The Knowledge to Decide

Spire Research and Consulting group’s Deputy Chief Executive Officer Jeffrey Bahar was honored to be appointed as moderator at the Internet Retailing EXPO Indonesia 2018, organized by Clarion Events. The summit was held on 26 October 2017 in Jakarta. It discussed growth opportunities for Indonesia’s online grocery sector. Jeffrey Bahar, Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the Spire Research and Consulting group, moderated the discussion panel on measuring the growth of e-commerce for Food & Beverage brands in Indonesia. The growth of online grocery sales in Indonesia and comparison to Southeast Asia markets were discussed, with retail giants such as PepsiCo, Nestlé Indonesia and Mondelēz International sharing their insights. https://www.spireresearch.com/newsroom/events/spire-moderates-session-on-indonesias-online-grocery-at-the-internet-retailing-expo-indonesia-2018/

Spire was honored to participate in the second webinar series organized by Global Supply Chain Council (GSCC) as a guest speaker. The webinar was held on 20 December, 2017 in Hong Kong. Jeffrey Bahar, Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the Spire Research and Consulting group shared his insights on cross-border e-commerce challenges and trends for payment and logistics transactions across Southeast Asia. In his presentation, Bahar shared his insights on potential of cross-border e-commerce transactions in South-East Asia, with a focus on challenges involving payment and logistics issues. Bahar mentioned that the e-commerce market represents potential for growth due to the rise in internet users across ASEAN-6 countries (Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand and the Philippines) as of 2016. Product purchases (in millions) were highest for Vietnam (33.26), the Philippines (30.34) and Indonesia (24.74) with clothing, accessories as well as footwear amongst the top 5 p

Spire Singapore hosted its second Client Entertainment Night of the year. Our business associates and partners joined us for a dinner reception followed by the movie screening of “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” – the eight episode of the Star Wars saga. The event was held at Cathay Cineleisure Orchard. It was an opportunity for everyone to let their hair down and take a break from the office. In the movie, Daisy Ridley (Rey) develops her newly discovered abilities with Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) trying to establish contact with the Jedi legend – unsettled by the strength of Daisy’s powers. Meanwhile, the Resistance – led by Carrie Fisher (Leia) – prepares for battle with the First Order. The highly anticipated blockbuster, the good food and even better company made for a great evening enjoyed by all. https://www.spireresearch.com/newsroom/events/spire-client-entertainment-night-december-2017/

A boom in Halal tourism and a conscious effort to eat healthier has helped to lift Halal product revenues. The appeal of Halal products is broadening to some groups of non-Muslim consumers. Will the Halal market keep on expanding in the Gulf region? Saurabh Sharma, Country Director, India for Spire Research and Consulting, shared his insights in the Food & Beverage News magazine. The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), with its six-member country states, makes up a significant and rising share of the global Halal product market, which is estimated to reach USD1.9 trillion by 2021. The Halal market initially focused on food and beverages products but now rapid expansion is visible in cosmetics, pharmaceutical and personal care sectors. The drivers of growth in the Halal food market include the trend towards a protein-rich diet in countries seeing a rising middle-class, advances in food technology, Halal tourism and the emergence of new online marketplaces. Saurabh

As Singapore continues its drive to promote cashlessness, automated tray return systems might soon become a regular sight at hawker centers. Customers will be asked to make cash deposits which are refundable when they return their trays. Would customers be willing to accept digital refunds? Japnit Singh, Deputy Chief Executive Officer at Spire Research and Consulting, shared his viewpoint, published in Today Online’s news portal. Automated tray return systems could be rolled out across 25 hawker centers. Patrons going to hawker centers such as the ones in Marsiling Mall and Bukit Merah will have to shell out cash to make deposits of SGD0.50 and SG1 respectively for each tray they take. These deposits would be refunded upon the return of the tray. In a separate development, Ez-Link cardholders can also use their cards to pay for drinks and food at 1,000 stalls in over 30 hawker centers from April. An integrated cashless hawker center experience may entice customers to

With the global e-learning market expected to reach revenues of USD107 billion by 2015, education over the internet has become easily accessible. Demand for e-learning is growing rapidly, as a function of changes in the skills mix needed for cutting edge industries. Is the internet bound to change the way we learn? What is e-learning? Electronic learning or e-learning refers to computer-enhanced learning. The concept of e-learning evolved from the idea of computer-assisted instruction. A prominent example of computer-assisted instruction is the PLATO system – developed at the Urbana Campus at The University of Illinois since 1960. This system was further enhanced, leading to the emergence of content-based learning through software. The popularity of online education continues to soar due to population growth, the availability of e-learning platforms as well as increased global internet penetration. The number of internet users increased tenfold from 1999 to 2013. In the Asian

Among global food product categories, Halal food is one of the few that is in the fast-growth stage. The global Halal food market is currently worth nearly USD700 billion – with 65 per cent of the demand coming from Asia. Opportunities abound – but how can companies best address them? Halal certification The literal meaning of the Arabic word ‘Halal’ is permissible. It is used in reference to food and drinks that are permissible for Muslims under Islamic Law, as defined in the Koran. It lays down instructions specifying what food can be consumed as well as the method of preparation, addressing mostly meat items and animal tissue. For example, the Islamic form of slaughtering animals involves killing by a cut to the windpipe, carotid artery and jugular vein. Muslim consumers now contribute to a growing demand for high quality and varied Halal food. The Halal certification is a concern for the 1.6 billion global Muslim population because many Muslims live in non-Muslim majority