Tag: E-commerce

New York, USA – Global media and marketing holdings company Omnicom has announced that it has agreed to acquire Flywheel, the digital commerce business of Ascential, for US$835m. It should be recalled that Ascential recently integrated its 10 digital commerce sister brands to form Flywheel.

The acquisition is expected to close in the first quarter of 2024 and is subject to Ascential shareholder approval, regulatory approvals, and customary closing conditions.

Moreover, Flywheel will operate as a practice area within Omnicom and will be led by Duncan Painter, who currently serves as CEO of Ascential.

“By connecting Flywheel Commerce Cloud’s product and transaction data with Omni’s audience and behavioural data, we are poised to offer an end-to-end set of services that outpaces the competition. We aim to empower our clients to automate, optimize, and measure their digital commerce and media spend within an increasingly complex marketplace,” Painter said.

Currently, Flywheel’s services enable top brands to sell more goods across hundreds of digital marketplaces, such as Amazon, Walmart, and Alibaba.

With a workforce of more than 2,000 professionals, Flywheel provides services in retail commerce operations, media execution, and market intelligence to over 4500 brands. These services are reinforced by their advanced technology platform, Flywheel Commerce Cloud, which delivers near real-time insights to improve decision-making and boost sales.

Meanwhile, John Wren, chairman and CEO of Omnicom said, “E-commerce sales worldwide are set to increase by 50%, reaching about $7 trillion dollars by 2025. The acquisition of Flywheel significantly broadens our reach and influence in the rapidly expanding digital commerce and retail media sectors, two of the fastest-growing parts of the industry. Together, we will seamlessly integrate our offerings across retail and brand media, digital and in-store commerce, and CRM, ultimately delivering superior results for our clients.”

Seattle, USA – Amazon Ads has launched image generation in beta—a generative AI solution designed to remove creative barriers and enable brands to produce lifestyle imagery that helps improve their ads’ performance. 

For example, an advertiser may have standalone images of their product against a white background, like a toaster. When that same toaster is placed in a lifestyle context—on a kitchen counter, next to a croissant—in a mobile Sponsored Brands ad, click-through rates can be 40% higher compared to ads with standard product images.

According to the company, the solution is helpful for advertisers of all sizes—enabling those that do not have in-house capabilities or agency support to more easily create brand-themed imagery, while also supporting bigger brands, who are constantly looking for ways to be more efficient around creative development. 

In the Amazon Ad Console, advertisers simply select their product and click Generate, with the tool leveraging generative AI to deliver a set of lifestyle and brand-themed images, based on product details, in a matter of seconds. The image can then be refined by entering short text prompts, while multiple versions can be quickly created and tested to optimize performance.

According to Colleen Aubrey, senior vice president at Amazon Ads Products and Technology, with the launch of their image generation capability, any advertiser can now use a simple tool to create unique, lifestyle creative assets that make their campaigns more compelling, and at no additional cost.

“Producing engaging and differentiated creatives can increase cost and often requires introducing additional expertise into the advertising process. At Amazon Ads, we are always thinking about ways we can reduce friction for our advertisers, provide them with tools that deliver more impact while minimizing effort, and ultimately, deliver a better advertising experience for our customers,” she said.

Aubrey added, “Providing tools to make image generation simple and easy is another way for us to support advertisers while also making the ads our customers see more engaging and visually rich. It’s a perfect use for generative AI—less effort and better outcomes.”

Singapore – Global logistics service provider J&T Express Singapore has announced new enhancements to its existing services and collaborations to meet the shifting retail demands of businesses and consumers. 

The new enhancements are part of J&T’s broader move to tap into the latest trends in the B2B retail landscape and better meet the needs of both businesses and consumers. 

First on the list of improvements for the logistics service provider is the launch of an all-in-one delivery solution to provide B2B transportation for businesses. This is an addition to their current e-commerce logistics services and will respond to the increasing demand for flexible logistics services in the retail industry that ensure efficient and cost-effective order fulfilment.

The all-in-one delivery service will offer businesses different vehicle and shipping options, such as single- and multi-way transfer options, warehouse transfers, ad-hoc transfers for parcel deliveries, and less than truck loads (LTL) or full truck loads (FTL), to support varying transportation needs at competitive rates. 

J&T Singapore is also elevating its customer experience as it rolls out a series of new features to its flagship mobile app, J&T Singapore App. The new features include an improved and more user-friendly interface that can now detect the nearest J&T Point to the user based on their location for hassle-free parcel drop-off. 

Furthermore, the logistics service provider is strengthening its ongoing partnership with TikTok Shop and multi-category second-hand marketplace Carousell Singapore. 

On top of its current services, J&T Express Singapore will also work closely with TikTok Shop to provide sales and marketing support. The partnership aims to help drive sales for sellers in the form of competitions and co-funded platform vouchers, showcasing its mission to be “customer-oriented and efficiency-based”.

Meanwhile, as the first logistics service provider to be exclusively integrated into Carousell Singapore’s platform, J&T Express Singapore will bring users more convenient delivery options with fully integrated pick-up service options. This will include the upcoming next-day delivery, self-drop-off at J&T Points located islandwide, and return shipping with complimentary label printing service.

Speaking on the partnership, Doven Yap, head of seller acquisition and incubation at TikTok Shop Singapore, said, “We are pleased to continue our collaboration with J&T Express Singapore. With the support of such a reliable logistics partner, our sellers are empowered to deliver a more seamless shopping experience for customers.” 

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – Regional e-commerce platform Shopee in Malaysia has published a book which spotlights local homegrown sellers in each state country, and also inviting users to shop local e-commerce sellers to preserve Malaysia’s heritage, nurture local talents, and drive our economy in an inclusive and sustainable way.

The book, titled ‘Shopee Spotlights Local — Unveiling Malaysian Gems’, profiles Shopee sellers in each state who are top performing in terms of popularity, biggest storefronts, green products, exporters, livestreamers, and women-owned businesses. 

In addition, the book includes street-level stories and testimonials of sellers who have used their online success to uplift others in their communities.

By making the book, the first of its kind in this country, available to the public this Merdeka Day, Shopee aims to empower all Malaysians to start shopping purposefully with an immediate focus on Made-in-Malaysia products from underserved communities. 

Upholding its mission of using technology to help the underserved, Shopee also aims to empower sellers by identifying and highlighting local sellers for better access to marketing solutions and hyper-localised campaigns, managing them so they succeed on Shopee, increasing seller education via its free Shopee University courses, and providing incentives so they find more opportunities on livestream commerce.

Lastly, doubling as a handy guide for users to protect themselves, the book also offers tips on shopping safely, understanding ‘Shopee Guarantee’, identifying responsible sellers, and its full authenticity policy.

Kenneth Soh, head of marketing at Shopee Malaysia, said, “Malaysian businesses near you are often the beating heart of our local economy and the backbone of our communities. When you shop locally online, you are supporting Made-in-Malaysia products from underserved communities. We are heartened to see the support that many of our local sellers continue to receive through their online businesses, and remain committed to partnering with and supporting them in their e-commerce journey.”

Leiden, Netherlands – Marketplace integration and operating platform ChannelEngine has announced that it has joined the Adobe Technology Partner Program. This allows merchants to sell to more than 700 marketplaces globally, dramatically scaling their existing revenue opportunities while also enabling them to instantly enter new international markets.

By joining the Adobe Technology Partner Program, ChannelEngine will be an official Adobe partner that merchants can leverage to grow their commerce business with ChannelEngine’s integrations to global marketplace giants like Walmart, Amazon, eBay, Zalando, and many more. This includes being able to integrate and share data seamlessly between ChannelEngine and Adobe Commerce, increasing efficiency and accuracy. 

Moreover, by combining ChannelEngine and Adobe’s strengths, ChannelEngine is taking a major step forward in accelerating this trend by expanding access to the e-commerce market at a time when the global economy needs new drivers of growth.

Jorrit Steinz, CEO of ChannelEngine, said, “We are delighted to be an Adobe Partner, and help drive innovation and excellence in e-commerce. By combining our expertise and technology, ChannelEngine can provide a solution that delivers tangible value to our shared customers. Our partnership will enable businesses to seamlessly launch their products across a diversified landscape of channels and markets.”

Meanwhile, Jason Knell, senior director of commerce services, GTM and content partnerships at Adobe, commented, “We are excited to have ChannelEngine join the Adobe Technology Partner Program. We look forward to helping our joint customers succeed with the competitive edge needed in the current ecommerce landscape.”

Singapore – Regional integrated car e-commerce platform Carsome has recently closed its newest funding round, bringing the group’s liquidity position to approximately US$200 million. Said funding will help fuel the company’s goal of establishing an integrated car ownership ecosystem to elevate the customer’s experience in their entire ownership journey.

The car e-commerce platform hit an operational profitability milestone for the first time in 2022 on the back of significant growth in trade margin, which doubled compared to the same period last year. Moreover, a large chunk of its trade margin came from transaction margins, leaving a huge potential upside for ancillary revenue, especially given its increasing focus on ecosystem offerings, including financing, insurance, and aftersales.

Carsome also owns a large auto digital audience footprint of more than 15 million monthly active users through its content and media ecosystem, including the brands under iCar Asia and Wapcar. In addition to achieving over 30% growth in revenue and reaching profitability as independent business units of the group, Carsome’s ecosystem companies have also contributed to a 60% reduction in the group’s customer acquisition cost.

Eric Cheng, co-founder and group CEO at Carsome Group, said, “We have spent the last eight years building a more trusted way for customers to transact within Southeast Asia’s used car industry. Our comfortable liquidity position and strong backing from both existing and new investors place us on solid footing to deliver the world’s first integrated car ownership ecosystem, going beyond just buying and selling cars to include ancillary services across the whole ownership lifecycle. I wish to thank all our investors for their continued confidence in our vision and capabilities as we steer the company toward profitability as a group.”

Said funding round saw broad-based participation from CARSOME’s existing investors, including 65 Equity Partners, Seatown Private Capital Master Fund, Qatar Investment Authority, Gobi Partners, Asia Partners, and more recently growth-stage debt financing platform EvolutionX.

Meanwhile, Juliet Zhu, group president and chief financial officer at Carsome Group, commented, “We are delighted to have our new investor EvolutionX joining us at this stage of our growth. Profitability is just one of the milestones in our long-term capital planning, and we will continue to invite the right partners who can add strategic value at different stages of our growth.”

Singapore – Procter and Gamble (P&G) has announced a partnership with regional e-commerce giant Lazada to launch a personalised haircare microsite called ‘#HairDNA’, which aims to solve consumers’ biggest hair queries via expert advice available on the platform.

The microsite will serve as a one-stop-shop for consumers looking to switch up their haircare routine and find new products at the best deals with ease. With this venture, the company aims to establish itself as a thought leader and frontrunner in the haircare category. 

‘#HairDNA’ will also help P&G foster a closer relationship with its consumers through personalising the experience and increasing the segment of one-to-one interaction, all while driving higher penetration for its premium beauty segment.

Moreover, it will also help shoppers discover their hair needs and receive personalized recommendations for the best products and regimens. Consumers can get personalized product recommendations that solves a variety of hair problems through a series of quiz-like questions.

The interactive platform will then analyse the responses and offer customised advice, including tailored haircare tips and recommendations on the product regimen comprising shampoos, conditioners, as well as treatments from brands under the P&G ambit. Currently, these include Head & Shoulders, Pantene, Herbal Essences, and Rejoice which are available on Lazada via P&G’s official LazMall flagship store.

Commenting on the launch of #HairDNA, Ajit Nayak, senior vice president for APAC, of haircare at P&G, said, “P&G is proud to partner with Lazada in launching #HairDNA, delivering personalized haircare solutions, cementing our commitment to driving category growth and delivering the best possible haircare experience.”

Meanwhile, Moran Lucy, senior director for e-commerce sales for Asia-Pacific, Middle East, and Africa at P&G, commented, “With a wide repertoire of beauty choices online, as P&G, we want to be able to streamline the shopping process for our eCommerce shoppers, in an easy and interactive way to understand their problems and provide quality recommendations from our brands. With #HairDNA, we are step-changing the way Lazada shoppers can find the right haircare products that suit each of their personalised hair types. This is the first of many partnerships with Lazada that we will embark on together to deliver a great shopping experience for our shoppers.”

Lastly, Regina Toh, senior vice president of regional strategic accounts (FMCG) at Lazada Group, stated, “With increasing numbers of beauty shoppers on our LazBeauty channel, haircare products have regularly been hot favourites with our shoppers, thanks to the great deals and an engaging online shopping experience that we provide. Lazada is delighted to drive the beauty category further with leading P&G brands – from sampling to full hair regime exploration – via #HairDNA, and to leverage the power of data and technology to provide personalised recommendations to consumers across Southeast Asia.”

Singapore – Regional e-commerce platform Lazada has recently released ‘LazzieChat’, its own e-commerce chatbot powered by artificial intelligence (AI). Said chatbot can answer users’ shopping queries on the Lazada platform to provide personalised shopping experience for users.

Said chatbot, a first of its kind in Southeast Asia, can intelligently respond to users’ questions and acts as personal shopper, providing personalised suggestions and product recommendations to help users optimise their shopping experience.

‘LazzieChat’ leverages Lazada’s own AI technology and platform, complemented by the natural language capabilities of Azure OpenAI Service. It can understand and respond to queries in a natural manner, and suggest relevant products or topics that may interest the user. It can also look up product descriptions and link products available on Lazada directly in the chat console so users can be informed and shop quickly and conveniently with confidence.

Moreover, the platform notes that ‘LazzieChat’ is most useful for fast-moving consumer goods categories such as fashion and beauty which are among the top items purchased on Lazada.

The chatbot is available in English in Singapore, the Philippines, and Indonesia markets, with the latter also receiving a Bahasa Indonesia version. More languages will be rolled out in due course.

Howard Wang, chief technology officer at Lazada Group, said, “Lazada is one of the first Southeast Asian e-commerce companies to integrate ChatGPT in Azure OpenAI Service into our chatbot. We are pleased to provide our users with LazzieChat as part of our continuous investment in technology to build a high-quality digital ecosystem that is set up for long-term growth.”

He added, “Online shopping journeys are becoming more dynamic with the help of technology. We want to bridge the gap between offline and online shopping by providing high-quality experiences that consumers love, and create value for brands and sellers who can tap into new technologies to reach out to a wider audience. We are confident AI will drive new developments in making online shopping and selling a seamless daily activity for everyone.”

Singapore – Although brand-influencer collaborations continue to boom, both players of the ecosystem – brand and influencer – still find it challenging to tap into each other in a seamless and reliable process. This is what the newly launched InCom aims to solve with its first-of-its-kind platform. 

The influencer commerce marketplace, Incom, is a brainchild of influencer marketing and tech company BeTagged. The tech behind the platform allows both brands and influencers to reach each other in a more accessible way by ultimately bridging the gap in data that are the lifeline of said type of collaborations.

Incom enables brands to list the products they wish to sell on the InCom marketplace and showcase them to potential influencers across the SEA region. To combat the information gap, brands are able to list down all relevant information about products that would help rope in influencers that are a perfect match. This includes key details such as size, colour, price, fulfilment channels, relevant product images and videos, as well as the percentage of sales commission for influencers, giving all participating brands an equal opportunity to showcase their offers to the ‘influencer-verse.’

On the other hand, the influencers on the platform will have an easier way to vet which products they would like to promote, aligning to their social media branding and interests.

“InCom is the first of its kind in Southeast Asia — one which focuses on performance-based sales modules. We provide a live dashboard which tracks all relevant metrics for brands and influencers alike; brands can now gain access to a potential consumer base of over 400 million individuals across Southeast Asia and keep track of key data such as the number of influencer pick-ups for a product, the total number of sales quotas met, channel effectiveness, and the commissions payable,” said BeTagged Co-Founder Krish Iyer

Iyer added, “On the other hand, influencers can track how many units of their recommended products were purchased, their own channel effectiveness, and how much they have earned in commissions.”

Ultimately, for the influencer side, the platform is able to empower them to explore and select brands and products based on key data such as product category, price, or commission percentage. Additionally, the platform extends this service beyond traditional e-commerce to allow influencers to explore opportunities in areas such as physical retail and non-physical digital retail. 

BeTagged said its ‘pay-as-you-sell’ go-to-market (GTM) strategy for InCom comes at zero cost risk, which makes it perfect for smaller brands, startups, or SMEs looking to launch themselves into the e-commerce space. The GTM strategy also allows larger brands to benefit from higher performance orientation. 

One of BeTagged Co-Founders, Shamik Talukder, said, “From our experience of running an influencer marketing business in SEA for the last 3 years, it has become clear to us that a transparent ecosystem focused on product sales through influencers is necessary.”

InCom has already been launched in Indonesia and will be deployed to the rest of the SEA region by Q2 2023. The platform can be accessed via the InCom website and through its iOS and Android apps.

Singapore – Global e-commerce platform Amazon has launched a new report detailing its advances to crack down counterfeits on the platform, which in turn protects their customers, brands, and selling partners.

The report also details how the strategic combination of industry-leading technology and experts are successfully stopping bad actors and making an impact beyond Amazon’s store. It notes that the platform has also identified, seized, and disposed appropriately around six million counterfeit goods, preventing them from reaching customers and being resold elsewhere in the global supply chain.

Part of its success in cracking down on counterfeit goods on the platform is due to the platform’s efforts in identifying and dismantling counterfeit organisations. In 2022, the platform’s Counterfeit Crimes Unit sued or referred for investigation over 1,300 criminals in the United States, the United Kingdom, the European Union, and China.

The platform has also continued to work with law enforcement agencies and global brands to further prevent counterfeit goods entering the platform’s supply chain. Moreover, it has also continued to improve its robust seller verification, including connecting one-on-one with prospective sellers through video chat, coupled with continued advancements in their machine learning-based detection.

Dharmesh Mehta, vice president of worldwide selling partner services at Amazon, said, “We take pride in the progress our organisation has made this past year, specifically further evolving our technology to stay ahead of bad actors and doubling down on our criminal referral and litigation efforts.”

Mehta added, “We’re appreciative of the growing industry-wide collaboration in this space, and look forward to continuing to innovate and work together to drive counterfeits to zero.”