The Knowledge to Decide

As 44 million Internet users are added each year in China, cash transactions might become obsolete. Consumers are increasingly using third party mobile payment apps for online transactions. Leon Perera, Chief Executive Officer of Spire Research and Consulting, shared his insights on this trend in China Daily – Asia Weekly. A majority of e-commerce purchases in China are now made using mobile devices. Last year, 527 million transactions took place using online payment platforms accessed via smartphones. Perera observed that the m-commerce market is an indicator of China’s rising consumption as well as the surge in smartphone penetration. The growth potential is immense, especially in third and fourth tier cities where consumer credit is rising. Internet giants in China such as Tencent and Alibaba still dominate the m-commerce market. Consumers now prefer Point-of-Sale mobile payments as a safer and more convenient option than cash, with service providers like Alipay, Pay a

Blockchain is set to go beyond financial services and affect all sectors, especially retail. Blockchain enables a decentralized digital ledger to record information and transactions on a shared online network. In Australia, this technology will soon enable consumers to scan a product and check the actual journey from farm to store shelf, alongside product quality. Can the internet of things plus Blockchain revolutionize retail supply chains? https://www.spireresearch.com/newsroom/spirethoughts/blockchain-technology-is-set-to-hit-retail-sector/

The future of retail seems to be here. E-commerce giant Amazon has launched Amazon Go – a new grocery store concept with no checkout process. The order is posted to the customer’s Amazon account address later via a mobile application. The store is spread across a 1,800 square foot area. It offers pre-made snacks, fresh meals as well as grocery goods like bread, cheese and milk. As you grab what you need, the Amazon Go app adds the items without the hassle of a check-in line. The detection technology of Amazon Go works on the basis of computer vision, sensor fusion and deep learning. The first store in Seattle is open to Amazon employees for further testing and would open to the public in early 2017. Is retail ready to become mobile app based? https://www.spireresearch.com/newsroom/spirethoughts/no-more-check-out-lines-at-stores/

Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently moved ahead to demonetize high-value currencies in November 2016 in a calculated approach to eradicate black money from the country. INR500 and INR1,000 notes became invalid – these account for 86% of currency in circulation. Amidst the immediate effect on consumption, sectors incurring major setbacks include real estate, construction, jewelry, high-end retail, travel and tourism. However, the long-term economic benefits include higher tax revenues that will create a better business environment with higher transparency and minimized corruption. Banks will see large inflows. Inflation may trend lower leading to drop in interest rates. Are there unforeseen ramifications of demonetization in India? https://www.spireresearch.com/newsroom/spirethoughts/demonetization-in-india/

As more users explore e-shopping and e-payment options, retailers are transforming the online e-shopping experience in Indonesia. Jeffrey Bahar, Group Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the Spire Research and Consulting group, was honored to be a guest speaker at GATES Indonesia ICT Reseller Channel Summit 2017 on e-commerce opportunities in Indonesia. In his presentation, Bahar shared his insights on the growth of modern retail turnover in Indonesia, focusing on consumer trends and the e-payment eco-system. Bahar mentioned that the growth of modern retail for 2017 was 10%, contributing 5.4% to Gross Domestic Product (GDP). With 88.1 million internet users in 2016 (34% of Indonesia’s population), the number of Indonesian online shoppers grew from 7.4 million in 2015 to 8.7 million in 2016. Methods used to pay for on-demand services in 2016 were cash (69%), e-money via applications (28%) and credit cards (12.46%). Bahar’s presentation deck on “E-commerce in Ind

As dependence on big data and analytics grows, so does the risk of IT security breaches. The imperative for companies and governments to protect their IT systems has never been stronger. IT security today is a USD60 billion industry with the U.S. at its forefront. As the number of threats increases, will our existing IT security tools be enough to hold the line? The IT security industry is poised for growth. Its core product offerings continue to perform well: firewalls, anti-malware, authentication and encryption, plus 80 other product categories. Investors in the US are bullish about this sector. They ploughed USD3 billion into IT security companies between 2011 and 2013, eventually funding some 300 firms. The most recent instance of a wildly destructive IT threat was the Heartbleed bug, discovered in April 2014. It left 600,000 servers vulnerable. The Achilles heel it exploited was the Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) or Transport Layer Security (TLS) – an encryption technology

400 million Chinese consumers make online purchases and China’s e-commerce market is set to reach USD1.57 trillion by 2018, making it the world’s largest. As smartphone penetration continues to surge in Asia, online retail is evolving. Will mobile commerce become the dominant mode for online purchases in Asia? Japnit Singh, Senior Director at Spire Research and Consulting, shared his insights in China Daily – Asia Weekly. China’s e-commerce retail sales in 2015 increased by 42.1% to reach USD672 billion. This is equivalent to over 40% of global e-commerce retail sales. As the online retail experience continues to evolve, more purchases are made using smartphones. Growth factors responsible for this e-commerce boom include the rise in demand for imported products due to rising incomes, new online platforms and initiatives by the government. Cross-border consumer e-commerce added up to about USD40 billion (in 2015) – more than 6% of China’s consumer e-commerce in total.

The ASEAN region will see double-digit growth for e-commerce. Indonesia has the highest retail sales in ASEAN at USD469 billion and is expected to see robust e-commerce growth. Jeffrey Bahar, Deputy Chief Executive Office of Spire Research and Consulting group, highlighted the growth potential and key opportunities present in this sector during his presentation at the third Annual South East Asia Retail Expansion Summit in October 2015. The number of online shoppers in Indonesia is set to reach 8.7 million in 2016. Indonesia boasts of being among the top six retail e-commerce markets with a total retail value at USD1.3 billion (in 2013). Bahar mentioned that 51% of Indonesian online shoppers fall in the 21-27 age category where free shipping, exclusive deals, product warranty and safe payment methods are strong motivators. Key growth categories are books (22%) and fashion products (20.5%). Nonetheless, challenges remain. Barriers that need to be addressed to promote Indon

Indonesia boasts 90 million internet users with online retail sales of USD2.6 billion in 2014. The e-commerce boom has fed robust growth in express courier services. Recognizing this trend, the Indonesia Supply Chain & Logistics Summit 2015 gathered industry leaders and government officials to discuss key industry trends, opportunities and challenges. Jeffrey Bahar, Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the Spire Research and Consulting group, was invited as a guest speaker at the Supply Chain & Logistics Summit 2015. In his presentation, Bahar highlighted Indonesia’s booming e-commerce industry, focusing on the surge in the express courier services market. Bahar mentioned that outsourced/contract logistics services in Indonesia are worth approximately USD29 billion, with more than 2,500 players in 2015. The industry is supported by growth in Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and domestic consumption. At the same time, Indonesia’s e-commerce market continues to shine. A po