eTail Asia 2024 Blog

The rise of an online audience is a force to be reckoned with in Southeast Asia, and ZALORA is just one of the many brands and businesses that has capitalised on this crowd to scale up their efforts in building a successful channel strategy to engage them.

In this exclusive Q&A interview, she delves into the sizeable value when every product growth team treats an idea as a controlled experiment – measuring its tangible impact by gathering quantitative and qualitative data on user experience so they could grasp the way it addresses an actual pain point customers have.

Find out with Annabelle Lin, Marketing Director, on how Clarks collaborate with influencers on a deeper level that allows them to create based on their personality and style, and tips on the best strategy in identifying the right influencer that is aligned with your brand's objectives.

With Sarah Garner, Founder & CEO of Retykle, find out exactly how did Retykle go from zero to Asia's largest online consignment store for all things baby and maternity, the unique challenges that startups face, and how they've embraces technology to be ready for a dynamic, retail future.

In this exclusive Q&A, Jimmy Liedianto from Kopi Kenangan FMCG shares with us how he navigates the myriad of challenges faced in optimising and streamlining practices in inventory management for his coffee business, how new technologies have incentivised him to move away from traditional systems and leverage on advanced analytics, their creativity as an ingredient for operational success, and so much more!

Asia's young, highly connected demographic is driving the growth in creator commerce, craving for content that resonates with their lifestyles and values. The ubiquity of smartphones has enabled anyone to produce and distribute content from anywhere at any time.

Love them or hate them, creators now sit firmly at the heart of Asia's dynamic digital ecosystem. They are quickly integrating into traditional brand building, far surpassing the transactional expectations of one-off sponsored Instagram posts. In this blog, you'll discover the power of creator commerce in Asia and how brands can tap into this growing trend to stay ahead of the competition.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is no longer just a buzzword or a distant future—it's right here, reshaping the very fabric of how businesses interact, grow, and stay competitive.

Since ChatGPT blew up and became the fastest-ever consumer service in history (reaching 100 million users in just two months), AI has broken into the mainstream and is here to stay.

But, as with most things these days, there’s a lot of hype with new products flooding the market. Fears and conspiracies. Myths and new understanding.

What does all this mean for your business?

In volatile economic times, brand value is paramount, the key factor that retains customers’ shopping loyalty even when belts are tightened. But in trying times, where the value of each dollar rises higher, the success of brand building is fleeting.

As a senior leader in the online retail space, what are the critical questions you should consider when building your brand in a challenging and volatile economic environment?

Gen Z and Gen Alpha, highly educated and culturally diverse, are reshaping brand engagement norms by prioritising authenticity and purpose-driven interactions. Marketing to these cohorts is a dynamic challenge as they redefine consumer engagement rules in a digitally saturated landscape. 

This blog delves into the strategies that resonate with these young consumers, decode their digital behavior, and uncover the keys to successful brand engagement. Additionally, it explores how these demographics shape talent and retention strategies.

In this blog post, we're diving into a crucial topic that affects all of us in the digital advertising world - ad fraud. It's like a sneaky villain, trying to exploit the system and steal our hard-earned money or mess up our campaigns. So, let's gear up to understand the implications of ad fraud and learn how to tackle it head-on.

MadTech has featured prominently in recent discussions on the future of marketing, as one of the major areas of opportunity for businesses to make transformational use of emerging technologies such as big data and AI. MadTech represents the synthesis of the two – the technology-driven convergence of marketing (MarTech) and advertising (AdTech). In this article, we discuss why MadTech matters and how it will be meaningful to businesses.

With over 20 years of digital marketing experience and winning Inside Retail’s Top 50 People in E-Commerce, Mal Chia talks about key topics such as the increased importance of understanding behvioural and purchase analysis to improve upselling and why all marketers’ need to go back to the basis of asking “WHY?”

Video consumption has significantly increased over the years, with the number of digital video viewers globally predicted to reach 3.5 billion in 2023. When Superminted was hired by Lazada for a Southeast Asia-wide campaign, the restrictions made it difficult to conduct on-site production. Their solution? A remote production.

Pizza company Domino’s has a recipe for customer experience success and the key ingredient is data, which not only reveals what prevents customers from returning but also powers its growth. Linda Hassan, Domino’s Pizza Group CMO for Malaysia, Singapore and Cambodia shares why brands planning to embark on a data journey should take a holistic approach that makes connections across the entire value stream and tracks customer satisfaction at all touchpoints through good data storage, quality, access and analytics.

Predictive analytics give marketers an idea what is going to happen, but prescriptive analytics tell them what to do about it, with improved social intelligence as large language models go beyond demographic markers to look at aspirations and behaviours instead.

In this article you will find out how: 

• External social data can be leveraged beyond internal data from point of sales transactions for consumer intelligence.
• Social media can now be used for real-world segmentation in a way that naturally reflects real-world groups.
• Large language models (or LLMs) are able to see data without languages and understand it as if it’s in the same language.
  

With artificial intelligence rapidly redefining Web3.0 and accelerating technologies such as the metaverse, blockchain and NFTs, marketers must think big and act fast to close the gap in organisational capabilities.

• AI’s real potential is in areas such as predictive analytics for data-driven marketing, and new businesses like data-as-a-service.
• Brands have to consider how AI can support their organisations, what to plan for and where they are headed.
• Marketers who lack resources can turn to AI for help to potentially be in multiple markets and address many more segments.
  

Mark Sage, VP Loyalty & Member Experience for DFS shares about how Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton (LVMH) - DFS is diving deep into focusing on customer-centric thinking, where data is key to understanding their customers, including and not limited to insights during customer conversations! Customer behaviour, retail experience feedback, these are insights you can gain through meaningful and sincere conversations with your customers, allowing you to retain and transform your customer's retail experience.

Donald Ong, Senior Vice President for Mastercard in the Asia Pacific region shares about his observations within the past few years - the different patterns in spending and what you can do to adapt. He speaks about how creating highly personalised and contextual experiences is key to engaging with consumers, and so much more!

GrabAds, the marketing platform created for retailers to connect with millions of consumers across Southeast Asia. Jennie Johnson, Head of Marketing at GrabsAds dives into the future of retail media network, how improved ROI can be attained with first-party data within the apps, and so much more!

Logistics transformation, where streamlining processes and meeting ever-changing customers' demands are always at the forefront. Kevin Davis, former Head of Logistics at retail giant Marks & Spencer and former Head of EU Central Operations at Amazon, shares about how he "Optimised logistics network for the future" with scalability, flexibility, and sustainability.

Harshavardhan is the Chief Marketing & Omnichannel Officer at Spencer’s Retail & Nature’s Basket, and we delve deeper in the pleasure of mixing physical and digital retail. Customers often feel a disconnect between different storefronts, especially when the standard of personalisation is different when continuing an online experience to in-store.

Manasvi Sharma from Lowe's Companies shares about how leveraging on advanced data analytics for personalised marketing will differentiate yourself from others and offer customers a truly exceptional experience. This includes overcoming legacy systems and having a truly :omnichannel mindset".

Ben Wong, Head of Sales Singapore at Ayden APAC spills about the importance of retailers having a unified payment solution, where retailers can efficiently manage their payments and the data it brings, and customers are given the freedom to choose from various payment methods that suits them better.

Michael Ryan Chan, Managing Partner at Evye LLP speaks about the difference between brand and performance marketing, where focusing and getting the right marketing done can lead to lasting positive impact for both retailers and consumers.

Gavin Watson, Senior Industry Lead for Marketing, Creative, and Retail at monday.com shares from his experience of being in the Martech space for more than 20 years on engaging topics such as the importance of data flow and its management, optimising at store level to understand the customers' touchpoints, and putting the company's branding at the front and foremost.

Matej Urban, Associate Regional Director at ZALORA Group, talks about how why in today's hyper competitive retail ecommerce landscape, it's critical for brands to provide exceptional customer experience with accurate and timely information, coupled with perfect service over multiple channels.

VIPSHOP has grown to be an eCommerce GIANT and one of China's largest discount retailers. Hoong An Wong, Sales Director at VIPSHOP speaks about why social commerce is HUGE in China and what the right factors to create that success, gaining a huge advantage over your competitors.

Thomas Yeoh, Managing Director (Asia) at Baozun speaks about their strong establishment in the China market, leveraging on technology, strategic acquisition, and alliances to create an omnichannel digital operating platform, encompassing on all things digital marketing.

NARS Hong Kong has released their own collection of #NFTs, bringing it to everyday consumers to partake in the exciting world of digital assets, a place where the arts and technology collide! To commemorate 20 years in Hong Kong, NARS launched 2,022 POWERICON NFTs, promoting individuality and empowerment.

Download this case study done to find out how the beauty industry is winning at going digital with NFT drops!

Harvinder Harchand, the director of LUSH Malaysia, sits down with us and shines a light on how the retail industry has been contributing to pollution, amidst other glaring issues. But what can be done to stop this, or at least prevent this from becoming a bigger problem than it already is? Through examples of what LUSH Retail Ltd has been doing, she shares several opportunities on how retailers can align their practices to create a world where nature and retail can coexist.

This is a guest post written by Harvinder Harchand.

Dagangan's mission is to create a series of digital products that cater to users in rural Indonesia. From pre-transaction to post-transaction, Dagangan is committed to enhancing personalized experiences for customers, micro store owners and FMCG (Fast-Moving Consumer Goods) brands, via a seamless, reliable and tech-enabled infrastructure. They are focusing on rural areas for untapped growth- where demand and the use of smartphones are on the rise.

So how are they innovating their omnichannel marketing strategies?

Mayur Pathak, Head of Product and User Experience at Titan, speaks about "AI-driven" and "Hyper-personalisation", key terms that are surrounding the retail industry now. In 2023, retailers are focusing on improving and enhancing their customers engagement and experience. He delves into the five types of data that retailers need for customer segmentation, making it one of the key factors for personalisation. He also explains the common mistakes that retailers make when using data for customer segmentation, such as making “Incorrect Assumptions”.

Sharaf Retail Group are in 60 countries worldwide, in 244 locations with over 50 years of retail experience. You might recognise some of their brands - Forever 21, Adventure HQ, Cotton :On Group - known for their huge presence across Asia. In this snippet from Parcel Monitor’s exclusive interview with Kartik Bhatt, Chief Operating Officer, Sharaf Retail - you receive a taste into how Katrik broadens our strategic understanding of modern day retail conundrums by expanding on some of the biggest challenges brick-and-mortar stores face when transitioning to e-commerce.

Behind the exponential growth of MyDeal is Suhaib Anwar, Head of Growth & Martech. Since their start-up status days, Suhaib has navigated the highly competitive marketplace landscape to help win them ‘Best Marketplace 2022’, emerging as one of the most successful marketplace players in the Australian ecommerce landscape. During this interview, we discuss critical considerations to make when choosing your tech stack, the importance of building seamless internal processes, how MyDeal.com built a comprehensive product review ecosystem and how the desire to create a more customer-centric shopping experience while improving operational efficiency is driving the technology trends in retail today.

We love nothing more than to sit down with Frame Paladsang, Digital Marketing and eCommerce Specialist for Chemcorp International who is FULL of expertise, passion and knowledge of eCommerce excellence with a proven track record of growing profits, inspiring teams and excelling growth. Frame brings us a guest article that breaks down the retail trends of today and unpack what’s needed to succeed in personalisation, click-and-collect and customisation. Her no-nonsense approach to marketing is a breath of fresh air to anyone seeking tips and tricks from one of the industry’s finest experts.

This is a guest post written by Frame Paladsang

“In an increasingly digitized world and with new technologies all around us, it’s important for businesses to embrace state-of the-art technologies and implement them properly to enrich the experience of consumers while augmenting business prospects.” tells Vinay Bansal, Managing Director, Birkenstock India. He gives eTail Asia spectacular insights into the essential requirements in successfully running a D2C business, why Birkenstock are evaluating contactless payments in stores, how they are taking advantage of O2O commerce market opportunities and why being future ready is imperative! 

eBay, Levi-Strauss, Pottery Barn, Eddie Bauer, elf Cosmetics - Angela Clark has an outstanding track record for making an IMPACT for eCommerce’s giants. A true digital virtuoso with a reputation for digital transformation brilliance – in under 5 minutes, Angela gives her expert advice on how connect with consumers, her top 3 strategies for profit growth and the hottest new technologies you can’t afford not to know about!

Matthew Lam is leading the brand & marketing innovation for Decathlon Hong Kong. In this exclusive interview, Matthew talks to us about the evolution of the customer journey and why “it’s the customer who decides” in today’s world. We discuss their “Your Trustful Partner In Sports” and “EXPLORE THE UNSEEN” campaigns. We dive into brand and performance marketing – the differences, pros and cons and why they mustn’t work in silos. Matthew discusses the importance of community building and how they create strong alliances and long-term loyalty by focusing on the health of consumers.

Recent events in our world history have driven inflation to surge across the globe. The impact is being felt across industries and in households everywhere.

In Asia, retailers have been grappling with the challenges brought on by inflation - the increased cost of operations, supply chain shortages, the pressure on profit margins, increased competition, difficulty in forecasting and to top things off, big changes in customer buying behaviour.

These factors, coupled with the acceleration of technologies like AI and ML present a huge opportunity for retailers to capitalise and make improvements in efficiency, agility and overall resilience of the business.

Now is a crucial time to make fundamental changes to outdated ideals in order to survive the climate of today’s retail landscape in Asia. In this blog, we explore the three most important business imperatives required for long-term survival, success and competitive advantage.

There’s no denying how much AI has developed and risen to fame. A global trend ignited by ChatGPT, the fame-rising chatbot system in November 2022, by OpenAI. Its adeptness in translating vast and heavily technical data into natural, human-tailored-like language has been raved worldwide, especially in the retail industry.

From content production, copywriting, and product renderings to personalized recommendations, platforms like ChatGPT does it all, sparking the potential for generative AI. Brands across various industries have started to notice and explore the possibilities of integrating its use into running the business. 

In particular, Sephora (Singapore) is using conversational AI to enhance its digital retail stores by blending in-store and online teams into an omni-retail department. Here’s how they’re doing just that.

The global personalisation solutions market is expected to grow massively to $2.2B toward the end of 2026. Consequently, Industry ARC recently released a report projecting that the personalised recommendation engine’s market size is to reach $12.03B by 2025, a whopping 95% increase from the $1.14B in 2018. 

These figures point towards increased demand for personalisation in businesses. Personalisation is nothing new. Cast your mind back and consider the shops or places you frequented some years ago - do you recall how the owner would know your name and preferences?

As of 2020, Euromonitor International’s Digital Survey showed that a third of APAC businesses planned to incorporate AR and VR in their business plan within the next five years. In 2023, we see the results of that investment throughout Asian retail markets, their investments, and ground-breaking digital marketing campaigns in virtual spaces.

Large retailers, tech giants, and financial powerhouses have displayed impressive immersive spaces as the world experiments with AR, VR, the Metaverse, and NFTs, such as Sony’s investment into gaming giant Fortnite to help progress its Metaverse technology.

The Metaverse has also become necessary for experiencing life as we knew it before the COVID-19 pandemic, which has seen heightened restrictions in APAC countries. As a result, APAC countries, especially China and South Korea, surged ahead of other regions to deliver experiences to their citizens during lockdown periods through AR, VR, and Metaverse technologies. As of 2023, China is now second in the world for Metaverse technology.

In this article we discuss how asian retail markets can find opportunities in a world that is moving towards AR, VR, and the Metaverse 

In this interview, Piyanuch Limapornvanitch, Chief People Officer of Pomelo Fashion shares the importance of building company culture that supports remote working. Piyanuch believes in pushing past the comfort zone to achieve the best results from his employess and proves that culture comes first on the digital agenda.

Piyanuch believes in making every employee feel included in the future of the company and how virtual gatherings are an opportunity zto empower employees and improve cross departmental collaboration.

Watch the interview now!

Ever seen a one-stop shop for the full eCommerce experience? Look no further.

Leap Commerce is an ecommerce one-stop shop for the Asia Pacific. Raman Arora, Chief Operating Officer of Leap Commerce has over 14 years of experience and shares his perspective on the importance of brands adapting and accelerating as quickly as eCommerce is evolving.

Raman talks us through how to extract deep insights using data analytics and the importance of adopting a holistic approach to digital transformation. . His key takeaway - “always get the fundamentals right”

Watch the interview now!

Impact.com knows how to make AN IMPACT!

Choosing the right partners can make all the difference in today’s world. Antoine Gross, General Manager Southasia and India at Impact.com has a deep understanding of the Asian market, in this exclusive reveal – Antonie shares his top tips for maxmising partner ROI, how to sustain growth in a recession, the emerging partership economy and much more.

Data is the world’s most valuable commodity.

But what we DO with the data is what matters.

In this exclusive interview, Matt Koh, Director of Business Development, Moloco shares how retailers can maximise first party data, getting the most for their business. works best for them. Matt knows the importance of first party data and how companies can increase profitability from it. With his extensive experience, he divulges the factors driving retail media adoption currently and how companies can use it to their advantage.

Watch the interview now

Jason Titman, Company Director at Integr8 Investment Group - one of the fastest-growing investment groups globally, specialising in Venture capital and private equity - helps retailers to streamline operations and create flexibility across the business. A technology whizz, with 25 years' experience in eCommerce, FinTech, Crypto and Cyber Security, Jason gives us his insider view on the "rise and future of crypto and blockchain" in this exclusive interview. He de-bunks the crypto craze – helping us understand it’s place in world commerce, the metaverse and how NFT’s can help drive your brand forward.

City University is a well-known innovation hub. Dr Esterina Nervino, an Assistant Professor at City University, Hong Kong believes in "understanding the uniqueness of your brand and conveying that to consumers",

In this interview, Dr Esterina shares the secret too creating an ecosystem of partners and strategies to retain customers, how to create loyalty and raise brand awareness.

Watch the interview now

With two decades of experience across different industries, Azli Mohammed, Chief Ventures & Sustainability Officer, AEON Group, Malaysia gives us the bird’s eye view on sustainability strategy and what retailers must know as we move forwards. He shares how to have the right plan, set the right targets, and achieve stability in sustainability.

Watch the interview now!

Robin Greer, APAC Marketing lead, EPS, BytePlus and his team of experts find inventive ways to accelerate business growth for brands worldwide. Robin has over 11 years of experience in the eCommerce domain, in this interview he shares why Southeast Asia is the ‘home of eCommerce’, the reasons why personalization is so significant and how to engage Generation Z.

WWF Singapore is one of the world's most influential and accomplished independent conservation organisations. Vivek Kumar is the Chief Marketing Officer for WWF Singapore, with over 20 years of diverse leadership experience. We spoke to Vivek to understand technology’s role in realising this their vision for the future, three key emerging areas in retail and how innovation & tech play a huge role in raising the sustainability standards.

Watch the interview now

Do you know what your customers truly need?

Watch this interview with Alex Genov, Head of Customer Experience Research, Zappos who shares the different ways to give customers a voice through innovation. Alex talks through the implications of the Metaverse for eCommerce and how Zappos have adapted to their customers, leading to the company's huge digital success.

Niels Floors,VP of Sales & Partnerships, ChannelEngine shares how companies should play the global game using eCommerce in this exclusive interview. He gives us his perspective on the various challenges faced by online retailers when it comes to cross-border payments. With over 14 years worth of experience in sales, Niels provides us with expert knowledge on how online marketplaces are taking over the ecommerce space. Wanna hear more?

Watch the interview now

In this exclusive interview with John McDonnell, Managing Director of Tito's Handmade Vodka, we hear how Tito's is building brand loyalty and longevity in the minds of customers with the latest in tech innovation. We discover how companies must speak the language of the customer and understand what’s important to build connection and win over the competition.

Find out how the brands global success was built on one key thing- consistency.

Customers have now become used to the possibilities provided by data-driven digital technologies. Having a smooth, easy experience is an important aspect that customers look for in their purchase journey.

In this blog, we will uncover the different trends that businesses can use to achieve personalisation and look into a brand that is focused on personalising every step of the customer's purchase journey

Over the past two years, digital transformation has accelerated the pace of technology adoption for retailers, as changes in market conditions and customer behaviour act as catalysts for advances in tech. As consumers grow ever more adept at manipulating the digital realm, they are coming to demand and expect immersive, engaging, and uniquely personal interactions with brands.

Buyers now know that digital technology opens up boundless opportunities -- and they expect the organisations they engage with to exploit this potential for their benefit and delight. Innovative technologies and event building techniques are making it possible for brands to surpass a purely transactional focus, and shift to a more tactile and experience-based model for engaging with consumers. This has implications for the ways technology is permeating into more areas of the value chain, facilitating innovative route-to-market solutions, and driving the digitisation of business processes.

In this exclusive interview with Dipashree Das, Content & Brand Marketing Netflix India, we gain exclusive access to Netflix’s application of the subscription business model and why businesses cannot afford not to invest in community building to increase revenue.

Find out from the industry’s best how your brand can use the subscription model to increase loyalty, reach and customer experience.

The media and entertainment industry has traditionally relied on paid advertising, but with the subscription economy ushering in a new way of doing business, brands must learn how to build a marketing funnel for it.

• APAC is anticipating the growth of the subscription economy, where people subscribe to products/services versus buying them
• 46% of C-suite execs believe subscription-based models will be widespread in their respective industries in three years’ time
• 31% expect that 100% of their organisations’ revenues will come from these models in the future
  

At the recent eTail Asia Summit 2022, Carousell reveals how the e-commerce startup is doing good by using its platform to empower and drive causes.

• E-commerce GMV in the Southeast Asian region is expected to reach US$234bn by 2025
• But the growth comes with pressing concerns, and consumers recognise that overconsumption harms the environment
• Carousell is promoting re-commerce after seeing the growing appetite for it in the region.
  

FMCG e-commerce in Asia Pacific is booming, but at the recent eTail Asia Summit 2022 NielsenIQ shows there is even greater potential for this fast-growing retail channel, as indicated by the strong sales spikes on double days.

• Double days or special e-commerce days are crucial for a sales surge and are especially pronounced in certain Asian markets.
• 40% of sales can occur on one day in the month, making double days a very important event for retailers. The challenge for brands is to understand who is selling their product and why sales are accelerating.
  

In this exclusive interview with Dipashree Das, Content & Brand Marketing Neflix India, shares how to bring people in a community together and how to stay true to a brand while stepping out of your comfort zone. She also shares key insights on a goldmine of how brands can use user-generated content while creating a relationship between them and their customers. With over 17 years of experience at leading global organizations under her belt. Dipashree is the perfect guide on how companies can use the best ways to develop content geared toward increasing brand loyalty.

The need for a sustainable retail future, cannot be ignored.

With increased public awareness and sensitivity to ethical practices and the impact fast fashion is having on the planet –retailers are making a concerted effort to build brand authenticity, make changes to the supply chain, form brand partnerships and industry coalitions that align with their values and meet sustainability goals for the future of the business.

In this blog ‘Sustainable Retail’ we tackle the topic from multiple angles - the challenges and trade-offs on the path, the drivers in Asia propelling this growing global trend into the hearts and minds of consumers, Lazada’s eco-friendly choices and the societal change that’s driving technological innovation in retail and better outcomes for our planet.

In this EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW ahead of eTail Asia - Pang Fu Wei Managing Director reveals how to thrive in the pandemic while being relevant, competitive and innovative.

Both in Asia and the rest of the world, traditional retailers are struggling to differentiate themselves -- not only from the new arrivals, but also from their peers, in a landscape overcrowded with marketplaces and stores. What are the secrets to meeting the challenges of standing out in an increasingly crowded Asian market?

In collaboration with our eTail Asia media partner Parcel Monitor, we investigate the State of Cross-Border E-Commerce in Southeast Asia last year, and asked the eTail community what they thought about its growth.

In this EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW ahead of eTail Asia - Michelle Yang, Branding & Marketing Director reveals how the brand pivoted quickly in response to the pandemic by adopting technological advancements in fabric development and using sustainable materials with advanced nanotechnology to expand their product offering and transform quickly to keep up with customer needs.

Coping with the pandemic and its complications has put renewed emphasis on the need for people to find new ways of making personal connections, and interactions with leading brands and other institutions. The internet has become an essential medium for consumers around the world -- both for its value in making instant personal contacts, and as a platform for buying things and conducting business. We explore one of the biggest growth areas in this regard, the rise of social commerce: the ability to seek out products and experiences, interact directly with their creators, share insights and commentary, and make direct purchases -- all on the same social media platform.

As the name suggests, D2C lets entrepreneurs and retailers connect directly to their target market through a non-traditional business model, cutting out the middle men to manufacture, sell and ship products directly to the consumer. The D2C market is still in its relative infancy, and in this blog we explore its landscape and adoption in Asia, the issue with marketplaces, and how retailers like Casper and Allbirds have reimagined the mattress buying and sports footwear experiences respectively.

Since the pandemic, customers have grown increasingly familiar with digital methods of search, recommendation, and buying. With access to physical stores often limited and sometimes cut off completely – and in line with existing protocols on health and safety – consumers have also come to expect the option of contact-free methods for picking up goods, and fast delivery. A Keynote Panel at the eTail Asia Summit with speakers from Coles, Clarks, Coupang and Mercaux gave their take on this issue.

In the midst of digital revolution, you might ponder the future of physical stores, the metaverse and how Asian retailers can enhance the customer experience in the near future… We dug into the ‘who are you’, the ‘how to’ and the ‘what if’ during last year’s eTail Asia Summit. Speakers from Watsons International, BHG and Lulu Group International gave their fresh perspectives on the strategy and mindset shifts involved in digital transformation.

What does it take to succeed in the new digital economy? How can we adjust to the enormous cultural, economical and social shifts of last year? We lift the lid and delve deep into the nitty gritty of what retailers must do to thrive in the APAC region. James Chang, Chief Executive Officer at Lazada Singapore leads the conversation.

APAC’s digital evolution and the role of digital payments in fostering business growth was the focus of this episode of Digital Transformation & Leadership, in which Danny Levy of WBR Insights talks to Mohamad Hafidz, Head of Payments & Financial Services at AirAsia and Nagesh Devata, APAC Regional VP & Head of Enterprise at Payoneer. Read on to discover the secrets to fostering business growth through paytech and the digital transformation outlook for 2022.

In this podcast episode, we speak to John Readman, Founder and CEO at Modo25 to get into why digital marketing is more important than ever, measuring your marketing attribution now and in the future, which channels should you be exploring and investing in, why it’s hard to predict where to invest your budgets and how to get it right.

As the internet penetration rate increases across APAC, with estimates to reach ~$360 billion GMV by 2025, consumers are evidently spending more time and money online. Businesses need to respond and digitally transform their offerings faster than ever. However our research has found that businesses are not optimising the checkout experience, causing them to miss out on crucial revenue growth, in this article and podcast, we sat down with Paul Harapin, the Head of Asia Pacific & Japan at Stripe to discuss how retailers can get their customer experience back on track.

New Republique has become the bedrock of building cultures of digital experimentation within organisations in Australia. In this episode we speak to the company's co-founder and CEO, Nima Yassini to dive into data-driven design and optimization services. We also unpack the new wave in digital experimentation, how to build a culture of experimentation and what it can deliver for your organisation.

We interviewed Rachmat Kaimuddin, CEO of Bukalapak, to find out more about Indonesia’s Startup Unicorn, including the challenges in supporting SME's and traditional family-owned businesses, Bukalapak's main target market, and what's trending for the company in such turbulent times.

Why is data-led creative so important now? In this episode of Digital Transformation & Leadership we chat to Anastasia Leng, Founder & CEO at Creativex. She shares with us the common misconceptions when it comes to data-led creativity, applications of data within creativity and the opportunities of applying a data-led approach in the future.

As the COVID-19 pandemic upturns life by restricting the movement of people and goods, brands need to look deeper into what’s important to consumers and innovate to succeed. To satisfy consumers’ higher needs and connect with them on a new level, brands have to focus on self-actualisation. The alpha generation of consumers is the key to brands’ survival because it spends on brands that have a purpose, and today’s woke consumers want to participate in social change, with social media amplifying their new voice of dissent.

We spoke to the Founder & Lead Consultant at Greenwood Consulting on how he guides well funded startups and medium to large scale enterprises along their Digital Transformation journey, the role a brand's eCommerce site should play in business today, 'Stealth Commerce' and why it matters, and how B2B businesses should approach eCommerce.

Your website is not only an important asset but also your best salesperson. Sam Dunning, Sales Director and Co-Owner of Web Choice, shares how to design your site and copy for your ideal clients; not to please your marketing team or CEO; lesser known ways to drive more leads via your website, and how to tap into the 98% of web visitors than aren't ready to speak to sales.

NGCX Asia's Media partner CXPA, recently conducted a LinkedIn live session with Sandra De Zoysa, CCXP and Group Chief Customer Officer of Dialog Axiata PLC, one of Sri Lanka's biggest telecoms providers, for an engaging case-study conversation about how to drive transformation through alignment of values and vision.

In this exclusive interview, Unilever’s global e-commerce director of health and wellbeing Anusha Babbar talks to WARC and eTail how the consumer goods giant approaches brand equity, meaningful content, customer experience and e-commerce issues.

2020 was the year all tourists got sucker-punched by a virus. One virus cleared the skies, emptied the beaches, and turned hotels into haunted houses. Now, however, we are entering the error of a new normal. As countries try to figure out precisely what that is, travelers are already starting to make their rounds. Let's explore where the opportunities are in revenge tourism for APAC.

Why do most organisations miss the opportunity to help employees/colleagues with adopting a more flexible mindset throughout the process? Cyriel Kortleven, a global professional & TEDx Speaker at The Change Mindset lays out a three step action plan on how to adopting a change mindset, how to create a culture where the change mindset can thrive and why building your network as quickly as possible is so important.

In this piece courtesy of our media partner WARC, we look at why CX matters, throwing in some real world examples to show you exactly why companies are reinvesting billions to better their customer journey.

In this episode of Digital Transformation & Leadership Danny Levy concludes his two part interview with Jason Vana, Founder of SHFT Marketing and Marketing Director of US-based company Fusion Tech. He’s maybe better known on LinkedIn as Sassy Jason. Danny and Jason get into why engagement pods suck, where to start on LinkedIn and what NOT to do, the benefit of engaging on other peoples content, how to go from awareness to closing new business, what's next for LinkedIn

In this episode of Digital Transformation & Leadership Danny Levy concludes his two part interview with Jason Vana, Founder of SHFT Marketing and Marketing Director of US-based company Fusion Tech. He’s maybe better known on LinkedIn as Sassy Jason. Danny and Jason get into the importance of having a reset activity, why you should always automate mundane tasks, the difference between brand design and your identity as a business, how to close the gap between B2B and B2C, the rise of LinkedIn for B2B, and more.

APAC brands and retailers that want to be e-commerce winners can bank on: the massive assortment of products available online; price competitiveness; and shopper experience.Gain insights on why the concept of range is different online, with the average e-commerce retailer having 1-1.5 million items available. Why price competitiveness is a whole new ball game with grey market management and impact via promotions and festivals, and understand the importance of shopper experience and measuring success online is different from measuring it in the offline world.

Amid the growth of mobile commerce and plans to expand internationally, APAC retailers are facing various challenges such as preventing fraudulent attacks and adopting new payment methods. Learn the top five retail trends in APAC for a post-pandemic world.

In this episode of Digital Transformation & Leadership Danny Levy talks to Nemanja Zivkovic, CEO at Funky Marketing - They help fast growing B2B tech based companies grow revenue, shorten sales cycles, and lower customer acquisition costs. They get into the current state of the B2B industry, why companies talk only about themselves, features and there is no humanity, why marketing needs to be measured in a different way, what we can take from B2C into B2B and what a future that includes AI, employer branding and influencers means for B2B marketing.

In this episode of Digital Transformation & Leadership Danny Levy talks to Ben King, Country Director at Google Singapore - Googlers build products that help create opportunities for everyone, whether down the street or across the globe. They get into how to build high performing teams, finding opportunities in a crisis, understanding human needs better, establishing an environment where teams and people feel safe enough to take risks and experiment, the power of rituals and how to best manage your meetings, emails, time, energy and everything else that's important to you.

In collaboration with eTail Asia, Parcel monitor had a chat with Satyaki, the Chief Operations Officer of Luxasia, the leading omnichannel partner for luxury and beauty brands such as Bvlgari, SK-II, and La Prairie. Tune in , as they discuss some of the key changes, challenges, and successes Luxasia had during 2020.

In this episode of Digital Transformation & Leadership Danny Levy talks to Flora Hu, Head of eCommerce, Asia, at Carlsberg Group - One of the leading brewery groups in the world, with a large portfolio of beer and other beverage brands. They get into eCommerce livestreaming in Asia – where we are now, why a lot of it is currently boring but has a huge potential, how to use it to bring out stories, values and bridge poverty gaps, top tips, what to watch out for and how to execute in the right way.

During the pandemic, marketers scrambled to get creative by taking risks and trying new things to get the attention of consumers. Some shifted marketing strategies to address new consumer shopping habits and experimented with different channels and tools to engage consumers – integrating their brands to become a part of the consumers’ lives. These creative marketing approaches will remain a main driver of change, and potentially new opportunity through 2021 and the best strategies will become consistent. In this interview, we speak with Michael Ryan Chan, Managing Partner at Evye LLP to find out if this is the right time for brands to rescale and reinvent.

In this episode of Digital Transformation & Leadership Danny Levy presents a Fireside Chat from the eTail Asia Virtual Week. The VC panel is moderated by Jason Titman , Director at integr8 Investment Group and he is joined by Reina Nakamura, General Partner at Lyra Ventures and Alan Hellawell, Partner at Alpha JWC Ventures.

Ecommerce marketing strategies are your power to compete in the fierce competition. It is fierce because the online side of life is getting pretty popular day by day. In a world, embracing the digital transformation increasingly, consumers also choose e-commerce for shopping. Here are 10 of them that will help you build a stronger business in 2021. To learn more, you can train yourself through e-commerce marketing courses.

Parcel Monitor took a deeper look at the growth of e-commerce in Singapore from 2019 to 2020. Let’s take a look at some of the interesting insights!  Expect to learn more about Singapore’s e-commerce growth and progression in 2020.

In this episode of Digital Transformation & Leadership Danny Levy talks to Mazen Kurdy, Founder/CEO, Stylemyle.com - An online marketplace for contemporary luxury brands from the best boutiques around the world. They get into customer behavior and how are shoppers reacting to the “new normal”, new trends based on changing consumer behaviour, China as the key driver for growth, getting to the checkout, redefining the boutique experience and how to use your brand to inspire in the digital world.

In this episode of Digital Transformation & Leadership Danny Levy talks to Laura L. Bernhard, Founder and Host of the Marketing Bound Podcast and Inbound and Marketing Strategist at Vector Networks. They get into why entrepreneurs get consumed by technology, the importance of being lean, how to automate process, optimising your social media strategy, why podcasting is such an important channel and how to get the most out of it (even if you have no money) and why you will never be able to lead others if you can't lead yourself.

Even before the pandemic, cash payments were declining in popularity, but that trend has only accelerated in the wake of COVID-19. Many stores now request that customers pay using alternative methods where possible, as cash is a notorious vector for bacterial and viral transmission. This is not to mention the increase in online shopping due to lockdowns and vulnerable people needing to shield from the virus.

2020 was a year of significant growth in social commerce. According to research conducted last year by Global Web Index (worldwide), Pew Internet Surveys (US), and OfCom (UK), more than half of the world’s population now uses social media. These users are currently spending 2 hours and 24 minutes per day on average, spanning multiple platforms across a typical average of 8 social networks and messaging apps. Active social media penetration reaches 63% of the populace in Eastern Asia, and 56% in Western Asia. 

In this episode of Digital Transformation & Leadership Danny Levy talks to Dom Einhorn, Founder/CEO, Uniqorn Incubator - The world's largest rural incubator-accelerator. They get into why lone-wolf tech ventures rarely succeed, Crawl, Walk, Run - the early stages of incubation, why today you can thrive from anywhere (the future isn't Silicon Valley), the best ecosystems in which to launch your startup and the new meaning of "billionaire".

Why is everyone including Elon Musk joining Clubhouse? Clubhouse describes itself as a new type of social network based on voice—where people around the world come together to talk, listen and learn from each other in real-time. The features of Clubhouse suggest that it is the next-big-thing, moving in the direction in which our social interactions are heading. 

In this episode of the B2B ecommerce Leaders series Danny talks to Farrukh Shad, Senior Vice President, Head of Global eCommerce at Schneider Electric. They discuss the key attributes you should look for when hiring, recruiting from outside vs. developing from within, bridging the gap between different generations, challenging and retaining your best people and the one thing you should stop doing and start doing when it comes to your people.

Readiness for events such as the double digits festivals require retailers to be at the top of their game -- in terms of market awareness, organisational agility, their responsiveness to consumers, and the performance of their IT infrastructure and data analytics capabilities. During the course of a full and frank discussion with WBR Insights and BRAZE, Zhiliang Li, Head of CRM at ZALORA Group, outlined how his organisation responds to meeting these challenges, and the approach they adopt in selecting the components of their technology stack, and in crafting their strategies for technology implementation.

Managing a successful e-commerce process requires more than a remarkable website or platform. You need to provide an attractive product or service display and use various e-commerce marketing tactics to distinguish your brand in the marketplace. Storytelling in e-commerce is one of the most effective strategies that will boost your sales and brand value. Here's why.

To communicate any message, you first need attention. But our noisy digital landscape is saturated with brand messages, and many struggle to get their content seen. For some lessons straight from a digital first business, Danny speaks to Brian Choo, Founder, Managing Director at TheSmartLocal.com, a hyper-local lifestyle publication that reaches over half the Singapore population monthly.

Four representatives of the industry recently met to discuss the challenges faced by the retail industry and how their companies are embracing business resilience in these trying times. Moderated by a independent digital commerce consultant, Stewart Hunter, the panel consisted of Pranay Mehra, Vice President, Digital & eCommerce Asia Pacific, Shiseido Group, Avis Easteal, Regional Head of Consumer, Luxasia, Darren Gunton, GM Marketing, Total Tools, Clare Chan, Managing Director & Co-Founder, Her Velvet Vase.

COVID-19 has completely changed the world and the future is unpredictable. Companies of all sizes are looking for advice and direction with how to move forward in such an ambiguous environment. It’s this consideration which brought together representatives from major retail organizations to discuss how to “pivot with purpose” in the world of coronavirus, during the eTail Asia & ANZ Summit that took place in a virtual setting.

In this episode of Digital Transformation & Leadership, Danny Levy talks with Ben Flintoff, General Manager at Baskin-Robbins Australia. Ben shares how to create a culture of world class execution in order to future proof your business. He pioneered ice cream delivery and created a new category in the process. Seemed crazy at that time, until Ben cracked the reason behind why they were doing it.

In luxury fashion, distinctive styles are categorized through a medley of social status, personal preference, longevity and value. As we move along the 21st century, buying and selling of preowned luxury goods is gaining immense popularity, shaking off any negative connotations often associated with ‘second-hand goods. Pierre Everling, Chief Regional Officer, APAC, Vestiaire Collective shares his thoughts on why second hand luxury is steadily gathering pace and growing in popularity.

In this episode of Digital Transformation & Leadership, Danny Levy talks to Felix Leong, Director of Sales (South Asia) at Vonage. They get into interactive video commerce and discuss three key points that will help you bring it successfully into your organisation. The retail experience, how to leverage AR/VR (with examples of how the technology is being used NOW) and how you can use it to drive revenue and growth.

Denis Sekic, Social Selling Consultant & Founder at Ceedoo.com talks to Anvesha Poswalia, Digital Marketing Lead from L'Oreal Professionnel, Narayan Keshavan, Head - Digital Analytics (Design Analytics) at Dell Technologies and Jitin Sharma, Global Digital Marketing Advisor from Shell. They get into how you can generate forward-looking insights that can be used to make operational, managerial and strategic decisions rather than just “rearview” descriptions of what happened.

In this episode of Digital Transformation & Leadership Danny Levy talks to Sakhee Dheer, Head of Digital Marketing, Global Business Marketing - Asia Pacific at Facebook. They get into the unique needs of a digital marketing organisation, how to understand the pulse of your company, scaling vs. building a team and the attributes to look for and the qualities you need in a changing world.

In this podcast episode Danny Levy talks to Mark Sutherland the Director at Transform to Digital and the Senior Head of eCommerce at the Stone Group. They get into the key pillars for a successful B2B eCommerce, why you need to focus on the ends not the means, how CRM changes the skill-sets required for your sales team, overcoming the fear of the human factor being replaced by eCommerce, driving contractual relationships instead of individual sales and how to win long term instead of short term contracts. Mark also shares his top leadership and life/career lessons.

Like many others, the food and beverage industry is dealt a heavy blow from the implication of the pandemic. Crossing the finishing line this year is going to be a grave challenge for most establishments, yet they will have to find the silver lining to be of service during the crisis and the opportunity to make money, to at least stay open for business.

COVID-19’s impact on customer behavior has been dramatically changed by digital engagement. Retailers that successfully integrate a first-class digital experience with the brand awareness potential offered by physical stores are set to stand out in a big way. Especially those who focus on customer experience and respond with agility and innovation in their unified commerce experience.

Part Two continues Danny's conversation with Warren Hayashi, President of Adyen Asia Pacific and Jheeva Subramanian, CFO of the Singapore department store BHG. They get into how to build an A-grade and agile team, why genuine connections are so important in a time of remote working, the importance of providing real-time feedback, continuous learning and improvement, how to get your team outside of their comfort zone, the best ways to look after yourself and their top productivity hacks.

In this special two part series, Danny Levy investigates the huge acceleration we are seeing in digital transformation for this industry. Two guests are joining him for this episode: Warren Hayashi, President of Adyen Asia Pacific and Jheeva Subramanian, CFO of the Singapore department store BHG.

“Loyalty is tough to build, but easy to destroy”. Good customer service/experience is a cornerstone of every business and a key brand differentiator to keep customers. We had a quick chat with Brendan Gillen, eCommerce Head at Superdry to discuss about how Superdry is nailing its customer experience in such unprecedented times.

The adoption Artificial Intelligence (AI) has well underway before the pandemic outbreak; being developed continuously and integrated into strategies as companies shift their focus to recovery. This week, I managed to catch Kshira Saagar, Director of Data Science & Analytics, Global Fashion Group & The Iconic to find out more about how AI is going to revolutionize the retail space in future.

In this week’s feature, I spoke with Anders Heikenfeldt, Chief Retail Officer of Pomelo Fashion. He shares on how physical stores can get social distancing right when they reopen and about the importance of communicating the most up to date accurate information to customers in times of crisis.

This special two-part series is joined by Adorn Cosmetics CEO Briony Kennedy, a Melbourne based business woman, passionate environmental advocate, former model & beauty industry veteran.

In part 1 you'll hear about Briony's own podcasting journey, her entrepreneurial spirit, the inspiration for starting Adorn Cosmetics, the early days, challenges faced, and what went wrong.

Part two of this series with Adorn Cosmetics CEO Briony Kennedy goes deep into the now - how Covid-19 has had its impact on the business. Briony talks about the need to adapt marketing strategies, social media do's and don'ts, and also closes with an outlook of digital marketing going forward. 

The past couple of weeks have been rough; our inboxes, text messages, television advertisements etc. have been flooded with news about COVID-19 and navigating through this crisis. It can all be a bit overwhelming to get your message across effectively and appropriately and on the receiving end, hardly digestible. This week in my chat with Michael Ryan Chan, Managing Partner, Evye LLP, we discuss how brands can position their messaging during COVID-19.

This week's eTail Digital Transformation & Leadership podcast will feature James Bartle, the CEO at Outland Denim - the world’s most humanitarian denim. We spoke with James as he shares how the 2009 movie Taken inspired him to join the fight against human trafficking in Asia. We'll also be discussing all things digital, what it takes to be a successful leader, and the impact COVID-19 is having on retail across SE Asia.

In the wake of COVID-19, non-essential brick and mortar retail have been forced to shut their doors and those in operation are to adhere to mandatory social distancing measures and various health and safety guideline. Laura Anne Danaraj spoke to Sharon Gai, Global Director Market Places, Alibaba Group, to find out what she thinks this will all lead to once all is said and done. Will eCommerce become the new norm for shopping, and how will consumer preferences change?

Today we kick of our series with Love, Bonito. A brand that shed its former blog shop image and is now a 200-strong regional business.Together with the team, Dione has transformed the company and positioned it for broad global expansion. On this episode we'll hear from Dione on what the journey to build the Asian female brand of the future been like so far and a whole lot more.

In the second part of eTail’s special series on Luxury Retail in Coping with COVID-19, I spoke with Maria Graefin von Scheel-Plessen, Global Media Manager from Germany luxury brand Montblanc, who’s dedicated to transforming the luxury maison digitally.

In the first part of eTail’s special series on Luxury Retail in Coping with COVID-19, we speak with Bob Chua, Founder and CEO of luxury fashion online marketplace BlinQ, a leading FashionTech enabler in the AR and eCommerce space, focused on the Southeast Asian markets.

Danny Levy, Managing Director eTail, shares his views on the impact that COVID-19 has brought to the various verticals within Asia's retail industry.

Today’s martech stacks include core technology platforms essential to a marketer’s day-to-day operations, such as customer relationship management (CRM) and marketing automation systems, with additional tools for email marketing, online or offline advertising, and the like.

To survive in a global marketplace, it’s no longer enough to simply sell in your home country. Cross-border trade as a revenue stream is being facilitated through advances in eCommerce and the breaking down of international barriers - and it’s a sector of the retail industry that’s growing.

The trend for personalisation in retail continues with much hype, but limited success - at least, in the eyes of consumers.

As the retail sector becomes increasingly reliant on eCommerce, providing the best possible experience for consumers - both online and in-store - will be a key differentiator between successful brands, and the competitors they leave behind.

Using data science and predictive analytics, retailers can find proactive methods of harnessing new and extensive data sources in innovative ways.

Sandvik is an online tools company which has undergone a massive change in the digital age and is having to adapt to stay relevant in its field. Engineering and technology are continuously challenging our perception of what is achievable

Love, Bonito, gives us an exclusive interview on the success of its eCommerce business in the times of transformative digitalization. Read on to find out more

Baskin Robbins has always taken a product focused approach to its marketing but has recently changed that ethos in response to the changing habits of its customers.

When B2B retail giant Alibaba decided to launch Tmall – an ecommerce platform designed to help local and international businesses sell brand name goods to mainland Chinese consumers – it’s hard to imagine that a decade later Tmall would have 500 million active users and sit as the world’s ninth most visited website.

Saint-Gobain designs, manufactures and distributes materials and solutions which are key in the construction industry. Its solutions can be found in everything from buildings, transportation, and infrastructure.

By digitally optimizing, integrating, and simplifying business processes, Siemens Healthineers are transforming healthcare. Since 2017, the organization's Digital Ecosystem platform has been directly addressing - and meeting - many of the challenges faced by healthcare providers across the globe.

Customer experience is at the fore of many business strategies in 2019. With unprecedented competition due to the global marketplace and intense pressure from huge ecommerce platforms such as Amazon, it’s customer experience which is becoming a key brand differentiator – even among B2B companies.

Digital transformation isn't just about technology – it’s also about people. As such, what digital transformation is really about is bringing together the power of technology with a culture that embraces the change it can lead for the organization.

Cloud-based services are continuing to replace legacy IT systems during the digital transformation with some industry leaders predicting that 85% of enterprise applications will be run on cloud platforms by 2025. HUAWEI is answering this call by creating cloud and network synergy for its own B2B services.

The Asian B2B ecommerce sector is on the rise. Recent research by Forrester has identified a predicted growth of 12.1% per annum, and a promising future for the market as we move through 2018. China stands head and shoulders above the competition, outperforming the US by nearly double.

Shell Lubricants believes the key to successful operational efficiency and reduced total cost of ownership is increased industry collaboration and the harnessing of the power those relationships can yield. And it’s looking to further promote this ethos with its new B2B campaign.