February 13, 2019 Flash Report Register for Free Access Ocado’s First Fully Automated Distribution Center Destroyed by Fire, Threatening Confidence in Its Robotics OfferingFire devastated UK online grocery retailer and technology provider Ocado Group’s first robotic distribution center in Andover, England, which handled 10% of total capacity.
February 12, 2019 Insight Report Premium New Retail Briefing #3: Walmart China Eyes Retail Innovation; A.S. Watson and Unilever Agree to New Retail PartnershipsWalmart China launched the Omega8 initiative in January 2019 to serve as a proof of concept (POC) platform that lets tech startups test newly designed technology applications in a real retail environment. Walmart reported over 50 startups signed up for the initiative. Walmart will train these companies in a variety of retail operation skills. Walmart said its existing 400 offline stores in China will act as testing grounds for startup technology before rolling out to mass market. This Omega8 initiative shows Walmart’s ambition of leveraging tech startups for its own digital innovation, and understanding of the Chinese market. Ben Hassing, Senior Vice President of Walmart China said, “Walmart has worked with many technology startups not only to propel our business in China, but also to understand the Chinese market and China in greater depth.”
February 11, 2019 Insight Report Premium Understanding the Asian Retail Market, Including Eight Insights from China: Deborah Weinswig’s CES 2019 PresentationSummary of the presentation given by Deborah Weinswig, CEO and Founder of Coresight Research, at CES Las Vegas on January 9, 2019, focusing on eight things people can learn from China.
February 7, 2019 Insight Report Premium Digital Red Packet Transactions for Chinese New Year Continue to Be Popular in 2019China’s UnionPay, a financial services network which processes payments made via WeChat, Baidu and other applications, saw interbank payment and settlement transactions reach ¥261.7 billion yuan (US$39 billion) on Chinese New Year’s Eve, up 81.3% year over year, according to Shanghai Securities News. The media outlet also said the average response time per transaction processed by China UnionPay was 220 milliseconds, and there were no failed transactions.
February 6, 2019 Company Earnings Update Register for Free Access Ocado Group (LSE: OCDO) FY18 Results: EBITDA Slides Due to Technology Investments and New Distribution Center OpeningThe company said in 2018 it signed international partnerships with Sobeys, ICA and Kroger to develop the Ocado Smart Platform in Canada, Sweden and the U.S. respectively. Management said that its partnerships are making “good progress.” Bon Preu launched its online offer in Catalonia in November; Groupe Casino continues building its first CFC in the south of Paris; Sobeys has also started building its first CFC site in the greater Toronto area; and Kroger has planned its first three CFCs out of a total of 20 CFCs within three years. In the U.K., Ocado has started to fulfill customer orders for Morrisons from its new facility at Erith.
February 1, 2019 Event Coverage Register for Free Access Insights from the 2019 WeChat Pro Conference: Boosting Mini Apps and Personalizing Red EnvelopesEveryone gives away money in small red envelopes called hong bao at the Chinese New Year, and WeChat is launching new features to help users personalize this feature. Traditionally, hong bao are delivered in person, handed directly to the recipient, but in recent years this has gone digital: WeChat says about ¥3 billion was sent by WeChat in 2015 — but that figure climbed to ¥46 billion in just two years.
January 29, 2019 Insight Report Premium New Retail Briefing # 2: Alibaba Steps Up Partnerships, NetEase Kaola Opens Flagship StoreAlibaba launched the “A100 Strategic Partnership” program in January 2019 to help partner brands digitalize by giving them access to resources within its ecosystem so participating brands can access Alibaba services in 11 areas to enhance online-offline business integration. Alibaba will also assign a dedicated team to serve each participating brand.
January 29, 2019 Flash Report Register for Free Access Legacy UK Retailers Tesco and Marks & Spencer Think Radically to Expand Margins and Revive Revenue GrowthIn a press release on January 29, Tesco confirmed plans to close fresh-food counters in around 90 stores, with 700 further stores retaining a “full or flexible” counter offer. It will also simplify stock management at store level, close store canteens and make job cuts at its head office. The company estimates that up to 9,000 roles could be impacted but it expects up to half of these people could be redeployed.
January 28, 2019 Deep Dive Free Report 10 Retail Trends for 2019: Get Ready for Retail ReinventionGet ready for better stores and better retailing. We expect 2019 to be a year of reinvention — and not just for the retail sector as a whole, but for physical stores in particular. As we outline over the following pages, we anticipate that the year will be marked by spectacular retail, fast retail and smart retail.
January 25, 2019 Insight Report Premium 10 Trends for China E-Commerce 2019We expect 2019 will be a dynamic year for e-commerce in China. Consumers have high expectations and competition is stiffening. Here are 10 trends we think will shape China’s e-commerce landscape in 2019:
January 24, 2019 Flash Report Register for Free Access JD.com Takes Flight in Indonesia with Drone Delivery TrialJD.com’s drone delivery is the first time a Chinese drone has been used for delivery in Southeast Asia, and is also the first time the Indonesian government has granted permission to use a drone for logistics purpose.
January 23, 2019 Event Coverage Register for Free Access AI Creates Smarter Living: Takeaways from the TechLIFEStyle Conference in Hong KongThe Coresight Research team attended TechLIFEStyle conference, part of StartmeupHK, held in Hong Kong January 22, 2019. StartmeupHK is an initiative launched by InvestHK to promote Hong Kong as a startup destination, connecting entrepreneurs and investors. The theme of the event was “living smarter, living better,” looking at how lifestyle technology can be woven into everyday life. These are some highlights of the event.
January 22, 2019 Insight Report Premium Chinese New Year Preview: Year of the Pig Celebrations to be Worth ¥1 Trillion to Retail as Digital Gifting and Traveling Continue to Go BigRetail and food-service sales during Chinese New Year grew steadily from 2011 to 2018. During the 2018 Chinese New Year Golden Week (February 15-21), retail sales reached ¥926 billion (about $146 billion), 10.2 % higher than the same period in 2017 —and more than double what it was in 2011, according to Ministry of Commerce statistics.
January 18, 2019 Deep Dive Premium US Digital Payments Take Off, with Unexpected Winners and LosersThe digital payments landscape is evolving rapidly as consumers and merchants adopt more innovative modes of payments. Cash is declining worldwide, while credit and debit cards have gained popularity. Mobile payment and wallet services are also gaining traction, supported by growing smartphone use, faster data rates and greater Internet penetration.
January 18, 2019 Flash Report Register for Free Access Walgreens Boots Alliance and Microsoft Forge Partnership to Explore Digital Health OpportunitiesDrugstore retailer WBA and technology giant Microsoft have entered into a seven-year agreement which includes developing software and technology for patient care management and retail store operations. This alliance follows close on the heels of last month’s deal with Alphabet’s life sciences business Verily to help patients manage medication. Through this partnership, WBA will be able to leverage Microsoft’s cloud services suite Azure. The suite of tools and applications uses several cutting-edge technologies, such as cloud, AI, the Internet of Things (IoT) and blockchain. Microsoft has developed a host of healthcare tools, such as a smartphone app to connect users with healthcare providers and AI-based software engines to crunch masses of patient data to help detect possible health conditions sooner.
