The Knowledge to Decide

Singapore’s online retail market grew from SGD717 million in 2010 to about SGD1.08 billion in 2014, and is projected to reach SGD2.06 billion by 2019. Will traditional retailers change their business strategies in response? Japnit Singh, Senior Director of Spire Research and Consulting, Singapore and India, shared his insights on Channel News Asia – Today Online. As online retail continues to record increasing sales in Singapore, traditional retailers are struggling to keep up with the fierce competition. As the retail sector is a major component of Singapore’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), this results in money and tax revenue flowing out of the Republic, since e-commerce is dominated by overseas merchants. Many Singaporeans now prefer online shopping. Singh highlighted that out of the estimated SGD4.5 billion generated in the e-commerce space, 55% involves cross-border transactions. The obvious benefits include Goods and Services Tax (GST) savings as well as lower prices, b

Satellite technology is gaining ground in Asia. Asia-Pacific satellite telecommunications revenues hit USD 2.9 billion in 2014 – a quarter of global revenue. Japnit Singh, Senior Director for Singapore and India of Spire Research and Consulting, shared his insights on this growing industry with China Daily – Asia Weekly. Whether it is commuters in Hong Kong’s subway reading their daily news on smartphones or farmers across rural regions in Asia using mobile phones for banking, ordering fertilizer or selling crops, satellite-based data transmission has penetrated everyday life. With the rise of the middle-class in Southeast Asia (SEA), demand for more digital content on phones, home TV screens and at offices is skyrocketing. The demand for satellites is coming both from emerging markets such as Myanmar and Cambodia as well as more mature markets such as Malaysia and Indonesia. Singh highlighted that Direct-to-Home (DTH) satellite broadcasting is set to drive growth for Asi

44 million people are being added to Southeast Asia’s urban population each year. As motor vehicle populations keep doubling every 5 to 7 years, what measures are being taken to tackle traffic congestion? Japnit Singh, Senior Director, Singapore and India of Spire Research and Consulting shared his insights in China Daily – Asia Weekly. Southeast Asia’s middle-class continues to boom, fuelling car population increases despite the relative lack of infrastructure. According to the Asian Development Bank, the region’s major cities suffer from some of the highest air pollution levels globally – as much as 80 per cent being attributable to road transport. Singh cautioned that building roads is not a solution, as this region faces severe practical limitations and escalating costs due to shortage of land in urban areas. In Bangkok for example, roads have the capacity for two million motor vehicles whereas five million ply the city’s roads each day. This has led to the military g

With the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) coming into play, established lubricant suppliers expect a boost in the automotive sector. How will the AEC bloc impact the lubricant industry? Japnit Singh, Senior Director of Spire Research and Consulting, shared his insights on key trends in Lube Report Asia’s magazine. With the establishment of AEC due this year – it signifies a major step towards a free-trade zone. This 10-nation bloc will ensure free movement of goods and services, investment, flow of capital and skilled labor. At the same time, Singh remarked that slashes in high duties (up to 30-40 %) on automotive sector will result in increased demand for lubricant oil – forecasted to reach 3.5 billion liters by 2016. As a result, it is expected to lead to greater demand for Japanese automobiles that are assembled in Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand. Furthermore, such developments could make ASEAN the world’s fifth-largest auto market as demand for automobiles continue to