Retail News CRM

Tag: site

  • Shein Dodges French Site Ban: Court Mandates Age Verification for Adult Products Amidst Childlike Sex Doll Controversy

    Shein Dodges French Site Ban: Court Mandates Age Verification for Adult Products Amidst Childlike Sex Doll Controversy

    The French government has announced its plans to appeal the recent Paris court decision that refused a three-month suspension of Shein, a Chinese online platform. The government’s crackdown on Shein follows outrage over sex dolls resembling children being sold on its platform.

    Legal Measures Against Shein

    The Paris court directed Shein to enforce age verification measures for the sale of adult products on its French website, with a penalty of 10,000 euros for any violation. This ruling is part of an ongoing effort by the authorities to compel Shein to improve the regulation of products sold by third parties on its website.

    However, the court turned down the government’s plea to suspend Shein’s entire website for three months, deeming such a measure as “disproportionate”. Despite the court’s decision, the French government, acting at the behest of the Prime Minister, intends to appeal the ruling in the next few days, asserting its belief in the “systematic risk” linked to Shein’s business model.

    Scandal Surrounding Shein

    Shein has been the subject of controversy after France’s consumer watchdog, DGCCRF, discovered sex dolls imitating children and prohibited weapons for sale on its platform. This prompted the government’s attempt to suspend Shein’s operation.

    A representative from Shein expressed approval of the court’s ruling. The spokesperson stated, “We remain committed to continuously improving our control processes, in close collaboration with the French authorities, with the aim of establishing some of the most stringent standards in the industry. Our priority remains protecting French consumers and ensuring compliance with local laws and regulations.”

    Shein abstained from commenting on the government’s decision to appeal but can now reactivate its marketplace in France, which was suspended last month following the DGCCRF findings.

    Introduction of Age Verification Measures

    The Court of Paris has mandated Shein to establish measures to confirm the age of its users. This is to prevent “sexual products that may constitute pornographic content” from being accessible to minors. On November 3, Shein responded to the consumer watchdog’s findings by banning all sex dolls and suspending the adult products category from its global marketplace.

    French Government’s Stance on Online Platforms

    The French government has been actively targeting online platforms that sell illicit products. Last month, France’s consumer regulator reported that other platforms, including AliExpress, Amazon, Ebay, Joom, and Temu, were selling illicit products in France. However, unlike Shein, these platforms did not suspend their marketplaces, and they have not been the focus of government scrutiny to the same degree.

    This crackdown also extends to policy, with French retailers claiming that Shein’s remarkably low prices and rapid growth are facilitated by a customs duty loophole. Recently, the EU agreed to impose a 3 euro fee on low-value e-commerce packages previously entering the bloc duty-free, echoing similar measures taken by the United States.

    Questions & Answers

    What was the French government’s request to the Paris court regarding Shein’s operation?
    The French government requested a three-month suspension of Shein’s entire website, but the court deemed this measure as “disproportionate”.

    What measures has Shein taken in response to the controversy?
    After the discovery of childlike sex dolls and banned weapons on its platform, Shein suspended its adult products category globally and banned all sex dolls.

    What measures have been taken by the EU to regulate low-value e-commerce packages?
    The EU recently agreed to impose a 3 euro fee on low-value e-commerce packages that were previously entering the bloc duty-free.

  • New World relaunches Cooking site with Easy to make Recipes

    New World relaunches Cooking site with Easy to make Recipes

    Grocery retailer New World has unveiled a new online platform, in partnership with design agency AKQA, designed to offer New World customers an optimized customer experience, designed to give them more choice, convenience and value, as well as encourage healthier food choices.

    Rather than simply acting as a traditional e-commerce portal, the New World website also functions to provide inspirational content to its customers – providing recipes, facts about products, as well as tips to get the most out of food.

    “The launch of the new website is a vital step forward to providing our customers with connected, personalized customer experience, from inspiration through to shopping and loyalty,” Foodstuffs New Zealand head of digital David Brem said.

    “As the most visited digital touchpoint across the Foodstuffs group, [New World] acts as the digital front-door for our 143 stores and local New World owner-operators across New Zealand.”

    According to Brem, the new site offers an improved mobile experience, enabling them to shop when, where and how they want – facilitating an enhanced omnichannel experience which is strengthened by the release of the inspiration content-driven site.

    This connected experience is further enhanced by the delivery of new e-commerce experiences for New World and PAK’nSAVE earlier in the year.

    “AKQA partnered with us to provide expertise across customer experience strategy and design through to solution architecture and development,” Brem said.

    “Our digital product and CX teams collaborate incredibly well, and are building up a track record of great work which makes an impact with customers and across our business.”

    AKQA managing partner of Asia Pacific Brian Vella said the partnership has made great progress over the past three years, and together they have been able to implement a leading brand and customer experience for one of the country’s largest organisations.

  • Vestiaire Collective overhauls commission structure, cementing its position as the most desirable fashion site

    Vestiaire Collective overhauls commission structure, cementing its position as the most desirable fashion site

    Vestiaire Collective, the leading global resale site for desirable pre-owned fashion today reveals substantial changes to its commission structure. The move will significantly reduce the cost of pieces across the site’s desirable inventory, ensuring that Vestiaire Collective is the most appealing resale site for buyers and sellers alike.

    The resale industry is currently estimated to be around 8% of the 260€ billion luxury market* with forecasters predicting that the industry will double in size by 2022. As more fashion consumers turn to resale as a sustainable way to access the products they desire, the next few years will prove to be a turning point for the industry and consumers alike. With its strong fashion DNA, Vestiaire Collective is perfectly placed to capture this market, offering a unique desirable inventory, engaged global community and rigorous quality and authenticity checks.

    As part of the new vision for the company, under the leadership of new CEO Max Bittner, Vestiaire Collective reveals a significant overhaul of its commission structure, ensuring that Vestiaire Collective remains the most competitive resale site in the market. The new changes will reduce Vestiaire Collective’s commission and prices by an average of 10% across the catalogue, meaning the price of its highly desirable inventory will be made significantly more accessible overnight. The commission drop will also positively impact sellers who will be able to sell their items at a faster rate. The change will most significantly impact customers looking to buy and sell pieces at more accessible price points and also items that fall into the rare, desirable high-luxury category, as these pieces will enjoy a capped commission.

    “This commission restructure is one of the first major changes I wanted to impact the business since joining Vestiaire Collective at the start of this year. This significant drop in commission will encourage more sellers to the site, knowing they will be able to sell their item at a fast rate whilst also making a strong profit. For the buyers, it means they can purchase the desirable pieces they’ve always wanted at even more accessible prices. I believe that giving our users more direct value is the most powerful medium to keep them engaged and excited. This is a significant moment for Vestiaire Collective as we continue to ensure we remain the most desirable global resale site for must-have pre-owned fashion,” says Max Bittner, CEO Vestiaire Collective.

    Vestiaire Collective will continue to offer the same level of exceptional service across all customer touch-points, from the carefully curated highly desirable inventory to rigorous physical quality control, meticulous authenticity checks and high level of customer service. The company curates and connects the world’s most desirable wardrobes, whilst providing a trusted and sustainable new way of buying and selling pre-loved fashion.

    Lees ook:

  • LVMH confirms launch of multi-brand fashion site

    LVMH confirms launch of multi-brand fashion site

    LVMH is launching a multi-brand e-commerce website inspired by its exclusive Parisian department store Le Bon Marche, as the world’s biggest luxury goods group steps up the digital side of its business.

    The new website, named “24 Sevres” after the Rue de Sevres location of Le Bon Marche in the chic 7th arrondissement, will offer fashion, cosmetics and luggage products from LVMH’s own portfolio as well as brands from outside the group.

    Overall more than 150 labels, including 20 of LVMH’s own stable such as Louis Vuitton, Dior, or Fendi, will be featured.

    The size of the investment amounted to several million euros and marks the biggest digital initiative taken by LVMH since it hired former Apple music executive Ian Rogers in 2015 to craft its digital strategy and capitalise on the luxury sector’s online sales expansion.

    LVMH, controlled by French billionaire Bernard Arnault, said the new site would go live on June 6 in more than 70 countries.

    Competing with established rivals such as Yoox Net-a-Porter , MyTheresa, Matchesfashion.com or LuisaViaRoma, it echoes the high-end positioning of the Le Bon Marche store.

    It will give international clients “very Parisian choices” in the selection of exclusive products, Rogers told Reuters.

    “The idea is to be attractive with unique products, not necessarily have a huge offering,” said Rogers.

    E-commerce is still a relatively small part of the global luxury goods market, representing 7 percent of industry sales, but this is expected to rise to 12 percent of industry sales by 2020, according to the Boston Consulting Group.

    Luxury goods companies face a dilemma over trying to reach young Internet-savvy shoppers while preserving the sense of exclusivity that drives up the value of their products.

    LVMH has already tapped into the increasing importance of online social media by setting up LVMH Luxury Ventures to invest in start-up luxury goods projects.

    Until now each LVMH brand has had its own separate digital strategy, with some brands such as Fendi and Kenzo putting significant resources into this area while other brands such as Celine had no E-commerce website of their own.

    The new website will complement the offering available on the respective websites of the LVMH brands, Rogers said.

    Big fashion brands such as Prada, Gucci or Valentino will be sold on the site as well as Maison Margiela, seen as a more cutting-edge label, or others such as Kitsune or APC.

    LVMH’s online sales of €2 billion ($2.2 billion) last year equated to 5.3 percent of overall group revenues.

    Lees ook:

  • Vietnamese prefer overseas sites for online shopping

    Vietnamese prefer overseas sites for online shopping

    Local consumers say global giants like Amazon and eBay offer a wider range of products and better return policies. Vietnamese online shoppers spend significantly more on overseas purchases than they do domestically as they believe international e-commerce platforms offer better products and service quality, a new report has said.

    The report, from the Vietnam E-commerce Association or VECOM, said that many global retailers like Amazon and eBay have made it easier for Vietnamese consumers to buy online.

    “Meanwhile, a majority of Vietnamese e-businesses, especially small- and medium-sized companies, have yet to make significant investments in market research catering to consumers,” said the report.

    Local online shopping sites are less competitive in terms of product diversity and quality, return policy, and order placement costs, the report highlighted.

    “I shop on both eBay and Amazon,” Quoc Hung, a reader said in a comment. “I can just send a product back if I don’t like it.”

    Most Vietnamese online businesses don’t offer free delivery and free return, another reader pointed out.

    Chinese online retail giant Alibaba is also attracting more Vietnamese customers. Internet company OSB, Alibaba’s authorized agent in Vietnam, said the company’s customer base in Vietnam has expanded to 500,000 after sharp increases over the past three years.

    The online shopping trend is growing rapidly in Vietnam, where 30 percent of the population will be buying goods and services over the internet by 2020, according to the Vietnam E-Commerce and Information Technology Agency.

    The agency, run by the Ministry of Industry and Trade, said revenue from online retail is expected to account for 5 percent of the country’s retail market in 2020, up from only 2.8 percent in 2015.

    Vietnam’s e-commerce market, which has one of the world’s fastest growth rates, jumped 37 percent in 2015 to around $4 billion, based on government statistics.

    The growth rate is about 2.5 times faster than that in Japan, based on some estimates by industry experts.

    Lees ook:

  • Rakuten to shut Singapore website, cuts 30 local staff

    Rakuten to shut Singapore website, cuts 30 local staff

    Japan’s largest online retailer Rakuten is closing its Singapore website after two years, and trimming its staff.

    On Friday, the fifth day of Chinese New Year, about 30 local employees were given the pink slip .

    While the company will continue to keep its regional HQ here, a notice on the website posted on Friday evening said no new purchases can be made from its online portal from next month.

    Earlier that afternoon, around 30 staff at its Market Street office at Raffles Place were told that they would be laid off. They included sales, marketing and customer service staff who were directly involved in running the website.

    They were among the 150 employees who were laid off in Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia. The company is closing its websites in the other two countries as well.

    Most of the Singapore staff were told to immediately return their staff passes, and their e-mail accounts were deactivated on the spot. They were escorted out of the office and told that they did not need to turn up for work any more, said a source.

    “All were in shock,” the source said. “They were told that Friday was their last day (of work).”

    A handful can continue to work until the end of the month, when the website finally goes offline.

    The Sunday Times understands that the individual severance packages are tied to how long the staff have worked there. The company will make the payouts only next month.

    When contacted yesterday, a Rakuten spokesman in Japan declined to give details of the Singapore retrenchments, but he said that the firm will compensate workers “above and beyond legal requirements” and help them find jobs.

    Rakuten Group, which is listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, announced in Japan on Friday a five-year business plan that includes overhauling its business model in South-east Asia by closing down its online retail websites and starting a customer-to-customer trading application.

    Experts were surprised that the retrenchments were carried out over the Chinese New Year celebrations that span 15 days.

    “We usually tell unionised companies to avoid retrenchments during festive seasons. This is good industrial relations practice,” said labour MP Patrick Tay, who chairs the Government Parliamentary Committee for Manpower.

    The firm is not unionised but the affected professionals, managers and executives can turn to the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) for job placement help, said Mr Tay, who is NTUC’s assistant secretary-general.

    “The timing is a little brutal,” said Singapore Human Resources Institute president Erman Tan, adding that the speed at which retrenched staff were shown the door within hours was “very fast”.

    “This reflects the culture of the e-commerce sector. Things move very fast online and perhaps retrenchments too,” said Mr Tan.

    Association of Small and Medium Enterprises president Kurt Wee said the retrenchments signal the start of a phase of consolidation by companies as they respond to the global slowdown and local economic conditions.

    “When companies consolidate, some staff retrenchments are inevitable,” said Mr Wee.

    Lees ook: