Retail Recharged by King Bailey of KPMG

Apologies for the short notice but we've just got wind of a visit to Bangkok by globally-renowned networking king, Anson Bailey (eMBA), Head of Consumer & Retail for KPMG in APAC (official profile). 

Anson is here to impress the need for rapid re-invention of the retail experience upon the crème de la crème of the business class in Thailand. Leveraging an age-old friendship, I have managed to entice him away from a full week of meetings with the C-suite of all the big retail, shopping mall and real estate players to share his insights with the budding Web Wednesday community in Bangkok. 

In late 2022, KPMG released a report on the post-Covid consumer, called "Retail Recharged, Engaging Consumers with Technology, Purpose and Trust". Even if you are not addressing the Chinese consumer in Hong Kong or Mainland China (many of us do so overseas), it is worth the read and is available for download.

Some sample findings on the usage of AI and other immersive experiences. (It only covers Chinese consumers but I believe will parlay to a certain extend across Asia).

Knowing that Anson is at the forefront of the retail (r)evolution, I plan to ask for his enlightenment (aka "grill him") on various topics, including: 

• How can these learnings be applied to the Thai market?
• How to engage Gen Z and the post-Covid consumer?
• Retail in the Age of AI, how are brands enticing, educating and converting shoppers? 
• What new use cases are emerging? 
• What's working where? What's not? 
• What are the risks? 
• Who are the leaders? 
• China vs SEA vs US vs EY?

It's going to be a fun, interactive and educational fireside chat so do join us!

Venue: Propaganda Bar, Sukhumvit Soi 33 (BTS Phrom Phong) - Find your way on Google Maps.

Date: Tuesday 16th May 2023 (Note - this is NOT a Wednesday. Had to adapt to King Bailey's schedule!)

Time: Doors open at 4:30pm, interview 5-6pm

>> Entrance is complimentary but space is limited. Register now via this link. <<

(Apologies for content repetition as we're promoting via various channels).

Bobak of Brilliant Labs Speaks at Web Weds Bangkok

 

Napoleon Biggs, founder of the renowned digital innovation community, "Web Wednesday", is back in Bangkok and has invited a true tech pioneer to share his experiences.

Join us for a truly intelligently-augmented evening with Bobak Tavangar, CEO of Brilliant Labs, an ex-Apple product lead who has recently launched a hackable #augmentedreality device, the "Monocle". 

Not only has he built a wearable smart lens that is on track to generate over US$1M in revenue this year but, by open sourcing the software, hackers all over the world are imagineering all kinds of use cases.

Super smart geeks from Stanford University have just combined the powers of ChatGPT with Monocle to create a "personal AI agent delivered directly through AR smart glasses 👓. it uses computer vision to 👁️recognize👁️ a friend’s face, then brings up relevant topics based on your recent texts messages (memory🤯)". Watch the hack in action here.

Later this year, Bobak will release "Frame", the thinnest, lightest pair of AR glasses in the world!

We will discuss his path to innovation, how he remotely built out the team and product under Covid lockdowns and how he is adeptly using collaboration platforms, like GitHub and Discord, to engage an active community of engineers and early adopters, without spending a penny on marketing!

Our generous hosts for this event are Propaganda Bar who have created a special cocktail for the event; come sip on a glass of "Monocle" or two!

Venue: Propaganda Bar, Sukhumvit Soi 33 (BTS Phrom Phong) - Find your way on Google Maps.

Date: Wednesday 26th April 2023

Time: Networking from 5pm, interview at 5:30pm

>> Entrance is complimentary but space is limited. Register now via this link. <<

(Apologies for content repetition as we're promoting via various channels).

SCMP China Internet Report 2021

The autumn is fast upon us and it’s time to curl up with a warm cup of Tie Guan Yin to learn about the latest SCMP report on the state of the internet in China. 

Over the last twelve months, China has not only added 85 million internet users but also cracked down on a wide sway of dominant technology players, erasing US$1 trillion in valuation. 

Even with all these worrying headlines, China’s tech entrepreneurs continue to pioneer, launching new business models in AI, blockchain, digital marketing, ecommerce, healthcare, gaming, payment, smart cars and 5G. 

You’re invited to join this free webinar at 5-6pm on Wednesday 27th October for a live, zoom-side chat with John Artman, Technology Editor at the South China Morning Post.

Pre-register for Zoom video call details here.

Given that the full report is over 138 pages long, John and I will use the 60-minute interview to focus on the overall consumer economy and how technology is helping to shape it, from addressing new audiences, like the Sheconomy and Sinking Markets, to launching new digitally-savvy brands on the metaverse and expanding into South East Asia. 

 The interview will continue as a typical "fireside chat" for 60 minutes and then I will facilitate 20-30 minutes of questions; one condition, show your face when you ask the question as it's more compelling to see your expression and hear your voice! See you on Zoom at 5pm on Wednesday 27th October, 2021.

TMall Hong Kong Mobile App

The TMall Hong Kong marketplace will be available through the Taobao mobile app. At the very top right hand corner (see orange square), you can toggle between "cross-border" (跨境) and "local" (本地).

The second orange box outlines the categories which, for the moment, cover fashion clothing and accessories (潮流服飾), cosmetics（美妝護理）, electronics （電子電器）, home supplies （家居家品）and snacks (零食百貨).

As you'd expect from any marketplace worth it socks, there are daily promotions and selected stores are brought to the user's attention. This is sure to become the main banner ad! 

Upon selecting "local", you are invited to link your accounts and pull all your data, including delivery addresses, across from Taobao to the TMall HK account. You are reminded of all the main benefits:\

• 7-day "no questions asked" returns (7天無憂退）
• Delivered locally (本地送貨） 
• Free pick-up or delivery on reaching purchase threshold (滿額免運）
• Brand authenticity （品牌正品）

Note that, under the big red "register now" button, there is the option to opt-out from sharing your personal data with TMall HK for targeted "advertising activities", which is sure to grow into a healthy source of additional revenues for Alibaba.

Learning from their mainland experience, flash sales will be a major attraction. Expect the daily commute to be full of people snatching up the daily discounts of 50%+ off!

But, unlike many local players (e.g. Fortress), delivery costs will be charged at HK$40 for self-collection and HK$80 for delivery, unless you reach the payment threshold of HK$199 and HK$399 respectively.

Have a go and let us know what you think.

TMall Hong Kong Speaks at Web Wednesday

Hope you're faring well and are enjoying vaccine-induced freedom, at least mentally. 

The battle for online marketplaces, which has already hit the rest of South East Asia, is coming to Hong Kong! The Alibaba Group will be launching TMall Hong Kong (天猫香港) in May 2021 and is eagerly recruiting merchants, advertisers and buyers. (See official press release).

For our 133rd Web Wednesday (5-6pm on Weds 28th April), we have the pleasure of interviewing Sharon Gai, Director of Global Key Accounts for the Alibaba Group. 

Reserve your spot on Zoom now, pre-register here. 

As Chinese internet firms have become the global pioneers in ecommerce, we will cover a wide range of topics, including: 

• The phenomenal growth of online marketplaces and the role that Alibaba plays, with TMall Global, AliExpress, Lazada and, now, TMall HK. 
• The evolution of the online shopping experience, from desktop to mobile, static catalogue to live streaming.
• The role of a local marketplace and how merchants can benefit from branded stores, recommendations and reviews, sales events, targeted advertising and local delivery support. 
• Ease of payment, encouraged by spending rewards. 
• O2O: using e-shops to drive business to offline stores, and vice versa. 
• Data: who owns it and how to extract value 

If you're a merchant looking to set up shop on TMall Hong Kong, either email us or visit the TMall Hong Kong merchant portal, currently only available in Chinese (See screenshot below).

2020 Interviews (Podcasts)

WebWednesday · 2020 Interviews @ Web Wednesday

2020 Interviews (Videos)