Consumer goods firms harness online data to tap Southeast Asia e-commerce boom

SINGAPORE/BANGKOK (Reuters) – When diaper maker DSG International (Thailand) wants to know what its customers are thinking, it often turns to Lazada, an e-commerce firm majority-owned by Alibaba Group Holding (BABA.N).

FILE PHOTO: The Singapore Lazada website is seen in this illustration photo June 20, 2017. REUTERS/Thomas White/Illustration/File Photo

“From (their) data, we know mothers sometimes browse at night, so we can offer flash sales when we know customers are browsing,” says Ambrose Chan, the Thai company’s CEO.

Southeast Asia is the world’s fastest-growing internet market, home to 600 million consumers from Vietnam to Indonesia via Singapore, many of them tech- and social media-savvy. They are rapidly spending more time and money online. A Nielsen study in 2015 estimated Southeast Asia’s middle-class will hit 400 million by 2020, doubling from 2012.

Gross merchandise value of ecommerce in Southeast Asia will balloon to $ 65.5 billion by 2021, from $ 14.3 billion last year, predicts consultancy Frost & Sullivan.

Research firm Euromonitor forecasts internet retailing in Indonesia, for example, will more than double to $ 6.2 billion by 2021, and Thailand will increase 85 percent to $ 2.8 billion.

(For a graphic on Southeast Asia internet sales click reut.rs/2l3qULe)

Consumer goods firms, such as Unilever (UNc.AS) and Japanese cosmetics firm Shiseido (4911.T), say the e-commerce boom allows them to push deeper into markets that can otherwise be difficult to understand and tough to penetrate due to poor retail networks and infrastructure.

“Data from Lazada has been used to position certain products where consumer preferences are different. For example, Thai customers like to buy diapers in special cartons, while Malaysians prefer multiple packs,” says Chan.

To reach more customers and get a better handle on their online behavior, consumer goods companies are forging partnerships with e-commerce firms like Lazada and fashion website Zalora.

POWERFUL, INSIGHTFUL

A customer who clicked on a 50 milliliter product may instead buy a smaller 30 ml product, said Pranay Mehra, vice president, digital and e-commerce at Shiseido Asia Pacific, noting that data and online selling experience can help firms bundle offers, decide on packaging and distribution, and influence where to set up a physical presence.

“This data is very powerful and very insightful, if used properly,” Mehra added.

Unilever, whose products range from Hellmann’s mayonnaise to Dove soap, said it is seeing more demand from rural consumers in developing markets like Indonesia and Vietnam.

RedMart’s President Vikram Rupani poses at their fulfillment centre in Singapore September 22, 2017. Picture taken September 22, 2017. REUTERS/Edgar Su

“With all our e-commerce partners, we’re using data to help us find innovative solutions to unlock key barriers of high cost delivery and poor credit card penetration in remote areas,” said Anusha Babbar, e-commerce director at Unilever Southeast Asia and Australasia.

The conglomerate, which works with the likes of Singapore online grocer RedMart, Indonesia’s Blibli and Vietnam’s Tiki, said it introduced its St Ives skincare brand on Lazada after seeing a trend towards natural products and shopper search data.

DATA AND LOGISTICS

“Traditional retailers will struggle to see customer behavior,” said Lazada Thailand’s CEO, Alessandro Piscini. “We can tell if a customer is pregnant from their search behavior.”

Slideshow (10 Images)

Lazada, he said, plans to use data science to help its merchants customize offers for specific customer groups based on age, gender and other preferences.

Zalora, which sells clothing and accessories online in markets including Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia, said it was working on ad-hoc projects with some brands to help them understand their customers based on data.

Lazada and Zalora are among the few e-commerce platforms that operate in multiple Southeast Asian countries. But the region is becoming a new battleground as Amazon (AMZN.O) and JD.com (JD.O) make beachheads in Singapore and Thailand.

Lazada Thailand will focus on partnering with fast-moving consumer goods companies to maintain its lead, Piscini said, and is expanding its logistics footprint across a region that has poor roads, clogged cities and thousands of often remote islands.

To be sure, online still contributes a tiny portion to consumer goods companies’ sales, but some local firms are going beyond partnerships and investing in their own e-commerce capabilities.

Thailand’s top consumer goods manufacturer Saha Group (SPI.BK) (SPC.BK) has seen online sales of some of its brands rise tenfold since it began a partnership with Lazada in June, but online still represents just 1-2 percent of total sales.

Saha is using e-commerce data to customize offerings.

“We now make real-time offerings to customers. Before, promotions would be seasonal,” Chairman Boonsithi Chokwatana told Reuters.

The company, whose products include instant noodles, toothpaste and laundry detergent, is investing 2 billion baht ($ 60 million) in logistics to support its e-commerce ambitions, including a 21-storey warehouse and a big data team, he said.

Reporting by Aradhana Aravindan in SINGAPORE and Chayut Setboonsarng in BANGKOJK; Editing by Ian Geoghegan

Our Standards:The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Tech

Consumer goods firms harness online data to tap Southeast Asia e-commerce boom

SINGAPORE/BANGKOK (Reuters) – When diaper maker DSG International (Thailand) wants to know what its customers are thinking, it often turns to Lazada, an e-commerce firm majority-owned by Alibaba Group Holding (BABA.N).

FILE PHOTO: The Singapore Lazada website is seen in this illustration photo June 20, 2017. REUTERS/Thomas White/Illustration/File Photo

“From (their) data, we know mothers sometimes browse at night, so we can offer flash sales when we know customers are browsing,” says Ambrose Chan, the Thai company’s CEO.

Southeast Asia is the world’s fastest-growing internet market, home to 600 million consumers from Vietnam to Indonesia via Singapore, many of them tech- and social media-savvy. They are rapidly spending more time and money online. A Nielsen study in 2015 estimated Southeast Asia’s middle-class will hit 400 million by 2020, doubling from 2012.

Gross merchandise value of ecommerce in Southeast Asia will balloon to $ 65.5 billion by 2021, from $ 14.3 billion last year, predicts consultancy Frost & Sullivan.

Research firm Euromonitor forecasts internet retailing in Indonesia, for example, will more than double to $ 6.2 billion by 2021, and Thailand will increase 85 percent to $ 2.8 billion.

(For a graphic on Southeast Asia internet sales click reut.rs/2l3qULe)

Consumer goods firms, such as Unilever (UNc.AS) and Japanese cosmetics firm Shiseido (4911.T), say the e-commerce boom allows them to push deeper into markets that can otherwise be difficult to understand and tough to penetrate due to poor retail networks and infrastructure.

“Data from Lazada has been used to position certain products where consumer preferences are different. For example, Thai customers like to buy diapers in special cartons, while Malaysians prefer multiple packs,” says Chan.

To reach more customers and get a better handle on their online behavior, consumer goods companies are forging partnerships with e-commerce firms like Lazada and fashion website Zalora.

POWERFUL, INSIGHTFUL

A customer who clicked on a 50 milliliter product may instead buy a smaller 30 ml product, said Pranay Mehra, vice president, digital and e-commerce at Shiseido Asia Pacific, noting that data and online selling experience can help firms bundle offers, decide on packaging and distribution, and influence where to set up a physical presence.

“This data is very powerful and very insightful, if used properly,” Mehra added.

Unilever, whose products range from Hellmann’s mayonnaise to Dove soap, said it is seeing more demand from rural consumers in developing markets like Indonesia and Vietnam.

RedMart’s President Vikram Rupani poses at their fulfillment centre in Singapore September 22, 2017. Picture taken September 22, 2017. REUTERS/Edgar Su

“With all our e-commerce partners, we’re using data to help us find innovative solutions to unlock key barriers of high cost delivery and poor credit card penetration in remote areas,” said Anusha Babbar, e-commerce director at Unilever Southeast Asia and Australasia.

The conglomerate, which works with the likes of Singapore online grocer RedMart, Indonesia’s Blibli and Vietnam’s Tiki, said it introduced its St Ives skincare brand on Lazada after seeing a trend towards natural products and shopper search data.

DATA AND LOGISTICS

“Traditional retailers will struggle to see customer behavior,” said Lazada Thailand’s CEO, Alessandro Piscini. “We can tell if a customer is pregnant from their search behavior.”

Slideshow (10 Images)

Lazada, he said, plans to use data science to help its merchants customize offers for specific customer groups based on age, gender and other preferences.

Zalora, which sells clothing and accessories online in markets including Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia, said it was working on ad-hoc projects with some brands to help them understand their customers based on data.

Lazada and Zalora are among the few e-commerce platforms that operate in multiple Southeast Asian countries. But the region is becoming a new battleground as Amazon (AMZN.O) and JD.com (JD.O) make beachheads in Singapore and Thailand.

Lazada Thailand will focus on partnering with fast-moving consumer goods companies to maintain its lead, Piscini said, and is expanding its logistics footprint across a region that has poor roads, clogged cities and thousands of often remote islands.

To be sure, online still contributes a tiny portion to consumer goods companies’ sales, but some local firms are going beyond partnerships and investing in their own e-commerce capabilities.

Thailand’s top consumer goods manufacturer Saha Group (SPI.BK) (SPC.BK) has seen online sales of some of its brands rise tenfold since it began a partnership with Lazada in June, but online still represents just 1-2 percent of total sales.

Saha is using e-commerce data to customize offerings.

“We now make real-time offerings to customers. Before, promotions would be seasonal,” Chairman Boonsithi Chokwatana told Reuters.

The company, whose products include instant noodles, toothpaste and laundry detergent, is investing 2 billion baht ($ 60 million) in logistics to support its e-commerce ambitions, including a 21-storey warehouse and a big data team, he said.

Reporting by Aradhana Aravindan in SINGAPORE and Chayut Setboonsarng in BANGKOJK; Editing by Ian Geoghegan

Our Standards:The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Tech

Everything About The Newest Blackberry Mobile Phones

As one of the foremost leading mobile phone companies, Blackberry mobile phones are among the most successful in the world. Many a popular product has been released since it was created in 1999 by Canadian company Research In Motion. The newest model is the Smart phone and it comes several types, and these are the Blackberry Torch, Pearl, Bold, Curve, Storm, Style and Tour.

The Torch 9800 has a simple all-in-one design which offers a great deal of services at your fingertips. It also has a fully loaded and expandable memory that allows you to use the internet freely and upload anything up to 8GB. It has a quick, browser and media player that many will find easy to use and a camera that offers crisp, detailed photographs and multiple picture modes.

Another choice is the Style 9670 which offers a neat flip design that will sit easily in a pocket or a bag. It has a camera similar to that of the Torch that takes crisp, clear pictures, as well as Blackberry 6 OS and Messenger.

For those who find small buttons hard to use, there is the Curve smart phone, which has a track pad and media keys which some may find easier to use. As all modern phones, it also has Wi-fi and Messenger for a variety of communication options. The Curve 8500 adds to this by giving you easier ways to share media, the Curve 8900 has a classic style and advanced graphics, and the Curve 8350i offers a press to talk mechanism as well as a large display for those who may have trouble using smaller phones.

The Pearl 3G smart phone offers easy typing, a long lasting battery and a style that many will find to be very elegant in appearance. Bold smart phones also have outstanding battery life, Blackberry 6 for ease of use, particularly when using applications, Wi-fi and Messenger.

For those travellers, there is the Tour 9630 as it has access and services anywhere in the world, as well as more media applications. The Storm smart phone might be good for those who have difficulty looking at the screen of a normal phone as it offers one that is larger than usual, as well as being simple to use. There are many deals regarding these phones and among them, a month of free airtime as well as free insurance is offered for your smart phone.

Through available tariffs, you can get a number of free texts, from 250 to unlimited, not mention a possibly generous amount of free minutes for when you are on the phone. Of the Blackberry mobile phones that can be bought, there will likely be one to suit your own purposes, whatever they may be.

Looking for more info on the latest and greatest Blackberry deals in the United Kingdom? Get the low down now in our complete guide to all you need to know about the best free Blackberry Mobile deals.

Hidden Cameras For Use For Anything From Children To Spouses

Spy Cameras are becoming more and more popular. The city of London spent the equivalent of over $380 million for over 10,000 surveillance cameras. These cameras have proven successful in reducing crimes such as burglary, pick pocketing and purse-snatching, but haven’t done much to solve or prevent violent crimes such as rapes, armed robbery and murder.

There is even a school that issues notebook computers with built in web cams to students. They can turn the web cameras on any time they want to spy on the unsuspecting students.

Spy cameras can be found in offices, schools, home, and even vehicles. The main reason for a spy camera is to provide proof of something bad or illegal happening. Of course, there will always be the people who spy because they want to see what’s going on in someone’s personal life. This is very intrusive and just like any technology out there, spy cameras can be used for good and evil.

There are wireless and wired spy cameras. They can be found in the most unsuspicious places including pens and a button of a shirt.

If you use a wireless unit you must have a transmitter and a receiver. If you are using a spy camera that has a built in digital video recorder the camera is completely self contained. All you need for a wired camera is to hook it up to a video recorder or monitor.

Parents use spy cameras to keep an eye on their children while they are out. They also use them as nanny cams to make sure the nanny or babysitter is treating their children well and not drinking all their liquor.

Business owners use spy cameras to protective themselves from wrongful harassment lawsuits, to monitor employee productivity and reduce theft of merchandise and office products.

For spouses that think their significant other is cheating they can use these cameras to find out for sure.

Jak A Crone is a leading authority in Surveillance and Security and offers a wide selection of hidden cameras, nanny cams, home surveillance systems, and Digital Video Recording systems. If you ever ask yourself where do I buy surveillance devices, you now have a secure place to order.

Professional Dummy Cameras With Flashing LED Is Among Dependable Fake Security Cameras

The expense required in construction was so large that I was not very eager to invest much more for the building’s safety requirements. I realized we required to maintain the premises safe all the time so, whenever a buddy suggested using a professional dummy camera with flashing LED, I grabbed the idea immediately.

On the web, I was proven fake safety cameras are an affordable means of protecting a establishment. For the method to succeed, though, burglars and vandals shouldn’t have the ability to see the difference regarding the suggested dummy digital camera and a actual surveillance digital camera.

Fortunately for me, this professional dummy camera with flashing LED can make use of a real digital camera housing but without the camera within it. It comes total with a flashing LED light, a working video cable, a weatherproof aluminum housing and a totally versatile mounting bracket. The exterior elements you might discover on a genuine monitoring digital camera are present in this device.

Surveillance cameras serve to monitor areas where safety and protection are required, typically, in warehouses, parking lots and sports complexes. They are also installed in commercial establishments like stores and supermarkets to watch the actions of clients and employees in order to prevent theft.

Now, thieves generally carry out their criminal actions in a hurry. Once they catch sight of my professional dummy digital camera with flashing LED, they’ll not cease to examine regardless of whether or not it’s a working surveillance digital camera. With its red blinking LED, they’ll simply presume that it is functional and logging them at that moment.

Since fake security cameras are affordable devices for deterring thieves, they’re perfect for use in the entrances to homes and offices. I acquired one that’s a breeze to mount by utilizing stainless steel screws. The dimensions of this professional dummy camera with flashing LED are 10 x 4 x 4 inches. It’s powered by a C battery that will run it for 6 months.

Robbers are extremely likely to avoid any place where they are able to see a safety camera. The low-cost alternative for those on a tight budget but who have the need to protect their house would be fake safety cameras.

For the cost advantage, I purchased several units of this dummy camera and positioned these in strategic locations in my building. They can secure my property in the interim while I’m saving for the purchase of real surveillance cameras in the future.

Ember F Quartz is a respected expert in Surveillance and Security and carries a full line of hidden cameras and surveillance solutions. She provides full support and start up guidance for all the products.

A Baby Video Monitor Is A Truly Effective Nanny Spy Camera

My sister rarely had any extra time to do all of the household duties that awaited her, let alone nurture two small kids. I suggested to her to obtain assistance by hiring a nanny but emphasized she ought to in addition have a Baby Video Monitor to supervise the nanny.

A baby video monitor will serve as her nanny spy digital camera, so that she can see if the nanny is performing her job properly. My sister won’t be tied up with the kids all the time yet she will have the ability to protect and care for them constantly.

I recommended the Baby Monitor Concealed Digital camera specifically. It consists of a spy camera concealed in a toy dog along with a handheld portable LCD screen. The puppy nanny cam remains with the child while the handheld monitor will go with my sister. Anywhere she might be within the home, she can take a look at and listen to everything the nanny is engaging in along with her toddlers.

She can move around and perform her chores but still maintain an eye on the kids since this baby video monitor has a wireless range of 300 ft. The puppy concealed camera is run with a 9 volt battery and the LCD monitor requires three AAA batteries.

Hidden within the puppy toy is a 2.4 GHz wireless digital camera with a microphone. This nanny spy digital camera is equipped with a 1/3 inch CMOS color image sensor along with a video quality of 380 lines. Having its minimal illumination of one Lux and 3.6 mm wide angle lens, the images taken are going to be well-defined.

The remote receiver includes a 2.5 inch TFT LCD color monitor display with a resolution of 480×234. The view area on the monitor is really 2 inches high x 1.5 inches wide, with a illumination of 250 cd/sq.m. along with a contrast of 150:1. With such specifications, my sister will see distinctly on this child video monitor whatever the camera sees.

My recommended Child Monitor Hidden Camera makes use of a remote monitor with a view angle of 10 degrees up, 30 degrees down, 45 degrees left and 45 degrees down. This will permit my sister to check out a wider view of the location to keep an eye on her tykes from more versatile angles.

The portable monitor has dimensions of merely 5.5 x 2.75 x 1.25 inches. Along with its weight of only 250 grams, my sister won’t have problems toting it around the house while busy with work. With the usage of this nanny cam, my sister can protect her children and lessen the tension of child-rearing on herself.

Phil B Silberman is a leading authority on home security. He is skilled in utilizing the newest concepts in hidden cameras and surveillance systems. If you want to discover how to safeguard your children you will find many selections of nanny cams.

Looking For A Camera In A Pen Took Me To The Best Spy Spy Pen Camera With A DVR

You will find lots of reasons to desire a mini camera in a pen. I personally use one for seminars and courses so that I can capture the discussions for evaluation or transcribing later on.

I stumbled into a Spy Pen Camera with a DVR as I was looking on the Internet for a concealed surveillance system. Instantly, I was impressed with what it had to provide. Not just did it fit my essential requirements, it was also among the best recording gadgets that I have actually utilized.

This Spy Pen Digital camera with a DVR records in complete color, not some thing that I’d expect from just any camera in a pen. Usually, the other products that I’ve seen only supply grainy black and white or grayscale videos. Its audio is also among the very best since it may capture noises from as far away as 15 ft. This is very helpful when I am sitting in the center row during a conference.

All of its technical aspects are easy enough to understand that somebody as technologically challenged as myself wouldn’t have any issues. I simply need to push a button and it’ll start working. It has a built-in mini DVR so it may automatically record both audio and video without any additional hardware.

After obtaining the footage that I need, I still have to watch it on a computer and even this action is a breeze. My Spy Pen Camera with a DVR could be utilized on any system with a basic USB port. All I have to do is plug it in and it can auto-install by itself to most operating systems.

The main objective of a concealed camera in a pen is usually to be unnoticed. With this gadget, not even my co-worker would know that I have a camera on me. I can slip it easily in to the front of my shirt like an ordinary pen and aim the camera lens, that is 1/4 inch from the top of the pen, towards the speaker. It can in fact write so the illusion is not ruined.

Needless to say, I need my unknown digital camera in a pen to last for the whole lecture. With its built-in LI battery, it will go on recording for 2 to 3 hrs, just enough time for a speech to finish. Its two GB of provided memory guarantees that no second goes unrecorded.

I am glad that I considered purchasing this handy monitoring system. Regardless of if I’m attending a seminar in Texas, India or Maine, I have the all-around device needed to get the very best from every one.

Chuck F Dugherty is a leading authority in Surveillance and Security and carries a full selection of concealed cameras and surveillance systems. He provides total support and start up guidance for all the products.