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AU Optronics Corp. Reports December 2020 Consolidated Revenue
AU Optronics Corp. ("AUO" or the "Company") (TWSE: 2409) today announced its unaudited consolidated revenue of NT$28.86 billion for December 2020(1), up by 11.2% month-over-month and significantly increased by 39.3% year-over-year. In the fourth quarter of 2020, unaudited consolidated revenues were NT$80.54 billion, up by 10.0% quarter-over-quarter and substantially increased by 30.0% year-over-year.
For the year ended December 31, 2020, unaudited consolidated revenues totaled NT$271.0 billion, up by 0.8% year-over-year.
Shipments of large-sized panels(2) for LCD TV, desktop monitor, notebook PC, and other applications totaled around 11.69 million units in December 2020, up by 8.1% month-over-month. As for small-and-medium-sized panels, the shipments were around 8.73 million units, down by 6.6% month-over-month.
In the fourth quarter of 2020, large-sized panel shipments totaled around 33.25 million units, down by 1.7% quarter-over-quarter and up by 25.3% year-over-year. Shipments of small-and-medium-sized panels in the same quarter exceeded 28.81 million units, down by 4.1% quarter-over-quarter and 23.1% year-over-year.
For the full year of 2020, large-sized panel shipments were around 120.20 million units, an increase of 11.1% from the previous year. Small and medium-sized panel shipments totaled around 117.48 million units, down by 10.3% year-over-year.
AUO December Revenue Report:
(Unit: NT$ million)
|Jan. to Dec. 2020||270,955|
|Jan. to Dec. 2019||268,792|
(1) All financial information was unaudited and was prepared by the Company in accordance with Taiwan IFRS.
(2) Large size refers to panels that are 10 inches and above.


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The average price paid for a hotel room around the world rose by 3 percent during 2014, compared with 2013, according to the latest Hotels.com Hotel Price Index (HPI). The overall global economic recovery gathered momentum and consumers became more confident in increasing their travel spending. Hotel prices have now experienced five years of steady price rises since they plummeted during the financial collapse of 2008.
The average price paid by U.S. travelers domestically rose 5 percent to $137, with prices rising in all but two of the top 50 most popular destinations in the country. Internationally, the strength of the dollar led to price decreases in many of the most popular destinations for American travelers in Latin America and APAC, where travelers received more value for their money.
The global HPI stood at 113 at the end of 2014, 13 points higher than at its launch in 2004 and on a par with its 2008 level but still four points lower than its peak at 117 in 2007. Of the six regions in the HPI, the index rose in four, remained steady in one, and fell in another. With a strong economy and rising dollar, North America led the way with a rise of 5 percent, 2 percentage points better than its 2013 result.

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- Over 80 countries and territories have adopted their own privacy and security laws, with GDPR still considered the gold standard
- Countries are using GDPR as a jumping off point for their own data privacy laws
- Learn how China’s PIPL compares (and differs) from GDPR
Read more below.
Data Lawmakers Still Look to the EU as Privacy and Security Gold Standard, but China’s PIPL Is about to Make Waves
Over 80 countries and territories have now adopted their own data privacy and security laws, with more coming to the table every year. As those in the data privacy and security community review emerging laws, the first question asked about new legislation is usually, “How does it compare to the GDPR?”
Originally made effective in 2018, and updated this year by the European Commission, the European Union’s (EU) General Data Protection Regulation–or GDPR–remains the gold standard for countries creating new privacy and data standards.
Let’s take a quick look at how countries have used the GDPR as a jumping off point for their own data privacy laws in the last 18 months:
- Jamaica became the 15th Caribbean nation to enact privacy laws, aligning with the GDPR in most areas, including the requirement to have a data representative designated on Jamaican soil and requiring a 72-hour breach reporting window.
- India is currently voting on its own Personal Data Protection Bill (PDP), a revamp of its 2000 law that looks closely at the GDPR for updates and clarifications.
- Brazil’s 2020 legislation, the General Personal Data Protection Law (LGPD), shows similarities to the GDPR and unifies Brazil’s 40 pre-existing laws regulating the processing of personal data.
Elsewhere, EU near neighbors Switzerland and the United Kingdom are adding their own special sauce to the GDPR.
Switzerland’s Swiss Data Protection Act (revDPA) offers broader guidance, with more abstract terminology and definitions, which could make it harder to adhere to or enforce. Meanwhile, in the wake of Brexit, the United Kingdom has four years to make good on its stated intention to reduce barriers to innovation and data flow in it’s own updated version of a GDPR-compliant data policy.
While we don’t expect to see the GDPR’s influence on emerging privacy legislation lessen anytime soon, there is a new major player on the scene: China’s sweeping new Personal Information Protection Law (PIPL), which will take effect on November 1, 2021.
Asia’s Role in Defining Worldwide Privacy Standards Expands Under China’s New Laws
China isn’t the first Asian nation to enact major data legislation. Thailand’s Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA, May 2020) is largely based on the GDPR, but also provides for imprisonment for up to one year as a punishment for violations.
South Korea was an early actor in data privacy legislation, passing laws in 2011 and adding updates in 2020 that provided needed clarifications while also supporting the emerging data economy by describing broader allowable uses of ‘pseudonymised data.’
Singapore also updated its Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA) in 2020, including clarifications around consent and the transfer of data offshore, making the PDPA one of Southeast Asia’s strictest data protection acts.
And just this summer, Japan published guidance clarifying the 2020 amendments to its Protection of Personal Information (APPI) law, strengthening penalties and introducing mandatory reporting for qualifying breaches.
While not first, China is certainly the largest and most dominant Asian nation to pass sweeping data privacy and security legislation. Given that China makes up 18% of the world population, nearly one in every five human beings is now protected by China’s two new data laws, the Data Security Law (effective September 1, 2021) and the Personal Information Protection Law of the People’s Republic of China (PIPL), which takes effect November 1, 2021.
Compared to GDPR, PIPL Grants Chinese Government a Wider Latitude to Investigate and Sanction
Like the GDPR, the PIPL requires organizations to give individuals choices about how their information will be used and offers similar protections and restrictions on data collection and transfer. In many ways, however, the PIPL goes further than the GDPR.
Given China’s mobile-first economy, it’s no surprise that the PIPL pays particular attention to how applications and app developers collect and process data.
In addition, under PIPL:
- Added layers of consent are required for specified uses of data.
- “Legitimate interests” aren’t a justifiable basis for processing data.
- Transfer of data outside the country is subject to tighter national security oversight.
- Responsible individuals within a company can be personally fined the equivalent of $1,500 to $155,000 USD for violations.
Overall, China’s new laws carry more restrictions and penalties than the GDPR, and the government is given broader discretion in interpreting and enforcing the provisions.
China watchers speculate that the Chinese government may use PIPL to curtail the power of the technology sector, creating grounds with which to challenge overly aggressive data collectors and users.
Also, given that the Chinese government itself is known to be a fervent collector of information on its own citizens, it remains to be seen how much it will abide by its own guidance.
What does seem likely, however, is that just as the GDPR served as an early model for other nations, China’s sweeping new legislation may drive more restrictions in Asia and worldwide, leading to greater regulatory complexity.
China Poised to Enforce Faster than the EU, Where Budget Shortfalls Cause Bottlenecks and Inconsistencies
Recent reports have revealed that in spite of the EU’s leadership on regulatory guidance, when it comes to enforcement, declining budgets and inadequate staffing of Data Protection Commissions (DPCs) in EU member states are creating massive bottlenecks.
In Ireland, where favorable tax laws have attracted many US companies to establish their European headquarters, 98% of GDPR cases remain unresolved. Across the EU, DPCs act inconsistently, often without the necessary technical experts to handle their caseload.
While consumer privacy advocates call for the EU to take a hard look at its failures to enforce, China shows early signs of taking the opposite approach. Whereas GDPR offered a multi-year grace period between the passing and the enactment of the law, China’s PIPL goes into effect in November 2021, only three months after it passed, giving companies a very short runway for making any significant changes to data architecture or processing practices.
What’s more, China recently issued a list of 15 Chinese tech companies deemed to be managing data improperly, giving these companies only 15 days to take corrective action. Compare this to a host of closed EU investigations–56% according to reports–that did not call for any corrective action.
Whether China will be able to outperform the EU when it comes to staffing its enforcement body or acting with consistency to apply PIPL is yet to be seen; but if early indications prove true, we won’t have to wait long for answers.
We will take a deeper dive into EU and US data compliance enforcement trends in our next RadarFirst blog post later this month.


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Publishers feel the crunch of cookieless browsers like Apple’s Safari
Bid enrichment provides publishers the means of sprucing up their cookieless impressions to improve their value in advertisers’ eyes.
Why Hearst is building a commerce marketplace
Publisher commerce marketplaces aren't always successful, but Hearst's Sheel Shah hopes his company's new marketplace will capitalize on the natural evolution of its readers' online shopping habits.
How agencies adapt as bots evolve
Social media bots may represent just a sliver of an app's total users, but it turns out they may be generating more content than we were previously aware. The challenge is separating the good ones from the bad.
SponsoredHow marketers are responding to shoppers’ wants this holiday season
Matthew Tilley, executive director, marketing, Vericast With the holidays right around the corner, the economy may force some consumers to adjust their plans and stretch their dollars even further. While some shoppers may rein in their spending, others will still go all out despite a cloudy economic outlook. Given the current economic climate, consumers are […]
‘Death by a thousand paper cuts’: Publishers fret over alternative ID overload hurting site performance
Publishers lack the data to know which IDs they can afford not to support and are worried a surplus of IDs can slow page-load speeds and lower sites' search rankings.
Member ExclusiveMedia Buying Briefing: Separating agency progress from posturing around carbon reduction and sustainability
Could it be that the media world is finally taking concrete steps toward decarbonization — or will many of the efforts underway become the butt of a joke (or worse, the focus of an upcoming John Oliver segment)?
For those who rely on public transportation, mobile app HopStop can be a godsend. Enter your location, where you’re going, and Hopstop spits out the best route. As a free service operating at over 5 million mobile impressions per month, HopStop relies on advertising for its revenue.
The problem, even for a useful, popular service like HopStop: mobile ads might no longer “suck” in Steve Jobs’ famous words but the CPMs still do, particularly when it comes to filling inventory HopStop’s small direct sales force hasn’t sold.
“The eCPMs of mobile network ads are pathetic,” said HopStop CEO Joe Meyer. “We’re almost better off serving nothing. We serve on average one ad per page view. If you’re only serving one ad per page view, it better be a high CPM ad especially if your app is free.”
HopStop hasn’t yet tried Apple’s iAds — it isn’t ruling it out — but it’s instead hoping to tap into the Internet’s latest moneymaking machine: daily deals. Beginning in January, HopStop began earmarking inventory to displaying deals from Gilt Groupe and other deals services, although not Groupon and LivingSocial.
HopStop knows quite a bit about its users thanks to the trips they plan. If a user has entered in an address multiple times, there is a high probability that’s their home or work address, which can allow for very granular targeting down to even a one block radius. There are few other companies out there that can target you to that specificity.
This is crucial to daily deals companies when it comes to mobile. The relevance bar for a deal on a mobile device is far higher than email, since the matter of only a few blocks can be a, well, dealbreaker.
“There’s no one that we work with that does something like HopStop does,” said Jack Mitten, junior product manager at NY Deal of the Day – Daily News. “As the deal of the day and group buying space develops, there’s a real urgency in mobile.”
“People have this thought that one way [of advertising deals] works, but there’s more to the driving force than getting the click.” said Mitten, “I was talking to a friend whose wife is a vegetarian. There was a vegetarian deal right near him that he had no clue about until he saw the deal. The whole program is just to enhance and promote business and get new customers.”
The results so far have been very strong. The overall click rate of the daily-deal units was 3.35 percent out of around 5 million impressions. At this point, only a small minority of HopStop’s ad inventory carries deals, but it plans to bring on new services and devote more space to the offers.
The results hold out a promising new avenue for developers and mobile publishers as deals companies push into new avenues of distribution. Mobile is clearly the biggest focus for the giants of the space, Groupon and LivingSocial.
“How can publishers continue to pump in resources if the economics aren’t there?” said Meyer. “If publishers can’t support the growth of mobile through the revenue that’s coming in, it becomes dis-economic. I actually see the growth of mobile ad networks as being detrimental to the success of mobile publishers and the growth of mobile overall. We’d have to start charging and we already know that users don’t like to pay.”
Digiday Top Stories


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Apple website crashes as new iPhone 4 goes on sale for pre-orders
The iPhone 4 went on sale for pre-orders on Apple's website today.
The massive surge in demand temporarily brought Apple's website down with would-be customers greeted with and error message when they tried to order the phone.
Due to be released in the UK next Thursday, most UK networks have confirmed that they will be carrying the latest must-have from Apple.
The new Apple iPhone 4 has gone on sale today for pre-order on Apple's website
They have all refused to confirm how much they will charge customers but Vodafone, Orange, 3 Mobile and T-Mobile are all expected to announce their pay monthly tariffs today.
Website Engadget today said it had seen a test web page from Vodafone which appeared to confirm that it will charge customers £45 a month if they want the phone for free.
A screenshot on the website, later taken down, showed that the cheapest monthly contract of £25 a month would leave the iPhone itself costing £189.
O2 are to offer the new handset on PAYG, and it is expected that the handset will cost the same as from the Apple store.
The iPhone 4 is thinner, more powerful and lighter than any of its previous incarnations.
Coated in glass front and back, the iPhone 4 has a high definition screen and will give new life to a handset that has achieved 50million sales in three years despite its high cost.
Jobs said the new-look device was the 'biggest leap' it had taken since the launch of the first iPhone.
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CMM Platform Driving Increased Revenues for Home Service Brands, Double Revenue at Camp Digital Annually Founded just four years ago in the expansive Home Services category valued at over $650 billion, the women-led Twin Cities-based digital marketing company formerly known as Home and Local Services has rebranded as “CAMP Digital.” The official announcement was made Read more
CMM Platform Driving Increased Revenues for Home Service Brands, Double Revenue at Camp Digital Annually
Founded just four years ago in the expansive Home Services category valued at over $650 billion, the women-led Twin Cities-based digital marketing company formerly known as Home and Local Services has rebranded as “CAMP Digital.” The official announcement was made in Austin, Texas, at a special event hosted by CAMP Digital during the annual Super Meeting of the Nextstar Network. Last week, CAMP Digital also announced its expansion to the West coast after a new office recently opened in Portland.
The rebrand reflects how the fast-growth company is changing the way HVAC technicians, plumbers and electricians, roofers and others do business by offering them its proprietary software tools and process to better manage their marketing messages, ad spend online and service capacity more effectively and economically – in real time.
CAMP Digital offers its customers a Capacity Managed Marketing (CMM) platform, driven by its proven Capacity Protocol Optimization (CPOP) software, which gives companies a strategic edge in managing their marketing dollars and workflow. The innovative and disruptive B2B technology is heating up revenues for many North American brands/customers and experiencing its own electrifying growth.
Revenue has doubled every year since its inception by twin sisters and serial entrepreneurs, CEO Katie Donovan (nee Stapleton), COO Meg Stapleton and Chief Strategic Officer, and fellow co-founder Thom Johnson, a veteran marketing guru and the creator of CAMP Digital’s CMM platform. CAMP Digital’s CMM expertise also has made it a coveted Google Premier Partner, based in part on CAMP’s $70 million annual ad spend and its outstanding performance in home services. It was recently named to Inc. magazine’s “Inc 5000” for 2022 – placing at position 365 in its first year of eligibility.
“The dedicated customers we work with daily like Southern Trust Home Services, a family run and operated Plumbing, Electrical and HVAC business in Roanoke, VA., understand how CAMP Digital can positively impact their business,” notes Donovan. “We helped Increase their average customer tickets with better leads and overall lead volume/conversions to 43.72%. Most importantly, we helped them maximize the return on ad spend: Overall conversions across the entire account yielded an amazing increase of 176.98%! – and resulted in a 60.19% increase in revenue to the business for Q1 of 2022 vs Q1 of the previous year.”
“Our new name readily reflects who we are and what we can do to streamline our customers digital marketing investments and maximize their ROI,” adds Meg Stapleton. “CAMP communicates directly with our advertising engine to dynamically distribute compelling offers through digital channels that align with their current business needs in real time. This is particularly important in the industry we support, since home services is a very low interest, high intent category. The average consumer is in the market for less than 72 hours and expects / requires resolution quickly. So, when our customers like Southern Trust and others widely succeed, we do too.”
“Home Service companies everywhere live and die by calls coming into their call centers. But how consumers find them – and how fast service providers can respond – often determine whose trucks are on the road to revenue versus those idling on the street,” notes Johnson. “Our Capacity Managed Marketing (CMM) bundles dynamic lead generation, scalable website creation and marketing messaging. And it allows service providers to minimize ad spend, in a strategic package –hence the name CAMP — Capacity And Marketing Platform.”
“CMM simply delivers HVAC technicians, plumbers and electricians, roofers and others the flexibility to price higher – when demand is high – and to price lower when demand is down – in real time. The system also helps better control ad spend: If a company is at capacity, spending is dialed back, saving decision-makers money, time, and reputation.”


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Indian credit card rewards company Cred has raised a $251 million Series E round led by Tiger Global Management and Falcon Edge Capital at a post-money valuation of $4 billion.
It is Cred’s third sizeable investment this year. The Series D brought in $215 million in April at a valuation of $2.2 billion, and the Series C closed at $81.2 million in January at a valuation of $800...
HESTA has acquired a A$120 million ($85 million) equity stake in Australian enterprise software and IT services provider Citadel, following its merger with medical practice software specialist Genie Solutions.
CVC Capital Partners has agreed to sell Malaysia-based snack foods producer Munchy Food Industries to Universal Robina Corporation (URC) – a branded consumer food and beverage business in the Philippines – for MYR1.93 billion ($454 million).
There is not enough capital in Asia to address the number of secondary opportunities – mirroring the situation globally – with investors claiming to have more transaction choices than ever before.
Moore Threads, a Chinese chip designer established 13 months ago by a team from Nvidia, has closed Series A at RMB2 billion ($313 million) led by Shanghai Guosheng Capital, 5Y Capital, and a BOC International fund.


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A spokesperson for port workers in Trieste said that activity at most of Italy’s ports will be halted on Friday if the government presses ahead with its plan to make the Green Pass vaccine passport obligatory for all workplaces.
There have been fears about disruption to supply chains in recent days due to the new obligation, especially in relation to Trieste, where a high proportion of port workers are reportedly not vaccinated for COVID-19.
“The only opening possible for us is to remove the Green Pass,” Stefano Puzzer, a spokesperson for the Trieste port workers, told the Huffington Post.
“Friday’s blockade (in Trieste) is confirmed and today there will be surprises because it won’t stop just with Trieste.
“It won’t stop with Genoa either, almost all of Italy’s ports will stop. We’ll have confirmation tonight”.
The Green Pass, which shows that a person is vaccinated for COVID-19, has recovered from it or has tested negative in the last few days, will be obligatory for all Italian workplaces as of Friday.
The interior ministry seemed to seek to defuse the row on Tuesday, with a circular letter that said employers at key facilities such as ports could offer free swabs to workers to enable those opposed to vaccination to obtain the Green Pass.
This caused controversy, with Labour Minister Andrea Orlando saying COVID tests should not be free as this lessens the incentive to get vaccinated.
The company that runs the port of Palermo has said it will not pay for its workers to be tested for the coronavirus.
Some port companies in Genoa, however, are set to foot the bill for the tests.


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British plastic manufacturers' confidence in business growth is full
the British Plastics Association (BPF) recently pointed out that plastic manufacturers are experiencing the test of a sharp rise in raw material prices, which will undoubtedly lead to a surge in the price of plastic products, because the cost of raw materials accounts for 60% of their sales price. However, in a questionnaire survey conducted by BPF on members' business conditions at the beginning of this year, manufacturers generally gave positive and optimistic signals. Among the 80 enterprises surveyed, most of them are confident in the growth of sales in the UK in 2011, and the proportion of manufacturers who believe that sales this year will increase by more than 11% compared with last year has increased from 20% to 27%
the survey results show that the British plastic industry has come out of the most depressed state in 2008, but the increased revenue is increasingly concentrated in specific market areas. Passing the pressure of rising costs to the downstream will become the main way for British plastic enterprises to maintain business growth with a journey of up to 1000mm. Peter Davies, head of BPF, said: "in order to make a living, manufacturers will raise prices for products in all fields, whether plastic products for construction and infrastructure construction, food distribution and packaging, or plastic components for automotive and aerospace industries." Davis added that the government has felt considerable pressure on the rise in food and metal prices, but did not pay much attention to the plastic industry chain. Plastic products are indispensable in people's daily life. Britain consumes nearly 5million tons of plastic every year. At present, according to the Convention, the trading price of some light crude oil has exceeded $100 per barrel, and this price rise will penetrate all industries, including plasticsAccording to the survey results of BPF, 60% of the respondents mentioned that tight energy supply and soaring raw material costs were the main obstacles to business development, which also put the British plastic industry in a inferior position in the global market competition. The construction of Yangpu Danzhou Qiongzhong Wanning expressway, Wenchang Qionghai Expressway and Puqian bridge were also under way. According to BPF monitoring data, since January 2009, the prices of some grades of polyethylene and polypropylene have increased by 70% and 80% respectively, the prices of polystyrene have almost doubled, and the prices of some specifications of PVC have increased by 40%. Last year alone, polypropylene prices rose by 40%. The price of engineering plastics is also rising, and the price of polycarbonate has increased by nearly 20% in the past year
at the same time, the supply of plastic raw materials in Britain is further tight. Because during the economic recession, some plastic raw material manufacturers reduced or transferred their production capacity, the current output is difficult to meet the demand of the region. Davis pointed out: "some polymerization devices with advanced technology in Western Europe have been transferred to emerging regions such as the Far East and the Middle East, because the market there is growing faster and the demand is higher. We are also reminding the British government to pay attention to the supply security of strategic industrial raw materials."
the survey also shows that capital investment continues to grow. 64% of enterprises have new investment plans in 2011, compared with 61% in the survey last June. Among them, 65% test after increasing the set value (if similar experiments such as stripping or tearing are carried out, the investment of canceling the previous hook will be used for real plant expansion. Encouragingly, 25% of enterprises are committed to continuously improving their own health and safety standards. In addition, nearly half of the respondents believe that in order to achieve the EU climate change goals, and in an era when energy prices have become a major component of costs, enterprises will pay more attention to improving energy utilization Rate device. More than 40% of enterprises believe that increasingly stringent environmental regulations and the increasing burden of carbon tax will further affect their earnings
at the same time, manufacturers generally believe that the rapid recovery of international market demand and the continued weakness of sterling against the euro and the US dollar will become a strong guarantee for the growth of plastic export business. 53% of enterprises predict that the export volume will increase, compared with 46% in June last year. With the improvement of business conditions, more and more enterprises began to expand their talent teams. In this survey, 34% of enterprises will implement recruitment plans this year, and only 6% of companies plan to lay off staff
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During an intense and challenging year for many, Amazon Europe growth during 2020 proves that the online retail giant truly can deliver when times get tough—pun intended.
This shouldn’t come as a huge shock, considering how quickly and completely the company dominated the United States’ retail market. Amazon has largely expanded in Europe over the last decade, launching its e-commerce website in several countries, opening distribution and fulfillment centers, corporate offices, creating thousands of jobs, and more.
Amazon Europe Growth Timeline
Here is a recap of the expansion of Amazon’s presence in Europe:
- 1998: The United Kingdom
- 1998: Germany
- 2000: France
- 2008: Turkey
- 2010: Italy
- 2011: Spain
- 2014: The Netherlands
- Amazon.nl launched in 2014 but sold only e-books and the Kindle e-reader through the website.
- 2020: The Netherlands
- In March 2020, Amazon officially launched its e-commerce website in the Netherlands with various product categories. Also, the online retailer now offers Dutch customers their premium service of Amazon Prime.
- 2020: Sweden
- Amazon.se launched in late October 2020, making Sweden Amazon’s first Nordic online store.
- 2021: Where will Amazon go next?
- Amazon recently announced a planned Poland launch, a move which makes sense given that the number of online purchases made in Poland broke a record last year. While Polish shoppers can shop online via Amazon Germany, launching the website in the eastern European country–one of the fastest-growing e-commerce markets in Europe–would be a smart move for Amazon.
Reshaping the Retail Landscape in Europe
From a website that sold only books to one of the top ten global retailers, Amazon has quickly become a household name. The company is dedicated to continuous innovation and evolution, and Europe is no exception to these ambitions. Amazon Europe’s growth has continued to expand and develop, and has even accelerated in 2020.
Here are just a couple of ways Amazon is reshaping the retail landscape in Europe:
Increasingly Fast Shipping and Delivery
A week, two days, next day, same day, two hours, one-hour delivery? Over the years, Amazon has raised the bar for delivery speeds and services. Amazon has a network of more than 40 fulfillment centers across Europe, meaning more packages can be dispatched to more customers throughout the continent. Most Amazon EU marketplaces offer Prime, Prime Now, and Amazon Fresh, leaving competitors to decide whether to follow and offer similar services…or suffer more market share loss to Amazon.
Evolving E-commerce Grocery Strategies
Europe’s online retail landscape is more than just the demand for AirPods or the newest generation of the Echo Dot. Look for Amazon Europe growth in the grocery section. Previously on the blog, we discussed the importance of forward-thinking e-commerce grocery strategies.
In 2016, Amazon Fresh launched in certain parts of London and then in Berlin in 2017. Amazon buying Whole Foods in August 2017 started to apply pressure to major food manufacturers and grocery brands to stay relevant—both in the United States and Europe. In March 2018, Amazon announced their partnership with French retailer Monoprix, offering customers grocery delivery through Prime Now in France.
Here’s the kicker: this rapid evolution of grocery e-commerce happened before last year. You know, 2020, the year grocery delivery was all but essential due to a global pandemic. Now more than ever, new brands will want to test digital-first approaches. Tried-and-true companies will be on the lookout for the next notable advancement in grocery and food e-commerce.
Amazon Advertising: Fueling Brands Growth in Europe
Brands looking to increase sales and their European customer base should consider taking advantage of Amazon Advertising services (formerly Amazon Marketing Services or AMS). Amazon offers a wide range of self-service advertising products across search and display to help brands and companies achieve sales goals.
Overall, Amazon Advertising can be a cost-efficient way for brands to gain visibility in Amazon’s highly competitive online marketplace.
Are you considering adding Amazon EU Content to your European product pages? Take our quiz to score your company’s content readiness and consult our checklist.
Want content26 help with Amazon Advertising across Europe or to help you form a strategy around A+ content? Contact us here.


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Strathmore is ready for more growth
DESPITE challenging trading conditions brought about by the pandemic, things are looking up for the ready meal category according to Scottish producer Strathmore Foods.
The firm behind McIntosh of Strathmore saw its sales take a bit of a hit last year, as pandemic restrictions led to a shift in consumer purchasing behaviour.
Julie Nisbet, managing director at Strathmore Foods, said: “The well documented changes in shopping and eating habits as a result of the pandemic saw great growth for many chilled categories, but it was a less positive outcome for the chilled ready meal market.
“Sales of McIntosh ready meals took a significant drop during the first few months of restrictions.
“However, whilst reports show the overall ready meal market volumes are still somewhat suppressed due to the pandemic, over the past couple of months McIntosh has been outperforming this with sales now back above the same period last year.”
Nisbet attributed last year’s sales decline to changes in consumer behaviours, which saw both higher spending on at-home consumption of food and drink and the need for convenience diminish.
She said: “As the pandemic eases and shoppers move back to previous habits, the need for convenience will become a priority again.
“Insight suggests that after being starved of eating and drinking out, travel and social activities – consumers will focus their expenditure on these areas post-lockdown and therefore look to make savings elsewhere, such as better value convenience options.
“We also expect that the difficult economic times ahead could potentially shift demand back towards more economy options, including standard tier chilled ready meals.”
Lockdown has not stopped Strathmore Foods from expanding its portfolio. The firm is set to release a new flavour for its McIntosh Macaroni Cheese line and a new Steak, Black Pudding and Root Vegetable Casserole.
“In early 2020 we asked our customers to suggest new flavours of Macaroni Cheese that they would like to see, and following internal trials, taste panels and input from retailers, a very large list of ideas was narrowed down to three new flavours,” said Nisbet.
“These three brand new flavours of Macaroni Cheese were Chipotle Chicken, Leek and Broccoli, and Hawaiian, and these launched in November with customers being prompted to go online and vote for their favourite flavour after trying them.
“The winning flavour at the end of the campaign was Leek and Broccoli, so this line will launch this April to expand our vegetarian offering.”
Strathmore Foods is also preparing to launch a Haggis Lasagne later in the year, which Nisbet described as “the perfect blend of Scottish and Italian favourites.”


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And now, we’re insisting other States do the same…and they’re suing us?
Who knew? (From the New York Times):
Hens in California are living the good life. Many can now lay their eggs in oversize enclosures roomy enough to stand up, lie down — even extend their wings fully without touching another bird.
Hens in most other states don’t have it so good. Their conditions, as the head of California’s egg trade group explained, are “like you sitting in an airplane seat in the economy section all your life.”
So if you’re a hen, you want to live in California. Short of that, you want California-size leg room. And that’s precisely what lawmakers in California are demanding of out-of-state farmers who sell eggs in California — setting off a feud over interstate commerce that has spilled over into the farmyard at large.
The Missouri attorney general has filed a lawsuit to block the California egg rules, and at least three other states are considering doing the same. The beef and pork lobbies are also lining up against the California rules in an effort to prevent any new restrictions on raising livestock.


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Flight tracking app Flighty is taking its functionality to a whole new level with the launch of Flighty 3.0, transforming the flight information resource into a private social network for close friends and family to track each other’s travels. As a recipient of the prestigious 2023 Apple Design Award, Flighty is no stranger to innovation, and this latest version introduces a concept called “Flighty Friends” to create a more personal and real-time flight tracking experience.
In Flighty 3.0, users can now connect directly with each other within the app, similar to the process of adding friends on a social network. By becoming Flighty Friends, they can automatically share their flight details and receive updates about each other’s flights in real-time. Notifications are customized to include the user’s profile photo and specific details like “mom has landed,” creating a more personalized and intimate flight tracking experience.
The new “Today” screen enhances the tracking capabilities further by showing the flight locations of all connected friends and family members, specifically those with flights scheduled to take off within the next 24 hours. This feature adds an element of excitement and convenience, enabling users to keep a closer eye on their loved ones’ travel plans.
Flighty ensures privacy and security by only allowing flight information to be visible to those specifically shared with, without including sensitive details like booking codes. Additionally, users can disable sharing at any time, granting them complete control over their flight information.
The concept of a “flying private network” is unique to Flighty, setting it apart from traditional location-tracking apps that focus on ground-based GPS tracking. By extending its tracking capabilities to the air, Flighty provides comprehensive flight information, including flight plans, weather conditions, delays, FAA advisories, late or canceled aircraft, and connection details, among other crucial data.
Moreover, Flighty takes full advantage of Apple’s live Lock Screen widgets and Live Activities in the Dynamic Island, exclusive to the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max for Flighty subscribers. Paying customers can also enjoy additional features such as calendar and TripIt sync, email forwarding, and more detailed flight information.
Flighty’s developer, Ryan Jones, emphasizes the app’s focus on privacy and personal connections. Unlike traditional social networks that prioritize public sharing and follower counts, Flighty’s “friends for flying” concept caters to users who prefer to share flight information exclusively with a few trusted friends and family members. Jones is confident that users will embrace this unique approach, making Flighty a valuable and beloved tool for their travel needs.
With millions of downloads to date, Flighty remains tight-lipped about its exact user numbers and subscribers. Nonetheless, Jones proudly confirms that the app is financially stable, demonstrating its self-sustaining and cash-flow-positive status.
As Flighty 3.0 takes flight, it brings a new level of personalization and convenience to flight tracking, making it an invaluable companion for frequent travelers, globetrotters, and families eager to stay connected while their loved ones are on the move. The app’s innovative features and commitment to privacy position it as a trailblazer in the field, setting a high standard for flight-tracking applications to come.


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Last week, Google released Android 7 Nougat into the wild. Packed with new features like multi-window support and bundled notifications, it provides a significant boost to speed and productivity compared to Android Marshmallow. If you’re hell-bent on upgrading to the new OS this instant, we name the best — and cheapest — Android 7-ready smartphones you can buy in Australia.
Google has already begun rolling out Android 7 Nougat to select Nexus devices. Other flagship phones are set to follow, although you could be in for a lengthy wait (particularly if your device came from a tardy telco.) While it’s possible to skip the install line via online trickery, many users will need to upgrade their existing phones to get the update.
If you fall into the above boat, you might be better off with one of Google’s first-party devices — in addition to having already received the Android 7 update, these phones are a little bit older and thus more affordable. With that in mind, here are some options to consider. We’ve also included telco plans, where available.
The Google Nexus 6P has been out for nearly a year now, but it remains a solid performer. Manufactured by the Chinese smartphone giant Huawei, it boasts an all aluminium body that packs in a top-end Snapdragon processor, a 4.7-inch quad HD display and USB-Type C. Originally retailing for $998, it can now be snapped up for under $600. Read Gizmodo’s hands-on.
Nexus 6P mobile plans
Like its 6P sibling, the Google Nexus 5X is nearing its one year birthday, which is a long time in smartphone years. Sporting a 5.2-inch display, a Snapdragon 808 processor, 2GB of RAM, a 13-megapixel rear-facing camera and 27oomAh battery, it remains a good all-rounder. Originally retailing for $659, the Nexus 5X can be bought outright for around $350. Read Gizmodo’s review.
Nexus 6P mobile plans
The Nexus 6 is definitely getting a bit long in the tooth — it originally debuted all the way back in 2014. Thankfully, its bloat-free, native UI is more than capable of running Android 7 despite its age. It comes with a massive 5.96-inch 2K screen, a speedy Snapdragon 805 processor, 3GB of RAM and 32GB of onboard storage. When it first appeared in 2014, the Nexus 6 carried an RRP of $869. Curiously, it hasn’t depreciated as much as its younger siblings: expect to pay upwards of $400. Read the Gizmodo review.


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Twelve months on from speedy grocery company Gorillas’ rescue deal in December 2022, founder Kağan Sümer is back to the fundraising grind with a new healthtech startup.
Mirror — a yet-to-be officially launched health management app Sümer set up earlier this year with Gorillas cofounder Uğur Samut — has raised between $6-8m, according to Sifted sources.
The round was led by Atlantic Labs' sister fund FoodLabs (which also invested in Gorillas) and Giant Ventures, with participation from Calm/Storm Ventures and a number of angels. Mirror confirmed with Sifted that it had raised a pre-seed round — but declined to comment on its size.
What Mirror does
Mirror is building a health management app, which will help people manage things like sleep, fitness and nutrition through a combination of physical tests, data from wearables and personalised recommendations.
The startup began beta testing with 200 people in Germany last month and plans to roll out the app to a wider group in the next two months. It will launch in its home market in the first half of 2024, before expanding to the UK later that year, Sifted understands.
Over the summer, it was reported that the company was building a blood-testing startup — but it’s since changed its plans, a source within the company tells Sifted. Blood tests won’t be available when the app launches in Germany in the first half of 2023.
Had Mirror pushed ahead with its original plans, it would likely have faced stiff competition from blood-testing startup Aware — which was founded by early-Gorillas backers and counts Atlantic Labs as an investor. It raised a $15m round in 2022 and launched last month.
Second-gen founders in healthtech
Operating in the shadows is becoming something of a rite of passage for the small but growing cohort of second-generation founders who’ve made the jump to healthtech.
Spotify’s Daniel Ek’s Neko Health, which operates body-scanning clinics, spent several years in stealth before officially launching at the start of 2023 — three months after Sifted revealed its existence. It announced a €60m Series A round in July this year.
Christoph Muhr, Groupon founder and former COO at car trading platform AUTO1, founded digi-physical health platform Patient21 in 2019 before eventually emerging from stealth in 2022 — with $142m of investor cash in the bank. It raised a further $100m in debt and equity in May this year.
Neko and Patient21’s rounds were two of the biggest in a year that’s seen funding for digital health startups fall off a cliff — the sector has picked up just $852m so far this year versus $2.5bn across the whole of 2022, according to Dealroom.
Amid the slump, investors don’t seem to have lost their appetite for second-generation founders in the digital health space. As Mirror pushes ahead with its 2024 launch, it’s an appetite Sümer and Samut will be hoping to whet, too.


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McDonald’s is testing out a new fries recipe at select locations
McDonald’s fries are well-known sources of hot, crispy, greasy deliciousness — but new french fry recipes could be headed our way very soon. Though the fast food chain has yet to release a statement on the product, McDonald’s customers and fry connoisseurs in various locations around the country have spotted “loaded” fries available for purchase at select locations.
What are “loaded fries,” you ask?
Well, it appears they’re bacon cheese fries. To be more specific, they’re drizzled in some kind of cheese sauce, with crumbled bacon piled on top.
In other words: SIGN US UP.
McDonald’s appears to be testing the bacon cheese fries recipe at several stores, selling a basket for $3.99.
According to Brand Eating, customers spotted them for sale in Kentucky, southeast Ohio, West Virginia, and the greater Pittsburgh area.
Customers lucky enough to get their hands on this delicacy have taken to social media to post photos and share locations where people can find the limited-edition treat. As we learned when Costco tested a cheeseburger in various West Coast locations, people will drive far and wide to get their hands on some new and tempting fast food.
No word on when the fries will make it to stores nationwide, but we’re waiting with bated breath to find out.


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DETROIT, April 25 (Reuters) - General Motors Co said on Wednesday it will start a third shift at its Spring Hill assembly plant to meet strong demand for its popular GMC Acadia midsize SUV and the Cadillac XT5 crossover, adding around 700 jobs.
The No. 1 U.S. automaker said the third shift is expected to begin production in September. Retail sales for the GMC Acadia were up 15 percent in the first quarter versus the same period last year, while total sales for the XT5 were up 10 percent.
As U.S. consumers have shifted away from traditional passenger cars in favor of roomier, higher-margin sport utility vehicles, crossovers and pickup trucks, automakers have been left juggling production capacity to catch up.
While this has been good news for GM plants like Spring Hill, others have suffered. For instance, the automaker recently announced the removal of a shift at its Lordstown, Ohio, plant, with 1,500 workers to be laid off. That plant makes the Chevrolet Cruze sedan - sales of which were down 26 percent in the first quarter. (Reporting by Nick Carey in Detroit Editing by Matthew Lewis)


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This pop-up museum turned old plastic into art to make an important point about sustainability
If you're keen on learning more about sustainability and how it relates to helping to clean up our environment (and live in New York City), this is one event you'll definitely want to hit up. It's called Arcadia Earth, a pop-up museum set to open August 30 in the heart of the city. Spanning 15,000 square feet and offering 15 interactive rooms for visitors to explore, Arcadia Earth is best described as a "beautiful journey" through ecological issues like plastic pollution, food waste, climate change, and more.
If you're in the area or live close to 718 Broadway in New York City, you can look forward to a variety of installations each developed with upcycled materials and other reusable and recyclable items. One such interactive exhibit you'll experience as part of your visit is a cave created from 44,000 recycled plastic bags, meant to represent the number New Yorkers go through in just one minute – though this particular installation is carbon-neutral. The pop-up event will be rife with plenty of aesthetically pleasing augmented reality and art installation projects, all springing from a core desire from founder and designer Valentino Vettori to "challenge traditional methods" when it comes to communicating sustainability issues.
"My goal is to inspire change by inspiring people with knowledge,” said Vettori of his passion project. For the plastic bag project, Arcadia tapped Brooklyn artist Basia Goszczynska to help uphold New York State's ban on the bags for an awe-inspiring piece. Each of the other areas were created as part of a collaboration with environmental artists like Samuelle Green, Etty Yaniv, Cindy Roe, and Emmy Mikelson, to name a few.
But it's not just about having fun, of course. In addition to the lessons each room aims to teach about the current and future state of our Earth, attendees will be able to learn a thing or two while exploring thanks to a selection of panels and talks scheduled to take place during the event's run. To "inspire and motivate by sharing simple life hacks to create a healthier world, according to Arcadia Earth, experts and celebrities will be on hand, all speaking on the sustainability movement and how it relates to activism, fashion, and the future of our planet.
Sustainability-minded life hacks like eating less meat, wasting less food, and reducing single-use plastic will also be shared with attendees in a bid to help the masses work toward a better future. It certainly sounds inspirational, and could be a game-changer when it comes to getting folks excited about doing their part to helping to lessen our footprint when it comes to the environment.
If you're interested in attending, tickets are now available at the official Arcadia Earth website. For now, there are only dates for the event in New York City, but hopefully a successful run will mean that changes in the near future so more people can get involved.


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Apple does not just give its approval to VR headsets for its iPhones. So when the tech giant approved of View-Master’s Virtual Reality (VR) headset for its smartphones, Apple fans were pleased to know that a VR headset was finally getting sold via the official Apple Store. Unfortunately, the Cupertino giant may have changed its mind this week. That’s why the View-Master VR headset is nowhere to be found from its online store.
On Monday, Phone Arena learned that Apple quietly removed the View-Master Virtual Reality Starter pack from the Apple Store. The pack was sold for just $29.95, and it already included a Google Cardboard-inspired VR headset that works with the iPhone 5 and the newer generations of iPhones, the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus. Though the View-Master Virtual Reality Starter headset wasn’t the only one compatible with the iPhones, it was the first and only headset to be sold on the Apple Store. Hence, it’s a big mystery why it was silently dropped by Apple just two weeks after it landed a place on the store.
Apple did not disclose the reason behind this move. Fans who are thinking of purchasing the headset from the Apple Store would only be greeted with the “Product no longer available” notification when they visit the product page for View-Master’s device. Fortunately, iPhone owners can still purchase the headset from View-Master’s official website and from any of the company’s partnered retailers, namely: Amazon, Target, Toys “R” Us, Walmart, Best Buy, Mattel Shop, Kmart, Fingerhut and even on the Google Store since the device is compatible with both iOS and Android.
The removal of the VR headset from the Apple Store comes just a few days since blogger and technology evangelist Robert Scoble announced that the Cupertino Giant could introduce its first Augmented Reality (AR) headset to the public in the summer of this year, as perApple Insider. Scoble also predicted that the AR headset could be unveiled at the same time as the introduction of the 10th anniversary iPhone, which is currently rumored to e called as the iPhone 8.
Scoble’s statement could not be far from what’s bound to come to Apple. After all, CEO Tim Cook has already made it clear that he is more invested in AR than VR. He even told The Independent that he thinks AR is going to be the next big thing in the tech industry. “I regard it as a big idea, like the smartphone,” he said. “I think AR is that big, it’s huge. I get excited because of the things that could be done that could improve a lot of lives.”


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Legal Sea Foods sued by workers over tips
BOSTON (AP) — Boston-based Legal Sea Foods is facing two lawsuits alleging the restaurant chain violated state laws by forcing servers and bartenders to share tips with workers who rolled silverware in napkins.
Under state law, only those who serve food or beverages directly to patrons, or clear their tables, are entitled to gratuities. The lawsuits allege that by requiring the wait staff to share tips with workers whose only duties were rolling silverware Legal violated the tips law and therefore owes servers and bartenders the regular minimum wage of $8 an hour.
The lawsuits were filed on behalf of more than 200 servers and bartenders at restaurants in the Prudential Center and Burlington Mall.
Legal chief executive Roger Berkowitz told The Boston Globe (http://bit.ly/1vYlxLI ) the "lawsuits are ludicrous and we will vigorously defend."


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High interest in mobile payments fails to translate to consumer use: report
While 68 percent of consumers are interested in adopting mobile payments, 14 percent have actually completed a mobile transaction in the past three months, according to a report from Yankee Group.
Yankee Group’s report titled “Mobile Wallets for the Masses” looks at the March United States Consumer Survey and U.S. Enterprise Mobility: IT Decision-Maker Survey to analyze the state of mobile transactions. The report concludes that the key in mobile payments is to deliver personalized and valuable offers to consumers.
“The first point to make about mobile payments is that payments as a whole are not broken,” said London-based Jason Armitage, principal analyst at Yankee Group. “In other words, consumers already have lots of different options to pay, whether it be through cards, through cash, there’s already several methods, so the actual feature of payment is not in itself something that really draws consumers into using mobile wallets as a whole.
“So a couple of the features that have been slotted as being more attractive, one is mobile offers, so you serve an offer to a customer on a discount for a particular product that they can then claim in a store,” he said. “Although there’s pretty high interest in receiving offers, the usage level is pretty low on mobile offers as well.
“This points to one of the other issues with mobile wallets, and that’s that you need the ecosystem of players and partners working together to really put together a complete wallet solution for consumers. So specifically it’s very important to have merchants and retailers on board with your solution.”
Despite the fact that companies keep rolling out new mobile payment systems, consumers have not really taken to the technology.
Two years ago Google launched Google Wallet as the first step to join online and offline commerce. Yet less than 3 percent of U.S. consumers use Google Wallet to pay in-store, per Yankee Group.
For some reason, there is a disconnect between the intrigue that consumers find with mobile payments and the actual use of them.
More than two in three consumers said that they were interested in mobile transactions, but only 14 percent have actually made a mobile payment in the past three months.
The good news is that there seems to be interest. Now it is up to the mobile commerce providers to make the shift from interest to use.
One of the biggest setbacks in terms of mobile commerce adoption is security concerns. Consumers are worried about fraud and hesitant to trust a mobile wallet.
According to Mr. Armitage, PayPal does a good job at addressing these concerns and is therefore one of today’s leading mobile payment suppliers.
The company does not require consumers to enter card credentials onto a mobile handset. Many consumers do not want to enter their credit card information directly into their phone, so PayPal addressed this obstacle with a creative solution.
Mobile wallet providers should also make sure to include a combination of security features such as PIN protection to reassure consumers.
Tips for mcommerce vendors
To attract consumers, mobile payment systems need to be multifaceted and provide offers, loyalty and payments in one seamless experience.
Two mobile payment systems that are succeeding in this aspect are LevelUp and Merchant CustomerExchange.
Another interesting finding in the report is that consumers purchase on average $4.68 worth of products via mobile payment in-store and $11.62 of products via mobile commerce online.
This indicates that mobile commerce skews towards small-ticket items such as a cup of coffee at Starbucks.
Another interest result is that consumers do not seem to have a preference between paying by NFC versus QR codes. However, Mr. Armitage encourages mobile wallet vendors to make their wallets compatible with as many technologies as possible.
It is important not to limit the number of retailers and merchants where a consumer can use a mobile wallet.
“Needing a wide range of offers and places where you can pay using mobile wallets, that’s something that’s going to be really important to consumers,” Mr. Armitage said.
“Before you walk out your door and leave your payment card at home and just take your mobile handset, you want to know that that will work as a payment method for lots and lots of different retailers and services,” he said.
“Having that wide ecosystem of merchants and services on board is really critical before the wallet is considered an actual replacement for methods such as cards.”
Rebecca Borison is editorial assistant on Mobile Marketer, New York


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DSCSA: 2017 Deadline for Prescription Drug Manufacturers Fast Approaching
by Laura Johnson, on May 26, 2017
The Drug Supply Chain Security Act (DSCSA) is approaching full implementation, and companies at all levels of the pharmaceutical supply chain have to take note. Regulators put this system into place to ensure the traceability of prescription drugs all the way from their manufacture to end use, and the responsibility for correctly implementing it falls on every step of production and distribution.
Rolling Deadlines Start Now
The date to obey DSCSA differs by level of the supply chain. LSPediA explained that manufacturers must get ready now, as their compliance deadline is November 27, 2017. Repackagers must comply by November 27, 2018, and wholesale distributors have one more year, until November 27, 2019.
Manufacturers must have their product-tracing transaction information and serialization data stored in electronic form. From 2015 until 2017, this could be done on paper.
Pharmaceutical Processing noted that serialization entails a unique identifier on each unit produced, as well as sealed, homogenous cases. Companies have to respond to identifier information requests made by trading partners within 24 hours. Furthermore, when a product is returned and intended for resale, the manufacturer must verify its information.
Companies have to ensure that their databases hold identifier content for at least six years following transactions. As Pharmaceutical Processing explained, DSCSA is not for one size or type of company - every business in the pharmaceutical supply chain will have to comply, regardless of its unique situation.
Compliance is Essential
Succeeding in the pharmaceutical sector involves complying with relevant rules at all times. One slip could have major consequences for organizations. This means that securing the right labeling solution is a mission-critical responsibility.
Leaders must ensure they use a standardized labeling solution so that records are universally accessible and traceable. The benefits of these systems go beyond helping companies stay in compliance and extend to increased efficiency and accuracy of record keeping. No matter how complicated a manufacturer's supply chain is, the whole operation must be brought into compliance.
For more on pharmaceutical labeling check out our recent Q&A on that topic.


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The Hartmarx Corporation said it had acquired the Henry Grethel designer label from Manhattan Industries. Terms were not disclosed. Hartmarx, the Chicago-based manufacturer and marketer of men's and women's apparel, said that all Henry Grethel licensing rights and agreements had been assigned to a new subsidiary called Henry Grethel Apparel Inc.
Under the agreement, Mr. Grethel will become president of the new subsidiary and will be responsible for designing, merchandising and marketing of the Grethel line. His offices will remain in New York, Hartmarx said. The company said it expected the new subsidiary to report sales of more than $25 million.Continue reading the main story


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R. Kelly has officially joined the #WANGSQUAD. The global superstar is featured in renowned fashion designer Alexander Wang’s SS17 digital campaign with fashion model Anna Ewers.
R.Kelly performed a couple of his hit singles at the exclusive Alexander Wang & Beats by Dr. Dre collaboration holiday party surrounding the campaign. Other notable celebrities in attendance were Rihanna, Zoe Kravitz, Leonardo DiCaprio, Teyana Taylor, and more.
Hit next to check out a few of the campaign’s photos!
In other news, Kellz is preparing to release 35 more chapters of Trapped in the Closet sometime this year.


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Italian pasta exports have doubled in the past 20 years, rising from 740,000 tonnes to two million tonnes, with durum wheat semolina emerging as the most popular variety, a new study has found.
At the same time, the number of countries importing Italian pasta has grown by 34% to almost 200, according to the latest industry report published by the Association of Italian and Italian Pasta Industries (AIDEPI), reports Ansa.
Over the first seven months of 2018, pasta exports grew by 8% on average in the main importing countries of Italian pasta, Germany, UK, France and the US. In France, growth stood at 11% for the period.
However, the best performances of the period were recorded in Russia (+76%), The Netherlands (+29%), Saudi Arabia (+27%) and Australia (+16%).
Pasta exports to Russia totalled 20,000 tonnes in the first seven months of 2018, close to 2017’s full-year total of 23,000 tonnes.
According to data from AIDEPI and the International Pasta Organisation (IPO), global pasta production amounted to 15 million tonnes over the period, up by 3% compared to last year.
Italy is the leading consumer of pasta, with consumers getting through 23kg of pasta per person per year, ahead of Tunisia (17 kg) and Venezuela (12 kg).
In line with increased consumer focus on well-being and health, organic, gluten-free and other specialty varieties have grown by 12%.
AIDEPI secretary-general Luigi Cristiano Laurenza said the key to success in an increasingly competitive marketplace is for the pasta industry to focus on quality and innovation.
© 2018 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Branislav Pekic. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine.


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Last Thursday, Deloitte announced the annual ranking of the 50 fastest growing tech companies in the Netherlands. No less than 8 companies in the ranking are based in Groningen and this is the fifth year in a row where Groningen as a city is in second place.
The Deloitte Fast50 is one of the leading rankings for fast growing tech companies in the world. Nominated companies have to be founded at least four years ago and the selection is based on the percentage of revenue growth in the past four years. This year was the 17th edition of the annual ranking, celebrating extraordinary achievements of tech companies.
Payt (11th place, 909% growth)
One of the ten Deloitte Rising Stars in 2015, invoicing platform Payt has more than 8.000 clients and the proud main sponsor of the FC Groningen soccer team.
Nova Incasso (16th place, 764% growth)
Collection agency Nova Incasso also won a FD Gazelle Award for fastest growing company of the Northern Netherlands last year.
Parkos (29th place, 490% growth)
Parkos is a platform where you can compare and book your airport parking space and this is the first year they made it onto Deloitte’s ranking.
Embrace SBS (34th place, 448% growth)
The social company software platform Embrace SBS is featured for the third year in a row.
Gadero (37th place, 408% growth)
Online wood and furniture shop Gadero has made it to the list for the third time a row. Last year, Gadero was ranked number 9.
EDC Retail (45th place, 295% growth)
EDC Internet from Veendam (Groningen province) is one of the biggest online retailers for erotic toys in Europe, and is also active in China, Oceania and North and South America. Last year, they were ranked 43th).
Brandfield (48th place, 286% growth)
This is the fourth time the online fashion store made it to the Fast50. Last year, the company was ranked 20th. Brandfield was also voted the Most Sustainable Grower 2018 by Deloitte.
Haxo (50th place, 273% growth)
DIY webshop Haxo made it on to the list for the second time. Last year, they were in 37th place.
With a place in the Fast50, competing companies are also automatically in the running for a spot in the EMEA Fast500, to be announced later this year. The EMEA Fast500 ranks the 500 fastest growing companies in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Last year, Catawiki dominated that list as well.


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Mannequins Keep an Eye on Shoppers Using Facial-Recognition Tech
This week's IT security roundup has stories on a new type of mannequin that uses facial-recognition software to give retailers insight into customer behavior; a breach at Nationwide Insurance that exposed personal information on one million people; a police seizure of 132 Internet domains used to sell counterfeit goods; and more.
By Constantine von Hoffman, CIO
The walls may or may not have ears, but now some mannequins have eyes, and they’re spying on shoppers in stores.
Italian-company Almax SpA is selling the EyeSee, a mannequin equipped with facial-recognition technology, to help retailers determine what shoppers like and dislike in stores. A camera in one of the mannequin’s eyes sends data to facial-recognition software, which records the estimated age, gender and race of people in stores.
Five retailers, including Benneton, have used information from the $5,072 devices to adjust window displays, store layouts and promotions to maximize consumer interest. As Bloomberg reports, “a clothier introduced a children’s line after the dummy showed that kids made up more than half its mid-afternoon traffic, the company says. Another store found that a third of visitors using one of its doors after 4 p.m. were Asian, prompting it to place Chinese-speaking staff by that entrance.”
If these things can do all that, maybe “dummy” isn’t the best name for them?
(KrebsOnSecurity) — An online service boldly advertised in the cyber underground lets miscreants hire accomplices in several major U.S. cities to help empty bank accounts, steal tax refunds and intercept fraudulent purchases of high-dollar merchandise.
(ThreatPost) — The International Atomic Energy Agency has confirmed to Reuters that one of its decommissioned servers had been accessed and had data stolen from it. The admission from the United Nations’ nuclear regulatory arm came in response to the publication of some 170 email addresses, apparently belonging to the same number of scientists, showed up in identical entries on Cryptome and the text sharing site Pastebin. The list of email addresses comes alongside a veiled threat to release more information from the compromised server if the IAEA doesn’t investigate nuclear weapons and other activities in Israel.
(SCMagazine) — The FBI is investigating a breach at Nationwide Insurance, where hackers recently accessed the sensitive information of about one million people, including policy and non-policy holders.
(ThreatPost) — Password woes apparently aren’t limited to endpoints. US-CERT issued an advisory Tuesday warning users of Samsung printers, including some Dell printers manufactured by Samsung, that a hardcoded password could enable remote code execution. “Samsung printers contain a hardcoded SNMP full read-write community string that remains active even when SNMP is disabled in the printer management utility,” the CERT advisory said.
(IDG News Service) — U.S. and European agencies have seized 132 domain names that were allegedly used to sell counterfeit merchandise online. The operation on Monday was a joint effort by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, law enforcement agencies from Belgium, Denmark, France, Romania and the U.K., and the European Police Office.
(CSO) — Jeremy Hammond is in really big trouble. Or, perhaps, the government is just trying to “scare the (expletive) out of him,” in the words of Kevin Mitnick, formerly known as the world’s “most-wanted hacker” and now a security consultant. Either way, a potential sentence of 30 years to life for alleged hacking crimes is probably enough to get the attention of most 27-year-olds. And that is what U.S. District Judge Loretta Preska told Hammond last week that he could face if he is convicted on all counts.
(NakedSecurity) — Approximately 200 Romanian cops raided 36 locations this week in an attempt to crack down on a criminal ring which had allegedly made off with half a million Aussie credit card numbers, racking up charges averaging more than $1000 each on 30,000 of them. The police detained 16 people and ultimately arrested seven of them.


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Dale Farm to reward milk quality at Balmoral
Dale Farm ready to reward cream of the crop at Balmoral
The Dale Farm Milk Quality Improvement Awards, sponsored by Ulster Bank, are making a return to the Balmoral Show this year, with six winners across three categories set to be recognised as the cream of the crop.
The awards will measure improvement in milk fat and protein levels over a three-year period, with winners being announced and presented at the show on Thursday 12th May.
Chairman of Dale Farm Fred Allen said: “Our cooperative is owned by hardworking, talented dairy farmers who put their all into their farms year on year. By focusing on improving milk quality, they are building a more sustainable, profitable and successful business and by being part of the Dale Farm cooperative, they are also helping us create the very best consumer dairy products.
“I am particularly glad to be presenting these awards in person once again at the Balmoral Show alongside our valued sponsor, Ulster Bank,” Fred Allen said.
Cormac McKervey, Agricultural Manager, Ulster Bank, sponsors of the awards added: “We are proud to once again be supporting these awards, which reflect the quality of milk throughout Dale Farm’s network of dairy farmers. We have been longstanding sponsors of the Dale Farm Awards at Balmoral and I am always impressed by the level of expertise and commitment to quality displayed.”
The Dale Farm Milk Quality Improvement Awards will feature three categories – ‘over one million litres’, ‘under one million litres’ and ‘new entrant’. There will be one winner and one runner up prize awarded in each category, with a total shared prize fund of £1,500.


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This feature is rolling out for merchants using the checkout system for in-person transactions.
Square Inc (NYSE stock symbol SQ) has announced that it intends to allow CASH APP mobile wallet users to make purchases with the application when shopping in-person with merchants using its payment processing technology.
The company is seeking to boost integration between its consumer and vendor business sides.
The company has announced that users of the mobile wallet will be able to make in-store payments with their application either by scanning the merchant’s Square QR code or by pressing a button that is a part of Square’s app. The new addition to its payment transaction service is being automatically added in a software update. Retail operators updating their software will gain the ability to accept Cash App Pay automatically in this way.
Cash App’s customer base has been asking for in-store payments using Cash App for some time now, and it has been considered a “frequent request”, according to the mobile payment application’s lead Brian Grassadonia in a recent news release. The company also permits users to make purchases with the debit card that is linked to their application by using the balance they have within the app when shopping at retailers.
Square had already been working with the Cash App, having linked its loyalty program to the mobile wallet.
With the combined loyalty programs, it became possible for people who had earned rewards for shopping at retailers using Square to be able to manage those rewards within the Cash App.
“We think one of our superpowers is the fact that not only do we have an ecosystem on the seller side that serves multiple verticals at once but we also have the buyer side in Cash App, and our goal over time is to realize more of these connections,” said Square CEO Jack Dorsey at the close of the earnings call in May.
Analysts loved the move with the mobile wallet, as they tend to find it appealing when companies use connections to enhance their overall potential. This was seen once again in August when Square announced its intentions to amalgamate with Afterpay Ltd, a buy-now-pay-later business.


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Microsoft president Brad Smith is calling for more regulation of tech companies. He said those businesses need to step up and provide more self regulation, but "we do think we need more regulation of technology."
Smith, who has co-written a new book, Tools and Weapons, was appearing on C-SPAN's Communicators series to promote the book and talk about Big Tech in both those contexts. "The world has questions and we need to answer them," he said.
Computer giants, though mostly the edge providers like Facebook and Google, have been under intense scrutiny in D.C. over their size and power.
Smith said that digital technology has gone longer with less regulation than almost any other technology since the 1800s. "We think that the market, customers and even industry itself would be better served, for the long term, with a different balance."
Some critics of more regulation of tech say Washington doesn't have the computer smarts to get that right.
He said that given that the government is able to regulate airplanes, which are basically computers with wings, and cars, which are basically computers with wheels: "We have people in Washington who are perfectly capable of regulating computers that don't move at all." He said in the balance of rules and self-regulation, he would like to see a "healthy dose" of the former.
Smith said his company would like to see a strong national privacy law, and has been advocating for that for years. He gave a shout out to California's new privacy law, which he said was a good thing, at least in terms of bringing the debate to Washington.
In the next decade, that privacy pact needs to become global, he said. Smith said he was "pretty enthusiastic" about the EU's General Data Protection Rules (GDPR), an enthusiasm not shared by some others in the tech sector.
Smith conceded that his company is not involved with monetizing data as the big edge players, but he said that his company's support of privacy regs stems from its belief that the market works best, and companies in it, will succeed the most if consumers have confidence.
Another area where laws are needed, he said, is AI and facial recognition, which he called one of the big issues of this decade, where a government can use cameras and computers and facial recognition to identify everyone who walks down the street. "A very important question in the U.S. is when should law enforcement be able to use this technology, say, to follow you everywhere you go. We would say probably by getting a search warrant from a court." In any event, that needs to be a debate that is happening now, he said.
Asked about the cost of securing its services, Smith said Microsoft spends a billion dollars a year on security for its cloud data centers, including on 3,000 engineers. He said the most cybersecurity attacks have been coming from Russia, North Korea and Iran, especially ones on civilian infrastructure and electoral processes.
Smith said Microsoft wants to participate in the Chinese economy in a thoughtful way that is focused on national security and human rights. In his book, Smith said his company does evaluate a company on many things, including concerns about corruption risks and human rights, before opening a data center.
Microsoft does put data centers in China, but not its consumer services. For example outlook.com is not in China because, Smith said, "we don't feel we can strike the right balance in terms of human rights."
The interview airs on C-SPAN Saturday, Feb. 1, at 6:30 p.m. ET and on C-SPAN2 Monday, Feb. 3, at 8 a.m. and 8 p.m.
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Contributing editor John Eggerton has been an editor and/or writer on media regulation, legislation and policy for over four decades, including covering the FCC, FTC, Congress, the major media trade associations, and the federal courts. In addition to Multichannel News and Broadcasting + Cable, his work has appeared in Radio World, TV Technology, TV Fax, This Week in Consumer Electronics, Variety and the Encyclopedia Britannica.


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A customer purchases Powerball lottery tickets for the estimated $550 million jackpot prize, Powerball's biggest winnings ever, at a convenience store in Washington on Monday.
Powerball fever is raising the size of tonight's jackpot again - to at least $550 million.
With less than 12 hours to go before drawing, the Multi-State Lottery Association added at least $50 million to the jackpot. It stood at $325 million Saturday and rose to $500 million Tuesday, with hopefuls snapping up $2 tickets at a rate of more than 100,000 a minute.
MSLA director Chuck Strutt says today's sales will "easily" push the $550 million jackpot higher. ...


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Snapchat by Snap Inc. is taking the NFT initiative by enabling artists and collectors to showcase their digital collectables as AR filters. According to a Financial Times report, the corporation intends to launch this trial in August with a select group of producers.
The company will use a separate platform where artists will mint their NFTs and then import them to Snapchat Lenses to become AR filters. Snapchat already has this import feature that enables artists to create AR filters independently. Still, with the non-fungible token feature, the collectors can utilize it as AR filters instead of just keeping them in their wallets.
Like Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook, Snap will not charge creators for showing their NFTs. Instead, the company is considering how artists themselves can make money from their creations.
Meta would be Snap’s main competition in the crypto market because the company has already announced its plans to use its own SparkAR technology to bring AR effects into the “real world”. In addition, Stephane Kasriel, the head of fintech at Meta, stated the company’s goal in one interview:
We want to build a market for digital collectibles that can be utilized in the metaverse.Stephane Kasriel, the head of fintech at Meta
The concept of digital ownership is quite exciting because digital artists can finally sell their artwork without the fear of being plagiarized or used inappropriately. Conveniently, this would help Snap strengthen its message to investors that it is working on additional revenue-generating ideas to complement or offset any ups and downs it may experience in the advertising market.


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New figures show that grocery sales in Ireland increased by 23.2% during the 12 weeks to July 12, as Irish brands like Barry's Tea, Keelings, Kelkin and Keogh's all experienced a sales boost.
Kantar said that three months of increased spending meant an additional €577.7m passed through supermarket tills.
Today's figures show that shoppers are continuing to treat themselves at home, with sales of savoury snacks and confectionery up 45% and 35% respectively in the most recent 12 weeks.
Kantar said that in an uncertain time, people looked to tried and trusted favourites to provide their stay-at-home comforts with brands outpacing own-label alternatives.
An additional €345m was spent on household names in the latest three months, it added.
Sales of alcohol in supermarkets grew by 76% in the latest 12-week period despite the re-opening of restaurants and some pubs.
Kantar also noted that as many people attend fewer social gatherings, as well as continuing to work from home, deodorant sales are down 15% compared with the same time last year.
Sales of sun cream also sank by 66% as international travel was off the agenda for most people.
But Kantar said it was seeing signs that shoppers are tentatively beginning to return to pre-lockdown behaviour as restrictions were eased and non-essential retail was reopened in the latest four week period.
Emer Healy, retail analyst at Kantar, said that some people are cautiously return to pre-Covid habits.
"Grocery sales growth over the latest four weeks slowed to 17.8% as shoppers started to spend less on food for their fridge and more on eating and drinking out," she said.
Meanwhile, online grocery sales soared by 123% year on year as the pandemic continued to encourage demand for online shopping.
"It goes without saying that lockdown had a major role to play in driving more shoppers to try online grocery shopping, and it looks like the boom is set to continue. An additional 75,000 shoppers purchased groceries online over the past 12 weeks, contributing €38.9m to the channel," Emer Healy said.
Today's figures also reveal that SuperValu maintained the biggest market share of the grocery sector for the fourth month in a row and saw sales rise by 30.9%. It remained the only major grocer not to experience reduced footfall in the latest 12 weeks.
Tesco's typically larger stores allowed it to capitalise on bigger trolley shops and it grew by 20.7% to hold a 21.1% share of the market.
Building on its traditional strengths, Dunnes recorded the highest spend per buyer of all the grocers as shoppers parted with an additional €12.24 per trip on average and continued to increase their trip sizes. The retailer recorded growth of 14.6% to give it a market share of 20.3% .


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Go back just 10 years and most bosses of big businesses would have said that their primary responsibility was to increase shareholder value. Fast forward to today and there has been a dramatic shift, with the majority taking a broader view of their purpose so that they serve the interests of all their stakeholders.
In a survey of more than 700 UK company directors by business organisation the Institute of Directors, 62 per cent stated that they believed that businesses should not exist solely to make money and generate shareholder profits, and almost half felt that companies should have a stated social purpose to help solve problems in society. More than 9 out of 10 businesses have a purpose, mission, or vision that guides themselves and their companies.
Amin Aboushagor, Policy Advisor at the Institute of Directors, comments: “Corporate purpose has taken on a greater emphasis during the pandemic, particularly seeing how many businesses grappled with the challenges posed by COVID-19.
“The way that customers, employees, suppliers, and other important stakeholders are treated matters, and their views and interests must be considered alongside that of shareholders. In this new business world, we encourage directors to reconsider the purpose of their companies and the societal problems that they seek to solve.”
While the changes in sentiment indicate a trend for the long-term, a sizeable proportion of UK directors aren’t on board with the move away from a pure financial focus. One in five (22 per cent) agree that the sole purpose of a company is to make money and generate shareholder profits.
The IoD is supporting the Better Business Act campaign, which seeks to place stakeholders at the heart of companies, with 51% of directors believing that the Companies Act focuses too much on shareholders and not enough on stakeholders. The campaign would amend Section 172 of the Companies Act 2006 so that companies are legally obligated to operate in a manner that benefits their stakeholders, including workers, customers, communities and the environment, while seeking to deliver profits for shareholders.


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Why in News?
The Finance Minister has announced the launch of Mega Investment Textiles Parks (MITRA) Scheme.
About Mega Investment Textiles Parks (MITRA) Scheme
- Aim: The scheme aims to enable the textile industry to become globally competitive and boost exports. The scheme also aims to boost employment generation within the textile sector and also attract large investment.
- Main Features of the Scheme:
- The scheme was launched in addition to the Production Linked Incentive(PLI) Scheme
- Under the scheme, there is a plan to establish Seven textile parks over three years.
- These textile parks will have a world-class infrastructure. They will also have plug-and-play facilities (business facilities will be available ready-made) to help create global champions in exports in the textile sector.
- Significance: The scheme will create a level-playing field for domestic manufacturers in the international textiles market. It will also pave the way for India to become a global champion of textiles exports across all segments.
- Indian textile sector is the sixth-largest exporter of textiles and apparel in the world.
- The industry is also among the top employers in the country providing direct employment to 45 million people and 60 million people in allied industries.


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BEIJING, Nov. 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — A news report by China.org.cn: A thematic study on practical new technologies and the latest practices in empowering agricultural value chain development.
“Sci-Tech Empowering Rural Transformation 2022 Report: Digital Technology Empowers Agricultural Value Chain Development” was released at the 2022 International Forum on Digital Technology Empowering Rural Transformation, which was held online on Nov. 25. The report outlines and summarises development trends associated with science and technology-powered transformation in rural areas, practical new techniques and technologies, and select best practices, with a special emphasis on those that are innovative, sustainable, and applicable to developing countries.
The report suggests that digital agriculture, and especially smart agricultural machinery, can effectively optimise operations such as planting and harvesting; facilitate precision application of seed, fertiliser, and pesticide; reduce grain loss and harm to human health; control non-point source pollution; conserve energy and reduce carbon emissions; and address other problems via unmanned operations and notes that the approach can, therefore, “greatly improve labour productivity, yields, and resource utilisation and promote sustainable development of agriculture.”
The report highlights the key role that digital technology plays in the bolstering of agricultural value chain development, observing that this type of development is mostly reflected in supply chain development, brand building, and digitalisation of production, supply, and sales in eastern China and that capacity building and training and digitally powered smallholder value chain development consolidate China’s poverty reduction efforts and thus lay a solid foundation for rural vitalisation in western China.
It also notes that promoting rural development with digital finance “cannot be achieved overnight” and that the endeavour is a “gradual process that moves towards overall financial inclusion with advances in digital infrastructure and digital technology and pertinent government policies that requires necessary conditions to be met and various problems and challenges to be taken into account.”
China Internet Information Center (CIIC), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Representation in China, the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) China Office, World Food Programme (WFP) China, and the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific – Centre for Sustainable Agricultural Mechanization (ESCAP-CSAM) initiated the project that led to the publication of the “Sci-Tech Empowering Rural Transformation 2022 Report,” and it was compiled by CIIC, FAO Representation in China, the IFAD China Office, WFP China Centre of Excellence, ESCAP-CSAM, AliResearch and the Chinese Academy of Financial Inclusion.
Robert Walker, professor at Beijing Normal University’s School of Sociology and fellow at the U.K.’s Academy of Social Sciences, said that digital agricultural mechanization and precision agriculture, together with digital technology to support e-commerce and digital finance, fundamentally have the capacity to enhance the ecology of the rural economy. However, “digital advance needs to be accompanied by sustained improvements in the physical, social, and policy infrastructure to ensure inevitable inequities introduced by digitization can be readily rectified.”
“Your dedication in studying and researching agri-food-related technologies is key to driving rural transformation, agricultural value chain development, and rural economies and [supporting] communities and natural resource management that we need,” Siddharth Chatterjee, United Nations resident coordinator in China, expressed during the event, referring to all of the parties that have been involved with the report. “More significantly, your efforts are also aimed at engineering South-South and triangular cooperation in the subject area, thus promoting agricultural and rural development in other developing countries. This well illustrated the value proposition of UN agencies in China.”
Participants also touched on the FAO’s Digital Village Initiative, which entails promoting digital innovations in rural communities in order to boost livelihoods, wellbeing and social cohesion. With many possibilities related to the application and harnessing of digital innovations and services coming into existence, the concept is not wedded to any fixed pathway or approach.
“The FAO is implementing the Digital Villages Initiative globally in order to support the sustainable development of agri-food systems through digital agriculture, digital services for farmers and rural digital transformation,” Carlos Watson, FAO representative to China, said in an interview with China.org.cn. “So far, 10 Chinese case studies have been recognized.”
“The FAO will work with the Chinese government, to exchange China’s Digital Village experience and good practices in the Asia-Pacific region and globally through South-South and triangular cooperation,” he concluded.
Qu Sixi, WFP representative to China, revealed that this report is an excellent demonstrator of the value and role of digital technology empowerment in rural development in China. “Digital technology empowers production to be more efficient, markets to be more integrated and financial services to be more convenient. It plays a significant role in promoting China’s rural value chain construction and generates a good effect on China’s poverty reduction, which can provide stories of success for other developing countries.” He continued, “The WFP China Centre of Excellence is focusing on digital South-South cooperation to promote the application, demonstration and dissemination of digital technologies in South-South cooperation so that more farmers in developing countries can benefit from digital technology development and progress.”
Discussing integration with China’s Digital Village strategy, Sun Yinhong, Country Program Officer of IFAD China, mentioned that IFAD is dedicated to improving digital-based financial service for farmers and rural small and micro businesses through financial education, value chain financing with banks and other financial institutions, digital credit models based on digital agriculture scenarios, weather index insurance, and assistance with the development of digital financial services models and products to various financial institutions at the forum.
“IFAD will also support China’s Digital Village development and promote the application of modern information technologies, such as 5G, cloud technology, the IoTs, and big data, in agricultural and rural management,” Sun remarked in an interview with China.org.cn.
“China and other countries in the Asia-Pacific region can share the latest advancements in digital agriculture and smart agricultural machinery and equipment and promote their application in order to harness data and information and treat them as core elements of food production when engaging in South-South and triangular cooperation,” Li Yutong, head of ESCAP-CSAM, noted in relation to the great potential of digital technology in rural transformation in an interview with China.org.cn. “This will help strengthen the capacity and resilience of countries in the region to ensure food security, boost poverty reduction and address climate change.”
Tan Chongjun, deputy director of AliResearch, stated, “We hope more countries will find their own digital development paths. In light of their prevailing conditions, developing countries can learn useful international experiences from China and other countries, adopt extensive public policies to incentive sustainable and inclusive growth, pour more investment in logistics and IT infrastructure and human capital to narrow the digital divide, forge sound cooperation between the public and private sectors, give full attention to the role of digitalization and online business in rural innovation and entrepreneurship, encourage mass entrepreneurship and innovation, and let more people share the dividends of digitalization.”
“CIIC has been very active in the field of international communication in areas such as poverty reduction and rural development over the past few years,” Wang Xiaohui, the organisation’s editor-in-chief said. “This report is our latest attempt in communicating China’s rural vitalisation experiences with international audiences.”
“Looking ahead, CIIC will continue to promote China’s campaign of boosting rural development with technology and promote the exchange of experience among developing countries through knowledge sharing by making full use of its comprehensive multi-lingual, multi-platform media advantages,” he added.
2022 International Forum on Digital Technology Empowering Rural Transformation was co-hosted by CIIC, FAO Representation in China, the IFAD China Office, WFP China, and ESCAP-CSAM, and academic support was provided by AliResearch, the Chinese Academy of Financial Inclusion, and the School of Languages and Communication Studies, Beijing Jiaotong University.
Sci-Tech Empowering Rural Transformation Report 2022: Digital Technology Empowers Agricultural Value Chain Development