Singapore

THE 120th International Home + Housewares Show held in March this year saw a concerted focus on smart and connected products with the inaugural IHA Smart Home Pavilion featuring 18 new and current exhibitors displaying emerging technologies and the latest in smart and connected products, as well as 70 other smart exhibitors located in the different halls at McCormick Place, Chicago, USA.

A Singapore-based start-up wants to give customers an easier way for them to collect online purchases and ensure they do not miss their parcel deliveries.

E-commerce websites can tap the spike in online browsing and sales after sundown.

As many retail businesses face increased competition and are forced to operate on smaller profit margins, implementing technology solutions to the workflow can significantly make a difference to the bottom line. Muneerah Bee talks to Raj Singh, vice-president of Honeywell Safety and Productivity Solutions ASEAN/ANZ, for insights into how this can be achieved. 

As franchising becomes more prevalent across Asia, what are some of the things franchisees and franchisors should look out for? Muneerah Bee finds out.

Embracing technology to stay relevant … 

Dairy Farm Singapore Group (DFSG) recently announced a partnership with Network for Electronic Transfers (NETS) and United Overseas Bank (UOB) to implement the single largest installation by a supermarket group of unified point-of-sale (POS) terminals in Singapore.

Groupon Singapore, a popular website for online deals, has been rebranded as Fave today.

A new mobile application designed to improve the accessibility and speed with which franchise owners gather and manage online reviews was recently launched by Franchise Perfect Circle (FPC).

The popular and stylish enclave along Duxton Road in Singapore recently welcomed a new concept store and cafe, Monument Lifestyle.

An application which allows customers to find a courier to deliver parcels was launched in selected Asian countries last month.

Lazada, RedMart, Netflix, Taobao Collection, Uber and UberEATS recently teamed up to offer a range of lifestyle benefits to consumers in Singapore. The new lifestyle membership programme, LiveUp, brings exclusive member-only rewards, promotions and extra savings for Singapore’s digital consumers.

The Breach Level Index by Gemalto reveals a drop in breach incidents and number of records breached within Asia Pacific’s retail and e-commerce industries.

Tiong Bahru may be best known as one of the heritage enclaves of Singapore as well as for the many “hipster” cafés in the neighbourhood but Tiong Bahru Plaza, after undergoing a two-year Asset Enhancing Initiative (AEI) programme, has been revived as a focus point of the area — complete with a slew of new commercial tenants and features.

It is easy to define omni-channel business success by desired outcomes: Happy, loyal customers resulting in increased sales and profits. According to supply chain solutions provider Dematic, what is considerably more difficult is describing how to get there and making it happen. Dematic explains more.

While many are wondering about the state of retail and where it is heading, the main question retailers should be asking is: What are the key conditions and possibilities to factor into a retail business today? Lester J Wan speaks to Richard Paine, managing director, Paya Lebar Quarter by Lendlease, to glean his thoughts from the point of view of a mall developer and to unravel timely retail-store revelations.