 per cent increase year-on-year.

    China has been the biggest source of international tourists since 2012, says the Tourism Authority of Thailand. There were 7.9 million Chinese tourists last year – 27 per cent of total international arrivals.

    Chinese travellers spent 6400 baht (US$180) a day each on average, with most tourists spending 5690 baht.

    A report from Forrester Research says the rapid growth of smartphones is driving an eCommerce boom across Southeast Asia, the world’s third-largest digital marketplace after China and India. This boom is being paralleled by strong payment growth via mobile. Companies are boosting their investments in online and mobile platforms such as Carousell in Singapore and Tarad in Thailand, where 35 per cent of purchases are made via a mobile device.

    Alipay, from Alibaba, has introduced an online shopping service Thailand duty-free shop King Power, and the WeChat app payment option launched in Thailand at the beginning of this year.