This week, Singapore electronics retailer Audio House has rolled out a new payment system that lets customers scan QR codes to complete their purchases; and they can do so using their own banking apps. Audio House said it had adopted NETS QR payment platform, enabling shoppers to select the payment mode at the cashier and scan the QR code displayed on the terminal to initiate the payment process. Developed by payments vendor Network for Electronic Transfers of Singapore (NETS), the QR platform [...]

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Digital platforms are empowering brands to widen their customer reach and sales channels, but they must tap the right tools and partners to ensure they have robust logistics support, says Joseph Ng (pictured below), CEO of Skyfy Technology, a Singapore-based provider of fleet management and vehicle tracking systems. In this byliner for RetailTechNews, Ng discusses key trends he sees unfolding in the Southeast Asian e-commerce landscape. Digital transformation has had a positive impact on e-commerce, especially in the areas of workflow [...]

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This week, Alibaba Group has unveiled a one-year leadership succession plan as its executive chairman, Jack Ma, prepares to leave the company he co-founded and hand over the reins to current CEO Daniel Zhang. Ma, whose face and name have become synonymous with the e-commerce giant, will remain in his role until 10 September next year to ensure a smooth transition to Zhang, according to Alibaba. The announcement, which was released on 10 September when Ma celebrated his 54th birthday, also revealed [...]

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Lazada is banking on data to help retailers offer better a shopping experience on its e-commerce platforms and, hence, drive sales of their products. In this aspect, the Southeast Asian online marketplace already has been tapping the industry knowhow and technologies of its majority shareholder, Alibaba. Such sharing has included the Chinese e-commerce giant’s search algorithm and deep-learning technologies, Jing Yin, Lazada’s co-president of commercial, said in an interview. The executive himself had spent five years based out of Alibaba’s [...]

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This week, JD.com has teamed up with several hotels to showcase its technologies and marketplace products, enabling guests to purchase items they find in their rooms. Selected rooms at these partner hotels including Wanda, Sheraton, Beijing 5L, and Greenland, would be suited up with products identified to be popular amongst travellers, such as power banks to charge their devices, a Philips Sonicare electric toothbrush, and JD.com’s smart speaker cum personal assistant device. The Chinese e-commerce giant said it introduced the programme [...]

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This week, Google has unveiled a rebranding of its digital payments service and plans for further expansion of the platform in India, where consumers have made more than 750 million transactions with the app. Called ‘Tez’, when it was launched in the country last September, the payments platform since has chalked up more than 22 million users – including 1.2 million local businesses – each month, according to Caesar Sengupta, Google’s general manager for payments and the company’s next billion [...]

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Retailers looking to understand why customers choose not to purchase certain products should analyse in-store data to identify potential association and tap analytics to complement their own experience. Consumers today have more options and means to get what they need, so businesses have to get better at knowing what their customers want, said Jeremy Sim, global director of manufacturing and high tech at Qlik, which develops data intelligence and visualisation software. Retailers in Asia-Pacific are starting to recognise the importance of doing [...]

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This week, JD.com unveils a new blockchain platform that it says is aimed at helping companies access and develop their own applications on the technology to better secure their operations. The new platform allows businesses to create and modify smart contracts as well as streamline operations, such as track-and-trace movement of goods, transaction settlement, and authentication of certifications. It also will enable businesses that lack the necessary capabilities to access and tap blockchain technology for their own applications, according to [...]

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Despite the rise of e-commerce marketplaces, traditional retail players still can compete successfully if they have the right tools to better target consumers in the physical realm. This is where Singapore startup WhereIsWhere hopes to step in and offer location-based services, which it says will plug a critical hole in the industry and arm brick-and-mortar retailers with the ability to engage potential customers. CEO and founder Terence Mak said: “We want to be the game-changer for bricks.” Noting that these businesses never really [...]

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TWG Tea is looking to build out an omnichannel e-commerce site with the aim to offer free shipping across all locations; but, in doing so, is cautious about ensuring it continues to be seen as a luxury brand. The Singapore-based tea brand marked its 10th anniversary this year with the launch of a new global online retail platform and local invitation-only MyTWG membership programme. Together, they served as the company’s digital business intelligence tools and helped establish better connection with [...]

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