Tag: E-commerce

Bangkok, Thailand – Thailand’s online marketplace for buying and selling second-hand IT products, SWOPMART, has partnered with digital agency CJ Worx to launch a new creative packaging called ‘Swopbox’, aimed at reducing e-waste amid the climate change situation. 

The new creative parcel was designed to use repeatedly for IT gadgets and products, of which IT brands could use to target the nowadays consumers who pay high attention to the climate change issue. 

CJ Worx said that once the Swopbox arrives in the client’s hands, they can turn it inside out and put the used or second hand IT gadget in and send it back to SWOPMART.

Chawana Keeratiyutamonkul, CJ Worx’s managing director, said the Swopbox is a must-have item nowadays, and this creative product aims to be the alternatives for the climate change-concerned consumer and brands.

“Brands or general consumers could use Swopbox to deliver their IT gadgets and the receivers can use it repeatedly,” said Keeratiyutamonkul.

In celebration of International Women’s Month, MARKETECH Expert Up Close will be featuring a special series called ‘Empowered Women’ where we spotlight inspiring women marketing leaders across the Asia-Pacific Region to share their expertise in marketing and leadership. For the first episode, we sat down with Aditi Kapoor, the former marketing lead at Metromart Philippines, to get to know more about her career journey in steering the wheel of the marketing business of various brands in the e-commerce, media, and retail sector in Southeast Asia.

Aditi is a marketing veteran who brings a decade of marketing experience in e-commerce under her belt. She polished her marketing prowess by working for various marketing companies such as Ola,  Bennett Coleman and Co. Ltd., and Blue Star Limited. 

Of what makes her explore different markets, she shares, “If we believe in ourselves, nothing can stop us from trying our best whether working in a new market or trying a new profile.”

“I’ll be very happy and open to sharing my experiences, what works, what didn’t work, in order to help other aspiring female leaders,” Aditi adds.  

During the conversation with Aditi, we asked about her philosophy on mentorship, and she said, “When you’re starting fresh, you really need lots of mentorship and guidance,” Kapoor said.

Aditi admitted that her biggest inspiration and mentor has always been her dad. With words of encouragement from her dad, Aditi learned that “management starts from home,” and is not something that you instantly get if you start working in the corporate world; one that is learned through practice and owning responsibility as you grow. 

Listen to the full conversation with Aditi Kapoor over at Spotify, where Kapoor shares further on her biggest challenge as a marketer amid her decade-long journey and whether she, in the future, also plans to join others in establishing her own company.  You can also view the highlights of the conversation on our Youtube channel. 

If you are a marketing or tech leader who wants to share your industry journey and insights, email us at [email protected]. 

Singapore – Regional e-commerce platform Lazada has launched an augmented reality-powered feature called ‘Virtual Try-On’, where users can instantly sample products with pictures or live videos of themselves before making a purchase.

Users are able to immerse themselves with hyper-realistic virtual makeovers, try-on beauty products in real-time with true-to-life results. The ultra-personalised experience is straightforward and instantaneous, increasing customer satisfaction and confidence, and helping create great shopping journeys, without the need for physical product sampling.

The feature leverages Perfect Corp’s try-on platform, allowing consumers to preview their looks with the in-store experience in their homes via the LazMall flagship stores of Bobbi Brown, Estée Lauder and M.A.C. 

Alice Chang, founder and CEO at Perfect Corp, said, “Here at Perfect Corp, we pride ourselves on delivering market-reading AI and AR-powered virtual makeup try-on solutions that seamlessly integrate into our brand partners’ channels, and help them create high touch, customised, and ultra-realistic virtual shopping experiences. We are excited to partner with Lazada to bring our revolutionary solutions to their customers.”

Meanwhile, James Chang, chief business officer at Lazada, commented, “With Lazada’s shoppertainment strategy, we are excited to collaborate with more partners and introduce new virtual enhancements to uplift consumers’ experiences especially as e-commerce becomes an integrated part of lifestyles in Southeast Asia.”

He added, “This latest successful pilot is testament to the great partnerships we have and our commitment to scale up such immersive real-world experiences with more brands and products. Shoppers will definitely get to easily discover and try more new products while having fun with their friends and family when shopping on the platform.”

Manila, Philippines – The Philippine-based e-commerce, Konstruk, has launched its online platform that allows users to make online transactions for home improvement and construction supplies.

The platform, dubbed as ‘the first e-hardware ng bayan’, which translates to ‘the first e-hardware of the city’, was built on the realisation that while many businesses have transitioned online, the construction sector has not been able to fully do so. Moreover, the lockdown brought by the pandemic emphasised the importance of having an online presence. As the construction sector was not spared from the losses inflicted by the pandemic, small to medium businesses were amongst those who received the heaviest casualties, especially with the absence of an online platform.

With this in mind, Konstruk seeks to promote business continuity in the construction and home improvement sector. The digital marketing platform will help community hardware stores, wholesalers and distributors, and manufacturers of construction materials, including home appliances and furniture, become part of the online business ecosystem to promote new products and push their inventory through the platform.

In addition, the customers can now conveniently shop at Konstruk website and app and choose from a wide range of products. They are also assured that their transactions are reliable and safe as payment methods such as the Metrobank payment gateway system and Gcash are available.

Rommel Bulalacao, Konstruk’s founder and CEO, shared that the majority of the merchants from the construction sector, especially the MSMEs, are still brick-and-mortar stores or do not have sufficient capabilities to bring their business online

“Konstruk is committed to helping the industry build back better. As the first e-hardware ng bayan, we will continue to innovate and improve our service for the benefit of our partner merchants and customers,” said Bulalacao.

Singapore — Una Brands, Singapore-based e-commerce aggregator, has struck its first strategic alliance with South Korean domestic counterpart, KlickBrands. Together they will invest KRW₩120b, or US$100m, in the countries’ e-commerce market over two years.

The alliance will link Una Brands’ global cross-border network with KlickBrands’ understanding of the South Korean market. Together, they will help grow the local e-commerce brands domestically and into Southeast Asian markets namely Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand. Una Brands and KlickBrands will scale at least 25 or more profitable e-commerce brands, across categories such as health, K-beauty, baby, pets, and home and living brands. South Korea was identified as a key market for Una Brands, being the fifth-largest e-commerce market globally with an annual growth rate of around 14% and an expected market value of US$250b by 2025.

Kiren Tanna, co-founder and CEO of Una Brands, said, “Of all the local e-commerce aggregators, we chose KlickBrands as our strategic partner because of our shared vision, mission, and values. Their hands-on approach to working with the brands they acquire mirrors our own work ethic. This will make KlickBrands an instrumental partner in strengthening Una Brands’ presence in, and understanding of, the South Korean e-commerce landscape. In return, KlickBrands will benefit from our robust operational, technological, and acquisition capabilities.”

KlickBrands, founded in 2021 by entrepreneurs and venture capitalists Brian Hyun and Jung Ho Joo, is focused on creating opportunities for brand owners to accelerate their growth across eCommerce platforms and markets.

Brian Hyun, co-founder and CEO of KlickBrands, commented that the partnership with Una Brands bears testament to the growing possibilities for e-commerce brands in South Korea.

“When Una Brands approached us, we immediately recognised that their capabilities were a great match for our own, particularly with the strong team that they have built, their expertise in e-commerce in the Asia Pacific (APAC), and their global distribution network. We bring to the partnership local e-commerce expertise, as well as the understanding and empathy of local brand owners’ mindsets. We are very excited to have the backing of Una Brands as we continue to reach out to more brand owners in South Korea to support their next phase in expansion,” Hyun said.

Una Brands, an e-commerce aggregator in APAC that comprises a team with a wealth of experience behind it, has established its presence in key markets namely Singapore, Australia, India, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Taiwan in under a year, with South Korea being the next strategic market for the business’ expansion and development. Since its launch in 2021, Una Brands has to date acquired over 20 firms, with the earliest brands seeing over a 50 per cent increase in sales and profits.

Mumbai, India – Value retail chain 1-India Family Mart has successfully raised INR500m in its series B funding, which will be used in setting up an indigenous e-commerce business, thereby becoming omni-channel players in the sector. In addition, they will be also fueling inorganic growth as the group plans to double the number of stores in the next 2 years.

Said funding round was led by Dubai-based Gulf Islamic Investments (GII). The retail group had raised its first institutional round of funding from Carpediem Capital in 2018.

The retail chain is aiming to tap into India’s forecasted retail value of INR51t in 2019, growing at a CAGR of 9% to 11%. An increase in the market share of value e-retailers has demonstrated better profitability and value creation within the Indian retail landscape. Value retail constitutes 60% of the overall apparel retail market.

Jay Prakash Shukla, co-founder and CEO at 1-India Family Mart, said, “We are excited to raise a fresh funding round from GII which will significantly boost our expansion plans, strengthen our retail presence and drive growth trajectory of the group. This fund raise is quite sizable for the retail sector in recent times. As we build a scalable business, we needed like-minded investors that could guide us on nurturing an IPO-able group for the near future.”

Meanwhile, Ravinder Singh, co-founder and COO at 1-India Family Mart, commented, “We are increasing our geographical footprint and developing our own private label in the fast-growing women’s apparel category. We are setting up our owned online omni-channel to further penetrate the market and reach our discerning customers. Moreover, having a strong online presence will further consolidate our position in the industry.”

Vietnam – Popular social media platform Facebook has gained new grounds in Vietnam as an alternative to e-commerce services, according to data from marketing research company Decision Lab.

According to their report, Facebook Commerce grew by 2% and 4% for Gen Y and Gen Z respondents respectively during Q4 2021. In addition, around 31% of Hanoi citizens picked Facebook as their choice for e-commerce services. This figure marks a 11% points increase among consumers from Hanoi compared to Q3 2021. 

The report also noted that Facebook Commerce was also utilised by 9% more consumers from Ho Chi Minh City and other key cities such as Da Nang, Nha Trang, Hai Phong, and Can Tho in Q4 2021. In contrast, throughout the rest of Vietnam, Facebook commerce only grew by 2% points, standing at 24% in this time period.

Despite its popularity as an e-commerce platform, Facebook is losing ground as a social media platform in the country. The platform lost 11% of its position as Vietnamese’s primary app in Q4 2021–a continuation of a negative trend starting early 2021. Worse, Facebook seems to be losing Millennial and Gen Z users, who are increasingly favouring other platforms such as Zalo and TikTok.

“The general rise of Facebook as an e-commerce platform reflects Facebook’s push for commercial activities. In Vietnam, consumers can trade goods through not only Facebook Marketplace, but also Facebook groups, shops’ pages, and individual merchants,” the report stated.

Bengaluru, India – Fast-growing social e-commerce start-up DealShare in India has announced that it has recently raised US$45m as part of its series E funding round from a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA), which takes the company’s total funding to US$393m and valuation to US$1.7b. 

DealShare is a rapidly growing social commerce company focused on catering to new-to-internet and value-seeking users. It offers low-priced essentials coupled with a gamified, fun-filled, and virality-driven shopping experience to make it easy for first-time internet users to experience online shopping.

The company said it will use the fresh funds to power product innovation and technology to support its rapid growth and expanding customer base.

Vineet Rao, founder & CEO of DealShare, said that the company aims to democratize online shopping for Bharat users with unmatched service and experience by developing innovative products and tech solutions

“We are thrilled to welcome ADIA as a shareholder as part of our next phase of growth. The support that we have been receiving from the investor community is very encouraging. It is a testimony of the confidence in DealShare’s vision, business model, and an acknowledgement of the growth we have been exhibiting. In a span of just 3 years, we have scaled to over 10 million customers and over 100 cities across 10 states,” said Rao. 

Sourjyendu Medda, DealShare’s founder and chief business officer, shared that it is likely to hit US$3b of gross revenue run rate in the next 12 months and will be tripling its geographical presence, investing heavily on acquiring top-notch tech talent, and building world-class supply chain infrastructure to aid said growth.

The company was founded in 2018. In January 2022, DealShare raised $165m in the first close of its Series E fundraise. The company welcomed Dragoneer Investments Group, Kora Capital, Unilever Ventures, and continued commitments from its existing commitments investors, Tiger Global and Alpha Wave Global (Falcon Edge). 

Jakarta, Indonesia – Southeast Asia’s used car e-commerce platform, Carsome, has appointed Andrew Mawikere, former president of technology company Warung Pintar, to be its new CEO for the Indonesia team.

Bringing more than 14 years of experience, Mawikere is a seasoned business executive with previous careers in Indonesia, the United States, and Singapore, as well as an experienced entrepreneur where previously he and other founders started their own company, a marketplace for B2B e-procurement called Mbiz. 

Aside from his role at Warung Pintar, Mawikere has led Bizzy Digital, a business-to-business (B2B) platform for integrated supply chain logistics and distribution. He has also previously held a leadership role at Astra International in the corporate strategy and business development department. Moreover, Mawikere has financial experience from his tenure in investment banking and multinational finance company JP Morgan and global investment company Temasek. 

In his new role, Mawikere will be a major force in ensuring Carsome Indonesia’s position as a market and industry leader in the country. He will also be responsible for driving strategic initiatives, and developing Carsome’s fast-growing business in Indonesia.

Commenting on his new appointment, Mawikere said that he feels grateful and happy to be a part of Carsome’s journey in digitising the process of buying and selling cars that are still conventional in Indonesia.

Mawikere said that he carries the vision to make Carsome Indonesia a user and stakeholder centred organisation with an emphasis on developing, investing, and empowering its employees. He is determined to make Carsome a leader in Indonesia by combining effective business and branding strategies supported by the power of technology and data.

“I am optimistic that Carsome is on track with a strong position, especially with the recent acquisition of Southeast Asia’s leading automotive listing and content platform, iCar Asia Limited. Relying on our core values, namely trust and transparency, we can create a more integrated automotive ecosystem that will benefit consumers and provide added value to the industry,” added Mawikere.

Meanwhile, Eric Cheng, Carsome’s co-founder and group CEO, shared that the appointment of Mawikere was a form of the company’s commitment to continue to grow in key markets such as Indonesia. 

“Joining Andrew will increase the strength of the team in Indonesia. With his combined financial and technological experience, we look forward to the breakthroughs Andrew will bring to enhance business growth and help Carsome’s mission of setting new standards for buying and selling cars,” said Cheng.

Jakarta, Indonesia – The e-commerce market in Indonesia is expected to grow by 23.8% in 2022, and will be valued at IDR420t (around US$30b), according to insights from data and analytics company GlobalData.

According to the data, e-commerce payments in Indonesia are forecasted to rise further at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 22.0% between 2021 and 2025, to reach IDR753t (US$53.8b) in 2025. Part of the forecasted growth’s reason is due to factors such as rising Internet and smartphone penetration, the growing middle class population, and proliferation of online merchants and payment tools.

In addition, the insights also noted that the rise in local e-commerce is also supporting the emergence of new payment models such as buy now pay later. The Indonesian buy now pay later market is crowded with several players including banks and payment service providers offering this service.

Nikhil Reddy, payments senior Analyst at GlobalData, commented, “Online shopping is popular in Indonesia, a trend that has become more prevalent amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The recent outbreak of the Omicron variant has further led to the resurgence of new cases, the highest in the last six months, which is likely to drive online shopping.”

He added, “The COVID-19 outbreak has accelerated consumers’ shift from in-store to online payments. The uptrend in e-commerce sales is likely to continue over the next few years, supported by government initiatives, growing consumer preference and improvements in payment infrastructure.”