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Category: Retail & Wholesale

Throwing a light on the rainbow model: Opening stores intelligently

Since its founding in 1984, Rainbow has grown into one of China’s biggest chain retailers. Now, in the innovative city of Shenzhen, Rainbow is leading the way with cutting-edge digital technologies to redefine smart retail and create unprecedented growth. At 10:30 in the morning on a Saturday, the Rainbow Shopping Mall in Shenzhen’s Bao’an District […]

Dynamic supply chains driving growth and resilience with data and AI

Modern supply chains grapple with escalating complexity, fragmented data, hidden risks, and ESG pressures—leaving businesses vulnerable in an era of AI disruption and geopolitical shifts. Solution:Fujitsu’s Dynamic Supply Chain Management combines: Result:A Japanese electronics giant achieved $10M annual savings and responded to an earthquake within 2 hours. For CIOs/CTOs in Asia (2025/2026): Call to Action:Co-create resilient, transparent supply chains with […]

How smart retailers are combating tariffs

In an era of escalating trade volatility, AI is no longer optional—it’s the key to tariff resilience for retailers and CPG firms. For Asian technology leaders, this Fujitsu whitepaper reveals how AI transforms tariff management from reactive cost absorption to proactive competitive advantage.

Heineken taps GenAI with aim to brew better as it seeks real-time data

Photo by Heineken: https://www.theheinekencompany.com/newsroom/media-gallery/

It may not seem like a likely early adopter of emerging technologies, but Heineken hopes its investment in generative AI (GenAI) will yield better brews, even as it works to improve access to quality data. The Dutch beer brewer in March 2025 launched its global GenAI lab in Singapore, in collaboration with local government agency […]

Singapore retailers embracing AI amidst arising fears

Photo by Simon Sto FPV: https://www.pexels.com/photo/marina-bay-sands-singapore-3544415/

An overwhelming 93% of Singapore retailers believe that AI will become a core function in retail in the next five years, according to the latest survey by Twilio. The survey also revealed that 70% expect unlimited use cases for AI in retail within the next five years. Impersonal shopping experiences However, despite integrating AI deepening in […]

Leveraging amended Cybersecurity Bill for resilience

The Singapore Parliament passed the Cybersecurity (Amendment) Bill (the Bill) on 7 May 2024, amending the Cybersecurity Act 2018 (the Act). The Act is Singapore’s legal framework for the supervision and maintenance of national cybersecurity by the Cyber Security Agency of Singapore (CSA), setting out measures to prevent, manage and respond to cybersecurity threats and […]

Retail industry sees most cyber incidents in APAC 

Image by Hannes Edinger from Pixabay

A recent study by Kaspersky revealed that the retail industry has suffered the most cyber breaches in APAC in the past 24 months. The study, based on 234 respondents in the region, also revealed that 19% of companies experienced cyber incidents due to insufficient cybersecurity investment in the last two years. Retail industry The retail industry experienced the most number of cyber incidents […]

Supply chain executives overestimate customer trust in supply chains

In a survey of more than 1,000 executives at large global companies, the Deloitte Insights survey, “Is your supply chain trustworthy?, reveals that 89% on average who self-identified as leading suppliers said customers trust their supply chain operations, compared to just 68% on average of roughly 500 customers who said the same. Deloitte says the […]

Optimising ecosystems for scale

“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” — African Proverb Gartner recently gathered supply chain and operations executives from four countries and multiple industries for a Leaders in Action event focused on optimising ecosystems for scale held at Nike’s global headquarters. A big THANK YOU to […]

Gartner survey reveals why digitalisation is not delivering value for CSCOs

Most Chief Supply Chain Officers (CSCOs) are failing to fully account for their customers in their current digitalisation plans. According to a Gartner survey, a lack of recognition of the transformative potential of a digital twin of the customer (DToC), a nascent technology that can revolutionise demand forecasting accuracy, vastly improve customer experience and serve […]

ChatGPT spurs retailers to spend US$12 billion on chatbots in 2023

Juniper Research forecasts that the global retail spend over chatbots is forecast to reach US$12 billion in 2023; growing to US$72 billion by 2028. Increasing by 470% over 5 years, much of this growth will be driven by the emergence of cost-effective open language models, most notably ChatGPT, in regions such as North America and […]

Labour productivity declines threaten the CSCO agenda

“Labour productivity levels are historically low and stalled out, in large part due to lack of investment in workforce innovations. One clear symptom is that turnover is 33% higher in supply chain organisations compared to pre-pandemic levels,” said Caroline Chumakov, director analyst in Gartner’s supply chain practice. “While that may paint a discouraging picture, it […]

AI-powered Personalisation: Core to modern business-customer interactions

The Southeast Asian retail industry continues to evolve as digital transformations across the region accelerate. A digital-first approach to business has become the new reality for retail driven by high levels of digital maturity and the rise of e-commerce. The latter is nearing full adoption, at (94%) among digital users. These changes in consumer behaviour […]

Ignoring commerce ethics can damage customer trust

Gartner predicts that by 2027, fines from government and other regulatory bodies focused on commerce ethics will exceed US$5 billion. “Aggressive digital commerce practices are innovative, but they often introduce ethical pitfalls,” said Jason Daigler, vice president analyst in the Gartner Marketing practice. “When ignored, these issues erode customer trust, damage the customer experience, and […]

Build cyber resilience for future retail success

E-commerce continues to radically shape the retail industry, with online ‘pure play’ retailers going from strength to strength and ‘bricks and mortar’ retailers both prioritising online operations and looking to leverage the data they collect physically through new in-store technology. Prior to the pandemic, the expansion of the traditional six weeks sales period of Christmas […]

Confusion over resilience leads to 95% of supply chain failures

Gartner says most companies will remain locked into an outdated model that will prevent them from achieving end-to-end (E2E) resiliency in their supply chains by 2026. Analysis indicates that few companies have accepted the necessary paradigm shift from being forecast-driven, and primarily focused on accuracy, to instead focusing on managing uncertainty in their supply chains. […]

Fraud detection and KYC to dominate anti-crime spending

A new study by Juniper Research forecasts that global software spending on financial crime prevention tools will exceed US$28.7 billion by 2027, increasing from US$22.1 billion in 2023. It predicted that this growth of 30% will be driven by cybercriminals’ strategies of targeting the ever-growing transaction volume of payments over digital channels to maximise financial […]

Micro-targeting changes the game in the food service industry

Every medium has a purpose. TV advertising, for example, targets consumers who because they can watch television suggests there are certain demographics, mainly affluent and educated enough to be sold an idea or a product. It sounds cynical and discriminatory but that is essentially marketing – to separate a specific group of consumers that are […]

Four strategies for retailers in the new age of convergence

The world’s ‘digital native’ retailers – retailers that initially operated exclusively online – are set to more than double their share of the industry’s revenues by 2030 and triple their share of profits. The Bain report, The Future of Retail: The Age of Convergence, says the focus on profitability, scale and new revenue sources is […]

PodChats for FutureCIO: Imperatives for CSCOs in 2023

A persistent pandemic around the world and global geopolitical conflicts continue to dominate headlines. Navigating uncertainties and managing supply chain challenges accordingly has, out of necessity, become a top business priority. The Business Costs of Supply-Chain Disruption report by the Economist Intelligence Unit estimates that the disruptions of the past two years are costing companies, […]

PodChats for FutureCIO: Trends for CMOs and CIOs in 2023

Gartner says customer demand and buying behaviours continue to fluctuate unpredictably amid pandemic waves, supply chain disruption, inflationary price increases and geopolitical instability. At the same time, strategic marketing priorities — such as innovation, customer experience (CX) and digital commerce — transcend functional boundaries, becoming enterprise priorities with complex cross-functional execution. Also, traditional sources of […]

Brands focused on sustainability experience 10x growth

A new generation of purpose-led brands is successfully expanding into mainstream consumer markets to challenge incumbents but still face a unique set of challenges. Analysis from Bain & Company and Verlinvest identifies an emerging formula for how these insurgent brands can scale up successfully, along with lessons for existing market incumbents to learn from those […]

Budget squeeze stalling sustainable choices

Kantar’s Sustainability Sector Index 2022 for Asia Pacific (APAC) reveals that despite 98% of people in APAC wanting to live a sustainable life, the rising cost of living is preventing the 2 in 3 who want to do more for the planet from acting on their good intentions (67%). The survey noted that 29% of […]

Fujitsu Asia and A*STAR ink research pact in SG

Fujitsu Asia and the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) have signed in Singapore a master research collaboration agreement  to accelerate the research and development of AI and converging technology solutions for future of manufacturing, trust technologies and healthcare and medical applications. The agreement will allow both organisations to leverage their respective strengths in […]

COVID surge is fuelling ePharmacy growth

A Juniper Research study found that the number of ePharmacy users will reach 1 billion globally by 2027; increasing from 795 million in 2022, a growth of 28%. The research identified this increase as the culmination of surging adoption resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, where consumers were unable to leave their homes and turned to […]

Southeast Asia is on the cusp of a great digital transformation

One of the most compelling cloud stories of the digital era is that of drug-maker Moderna. The company’s CEO made the strategic decision to build its mRNA research-and-development platform on the public cloud. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, the strategy proved prescient, enabling the company to design research experiments quickly and to harness its automated […]

Vietnam’s Techcombank and Masan in cashless push

WIN member customers will not have to carry cash or a credit card when using new modern cashless payment methods via Techcombank Mobile, such as Pay by Push (one-touch payment via the mobile phone) or QR Code.

Nitori modernises its data environment in the cloud

Japan’s largest furniture and home-furnishing retail chain, Nitori’s vision is to have 3,000 stores and sales of 1 trillion yen globally by 2032. To support the scale and scope of their business expansion, Nitori Group has been aggressively investing in cloud-native technologies such as microservices and containerization to promote the use of cloud computing. Nitori […]

Sustainable retail practices at Decathlon

COVID-19 may not be over, but life is beginning to return to some normalcy for retailers. McKinsey says the medium-term outlook is positive, with the global sportswear market expected to grow 8 to 10% a year to 2025. Since 2020, retailers have been on a roller coaster ride. On the one hand, early mobility restrictions […]

Study reveals favoured options for supply chain network expansion

A Gartner survey of 403 supply chain leaders in Q2 2022 revealed that 95% are evaluating or executing changes to their China sourcing and manufacturing strategy, and 55% of those already acted on their plans. Hybrid regional model with local and regional elements embedded in global networks are emerging as the most popular option, with […]

Pandemic drives hyper-personalization demand in India

When the pandemic hit, more consumers in India started to use digital channels and platforms for daily tasks such as buying groceries, opening a bank account, and purchasing medicines, thus changing customer interaction and expectations. As good customer experience (CX) often influences future purchase decisions, increasing customer engagement and satisfaction is the top business priority […]

Don’t compromise products to cut cost

At a time of uncertainty and rising inflation, consumers are focused on how to extend every dollar. At some point, they will notice the shrinking packaging of a preferred brand. A Gartner survey of 252 consumers in June 2022 found that shrinkflation— when the size or quantity of packaged goods is reduced without a commensurate […]

Eyewear and lens maker improves supply chain and customer connectivity with iPaaS

Tightening supply chain with cloud native platform  EssilorLuxottica, the eyewear and lens maker, reformed its digital processes by streamlining data and tightening workflows through a cloud-based integration platform as a service (iPaaS). This enabled the company to not only automate but expedite order processing with speed to meet higher demand across ASEAN and beyond.  Using […]

CSCO see climate change as a threat to supply chain stability

A Gartner survey of 320 supply chain leaders in December 2021 and January 2022 found that 18% of respondents conduct both risk assessments and scenario planning (see Figure 1). In addition, 27% have conducted a climate change risk assessment to identify their most critical supply chain risks. “The effects of climate change are hard to […]

Lax verification leading to rising online fraud cases in Asia

Juniper Research has found that the cumulative merchant losses to online payment fraud globally between 2023 and 2027 will exceed US$343 billion. Online payment fraud includes losses across the sales of digital goods, physical goods, money transfer transactions and banking, as well as purchases like airline ticketing. Fraudster attacks can include phishing, business email compromise […]

New data lab is making sports more accessible and exciting

In the pursuit of making sports and healthy lifestyles more accessible, Decathlon unveiled its data lab, recently in Singapore.  What started out as an e-commerce sports retailer in Singapore. Decathlon has became one of the pioneers in the omni-channel approach with the establishment of their first experience store in 2016.  Since then, the company has […]

PodChats for FutureCIO: Modernising the digital supply chain end-to-end

Making supply chain investments, such as factory capacity and inventory, are made from historical performance rather than an understanding of future trends can spell disaster. The COVID-19 pandemic exposed many areas of weakness in the supply chain, as revealed in the PwC Digital Trends in Supply Chain Survey 2022. A Gartner survey found that 70% […]

Paradox of personalisation versus privacy

State of Personalisation Report Uncovers Consumer Behaviours   In the race to personalise everything sold online and making that experience memorable, companies have to obtain your personal data first before they can customise.  Now this changes consumer attitudes because in the process your data is being shared online and in return, creates a paradox for businesses. […]

Regulations to drive biometric authentication in mobile payments

Transactions that use biometrics, including facial and fingerprint recognition, to authenticate remote mobile payments are forecast to reach US$1.2 trillion globally by 2027. According to Juniper Research, this growth of 365% is driven by recent regulatory changes, with the introduction of SCA (Strong Customer Authentication) pushing greater adoption. The Juniper paper, Mobile Payment Biometrics: Key […]

Study highlights ROI of digitalised customer engagement

Twilio’s (third annual State of Customer Engagement Report found that investment in digital customer engagement and personalisation technologies has had a significant positive impact on customer retention and trust — and on revenues. In Singapore, for instance, B2C companies that invested in digital customer engagement also saw an average increase in total revenue of 61%. […]

PodChats for FutureCIO: Supply chain modernization post-COVID normal

For many people in the supply chain ecosystem – from manufacturing on one end all the way to the consumer at the end other – the period of 2020-2021 is arguably one of the most tumultuous in modern history. If you think, however, that it’s smooth sailing from here on, you will be disappointed. How […]

Supply chain disruptions by COVID hurting profitability

A Forrester study reveals that retail, manufacturing and consumers goods companies are facing fundamental challenges in managing their profit margins, due to the ongoing impact of COVID-19, inflation, and supply chain issues. Among participants in the study, 90% of businesses report that COVID is having a critical impact on the ability to manage pricing across […]

Supply chain issues to limit e-commerce growth in 2022

Material growth in the value of global goods traded over the last five years represents the evolution of globalisation, increasing incomes in many locations, and the need to connect people and devices. Baseline forecasts for 2022 exceed anything seen in the prior six or more years. ABI Research forecasts e-commerce revenue to grow from US$560 […]

Essentials for e-commerce growth in 2022

Material growth in the value of global goods traded over the last five years represents the evolution of globalization, increasing incomes in many locations, and the need to connect people and devices. ABI Research estimates that baseline forecasts for 2022 will exceed anything seen in the prior six or more years. The researcher says e-commerce […]

PodChats for FutureCIO: Readying the supply chain for 2022

One of the notable characteristics of the digital economy is the ability to trade from nearly everywhere at any time. However, the COVID-19 pandemic revealed just how vulnerable the world’s supply chains are to disruption. Coming into 2022, Gartner predicts that the risk landscape, future of work and digital business investment will significantly impact the […]

Five must-dos to transform APAC retailers in 2022

“As retailers adapt to changing consumer behaviours and strive for transformational growth, it is critical for them to consider how they incorporate new customer needs and expectations into their current business models,” said Guy Elliott, retail industry lead, Publicis Sapient, EMEA and APAC. The Publicis Sapient report, 2022 Retail Guide to Next, highlights the top […]

Is social commerce the next evolution of eCommerce?

Despite Covid-19 restrictions easing somewhat in parts of Southeast Asia, the pace of growth for social commerce shows few signs of slowing. If anything, more people are spending more of their time discovering, considering, and purchasing products within the social media ecosystem. In the first half of 2021, orders and Gross Merchandise Value (GMV) jumped […]

Data to drive better customer experience at a pizza chain

At its recent investor presentation, Domino’s Pizza Enterprise outlined plans to use data-driven analysis to prioritise new store development. It planned to invest in customers’ digital ordering experience (a new web and mobile platform will be rolled out this financial year) and will analyse store metrics to improve unit economics. COVID-19 notwithstanding Despite the constraints […]

Four technologies to watch in digital commerce through to 2023

Visual configuration, digital wallets, customer identity and access management (CIAM) and virtual customer assistants (VCAs) will have a high impact on digital commerce as mainstream adoption of these technologies increases. Gartner research vice president, Sandy Shen, says digital commerce is a fast-changing market where competitive pressures and the need to innovate means new technologies emerge […]

JUMBO Group wants to bring SG’s food culture to the world

Like many other industries not only in the island nation but around the world, Singapore’s F&B sector has been battered by the pandemic. Eileen Chua, managing director, SAP Singapore, however, noted that the crisis has prompted some to look for opportunities to innovate and thrive in what she calls the ‘never normal’ and to invest […]

Bain: COVID-19 changed Chinese consumer behaviour

COVID-19 had a strong impact on the purchasing habits of Chinese consumers across categories and has changed the way individuals are spending their money. Despite an early dip in the first quarter of 2020, by the end of the year, overall FMCG value in China had grown by 0.5% as higher volume offset overall price […]

How to measure supply chain agility

Agility is critical because in most industries, both demand and supply fluctuate more rapidly and widely than in the past. Didn’t we learn anything in Q1 2020?

Playing the long game with chatbots

The global chatbot market is expected to grow by US$1.11 billion accelerating at a CAGR of almost 29% between 2020-2024. Technavio noted that during 2019, the retail segment dominated the Global Chatbot Market in 2019. Amazon, Flipkart, Alibaba, and Snapdeal are a few of the major e-commerce platforms. These retailers are implementing chatbots to provide […]

Moving money in the digital world

Tristan Chiappini talks about the evolution of payments, and how start-ups like PPRO must evolve and differentiate themselves to find relevance in a rapidly crowded payments landscape.

APAC retail leads 75% of global growth, says Bain

COVID-19 has accelerated retail’s transition to a digital future. The Bain & Company survey, The Future of Retail in Asia-Pacific: How to Thrive at High Speed, noted that Asia-Pacific’s growth represents 75% of the world’s retail growth and boasting advanced digital maturity, online sales growth and ecommerce are rising dramatically in the region The research […]

COVID-19 makes robots the better delivery option

Automated parcel delivery technologies are growing due to the rise in consumer demand for faster deliveries with Lux Research predicting automated deliveries to generate up to $48.4 billion in revenue by 2030

Workplace challenges now and post COVID-19

Full transparency and real-time visibility across all aspects of the organization is a must. Members of the C-suite must work together to minimize the risks to employees and the organization in the long run.

Streamlining retail staff scheduling

Target Australia is one of the nation’s largest department store chains, operating more than 305 stores nationwide. With 14,000+ employees nationwide, how do you effectively manage operations? We answer that here.

State of Connected Planning at a glance: Retail

A global survey of retailers revealed that 52% of retailers view increased collaboration as a requisite to achieving planning change. Find out more about the survey details and how connected planning fits into the overall strategy for retailers.

How Can Real-Time Information Help Bring the Freshest Spices to Homes Across India and Beyond?

For more than 50 years, Everest Spices has helped cooks create tasty dishes with its range of pure and blended spices. As one of India’s leading spice brands, Everest Spices strives to run efficient processes to help ensure that prime-quality products reach customers fresh from the factory. To address this, SAP helped Everest Spices deploy an intelligent ERP solution to support integrated processes and provide real-time insights across the company.

Using AI to create connected commerce in APAC

In 2019, ecommerce continues to spike as consumers experience the convenience of shopping online, accept the relative safety of mobile payments, and not having to carry groceries back home. The free delivery is an added perk. How will the retail sector fair in 2020. Forrester vice president and research director, Fiona Swerdlow, cautions that deep-seated […]

FutureTrends: UX experience depends on AX

Tony Sandberg, regional director for Asia Pacific at Kemp, talks about the role of technologies application performance management tools and techniques in achieving desired user experience benchmarks.

Building Sales and Customer Loyalty with SAP S/4HANA Enterprise Management

Outdoor gear retailer Snow Peak wanted to serve its customers better by tracking and analyzing their buying histories to make the most appropriate suggestions for future purchases. A suite of solutions based on the SAP HANA platform helped the company realize that goal, while at the same time optimizing its inventories and getting more productivity out of its staff.

Asia cashes in on booming business in online food delivery

McKinsey forecasts that the global addressable market for the new delivery to reach more than Euro20 billion by 2025. It also predicts that while there is an opportunity for new players to come in, consolidation will be a major characteristic of the industry in the years to come.

Companies to spend US$98 billion on AI by 2023 says IDC

McKinsey estimates that artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to create up to $5.8 trillion in value annually across nine business functions in 19 industries – about 40% of the overall $15.4 trillion annual impact that could potentially be enabled by all analytical techniques. Within the finance function, one application that is accelerating adoption of […]

20 metros chip in 56% of global retail colocation revenues

Synergy Research Group says just 20 metro areas account for 56% of worldwide retail colocation revenues. The top 5 metros – Tokyo, New York, London, Washington and Shanghai – combined account for 25% of the worldwide market. The next 15 largest metro markets account for another 31% of the market. Seven metros are in the […]

Why, when and how of behavioural analytics

Management consultant and author Geoffrey Moore is quoted as saying: “Without big data analytics, companies are blind and deaf, wandering out onto the web like deer on a freeway.” As organisations start to delve deeper in the use of data analytics, in part driven by suggestions that they become data-driven organisations, concerns are rising to […]

Measure customer effort right each time

How do you measure customer effort? Most customer experience (CX) pros use surveys. While the question text and scale they use can differ, the resulting score measures the level of effort. But we need to move beyond only measuring the level of effort. My new report explains why and gives suggestions for improving customer effort […]

Forrester: China to lead APAC’s $2.5 trillion online retail sales

Research firm Forrester predicts Asia Pacific’s (APAC) online retail sales to almost double in the next five years, growing from $1.3 trillion in 2018 to $2.5 trillion in 2023. With a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 14%, the firm says APAC will account for 28% of total global retail sales. Leading the region’s online […]

Digital transformation is fuelling RPA sales worldwide

Gartner forecasts revenue from sale of robotic process automation (RPA) software will reach $1.3 billion in 2019, driven by digital business demands as organisations look for ‘straight-through’ processing in response to intensifying digital competition. Although RPA software can be found in all industries, the biggest adopters are banks, insurance companies, telcos, and utility companies. These […]

More focus on the customer experience

Seventy-five percent of organisations surveyed by Gartner increased their customer experience (CX) technology investments in 2018. For 2019, 52% of respondents said they will increase investment into customer analytics, as the focus on customer journey analysis, customer needs analysis, voice of the customer (VoC) and digital marketing. 2019 priorities The survey lists the top five […]

Spending on cognitive and AI to reach $77.6 billion in 2022

IDC predicts businesses will continues to invest in projects that utilise cognitive and AI. The IDC Worldwide Semiannual Cognitive Artificial Intelligence Systems Spending Guide forecasts spending on cognitive and AI systems to reach $77.6 billion in 2022, more than three times the $24.0 billion forecast for 2018. The compound annual growth rate (CAGR) for the […]

LTE to fuel IIoT use in business productivity

The Internet of Things (IoT) is basically a network of connected “smart” devices that communicate seamlessly over the Internet. More designers of smart cities and smart utilities recognize that for any technology, including IoT, to become part of these transformative innovations, they must consume as little power as possible and operate over existing wireless networks, […]

Consumerization of Industrial IoT

IoT is already growing quickly, and edge computing is rapidly becoming a major trend. But in my opinion, what will really light a fire under both is the consumerization of IoT. IoT is, of course, a growing trend in enterprises, and in industry. In fact, in IT circles, the discussion is mostly about Industrial IoT (IIoT), […]

Manufacturers to favour hybrid industrial cloud

Image courtesy of iStockPhoto ABI Research’s Industrial Cloud report revealed that the virtualization of business-critical infrastructure is transforming the production and distribution of goods and services throughout the supply chain as industrial organizations shift focus from private to public and ultimately hybrid cloud deployments that connect and integrate on-premise resources with cloud resources. The researcher […]

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