If first-party data is currency, then direct-to-consumer brands are living like kings. However, having access to all this valuable data, and harnessing it effectively, are two different things. In this Q&A, Paulo Cunha, CEO, Velocidi, talks about how his business is teaming up with DTC clients, and the value that customer data platforms (CDPs) can help them recognise.  DTC Daily: Velocidi has chosen to focus on DTC solutions – what drove this? Paulo Cunha: Direct-to-consumer companies have proven to be a perfect [...]

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In this edition of Weekly Focus APAC: Alibaba Partners with Office Depot to Widen SMB Reach; Chope Targets Chinese Tourists with Food Delivery Partnership; Tmall Aims for 1,000 Stores with Cosmetic Brands; JD.Com Has Eye on Luxury Fashion Through Farfetch; and Indonesia Health Tech App Snags £49.19m in Series B. Alibaba Partners with Office Depot to Widen SMB Reach U.S. retail chain Office Depot has joined hands with Alibaba to broaden their online offerings for small and midsize businesses (SMBs). The alliance aims [...]

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In this edition of Weekly Focus APAC: Potential Walmart Exit Posed as Players Work to Comply with New India E-commerce Rules; SingPost Pledges to Make Delivery Amends; Indonesia Coffee Chain Rides on Grab Delivery; and Online Fashion Retailer Snags £175m in Series D. Potential Walmart Exit Posed as Players Work to Comply with New India E-commerce Rules As market players work to comply with India’s new e-commerce rules, suggestions have emerged that Walmart may abandon its Flipkart acquisition deal in response to [...]

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In this edition of Weekly Focus APAC: Lazada Eyes SEA E-Supermart Growth with RedMart Integration; Alibaba’s Commerce Business Grows 40%; Singapore Launches Integrated Viewership Tracker; AirAsia Flies with AI-Powered Chatbot; and JD.com Takes Off with Drones in Indonesia. Lazada Eyes SEA E-Supermart Growth with RedMart Integration Lazada Group has unveiled plans to expand its supermarket business across Southeast Asia with the integration of e-grocer app, RedMart, into its online retail platform. From 15 March, RedMart customers in Singapore will have to purchase their [...]

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What key trends will play out in the Asia-Pacific retail tech landscape this year? And should brands go direct or tap aggregated e-commerce sites to engage consumers? RetailTechNews spoke with these industry experts and players for their insights and predictions: – Jet Jing, Alibaba’s president of Tmall – Satish Meena, Forrester’s senior forecast analyst – Alban Villani, Criteo’s Southeast Asia, Hong Kong, and Taiwan managing director – Jennifer Arnold, SAP’s Asia-Pacific Japan and Greater China vice president of marketing for customer experience RetailTechNews: What key [...]

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In this edition of Weekly Focus APAC: Mobile to Lead Online Retail in APAC Markets; APAC Firms Believe Customer Experience Still Not Integrated & Centralised; DBS Pilots QR ‘Angbaos’ for Chinese New Year; and Alibaba Expected to Grab 9.3% of Global Digital Ads. Mobile to Lead Online Retail in APAC Markets Mobile will lead online retail sales this year in Singapore and Hong Kong, as well as in Australia and India next year, as Asia-Pacific consumers increasingly turn to e-wallets. Mobile-commerce already is [...]

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In this edition of Weekly Focus APAC: China to Overtake U.S. in Retail Sales; Chinese Bring Out Mobile to Pay When Overseas; Traditional Banks Must Collaborate as More AU Consumers Tap Digital Payments; Grab & ZhongAn Form JV in Digital Insurance; and Argentinian Retail Agency Eyes Asia Expansion with Pixelsior. China to Overtake U.S. in Retail Sales The Chinese retail market is projected to overtake the U.S. this year, clocking a 7.5% growth to generate almost USD$5.64tn (£4.37tn) in total sales. In comparison, [...]

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In this edition of Weekly Focus APAC: Security Fear Drives APAC Retailers Away From Digital; Singapore Online Firms Find Globalisation Tougher Now; Alibaba Puts Genie in BMW Partnership; and Citi Partners with MoneyBack to Offer Retail Conversion Programme in HK. Security Fear Drives APAC Retailers Away From Digital Three out of five retail businesses in Asia-Pacific say concerns about cybersecurity have hindered the progress of their digital transformation initiatives. Their worries might be founded, as a cyberattack could cost an average of USD$18.7m [...]

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In this edition of Weekly Focus APAC: E-Commerce Drives China Mobile Payments Services; JD.com Unveils Autonomous Delivery Stations; Didi Launches In-App Financial Services; and Singapore C2C Retail Platform Appoints Senior Execs. E-commerce Drives China Mobile Payments Services China’s mobile payments services market is projected to grow 21.8% from 2017 to hit USD$96.73tn (£75.96tn) in 2023, driven partly by increasing demand for e-commerce. The number of active mobile payment customers in the country was expected to reach 956 million in 2023, up from 562 [...]

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In this edition of Weekly Focus APAC: JD.com Sets Up Shop at Airport & Railway Station; Taobao Finds Gold in China Pet Retail Market; and Grab Ordered to Pay for Impact on Vietnam Competitor. JD.com Sets Up Shop at Airport & Railway Station The Chinese e-commerce giant has opened two stores at an airport and railway station in a bid to target travellers and showcase its latest retail technology. Its new pop-up store at the departure lounge of Beijing Capital International Airport’s Terminal [...]

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