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Recently in a Congressional briefing, Congressman Ted Poe addressed the need for setting up a more stringent e-Waste export policy. At the meeting, Tom Sharpe, Vice President at SMT Corporation, noted startlingly facts from a study that was created by the US Senate Armed Services Committee. The report exposed how the global e-Waste trade could be more harmful than you think. The study found 1,800 cases of counterfeit parts in military technology. The report identified that many of the parts came from China. The counterfeit parts were also discovered in medical devices, such as intravenous drip machines, automated external defibrillators, airport lighting systems, and braking systems for trains. If any of these devices backfire the effects could be deadly.
A similar investigation was recently conducted by the Basel Action Network (BAN). They added GPS devices to non-functional electronic equipment. Then BAN submitted the equipment to recyclers, drop-off centers, and even the thrift chain store, Goodwill. The investigation exposed that Goodwill, along with several other organizations were part of the illegal e-Waste trade. A lot of the tracked equipment ended up in China as well. In the BAN investigation, “recyclers” explained the shift in cost for recycling some technology was too costly for them to turn a profit. The only way these phony recyclers could make money was by shipping it overseas.
As a solution, The Coalition for America Electronics Recycling (CAER) is proposing that legislation halts exports of e-Waste. CAER is pushing for the Secure E-Waste Export and Recycling Act (SEERA) to pass. The Act would improve the traceability of the nonworking electronics. It will also allow Customs and Border Protection to search shipments and stop the shipper. Overall it would hold the shipper accountable for illegally exporting the equipment.


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Looking for a Bitcoin Buying Guide? Wondering where to start? People have a lot of misconceptions about bitcoin – the very first widely known and accepted cryptocurrency worldwide.
A lot of people think for example that only hackers and shady people use it. However bitcoin is actually going mainstream with everyone from TigerDirect to Expedia.com to Dell and even Subway accepting payments in bitcoin now.
Green tea and matcha are not the same
Green tea is one of the most valued infusions in the world. But it is true that it can be consumed in several ways. In this article you will find the differences between consuming it in powder and taking it normally.
Participation in sports is an important part of physical, mental, and social development for our youth. While it is meant to promote health, sports carry an inherent risk of injury.
Evidence is growing that the short and long-term health risks associated with brain trauma in sports are more serious than previously known. While concussions have been the primary focus of the medical community, the media, and the sports world, it appears they are only part of the problem. A growing number of studies show the risk of short-term and long-term brain damage, and neurodegenerative disease may be more closely related to an athlete’s cumulative brain trauma over their lifetime.

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Brexit: Irish consumers warned of new online shopping charges
Not all retailers will automatically add VAT or customs charges at the online checkout
Minister of State Robert Troy (right) encouraged consumers in Ireland to continue to enjoy the benefit from shopping online with the UK but he urged them to ‘think ahead’ before making a purchase. File image: Dara Mac Donaill / The Irish Times
Irish consumers are being urged to be aware of complicated new costs and altered entitlements when purchasing goods from British online retailers due to the UK’s exit from the European Union’s single market.
Irish Vat now applies to goods from British retailers that cost more than €22, and customs fees apply to some purchases of more than €150. If UK Vat has been charged, Irish Vat will still apply upon importation. In such instances the consumer should seek a refund of UK VAT from the supplier.
While some retailers are adding any applicable charges at the online checkout, others may not alert customers of these new fees that will then need to be paid through delivery companies or An Post.
Minister of State for Trade Promotion, Digital and Company Regulation Robert Troy is reminding Irish consumers to be alert for potential additional costs and changes to entitlements when buying from online retailers based in Britain.
“We are now operating under a new set of rules… Consumers need to check out each retailer’s policies,” he said in a statement on Wednesday.
The convenience and protections enjoyed by consumers in the EU no longer automatically apply when buying from online retailers in Britain, he said. This meant consumers would rely on UK consumer protection legislation if something went wrong with an order.
While he encouraged consumers in Ireland to continue to enjoy the benefit from shopping online with the UK, he urged them to “think ahead” before making a purchase.
Mr Troy also warned of additional charges that may come in the form of handling fees from delivery companies, where VAT and customs has not been automatically added to an order at the online checkout.
An Post is charging a €3.50 handling fee for collecting charges from consumers on behalf of Revenue. Parcels will not be released by An Post until any applicable charges are paid either through its newly developed online system or at a local post office.
The vast majority of UK online retailers for whom An Post delivers have new charges built into the online shopping process, taking away any administrative work from consumers. This includes high-end department store Selfridges, where purchases will not be subject to UK VAT and local taxes and duties will be added to the basket total. Online fashion retailer ASOS has said its customers will not have to pay any new customs duties or import taxes as it will ship items from its EU-based warehouse.
Amazon UK has opted for an “import fees deposit” which applies an estimate of import fees applicable to the delivery region. This deposit is used to reimburse delivery companies for import fees they pay on behalf of a customer. In the event the deposit exceeds the final import costs, Amazon says it will refund the difference.
Meanwhile, Irish people signed up to Amazon’s auto-delivery service, “Subscribe & Save”, may be experiencing subscription delays or find certain products are no longer available for auto-delivery. A spokesman said that customers affected will receive an email confirming the subscription cannot be fulfilled due to changes in the trading relationship between the EU and the UK.


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Chinese buyers have been the top foreign buyers of US residential property for six years straight. Similarly, no other overseas vendees buy more in Australia, New Zealand and a host of other countries. One common characteristic purchasers share is a preference for the shiny and new over the battered old character home.
In China, you won’t find locals spending their weekends combing garage sales for deals, and even the ecommerce-mad populous buy a much smaller share of second-hand goods than the eBay-Craig’s List-Gumtree-Trademe-type shoppers of the West.
Chinese consumers’ reputed love of all that is new comes down to a number of factors. We don’t need to look back far in history – during the reign of Mao – when new goods were in scant supply, creating a sense of prestige when buying something brand new. This has been passed over a generation, and its legacy has contributed to the all-important status that comes with buying new versus the stigma attached with goods that have been loved by someone else.
Another contributor is Chinese consumers’ inherent lack of trust. In China it is far more common to fake a second-hand good, and more difficult to trace, than a new product that can be bought directly from the source or a trusted vendor. There are also more reliable courses of action if something goes wrong. Couple that with the seemingly-infinite supply of cheap, new things, and all roads appear to lead to brand spanking new.
Nevertheless, the single-minded view that everything must be shiny and new is starting to waver. One of the most notable signs is the car industry. Half a decade ago, five in every six cars purchased smelt new (although not the new car smell as we know it in the West). Last year, as new car sales contracted 2.8%, there were 11.5% more secondhand cars bought. Although the ratio is still far behind America, where pre-loved outnumber new by more than double, China’s split is growing fast, from 43.0% in 2017 to 49.1% last year. The rise in the desirability for second-hand cars is followed by other segments from luxury goods to clothing swaps.
The trend is being driven by millennials who don’t have the same historic hang-ups as earlier generations and seek value. They’re familiar with consuming things used by others with the explosion of the sharing economy, covering everything from fashion to bicycles.
What does that mean for brands? In many product categories, the competitor set will increasingly span beyond the other new things for sale online and in stores to include second-hand goods. Consumers may also look to resale value, service and even sell-back options when making decisions around purchasing.
The trend spans beyond goods too, contributing to preferences in the service industry such as tourism. More Chinese travellers are finding allure in the edgy, hipster interiors for hotels, restaurants, attractions and stores, when in the past, it would have been considered dirty and rundown. It is another sign of maturing Chinese consumers, driven by the youth – one which will hopefully giving the environment a small reprieve.
On the subject of Chinese tastes and preferences, if you’re looking to learn more while taking in a few memorable spring days, China Skinny’s Mark Tanner will be speaking at China Connect in Paris on March 12-13. It is one of the most-established and thoughtful China-focused conferences outside of China – we hope to see you there! More information here. Go to Page 2 to see this week’s China news and highlights.
What caught our eye in the build-up to this Chinese New Year is not the nearly-3 billion trips to be made via China’s transport system, not the thousands of ways to make pigs cuter including carving one into a watermelon, but the NBA’s pick for its Chinese New Year ambassador: 20 year old boy band member Cai Xukun from the group Nine Percent.
In a land where there has been much public debate and negative state media over the influence of ‘sissy boy’ role models, the decision caused the expected uproar online. On popular sports platform Hupu, known for its masculine user base, 82% – 39,363 voters – checked the option “I’d rather die” in a poll about Cai’s NBA mission.
On the surface the choice seems like an outrageous misalignment with the esteemed NBA brand. The NBA has some of the most athletically-impressive beings of the sporting world – poles apart from the effeminate 65kg pop idol. Yet the expensive decision is likely to bear fruit.
For a start, although the NBA already has an epic following in China including the largest social media fanbase of any sports league with 150 million followers, that only accounts for a small portion of China’s population. Like any business, they will be wanting to grow that base.
In choosing a target market, they will look to the Gen-Zs (those born in the mid-90s to early 2000s) as having a high propensity to support and spend on the game. Gen-Zs are an open-minded generation in a society that has never been so enthusiastic about sport, causing them to explore and embrace sports more than the generations before them. They’re also big spenders. Although most haven’t yet banked a single pay cheque, they account for 15% of household expenditure, versus just 4% in the USA and UK. As the only child/grandchild of six doting adults, and having never lived through tough times, they are free spending with seemingly few worries in the world.
You’ve probably guessed that many of Cai’s fans are Gen-Zs, and particularly females – another lucrative yet untapped sector by the NBA. Last year’s NBA All-Star Celebrity Game featured Chinese-Canadian singer Kris Wu, which reportedly increased female viewers by 30%.
There are plenty of examples where endorsements of effeminate pop-idols have bolstered sales for brands in China, albeit most are more closely-aligned to each other’s core values than the NBA and Cai. Yet the NBA’s China fans are so deeply rooted in the game, they are unlikely to stop supporting the game en masse due to a Chinese New Year endorser who doesn’t fit the league’s image. Most brands in China would struggle to pull that off.
There have never been more options for consumers to spend their money. Sport – like everything – has to find ways to boost the entertainment factor to stay relevant. Whilst there would be better ways to entertain their loyal fan base, they are likely to entertain a segment who may have never considered the NBA before. Although many of the NBA’s execs are unlikely to get down to Cai Xukun’s music, they are putting their own opinions aside to attract a new and wider pool of fans. Hats off to the league for embracing China’s countercultures – those who dare to rebel from entrenched traditional values – something brands are increasingly having to do to reach the younger, freer-thinking generations.
On that note, we’ll leave you to celebrate the coming of the Pig. Happy Chinese New Year, wishing you a prosperous and productive Zhūnián. We’ll be back after the break – enjoy this week’s Skinny. Go to Page 2 to see this week’s China news and highlights.
We have just passed the 200-day mark of the US-China trade war, and what a 200 days it has been! Whilst we are finally seeing some positive signs that an agreement could be imminent, there has been plenty of commentary about the beating that America’s reputation has taken in China.
There’s no discounting that the spat has sped up the rise of nationalism in China, and there are consumers who may have directed their spending away from American businesses, but the impact has been much less severe than it could have been.
If we look back to the row between China and Japan in 2012 over the Daioyu/Senkaku Islands, many Japanese brands were hammered and some even shuttered. Similarly, the South Korean fiasco over THAAD in 2017 was estimated to cost the Korean economy $6.8 billion that year. Apple has attributed its poor results to the trade war, and Ford and GM have had better years, nevertheless all-American brands like Coke have reported no impact, and Nike saw a stunning quarter last December. Even Tiffany & Co. saw a double digit rise in Mainland China sales during November and December of last year.
One of the key differences between the US-China trade war and the disputes with Japan and South Korea is that the propaganda machine has not yet ramped up criticism of the US. China also hasn’t introduced regulations such as it did banning tour groups to South Korea. Such plays wouldn’t be well timed during the already-precarious trade negotiations with the US.
Tourism to the US was a sector that many commentators expected would take a hit as a result of the frosty relations, much like Japan’s visitors fell 34.3% in 2012, South Korea’s dropped 60% between March to October 2017, and numbers sunk at other ‘out-of-favour’ countries like the Philippines and Vietnam.
In late September, Ctrip reported that flight bookings to the US were down 42% for the October Golden Week holidays – one of the busiest weeks of the year for international travel. Other anecdotes have flooded in from travel agencies, echoing similar falls. So it will come as a surprise that Chinese tourist numbers to the US actually looked quite healthy in 2018. Although the national figures are yet to be published, Los Angeles reported a 6.9% increase in Chinese tourists last year to 1.2 million visitors. New York also hit record numbers last year, hosting 1.1 million Chinese visitors. It appeared Chinese tourism to the US took a hit in the early months of the trade war, but by November, the US Commerce department was projecting a 2% increase in Chinese tourists.
Like we’ve noted in previous Skinnies, tourism generally builds an affinity with the country, its cuisine, culture and lifestyles, which has a halo effect on preference towards many other product categories. In a world that seems to be more divided than it has been in a long time, China’s tourist growth to the US is refreshingly good news!
On the subject of tourism, China Skinny’s Mark Tanner will be sharing some insights at the beautiful Terranea Resort in Los Angeles for the Visit California Outlook Conference on February 12 & 13. Please pop by and say ni hao if you’re there. More information here. Go to Page 2 to see this week’s China news and highlights.
While you may be lamenting the need to constantly evolve your marketing mix to stay ahead in China, you can rest assured that even WeChat faces a similar challenge.
Although China’s super app hit 1.083 billion monthly active users in September last year, each sending any average of around 45 messages a day, WeChat faces headwinds to stay relevant to Chinese consumers. Readership for articles referred by friends on Moments has been dropping and Tencent’s share of screen time is being cannibalised by newer, easier-to-use and more entertaining alternatives such as short video platform Douyin.
That’s why all eyes were on WeChat’s founder Allen Zhang’s four hour speech at Tencent’s conference last week, about how he plans to reinvigorate the app to mitigate the risk of it becoming obsolete. Zhang got philosophical in acknowledging that WeChat has lost the veneer of authentic discovery that endeared it to users, because people were becoming too sensitive to their online personas on Moments.
Across the board, Chinese consumers are seeking more authenticity: from the way they travel, to the brands they buy, to how they project themselves on digital platforms. Women ‘beautification’ app Meipai discovered this as user numbers plunged 55% as Chinese women sought more natural and less formulaic portrayals of themselves. WeChat is hoping to evolve from photoshopped and choreographed Moments feeds, to a more real account of what people are really experiencing. To enable this, WeChat has launched a new video-streaming feature, not unlike Instagram’s feed, so people share their lives in real time, not through carefully curated photos and messages. Even the user interface aims to keep it real, with the typical ‘send’ button, replaced with ‘this will do’ to remind people their social feed doesn’t have to be airbrushed and polished.
Another area in which WeChat is pinning its hopes to counter the app’s saturation and encourage more engagement per user is Mini Programs. The WeChat-embedded ‘light apps’ are already hugely popular, but curiously, the majority of traffic isn’t coming from the famous mini programs you may have heard of, but rather the long-tail applications used by niches such as parent-teacher groups or your neighbourhood grocery store. Given WeChat is installed on virtually every smartphone in China, app developers are not concerned with having to create separate tools for Androids and iPhones, it is one simple app, seamlessly installed and launched from the comfort of WeChat. Tencent is thinking, if ‘there’s an app for it’ wouldn’t it make sense to make it a Mini Program?
Something that hasn’t received due airtime is the impact that the new ecommerce laws will have on WeChat. Commerce is one of the areas showing great promise on WeChat, with its transactional nature providing a logical way for the platform to grow revenue. Yet many of those stores have been run by smaller vendors and daigou, attracted by WeChat’s low barriers to entry. The new laws mean that it will be a lot more trouble to set up and maintain a simple WeChat store – or any online store – with the new taxation and reporting requirements. There are already signs of changes in the way smaller vendors promote their wares on WeChat as they try and skirt the laws, but for many, the effort won’t be worth the reward.
Regardless of its challenges, WeChat remains China’s super app with no other app being better positioned to evolve and stay relevant to Chinese consumers. To Allen Zhang’s and Tencent’s credit, they have recognised that they need to do this. There are some good lessons for any brand in China – you may be ‘killing it’ in China today, but you need to constantly review your position to stay that way. China Skinny can assist you with just that. Go to Page 2 to see this week’s China news and highlights.
‘Tis the season to be jolly. Well maybe not in Langfang, in northern China’s snowy Hebei province where folk can be arrested for selling Christmas apples and Santa suits. The parishioners of the renowned 40-year old Rongguili Church in Guangzhou may not be feeling so festive either after a children’s bible class was raided in the third unregistered Protestant church to be shut down in China this winter. Last year, it was a Chinese university banning Christmas to avoid “corrosive” Western culture that made it into the annual anti-Christmas headlines fuelled by a small brood of emphatic nationalistic types in China.
On a grander scale, the raining down of Christmas tree emojis that have brightened up WeChat message feeds for many Decembers are notably absent this year. Tencent has had a tough year with its stock price almost halving between January and November, and the new cool kid ByteDance eroding its share of screen time and now talking about launching a messaging competitor to WeChat. Perhaps Tencent is trying not to rub Beijing the wrong way by celebrating western holidays, in hope of them lifting the new game ban, but come on Tencent, cheer up!
For those of us who still love the magic of the festive season, fear not. Aside from a few sensational stories and WeChat policy-makers, a stroll down the streets of China appear as Christmasy as ever. Christmas trees that match China’s skyscrapers for architectural pizazz and neon brace the public plazas and shopping malls.
Online, smartphone screens are again filled with countless brands from Starbucks to H&M peddling their Christmas jeer, KOLs sharing their Christmas list ideas, kids showing off their advent calendars, and millions of Christmas paraphernalia bought from the ecommerce platforms, hopefully some of it in sustainable packaging.
For the vast majority of Chinese, Christmas isn’t a time to acknowledge newborns in mangers millennia ago. There remains little understanding of its religious or cultural associations, with most festival-thirsty consumers viewing it as an excuse to party and shop in the void between Singles’ Day and the Year of the Pig.
One thing we’ve noticed this year is how cities outside tier 1 are embracing Christmas. The China Skinny team has been crisscrossing the country on research projects and were out in Chengdu two weeks ago where they noticed more ceremony around Christmas than even in Shanghai this year. Most of the big hotels – Hilton, Waldorf Astoria, Wanda, Kempinski – had a grandiose celebration for the ‘lighting of the tree’, complete with VIPs, children’s choirs, elaborate Santas, and a host of delicate Christmas-themed foods. In the ‘lower’ tier cities – like for many things – celebrating Christmas en scale is a more recent tradition than in Shanghai, and therefore more of a novelty.
This will be the last Skinny for 2018. Thanks for reading this year. To our clients and partners, thanks for working with us – you’re awesome! The Skinny team wishes you the Merriest of Yuletides, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and New Years. We’ll be back again in 2019. Go to Page 2 to see this week’s China news and highlights.
If you’re already exporting to China, we’re guessing you’re probably also selling to a host of other countries – markets like Dubai and the other six emirates could be on the list. In the UAE, there’s a good chance you’ve engaged some localisation for the country – culturally sensitive and resonant branding & communications, legal & regulatory allowances, logistics & distribution, and possibly even some new product development and packaging. In China, it’s probable that you’ve also localised the mix. But how local is your localisation?
Few people come to China without hearing that the country is like Europe; made up of varied and diverse regions. Yet in the same moment of acknowledgement, many will turn around and ‘localise for China’ with a homogenous strategy that they hope will win the hearts of consumers spanning the country.
China Skinny does a lot of research across different cities and provinces in China, and we usually find notable variances between the regions. There are the obvious differences in food tastes, climates, lifestyles, pollution and even body size, but it is the emotional cues that are often the most pronounced. We only need to look at one of the most common themes in Chinese advertising – families. Even in Guangzhou and Shenzhen – two tier 1 cities just 30 minutes apart on the fast train, the reality for families can be quite different: a large share of millennials in Guangzhou live with their parents and see them most days. In Shenzhen – a city built by domestic migrants – many millennials may only see their parents every few months, or just once a year during the Spring Festival.
Whilst some overarching localisation should be implemented across China, there is often a case to get city-specific with marketing and other initiatives. Take Shanghai, it has population greater than Australia, and a 13% larger GDP than the UAE, yet unlike the UAE-specific localisation, many brands will roll out the same strategy for Beijing, Guangzhou, Shenzhen and many other cities across China.
China’s metropolises are of a scale and affluence that they justify an element of localisation. The hyper-competitive nature of marketing in Chinese cities is finding it increasingly harder to connect with consumers without it. That means localising messaging, and even sometimes the digital platforms you use to share it. In certain demographics in some cities, digital channels aren’t always the best option to reach Chinese consumers, highlighting the need to have regionally-specific plans.
Over the past few years, brands have become increasingly focused on cities beyond tier 1, and even tier 2, with good reason. These ‘smaller’ cities are often much less contested and less apathetic to interesting, new foreign products. Half of the 50 million Chinese households entering the middle to affluent classes between 2016-2020 are expected to reign from cities outside of the top-100 cities according to BCG. They’re buying more imported products, and travelling abroad more which influences more purchases. The number of direct flights between cities in China and Thailand grew from 69 to 148 over the past three years for example. Yet with such variances between lower tier cities, brands would be wise to do their due diligence before entering and localising for them.
On the subject of cities, China Skinny has launched a new tool on our site to help you make sense of it all. We’re often getting questions about which cities fall into which tier, so we have created out City Tier Calculator which provides detailed information about which tier Chinese cities are, some of the key indicators, their rankings in that tier, and even how many Starbucks they have. Use the tool here. The tool is part of an overall redesign of chinaskinny.com, which is long overdue – we’d suggest you take a look. Go to Page 2 to see this week’s China news and highlights.
Since 1990, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has accounted for more than 60% of the growth in global defence spending. In close to three decades, China has built a remarkable armament, with military drones and the odd unreliable stealth fighter, and is making some solid progress with AI. Just like the superpowers before, China aspires to have strong armed forces. But any good military needs good soldiers – for now at least.
Last September we noted the PLA slammed young Chinese males’ high failure rates in fitness tests, attributing unhealthy lifestyles, too many fizzy drinks, masturbation and video games, which has contributed to a complete freeze of new game approvals. But it turns out the Military’s issues with the male gene pool span far deeper.
It seems China has a masculinity crisis. Whilst Beijing has banned hip hop culture and tattoos from TV, for now it is a free-for-all for ‘feminine-looking’ boybands, which has led to much debate online. In September, state media outlet Xinhua declared “these sissies promote an unhealthy and unnatural culture which has a not-to-underestimate negative impact on the youth. The sissy culture, driven by consumption, challenges the public order and worships a decadent lifestyle”. Niángpàonán, or ‘sissy-boys’ has become a popular term online for Chinese males paying much attention to their clothing, hair, and make-up.
In some Chinese cities, males born in the 80s are more likely to own a pair of platform shoes than work boots or cleats. Yet effeminism is less of a concern than other trends seducing Chinese males. One teenager in eastern China bankrupted his parents by tipping a livestream host $37,000, claiming she was his girlfriend. China has more than 150 live stream sites, mostly funded by tipping from the 80% male viewership.
Whilst every male in China isn’t a gaming, live-stream-addicted ‘sissy boy’, as marketers it’s important to consider that this group has more spending power than the total consumption of many countries. They have their own distinct needs and respond differently to marketing than males on the streets of Sydney or Seattle, and even other sub-tribes in China. China Skinny can assist your brand with defining their needs and planning how to best resonate with them.
Not all is lost for concerned parents across China. Their desperation for their one-child to be a boy saw the male:female birth imbalance hit 1.15:1 in 2016 (second only to Liechtenstein). For those wanting their boy to be a hǎohàn – a real man, there are ¥10,000 ($1,400) training camps aimed to tackle the “crisis in boys’ education” and “help them find their lost masculinity.”
On another note, a big hat tip to Alibaba who continue to reach new heights with their 11.11/Singles’ Day extravaganza, growing 27% from last year’s massive base (in RMB terms) to $30.8 billion in gross merchandise value. See the infographic here. JD had similar growth of 26% on their 11-day Single’s Day festival, with sales climbing to $23 billion.
Your Thoughts: We received some passionate responses to our article about CIIE last week, not all of it positive. Over the past week we’ve spoken to a number of brands who exhibited at the event – some considered it a roaring success, other reviews were mixed. We’d love to hear your thoughts if you were there. Similarly please let us know how Singles’ Day went for you. Just reply to this email with any comments or feedback. Go to Page 2 to see this week’s China news and highlights.
China’s daigou are both loved and loathed, depending who you talk to. For Chinese consumers, they deliver quality western products – from vitamins to luxury handbags – that are sometimes unavailable in the Mainland, often at a lower price, and more likely to be authentic. For consumers in places like Australia, they have been known to empty supermarket shelves of products like infant formula, prompting supermarket chain Woolworths to reintroduce the two-tin limit this week.
Some brands detest daigou for undercutting their traditional sales channels and diluting their branding with rogue messaging, however brands who used to oppose them have increasingly embraced daigou as another channel to build awareness and preference for their products. The success of brands like Blackmores, Swisse and A2 Milk in China can be widely attributed to the daigou trade. Even Unilever is targeting Chinese in Australia to sell their soup in the Mainland.
By some estimates, there are half a million people working as daigou globally, from large sophisticated operations, to easy-come-easy-go students studying abroad who can earn some extra money as easily as sending out a few WeChat posts. These foot soldiers can be another powerful marketing and advocacy channel, particularly when they are harnessed strategically.
Yet daigou can be a fickle bunch. Bellamys discovered this in 2016, when they alienated the same daigou who had built their brand in China and saw their stock price collapse by more than half and the CEO ousted. Bellamy’s isn’t alone with its reliance on Daigou. Earlier this month, the share prices of many of the world’s luxury giants took a hit as Chinese customs ramped up anti-daigou efforts with prosecutions for people bringing in over ¥5,000 ($728) of undeclared goods for ‘personal consumption’, with one flight seeing 100 passengers arrested after arriving at Pudong Airport.
The Chinese Government is another player in the daigou-loathing camp. They have little view into daigou trade and would much prefer legitimate cross border commerce through the big platforms so they can better monitor, control and tax imported products. Now there is also increased impetus as Beijing hopes to maintain consumption growth in light of the trade war and a slowing economy. Shifting some of the estimated $100 billion annual daigou goods trade to legitimate channels will further increase official retail growth.
The new ecommerce laws coming 1 January, although still vague, are likely to impact daigou in the most concerted effort yet to temper the grey trade. It is expected that daigou will be made to register with the industrial and commercial administration departments and pay tax on imports. This will include Daigou who have traditionally been less visible by conducting business on WeChat Moments and streaming on live platforms. Beijing is unlikely to be able to stamp out all daigou trade, but it can certainly have an impact as we saw with the daigou tax in 2016 which froze virtually all grey trade before being retracted.
The new regulations should be a wakeup call for many brands on the vulnerability of Chinese regulation and fickleness of the daigou themselves. Since 2016, numerous brands have shifted from having all of their eggs in the grey trade basket to more balanced strategies. For those who haven’t, you’d be wise to start as soon as possible. China Skinny can assist with identifying these risks and developing such a strategy. Go to Page 2 to see this week’s China news and highlights.
11.11 or Singles’ ‘Day’ 2018 officially launched last week, with about 500,000 items available for pre-order on Tmall. The world’s biggest shopping festival has long been a yardstick for Chinese consumer sentiment and spending, and this year it will be watched particularly closely. Sales over the 24-hour period will provide some indication of the impact that slowing GDP and the Trade War is having on consumption – the sector that Beijing hopes will keep the economy chugging along. This year will mark the 10th anniversary of 11.11 and will be Jack Ma’s last before he ‘retires’, so there are plenty of reasons Alibaba will be wanting to blow last year’s $25.3 billion in gross merchandise volume out of the water.
Each 11.11 festival is a display of Alibaba’s might, and a signal of its areas of focus for the year ahead. 2014 was all about getting consumers to shop on their mobiles, 2015 drove international products through cross border commerce, 2016 was about blending entertainment with shopping, and 2017 took New Retail and offline integration to a new level. This year will demonstrate the depth of Alibaba across China’s online and offline worlds.
Fancy some caffeine to keep you awake as you find the deals? Starbucks will be delivering discounted coffee through Alibaba’s Ele.me. Or how about a bite to eat, some beauty treatment or a spot of karaoke to provide a break from shopping on your smartphone? 150,000 of Alibaba’s Koubei merchant partners will be offing half price fare. This Singles’ Day will be the first time Alibaba has exhibited full might (almost) of Alibaba’s bricks and mortar investments.
The 11.11 promotions and festivities will be very present on Alibaba’s supermarket chain Hema, its hypermart operator RT-Mart, Intime malls and home improvements chain Easyhome which will all be showcasing New Retail. 200,000 mom-and-pop stores using Alibaba’s LST will provide online sales promotions and augmented reality-based red packets. Partners such as L’Oreal and Hasbro are coming to the party online and in stores.
At the heart of 11.11, Tmall will engage 180,000 Chinese and global brands. Tmall Global will provide 3,700 categories of imported goods from 75 countries and regions. And beyond China, Alibaba’s Lazada will aim to make Singles’ Day as much as an event in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines and Vietnam, helped along by Google and Line joining together to promote the event. Altogether, Alibaba hopes to break the billion order mark on November 11. Given last year’s orders grew from 657 million to 812 million, and the many new dimensions in 2018, we think this could be conservative.
One of the interesting dynamics for Singles’ Day this year is Pinduoduo entering the mix. Singles’ Day was built around special deals, which no one does better than the Pin. It also has a stronghold in lower tier cities which have been more challenging to reach over previous Singles’ Days. There are reports of Tmall pressuring some brands to choose between its platform and Pinduoduo, so clearly Alibaba feels they will make an impact. One thing for sure is that it will make the day even more interesting.
For our readers who are participating in Singles’ Day, we wish you all the best in building awareness, launching new products or whatever else you are planning to achieve. We hope you are using it as a Trojan Horse to build more sustainable engagement with consumers.
In other news, China Skinny is proud to again be working with Austcham Shanghai and Westpac on the second annual Australian-China Business Sentiment Survey. The previous survey gave rich insights into the health, opportunities and challenges in the Australia-China economic relationship, provided a valuable benchmarking tool for all organisations working with China and strengthened the Chamber’s advocacy efforts to advance Australia-China business relations. Any readers representing Australian organisations connected to China please spend 10-15 minutes to complete the survey – we’ll all be better for it! Take the survey here. Go to Page 2 to see this week’s China news and highlights.
The brains trust at Amazon are likely to be scratching their heads wondering how thathappened. After spending hundreds of millions of dollars and 14 years to wrestle market share from the almighty Alibaba and JD-Tencent-Walmart syndicate, they have managed just a meagre 0.7% share of ecommerce retail in China. Ebay suffered an even worse fate after throwing hundreds of millions at China before effectively giving up on the market in 2006.
Yet in less than three years, ex-Google engineer Colin (Zheng) Huang has managed to defy all odds with his ecommerce platform Pinduoduo. Not only has he blindsided Alibaba’s rural operations, he has also surpassed JD’s daily user count by cleverly targeting China’s underserved smaller cities. 65% of his 343.6 million active buyers live in third tier cities or lower.
“The new consumer economy isn’t about giving Shanghainese the life of Parisians. It’s about providing paper towels and good fruit to people in Anhui province,” says Huang. The strategy has paid off. Pinduoduo’s IPO last week valued the company at $23.8 billion, catapulting him to become China’s twelfth richest person.
Pinduoduo has also changed the online shopping experience into a social one where users are constantly reminded of other shoppers and their friends incentivised to join – something that has a struck a chord with lower tier shoppers who have traditionally been less forthcoming about buying online. Every Chinese consumer loves a deal, but those in smaller cities are themost price sensitive, unable to resist ten boxes of tissues for $1.90, bed sheets for $1.50, umbrellas for $1.51 and PCs for $150, even if there’s a good chance of fakes. Unlike the search-focused interfaces of Taobao and JD which deliver thousands of results, Pinduoduo displays products more like a news feed with a few hero products, making the whole experience less overwhelming and more fun for many.
There are countless takeaways that we can learn from the success of Pinduoduo; here are four that we found particularly interesting:
1. Pinduoduo’s success is a metaphor for many businesses hoping to tap the China opportunity. They have gone beyond theovercrowded megacities and into the less glamorous outcrops in the hinterland. Given half of the 50 million new households expected to enter the upper and middle classes between 2016-2020 will be located outside of China’s top 100 cities, there is no shortage of opportunities out there. The right products, targeted in the right smaller cities, in the right way, can be very fruitful in China;
2. Pinduoduo is further proof that investing squillions in building your own app could be better spent developing a Mini Program inside WeChat. Users need a very good reason to download a standalone app, whereas something embedded in WeChat is seamless, hence the 62% of users who shop on Pinduoduo through their WeChat Mini Program;
3. The power of social advocacy shouldn’t be underestimated in China. Pinduoduo has done a remarkable job of tapping into shoppers’ WeChat contacts and taking them along for the ride by incentivising them with discounts, prizes and even free goods;
4. And lastly, much like we saw with Luckin Coffee a few weeks ago, even markets like ecommerce that appear to be sewn up by the giants can still be ripe for the picking. The speed, complexity and fragmentation of China’s growth is constantly opening up gaps and new opportunities, some which may turn into $23.8 billion operations giving the gorillas a run for their money.
But don’t go flipping the birdie to Alibaba and JD just yet – they may be expensive, hyper-competitive and in many cases unprofitable, but Pinduoduo is unlikely to be a white knight for many foreign brands at this point in time. The average order value is just $6, compared to $60 on JD and $30 on Alibaba’s platforms. Discounts as much as 90% are not a sustainable strategy we’d recommend for the guardians of premium products that form the faithful Skinny readership. But take the opportunity to learn some good lessons from Pinduoduo’s success, keep abreast of how it evolves and give China Skinny a call to ensure you have the optimal ecommerce and marketing strategy for China. Go to Page 2 to see this week’s China news and highlights.
A quick quiz to start this week’s Skinny: What is the most valuable marketing company in the world? Most people probably couldn’t care less, but there are a few folk in the industry who would say WPP. Whilst the company hasn’t had a great year, it remains the largest marketing company in the world measured by billings and revenue. The London-based conglomerate has a market cap of $18.9 billion, putting them ahead of the other well-known marketing companies such as Omnicom at $15.3 billion, Publicis at $12.6 billion and Interpublic at $8.3 billion.
Before using your guess on the familiar marketing giants, you may want to consider the lesser-known companies, like Focus Media. Last week Alibaba acquired a 10.32% stake in the company for $2.23 billion, which as of yesterday had a market cap of ¥162 billion ($23.8 billion). Focus Media is the company behind many of the digital advertising screens in streets, subways and elevators across 300 Chinese cities.
With the acquisition, Alibaba plans to collaborate with Focus to merge offline media and digital marketing, slated as an upgrade to “New Marketing” which will support the growth of New Retail across all sectors. Focus has ambitious plans to soon control 5 million terminals covering 500 Chinese cities and reaching 500 million consumers.
Powering the evolution of Focus’s screens will be Alibaba’s vast banks of consumer data from the more than 550 million online shoppers on its platforms, 520 million AliPay users, and potentially the hundreds of millions watching Youku videos, navigating with AutoNavi maps, taking Didi taxis, browsing on UCWeb, ordering food on Ele.me, cycling on Ofo, using Weibo along with the more than 100 other businesses Alibaba owns a share in. When Alibaba figures out how to truly integrate and harness its massive data, there will be few stones unturned in consumer knowledge that can help direct what gets displayed on advertising screens or whatever they evolve to. Throw that in with their facial recognition technologies and you’ll have Minority Report-type advertising folks!
Alibaba’s investment into Focus Media will support its irrepressible expansion into physical retail and further strengthen its presence across the whole customer journey. What does it mean for companies such as the WPPs and Omnicoms of the world? The continued structural shift in marketing and advertising will force them to evolve beyond their traditional services.
One thing we have found at the Skinny is that while big data is valuable in planning, marketing and product development, it is a complement, rather than a replacement, to human creativity for determining how to best push consumers’ emotional buttons. It is likely to be a while before any machine can do that. Based on the early stage talks involving Alibaba and Tencent to buy a stake in WPP China, the big tech companies may be thinking so too. Go to Page 2 to see this week’s China news and highlights.
The last few weeks have been abuzz with tech chatter in China. You’re probably thinking that’s nothing new, but the significant change in tone has piqued our interest. IPOs for Xiaomi and Tencent Music and the expansive 2018 China Internet Report have been grabbing headlines, but beneath all that many experts are starting to ask the question: has China taken the mantle from Silicon Valley as the leader in tech?
In the blink of an eye China has done the unthinkable and transformed its cheap, copycat perception into that of a world leader in innovation. And this trend is contagious amongst China’s brands both in and outside of the tech sector; in 2018 consumers view 82 of China’s biggest 100 brands as highly or moderately innovative.
Leading the pack the stories of Xiaomi and JD are representative of how brands here are tracking. Xiaomi’s founder Lei Jun proclaims his company “a new species”, blending internet services within its product ecosystem and shrugging off any classification as a hardware company. JD notes they’ve now spent 12 years as a retailer and want “the next 12 years to be as a technology company”. We even just looked at Luckin Coffee creating an innovative New Retail-type model to combat one of the last truly unchallenged foreign mega-brands.
As the world begins to note what this host of dynamic Chinese brands is doing, it pays to keep in mind what this has meant for the average Chinese consumer and what they expect from brands across all aspects of consumer engagement. A few examples:
We have seen a dramatic rise in gaming, VR, animation and development within accounts to try stand apart on social media. The boom in mini-programmes has only exaggerated this and many foreign brands are in dire need of rethinking their WeChat approach.
Retail is constantly in flux, with opportunities and pitfalls abundant for brands who aren’t diligent. In China’s uber-competitive space, pop-ups can bring the oomph today’s shoppers are looking for as they increasingly crave an experience.
- Advertising: China in 2018 is a different animal, and misaligned messages are throwing good money after bad.
Tired or uninformed advertising has seen many a brand fall short in China, yet some well-considered research and understanding can see a brand ride the wave. Last month through a challenging but well-embraced campaign, Nike captured the end of the mollycoddling one-child policy, a huge national push to get children into sports & activity, and the competitive and individualistic millennials ascending into parenthood.
As everyone in China knows, the market moves faster here than anywhere, and for that reason many brands will fall in the wake of its constant innovation. China Skinny ensures our clients are on top of and ahead of market trends. If you want to be in the best position to tackle China, drop us a line. Go to Page 2 to see this week’s China news and highlights.
There’s no shortage of coverage about China’s New Retail revolution, its mouthwatering rise of shared bikes and its 227 million active users, along with WeChat, ecommerce, mobile payments and other uniquely China trends such as cream cheese tea and face-kinis. Yet there are many other phenomenons happening in China that attract less attention but are also impacting consumers at a level that brands should take notice of. Here are three trends that Skinny readers are likely to be aware of, but maybe less familiar with the full scale and speed of their rise:
1. Consumer Credit
Consumption has been the most robust sector of China’s economy in recent years, with growth trucking along at double digits as long as most can remember. While other factors such as manufacturing, investment and house prices haven’t maintained the same momentum, three contributors have allowed Chinese consumers to defy the odds and keep spending more and more: record consumer optimism, soaring wage growth (with China’s hourly incomes now exceeding every Latin American country except Chile) and rising consumer credit.
Although China is well known for its high saving rates, these figures are skewed by older folk. The younger generation haven’t lived through the same periods of austerity and feel much less need to save for a rainy day. They’ve seen their wages grow every year, their parent’s real estate assets soar, and have been lured by the bright lights of consumerism – often calling on easy credit to spend more than they earn. Between 2015 and 2017 consumer credit grew fivefold, with those aged 24-35 making up more than 70% of consumer borrowers in China.
2. ByteDance’s Douyin
At a much more micro level, some brands looking for ‘the next WeChat’ could be heartened by the remarkable rise of Douyin and the overall ascent of short video. Launched less than two years ago, Douyin’s user numbers have quadrupled since January to boast more than 150 million daily active users watching an average of 82 short videos a day. The 15 second videos serve Chinese millennials’ craving of instant gratification, to fill any down-moment with cheap entertainment. Douyin’s growth has been so drastic that even Tencent has felt threatened and banned the service on WeChat last month. Douyin’s popularity and rapid rise has enabled fast-moving brands to use the platform to build awareness and preference with those indebted young consumers at a fraction of the cost of the more crowded and mature platforms like WeChat, Tmall and Weibo.
What makes Douyin, and its sister app Musical.ly, special is that they are two of the few Chinese apps that have been able to crack the elusive Western markets. Douyin, known as Tik Tok outside of China, was the most downloaded iPhone app in the world in Q1 of this year. Any concerns in the US about the Chinese Government monitoring your every move, something which has plagued brands such as Huawei and even WeChat, seems to be irrelevant for the Western millennials shooting and watching short videos on Tik Tok.
3. DJI Drones
Drones, while not on the same scale as consumer finance or Douyin, are making an impact across many sectors in China. One company leading the way – DJI – has beaten out formidable American competitors such as GoPro and 3DR and now owns 70% of the world’s drone market. DJI’s confidence is represented by their new HQ being built in Shenzhen complete with a skybridge for testing drones and rings for fighting robots.
DJI is creating efficiencies in industries as diverse as agriculture and food delivery, which will have a downstream impact on supply and consumption in China. It is representative of increasing automation modernising China’s supply chain and logistics, particularly in the online-to-offline categories. DJI is symbolic of the rise of China’s ambitious mega-businesses who are investing real money in R&D, while remaining nimble and long term-focused to lead their category. Expect more to come.
Those are just three of the numerous developments coming from China daily, many which are likely to be relevant to your brand, or how you market it. Agencies such as China Skinny will ensure you keep up with those trends and develop a plan how to make the most of the opportunities they bring.
Speaking of trends, China Skinny’s Mark Tanner will be sharing more in Brisbane next Thursday July 5 speaking at the ACBC-Brisbane Airport Welcome for the Air China Direct Flights Between Beijing and Brisbane. If you’re at the event, please pop over and say ni hao. More information here. Go to Page 2 to see this week’s China news and highlights.
Just as live sports are helping prop up the old world of television advertising, they can also be a potent force in international relations and trade. We saw it with the ping pong diplomacy of the early 70s, and as sport becomes an important part of life in China, it will be an increasingly significant driver for geopolitical relations and the goods and services trade. FIFA, the NBA, snow sports and other physical activities are taking advantage of this. As proud supporters of rugby in Asia, China Skinny would be grateful to start seeing some real rugby love in the Middle Kingdom.
With the FIFA World Cup kicking off in Russia tomorrow, the trend is looking positive. During the month-long football festival there may be times visitors feel like they’re at a Guangzhou Evergrande Taobao match. Although China hasn’t played in a World Cup Finals since 2002, an estimated 100,000 Chinese are expected to visit Russia for the Cup, dwarfing the 10,000 football-mad English expected to be there – and their team qualified! On top of that, Chinese brands Hisense, Mengniu, Vivo, electric bike maker Yadea and Dalian Wanda are joining the party to plug the World Cup sponsorship gap.
Like many things in China, Xi Jinping’s passions and policy are helping drive China’s enthusiasm for the beautiful game. The avid football fan Xi hinted last year that China will be bidding to host a World Cup in 2030 or 2034 and will be a “world football superpower” by 2050. Feeding into the grand plan, Xi has announced that the number of football fields in China will grow from less than 11,000 in 2015 to 70,000 by 2020. China will have 50 million regular football players including 30 million students by then, and 50,000 schools will have a strong emphasis on football by 2025 – up from just 5,000 in 2015.
The 100,000 visitors are a sign of changing times in China. They illustrate how Chinese are increasingly able and prepared to spend big bucks on their leisure pursuits. Back in 2002 – when consumers were much less affluent than they are today – no more than 50,000 Chinese went to the World Cup Finals in South Korea and Japan when China was actually on the field.
The swathe of Chinese visitors ascending on Russia will have been further tempted by visa-free travel to its northern neighbour. On top of that, China’s blossoming relationship with Russia will also drive preference – as geopolitical circumstances usually do with Chinese travel trends. Russia seems to be the flavour of the month with Beijing as they look to provide a scalable alternative to Western ideologies. The friendship comes at a good time for China as its dog box is marred with imprints of South Korea’s THAAD, ASEAN-contested island building and river damming, Japanese-disputed islands and historic invasions, the encircling of India and territory skirmishes, undermining of Australian sovereignty, Europe’s wariness of Chinese investment, lack of reciprocal access and sporadic trade disputes, and Trump.
As a symbol of their bond, Vladimir Putin was presented China’s first ever “friendship medal” by President Xi at a lavish event broadcast live from the Great Hall of the People. Since becoming president, Xi has visited Moscow more than any other capital city and Putin said that Xi Jinping was the only world leader who celebrated his birthday. Putin was in China last week for the enlarged Russia-China led Eurasian SCO bloc meeting as the G7 floundered. Russia, which is managing its own diplomatic challenges elsewhere has recently signed a series of deals with China who announced relations between two countries were at “the best level in history.”
In short, this year’s World Cup couldn’t have been better timed for Russia to tap into the opportunity that China presents. For the Russian businesses that stand to benefit from an influx of Chinese visitors – let’s hope you make them welcome. Mobile payments and the slew of other China-ready initiatives will ensure they have a better time, spend more and advocate Russia to the masses at home. And good luck to the 32 nations who made it to the finals! Go to Page 2 to see this week’s China news and highlights.
Foreign brands scanning the news over the past week may have been sent on an emotional roller coaster. Although China Bears have been doom-talking about the economy for years, the World Bank’s latest update points to China’s GDP continuing to grow at a healthy 6.9% last year and 6.8% in Q1 this year. Consumption remains China’s growth driver, which is likely to continue given consumer confidence reached a 10-year high in the first quarter of 2018.
But on the flip-side, an FT article about increasingly wealthy Chinese consumers trading up referred to McKinsey research illustrating a pronounced consumer preference for local brands. Across 17 categories, infant formula and wine were the only two segments where foreign brands were preferred over domestic – and only by a whisker.
This is contrary to what China Skinny is seeing in the market. Consumers are often more familiar with domestic brands and their perceptions have become more positive – but we’re still seeing more favourable views for foreign products overall. Based on the feedback we’ve had from our extensive industry networks in China, we’re sure many foreign brands on the ground are seeing similar sentiment.
China Skinny has done deep, intimate and personal research and analysis with thousands of consumers across China. The numerous projects spanning many categories has found Chinese consumers virtually always still believe foreign brands are better – higher quality, more stylish, safer, healthier, etc.
In reality there is a disconnect. Whilst Chinese consumers usually favour foreign products, those brands aren’t servicing their needs well enough and aren’t where they want them to be. As Bain pointed out in the FMCG category, domestic brands grew 8% versus 1.5% for foreign brands in 2016. This result is not so much that they are seeking local products over foreign, but more reflective of nimbler Chinese brands who are reading the market better and acting more swiftly, coupled with stronger distribution networks and more resonant marketing.
As we highlighted in this infographic 18 months ago, dairy is a classic example of foreign brands not meeting needs. While the wounds of the 2008 melamine scandal may still cast a cloud over Chinese milk, domestic dairy commands a 38% premium per litre over imported. This is due to more appropriate format sizes, better-suited value-added products, more specific segmentation and more targeted marketing. China Skinny analysis has found similar results across many other categories.
Research by China’s Ministry of Commerce found 31% of surveyed consumers expect to spend more on imported products in the next six months and over 20% claim imported products account for at least 30% of their total consumption. Similarly, Chinese retailers plan to increase imports of over a third of 92 products surveyed. Although the results could be somewhat glossy due to current US-China trade negotiations and November’s massive China International Import Expo, they do reflect the general sentiment that Chinese consumers still relish imported products. It’s why Alibaba and JD with all of their data are busy opening up offices globally to source foreign products.
So with the good news from GDP growth to positive consumer sentiment, foreign brands are still well placed to tap into it if they ensure they interpret the market well and act quickly from it. Agencies like China Skinny can assist with the market interpretation stage, and help guide the resulting actions. Please contact us to find out more. Go to Page 2 to see this week’s China news and highlights.


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KFA Corporation has reported a standalone sales turnover of Rs 0.63 crore and a net profit of Rs 0.48 crore for the quarter ended Sep '13...
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The property showcase bounces on the diminishing side of bunches of concerns. Bitcoins comprised of. While utilizing Bitcoins may not be standard yet, they are being seen all through the market and it is important to fathom the hazard and honors that Bitcoins existing. Initially presented in 2009, the Bitcoin BTC is considered crypto money. While not regularly approved yet, utilizing Bitcoins is winding up being a vast sum a ton significantly more typical as awesome arrangements of Bitcoin fans accept that Bitcoin is an administration confirmation cold hard cash take note of that the Internal Revenue Service presented a year ago that it contemplates bitcoin as individual outcomes for assess commitment highlights. Also, some keeping money specialists have an alternate perspective of the crypto currency as they surmise that it could be a reason for criminal occupation. It is not an essential financing. Rather, Bitcoin is made with ‘Bitcoin’ which is a PC treatment and excessive web based trades permit the crypto advance to be exchanged on the web. Considering that Bitcoin is not controlled by a sort of national government or book bank, the larger part of wholesalers will completely decay the on-line currency.
While the Bitcoin could not win with strategy at the present time, there are upgrading scopes of land postings that are beginning to showcase that they permit the on-line money. A couple of countries are heading in Bitcoin authorization. China is by and by encountering the biggest trade of Bitcoin while Japan and Europe are besides observing Bitcoin make utilization of expanding in fascinate. The crypto Bitcoin could be unforeseeable and has by and by gifted innumerable low and high. As conditions, a solitary Bitcoin may have been acquired for $13.30 on January First, 2013. After That on December Fourth, 2013 the Bitcoin may have been fetched $1,150! Not a negative return for capital invested. However loads of have truly not been that advantaged with the Bitcoin advertise. Join BitcoInvest.cc, link. The Supplies and Exchange Settlement has really been viewing on the Bitcoin and presented a care in Might of 2014 that characterized the accompanying: the expansion of Bitcoin and different other advanced and electronic monetary forms grow new issues for financial specialists. A pristine thing, current progression or headway, for example, Bitcoin can possibly utilize climb both to cheats and dangerous budgetary speculation conceivable outcomes.
Incredible arrangements of lenders caution against purchasing Bitcoins as it has extraordinary unpredictability and it is rejected as helpful cash. Due to that it has no normal certainly justified regardless of; the Bitcoin is not a sensible financial speculation auto for the lion’s share of. For instance, a PC framework cyberpunk could swipe all the Bitcoin cash from a proprietor and, because of the cost risk, various urge that the money related budgetary interest in Bitcoins should completely simply keep on being in little sums, if any sort of kind of, to make specific that a generous swing in worth would surely not unfavorably influence a person’s sources. A gathering of on the web providers is starting to approve Bitcoin as an appropriate sort of settlement. Tesla is just one such organization. In bigger urban communities, some structure organization organizations are also authorizing Bitcoin as a sort of lease installment for proprietors with the advantage being that the money cannot jump like a check can.


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Telfar has joined forces with White Castle in a new and unique collaboration to put their signature style on the fast-food restaurant’s uniform to commemorate its 100th birthday.
White Castle has hit a century, and Telfar stepped in to make sure its birthday is celebrated in style. 10,000 White Castle employees will be rocking a wide assortment of pieces designed by Telfar, including a T-shirt, polo shirt, apron, visor, and a silk durag. The durag was included because of a large majority of employees requesting it, and it will be the first time White Castle has offered any type of hair accessory in the uniform.
“We wanted something special for our 100th birthday that captures the authentic spirit of White Castle and, as always, TELFAR came through for us,” White Castle vice president Jamie Richardson said in a statement. “TELFAR has taken our uniform to a new place, creating something that’s distinctive, attractive, and comfortable, and something our team members will feel great in whether they’re at work or hanging out with friends and family.”
Telfar and White Castle have actually linked in the past, with founder Telfar Clemons being a fan of the fast-food spot and had them sponsor his fashion show during New York Fashion Week.
“White Castle supported us before our success and we consider them family,” Telfar creative director Babak Radboy said. “Their team would serve Sliders backstage at all our shows and were basically part of our team. It’s still the only thing open after midnight in TELFAR’s hood — seeing our uniforms there means something to us, and so we take it personally.”
Along with the employees' collection, Telfar will also be releasing a collection to the public that includes hoodies, tees, and other pieces. Check out the Telfar x White Castle durag and other pieces from the collection down below.


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Honda has announced in a recent Chinese media event that it would launch 12 models in the local market by 2015. Some of these would also include locally made hybrid cars.
Apart from the hybrids, facelifts of existing cars and brand new models would account for their product offensive until 2015. Honda says that they would also launch the Honda 1.5-liter i-DCD engine and the 2.0-liter i-MMD engine for hybrid vehicles.
The DCD engine features a dual-clutch transmission for class-leading fuel economy figures while the MMD engine could be used for large hybrid sedans such as the Accord.
Honda also plans to introduce the Honda Link infotainment system on their Chinese offerings.
The Honda Crider, which is launching on June 26, would start the 12 product offensive for Honda in China, perhaps followed by the Jade, which shared booth space with the former at the Shanghai Auto Show in April.
The Crider would be a part of the Guangzhou-Honda JV, and so would a new SUV based on the CR-V platform. Honda has a second JV in China named Dongfeng-Honda that manufactures and sell the international model line. This JV would be responsible to introduce vehicles such as the new Jazz, City and the urban SUV that have to reach China sooner or later.
[Source - China Car Times]


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Apple falls to No.6 in China
Apple Inc’s rank in China’s smartphone market, which is set to become the world’s largest this year, fell to No.6 in the third quarter as it faces tougher competition from Chinese brands, research firm IDC said on Thursday.
Apple’s third quarter ranking was two spots below its position in the second quarter in terms of China’s smartphone market share by shipments, IDC said. The U.S. giant’s market share in China was under 10 percent in the third quarter.
IDC’s release comes a day after Apple’s shares fell more than 6 percent, logging its biggest single-day loss in four years, as a result of stiffer competition in the mobile devices market.
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Apple recruits Xbox marketing manager as part of growing gaming initiative
AppleInsider may earn an affiliate commission on purchases made through links on our site.
In an update to his LinkedIn profile spotted by several European publications, Microsoft's marketing manager for Xbox UK and head of product marketing for all of Microsoft UK, Robin Burrowes, reveals he's jumped ship for Apple, where he's been hired to help grow Europe's App Store marketing segment.
Burrowes tenure at Microsoft saw him work on Xbox for roughly seven years, where he was most recently responsible for all product, business and marketing management of Xbox LIVE in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.
For Apple, he's the latest in a series of high-profile British gaming recruits, following the hire of Nintendo's public relation's chief Robert Saunders last year, as well as Nick Grange — who also at one point ran public relations for Xbox, as well as for gaming heavyweights Activision and Electronics Arts.
Along with their Android counterparts, iOS devices have emerged as a new frontier for game developers, with one research firm indicating that the two platforms saw their combined share of U.S.-based game software revenue rise more than threefold from just 19% in 2009 to an estimated 58% by the end of last year.
Their success has come at the expense of incumbents Nintendo and Sony, who saw their respective share of software sales slip from 70% to 36% and 11% to 6%, respectively, over the same period.
The situation faced by Nintendo and Sony shows signs of worsening this year, with Sony recently reporting a staggering loss of $1.2 billion for the December quarter shortly after Nintendo reported its first ever operating loss ($575 million) in its corporate history.


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A strike hitting ports across British Columbia is raising concerns that an extended walkout could have an inflationary impact in Canada as the labour action disrupts supply chains and global shipping.
About 7,400 members of the International Longshore & Warehouse Union Canada (ILWU) walked off the job on Saturday, 72 hours after the waterfront union served its strike notice. The strike has led to the suspension of imports of consumer goods and most exports of raw materials.
A crucial issue at the bargaining table is the workers’ future job security amid a plan to build a $3.5-billion, semi-automated container terminal near the Vancouver suburb of Delta.
“For the future of our work force, we had to take this step,” ILWU president Rob Ashton said in a statement.
Besides worries about automation, the union’s other main concerns are familiar at the bargaining table: disputes with employers over contracting out and disagreements over what constitutes a fair cost-of-living wage increase.
About 6,000 of the ILWU’s members are in the Vancouver region, 1,000 in the Prince Rupert area and the rest in Nanaimo and Port Alberni.
“Any disruption to port operations has a significant impact globally and on Canadians who rely on the businesses that import and export goods,” the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority said. Canada’s largest port estimates that one-third of the value of Canadian trade in goods outside of North America gets handled by the various terminals in the Vancouver region.
With consumers already facing high prices, if the labour dispute is prolonged, the extra cost of congested ports threatens to place further inflationary pressure on imported goods that arrive by ship and get transferred to trains and trucks, according to business advocacy groups.
The Canadian Federation of Independent Business is among the groups warning about shipping delays potentially creating chaos as imported goods such as perishables, appliances and electronics move from the West Coast, across the Prairies and into Central Canada.
“Some businesses may lose inventory if perishable goods are not unloaded and brought to market quickly,” the federation’s vice-president of national affairs, Jasmin Guénette, said in a news release.
On the export side, Canadian shipments of a wide range of raw materials such as fertilizer and lumber have been suspended. An array of different materials are transported in a variety of ways, including bulk shipments loaded onto vessels or inside reusable steel containers.
Federal Labour Minister Seamus O’Regan arrived in Vancouver on Friday and met separately with both sides in the dispute. He plans to stay in Vancouver while the ILWU and the BC Maritime Employers Association try to hammer out a deal.
So far, attempts to reach a pact with the assistance of federal mediators have not succeeded. The previous five-year collective agreement expired on March 31.
The Canadian Chamber of Commerce is calling on the Liberal government to recall Parliament. But in an e-mailed statement on Sunday, Mr. O’Regan’s office responded: “We are not looking past the bargaining table, because the best deals are made at the table. Federal mediators continue to support the parties in their negotiations.”
Automation has emerged as a crucial issue, growing in importance after the federal government approved the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority’s proposal to build a $3.5-billion container terminal, which would be semi-automated.
In April, the government cleared the way for construction of the Roberts Bank Terminal 2 project, or RBT2, that would be located on an artificial island to be built near the Vancouver suburb of Delta.
Mr. Ashton has sounded the alarm over the anticipated magnitude of automation to load and unload cargo, arguing recently that RBT2 would result in many “jobs being done by robots.”
The port authority has yet to select RBT2′s terminal operator, which would have the final say over the number of jobs to be created. The port authority has said it will make it a condition of the selection process that the new terminal operator commit to employing at least 800 ILWU members.
But the union is worried that RBT2′s semi-automation will place pressure on existing terminal operators to install more machines and equipment to replace many duties currently done by unionized workers.
Container capacity would rise by nearly 50 per cent at Canada’s largest port when RBT2′s three berths are completed in the mid-2030s.
The union, environmental groups and one of the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority’s tenants, GCT Global Container Terminals Inc., oppose RBT2. GCT, which already operates the existing three-berth Deltaport container terminal near Delta, wants to expand by constructing a fourth berth.
The BC Maritime Employers Association represents 49 private-sector employers at more than 35 terminals spread across four port authorities in the province. Besides the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority, three other authorities oversee their respective locations in Prince Rupert, Nanaimo and Port Alberni.
Picket lines went up at terminals across B.C. over the weekend.
“Our bargaining committee has made repeated efforts to be flexible and find compromise on key priorities, but regrettably, the parties have yet to be successful in reaching a settlement,” the association representing employers said in a statement.
During a news conference on Sunday at a break from negotiations, Mr. Ashton countered that union officials have shown greater flexibility than representatives for the employers. “We do not plan to leave the bargaining table,” he said, adding that Ottawa should not impose any settlement.
Parliament is currently on a summer recess until September. While the Liberal government could recall the House of Commons to introduce back-to-work legislation, it recently showed a clear reluctance to use that option when more than 100,000 federal public servants went on strike in April.
The minority government regularly relies on support from the NDP on key votes and the New Democrats said they would strongly oppose the use of back-to-work legislation during the public-service strike.
Parliament did approve back-to-work legislation in 2021 to end a strike at the Port of Montreal. In that case, the Liberals received the support of Conservative MPs and the bill passed over the objections of the NDP and the Bloc Québécois.
Leaders at the ILWU and the group of employers said the labour dispute will not affect the servicing of cruise lines docked at Vancouver, Prince Rupert and Vancouver Island.
Bulk grain shipments are expected to continue being exported overseas, in accordance with the Canada Labour Code.
Two coal-export terminals, Westshore Terminals Investment Corp. near Delta and Trigon Pacific Terminals Ltd. near Prince Rupert, would keep operating because those employers have their own collective agreements.
With a report from Bill Curry in Ottawa


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25 January 2016
Muscat - The Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries is studying the feasibility of establishing a dedicated agency tasked with helping Omani fruit and vegetable farmers earn higher returns on their produce through investments in modern logistics, cold storage and related market support infrastructure. The initiative, according to a key official, is proposed to be implemented in collaboration with the state-owned Oman Food Investment Holding Co (OFIC), which is investing upwards of $600 million in a raft of strategic food security-related ventures.
Salim bin Saif al Abdali, Business Development Manager at OFIC, said the proposed agency will be modeled on the erstwhile Public Authority for the Marketing of Agricultural Produce (PAMAP), which played a significant role in getting Omani farm produce to market before it was eventually phased out in the late 1990s.
"What we have in mind is a government-owned commercial agency that will invest in end-to-end transport, logistics and supply chain infrastructure to help Omani farmers earn optimum returns on their fruit and vegetable produce," said Al Abdali.
"The goal is not only to help drive the commercialization of Oman's agro output through improved market access, but to also explore opportunities for investment in processing and value-add activities that in turn will open up new revenue streams for farmers," he added in remarks to the Observer.
At present, for want of subsidized cold storage and logistics infrastructure, farmers are typically forced to sell their fresh produce at prices dictated more by wholesalers and middlemen than by market factors, it is generally argued. Particularly at risk are small farmers operating on shoestring budgets.
By taking marketing and logistics off the hands of the farmers, the proposed agency will leverage its vast supply chain, infrastructural wherewithal and market reach to secure better margins on the produce it offtakes, according to Al Abdali. Importantly, the proposed agency is expected to operate akin to a marketing cooperative owned or controlled by the farmers themselves. This will ensure that it functions strictly in accordance with the commercial interests of the farmers, he stressed.
The official envisions a proliferation of such marketing cooperatives taking root in the different governorates of the Sultanate once the initiative is green-lighted for implementation.
Each of these cooperatives is expected to invest in temperature-controlled warehousing and logistics infrastructure for the collective benefit of the ago farming community in the respective governorate, he added.
© Oman Daily Observer 2016


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TikTok to be blocked from parliamentary devices and network over cyber security fears
TikTok will be blocked from parliament's devices and network - though the app can still be used on personal phones not connected to the WiFi.
Thursday 23 March 2023 16:41, UK
TikTok will be blocked from parliament's devices and network in the latest ban imposed on the Chinese-owned social media app.
The commissions of the House of Commons and House of Lords have announced they will follow the move taken by the government on official devices, citing the need for cyber security.
A parliament spokesman said that TikTok "will be blocked from all parliamentary devices and the wider parliamentary network".
"Cyber security is a top priority for parliament, however we do not comment on specific details of our cyber or physical security controls, policies or incidents," he said.
TikTok can still be used on personal devices while on the parliamentary estate, provided the devices aren't connected to parliament's WiFI network.
Former Conservative leader Iain Duncan Smith welcomed the move, but called for the ban to be extended on the personal devices of ministers.
He tweeted: "The decision to block TikTok from ALL parliamentary devices is welcome, a good decision.
"Given this robust position in parliament following the ban of TikTok from govt phones, it's now time that TikTok is also banned from ministers personal telephones."
A similar decision has also been taken in Scotland, with TikTok banned from government phones and other devices.
Deputy first minister John Swinney added: "Currently there is limited use of TikTok within government and limited need for staff to use the app on work devices.
"This ban will be implemented immediately. It does not extend to personal devices used by staff or the general public."
TikTok: Ban 'misguided and based on misconceptions'
But TikTok called parliament's move "misguided and based on fundamental misconceptions about our company".
"TikTok is enjoyed by millions of people in the UK, and potentially depriving users from access to and engagement with their representatives is a self-defeating step, especially in our shared fight against misinformation," a spokesman said.
"We are disappointed that, despite our requests, we have not been offered any opportunity to address concerns and only ask to be judged on facts and treated equally to our competitors.
"We have begun implementing a comprehensive plan to further protect our European user data, which includes storing UK user data in our European data centres and tightening data access controls, including third-party independent oversight of our approach."
It comes as the TikTok chief executive Shou Zi Chew said the company had been "unfairly singled out" as he faced questions on data and security at the US Congressional committee.
The video-sharing app has been under increasing scrutiny over its security and data privacy, with concerns it could be used to promote pro-Beijing views or gather user data - something TikTok strongly denies.
The EU Commission and more than half of US states and Congress have already introduced a ban on staff phones over concerns around potential cyber attacks, with the UK government following suit last week.
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Beijing reacted angrily to Downing Street's decision, saying the move is "based on its political motive rather than facts" and will "ultimately harm the UK's own interests".
TikTok has said the bans have "been based on fundamental misconceptions and driven by wider geopolitics, in which TikTok, and our millions of users in the UK, play no part".


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Quality foremost at AutoX
Having recently undergone a high-tech upgrade, South Africa’s AutoX battery plant continues to produce products that consistently outperform international standards
Port Elizabeth-based battery manufacturer AutoX has earned an enviable reputation globally for the quality of the products it manufactures – among them well-known brands such as Willard and Sabat and, for export, HiFase.
The company’s recently upgraded factory – incidentally, the first battery plant in Africa to have achieved ISO 9001 quality management accreditation, one of many international standards ratings the facility has earned over the years – produces a range of batteries based on a variety of technologies designed to serve original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) as well as the automotive aftermarket.
“Since inception, AutoX has invested heavily in research and development, driven by a need to identify and solve market problems and to come up with innovative solutions aimed at increasing efficiency. Through new battery development, we’ve produced several patents and designs. We have also pioneered innovative charging algorithms that have set an international benchmark in the industry,” says Glenn Geldenhuis, the company’s CEO.
Established in 1954, AutoX has undergone several name changes under different owners. However, one thing has remained constant – a commitment to maintain a record of accomplishment as a battery producer of technological repute.
“We are dedicated to evolving our battery brands and pushing the boundaries where possible,” says Geldenhuis. “Over the years we’ve built a successful track record of consistent performance and value for money.”
These days the company supplies more than 3 000 retail outlets across South Africa and selected African countries with car, truck and motorcycle batteries, as well as batteries for industrial, agricultural and leisure use. Additionally, it manufactures house brand batteries for a number of aftermarket outlets and, on behalf of global conglomerate Johnson Controls, distributes the Varta battery range throughout the southern African region.
According to Geldenhuis, the lead-acid batteries produced by AutoX – which include Sealed Maintenance-Free (SMF) batteries, Enhanced Flooded Batteries (EFB +C) and Absorbed Glass Matt (AGM) batteries – consistently outperform international specified standards, a characteristic that he attributes to the use of high-grade materials – including specially formulated lead alloys – and specialised additives developed in-house.
“We have continuously upgraded our production processes and manufacturing facilities to maintain the highest standards possible,” he says during a tour of the plant. Stopping at a workstation on the line, he points out that, on the battery-casing side, production methods and curing processes have been customised to heighten consistency and deliver lightweight, attractive to look at, but highly robust finished items.
“Through innovations such as these, AutoX has become one of the world’s foremost battery suppliers, ensuring our products meet the demands of the most extreme conditions,” he says.
While each of the batteries manufactured at the plant is carefully monitored for defects throughout its various fabrication processes, no unit leaves the factory without being tested. “We benchmark our products against the best quality batteries in the world,” Geldenhuis maintains.
Commenting on the recently completed upgrades to the plant, he says AutoX will continue to optimise production efficiencies and address capacity constraints with a view to introducing to market new battery products.


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BOATS - Maritimo 73 Motoryacht
Australian luxury builder shows off its flagship in sea trials
One of the star’s of the upcoming Sydney International Boat Show (July 30 to August 3) will be the debut of Maritimo’s biggest project yet, the 73 Motoryacht, and Trade-a-Boat has secured several photos of the of the company’s flagship in recent sea trials off the Gold Coast.
Photos: The Maritimo 73 Motoryacht up and running; The 73's massive saloon
with formal dinning area;
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Nikon will launch a digital single-lens reflex (SLR) digital D7100 with a 24.1 megapixel sensor in a number of countries in March 2013.
The camera called Nikon D90 replaces it has a 51-point auto-focus and shutter speed reaches 1/8000 second to 30 seconds.
Offered at a price of about $0.9 per download on the Apple App Store.
Game featuring one of the founders of Apple, Steve Wozniak, entitled “Danny Trejo’s Vengeance : Woz with a Coz ‘officially began circulating on the Apple App Store [...]
Various monitors with lots of different sizes in the market at affordable prices. However, sometimes you are confused in choosing the size of the computer monitor widescreen or standard size.
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PHENOMENON of Storms Sandy that hit the United States and around to make many people cringe and increasingly wary of the increasingly erratic weather. Natural conditions also makes a number of flooded social networking posts related to storm sandy.
About 60 percent of those planning to buy a tablet chose Nexus 7.
Christmas Day will soon be arriving. In many parts of the world, it is time to hunt items to be used as Christmas gifts. According to a survey in the U.S. revealed that many public want [...]
A Russian astronaut managed to record a new record as the oldest still active astronauts ‘walks’ in outer space.
Quoted by FoxNews, Monday (22/4), Pavel Vinogradov is recorded as the oldest astronaut at the age of 59 years.
Pavel has been [...]
Already know about Oz the Great and Powerful movie from Disney? If you like it, maybe you should glance at this one game.
Temple Run Oz is an endless running game Temple Run combination that has been popular with Oz movie.
Quoted from Cnet, Friday (3/8), [...]
CloudFlare, a Web accelerator is having network-wide DNS problems as reported ubergizmo.com (03/03).
“We are experiencing a network-wide issue,” said the CloudFlare via the company’s official Twitter account.
For those of you who [...]
Increasingly sophisticated technology. Now charger technology created without cable. Wireless Charger technology names.
Another name Wireless Charger is Inductive Charging. This technology utilizes magnetic force to deliver power between the two objects.
If you like music, then you need to think of having mp3 downloader for pc since it can be a tool that you can use to pick any songs that you like the best. And there are many brands of mp3 downloader you will come across out there. With this condition, [...]
Sony showed off its latest ultrabook Windows 8 operating system, Vaio T13 “Touch Screen”, Indocomtech exhibition in 2012 at the Jakarta Convention Center (JCC).
With a 13.3-inch wide screen, users can enjoy a new experience with Windows 8 [...]


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New Delhi: Consumer Electronics brand Haier has announced signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Government of Uttar Pradesh (UP) to set up its second industrial park in India to strengthen its commitment towards ‘Make in India’ initiative.
Haier, which will invest Rs.3069 crore in the state over the next four years, is expected to create almost 4000 new direct employment opportunities along with over 10,000 indirect jobs.
The expansion will serve as an opportunity for vendors and OEMs, bringing about an expanded business with increased local production and lesser imports of products.
To boost local manufacturing, Haier will set up its industrial park in Greater Noida to fulfill its commitment towards the central government’s ‘Make in India’ initiative.
The MoU was signed in the presence of the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Yogi Adityanath and other dignitaries from the Government of Uttar Pradesh along with Song Yujun, VP, Global Appliances Haier Group and Managing Director, Haier Appliances India; Eric Braganza, President, Haier Appliances India and Sun, Director SCM Haier Appliances India.
“The new facility will not only help in augmenting our production capacity to address the increasing local demand but also in generating employment opportunities in the state. This agreement will enable us to further strengthen our presence and commitment in the country,” said Eric Braganza, President Haier India.
“We are thankful to the Government of Uttar Pradesh for extending all the support to participate in the development of the state. We are confident that this move will not only benefit Haier as a brand but will also contribute towards the overall economic development of the country,” said Song Yujun, VP, Global Appliances Haier Group and Managing Director, Haier Appliances India.


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Articles tagged with "marketwatch"
9 total articles - Page 1 of 1
Expect shortages when extracts and edibles hit the marketJesse B. Staniforth - Published on June 20, 2019Read more
Can the country’s legal producers meet market demand come Legalization 2.0?
Why You Won’t See Infused Ice Cream in Canada Any Time SoonRandi Druzin - Published on June 19, 2019Read more
Regulations are restricting the sale of perishables in Canada, however, the industry is looking to get creative with their edible offerings.
Meet the Producer of Some of the Priciest Cannabis in CanadaDaniel Bettridge - Published on June 11, 2019Read more
And they’re proud of it.
Edibles Unlikely to Launch in Canadian Market Until 2020Jesse B. Staniforth - Published on May 16, 2019Read more
The Canadian government is set to legalize edibles by Oct. 17 but don’t expect an automatic unveiling on store shelves the next day.
The Leafly Marketwatch: What Percentage of Your Dispensary Visitors Are Out-of-State?Leafly Staff - Published on January 23, 2016Read more
What percentage of out-of-state folks are curious about what Colorado, Washington, and Oregon cannabis dispensaries have to offer?
New York’s Medical Cannabis Market Debuts Today!Lisa Rough - Published on January 7, 2016Read more
After 18 months of nail-biting anticipation, New York’s medical marijuana program is finally ready to make its debut.
New Market Update: 6 States Looking to Implement Their Cannabis ProgramsLisa Rough - Published on December 17, 2015Read more
Check out the latest on these six markets that are hoping to debut their legal cannabis programs (both medical and recreational) soon.
Leafly Marketwatch: The Rapid Rise in CBD InterestLeafly Staff - Published on December 2, 2015Read more
This month, Leafly unpacks the significance of a recent massive spike in searches for CBD and CBD-related terms.
Illinois Stalls, Massachusetts Progresses, and Washington and Colorado Face Black Market Competition: The Leafly Cannabis Legalization UpdateLisa Rough - Published on January 6, 2015Read more
Happy new year, everyone! 2015 is already making headway towards major cannabis progress. Here are the latest updates from both near and far:


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Name: Scott Smith
Business: Art’s Cyclery
What he said then:
In June 2009, The Tribune reported Art’s Cyclery planned to open a second store on Suburban Road and vigorously pursue online sales.
“As things get more expensive and we’re in a place where the population doesn’t grow a lot, we have to look at ways to find more customers — so we’re doing that online,” said Scott Smith, who owns the bike retailer with Eric Benson. “Our goal is to be the best online bike deliverer in the world.”
Art’s partnered with e-commerce specialists Sports Warehouse Inc. to create and maintain a website that allows it to sell and ship globally.
The second retail location, at Sports Warehouse’s facility, adjacent to Art’s Cyclery’s warehouse, stocks a wide variety of products to support online sales.
The Suburban Road shop, designed to focus on brands for professional riders and serious enthusiasts, is slated to open in July before the Tour de France.
What he says now:
Like many new businesses, the specialty shop debuted a little behind schedule.
But since last summer, the store’s sales have grown and its sales staff supports the online business by fielding phone calls, Scott Smith said. Year-to-date sales for Art’s are up roughly 25 percent, he said.
“We’re tracking for our best year ever,” Smith added. “For times that are kind of tough on retail and in town, our store’s doing well.”
Last month, Art’s received online orders from 149 countries.
But most online orders are domestic. Art’s offers free ground shipping for most U.S. orders.
Online customers also receive free gifts, such as water bottles, at checkout.
“It’s as basic as any kind of sales,” Smith said. “Price is important. Service is important. We want our customers to come back.”
The website’s professional image is also of high importance. Smith believes their merchandise photos are better in most cases than the manufacturers’.
Art’s has done a little online advertising, but mostly relies on search engines such as Google to match it with customers.
To support the growth, Art’s has added about 10 employees over the past two years. It has 30 workers.
The 15-year-old Santa Barbara Street store displays products for casual riders and families. It refers customers to the newer specialty shop, but Smith said otherwise it’s taking time to get the word out.
“We’ve done a couple of events out here,” Smith said. “But it’s a little bit off the beaten path.”
The “obscure retail location” does have the advantage of being close to Trader Joe’s and Kennedy Club Fitness — destinations for many of its target customers.
To help raise awareness, Smith added, the Suburban Road store is running its “first really big sale” this weekend.
— Raven J. Railey