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Redefine roles, curate offering & change employees’ mindset

What can we expect of global grocery trends this year? IGD innovation expert Laura May offers some insights and predictions from its latest report on the global food and consumer goods industry.

Many shoppers today face a common problem — carrying too many loyalty cards and vouchers, and the hassle of filling up forms each time they want to join a new reward programme. Shoppers love loyalty and discount cards, but wish that merchants could make it easier for them.

Sharing best practices through collaborative platforms is one of the best ways to deliver safe and trusted products to consumers, says Food Industry Asia (FIA), a non-profit industry association formed in 2010 to enable major food companies to speak with one voice on complex issues such as food security, food safety and the harmonisation of standards. Pradeep Pant, keynote speaker for this year’s Global Food Safety Conference, shares how the concept of collaboration and ‘Shared Responsibility’ can lead to greater trust in food. Throughout the interview, he stresses the importance of placing consumers at the heart of any business and government strategy.

Check out the latest trends in intimates, swimwear and sports fashion at the forthcoming Interfiliére Hong Kong. This year’s exhibition, to be held from March 18-19 at the Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre, will highlight three themes under the Day & Night concept, including:

Data analysis is one of the best ways to help businesses understand their customers, their markets and lots more. This can be done quickly and easily by starting small and using the right business tools and software. Dongbae Park, director, Retail Industries, Microsoft Asia-Pacific, explains how retailers can do this to achieve added business insight and competitiveness.

To say that the retail industry today faces unprecedented change is an understatement. Gone are the days wherein retailers only need to be armed with a “one size fits all” approach. With the fast adoption of smart gadgets and the rapid expansion of free WiFi hotspots and reliable 3G connections, retailers must be prepared to embrace a radical form of thinking to survive the ever-competitive retail landscape.

Today’s customer journey is no longer linear, and brick-and-mortar retailers must create an omni-experience for shoppers to glide seamlessly between online and offline, says Terry O’Connor, Group CEO, Courts Asia.

Building on her past experience as a journalist, Gokongwei-Pe, president and chief operating officer of Robinsons Retail Holdings, Inc, took on her family business with gusto and helped cement its position as the second-largest multi-format retailer in the Philippines. The energetic lady shares more with Tina Arceo-Dumlao.

Online or physical store buying?

Alibaba is determined to tackle the issue of counterfeiting as it believes that “trust is an important currency that makes e-commerce platforms tick”.

Thai home furnishing and décor company Index Living Mall has signed a franchise agreement with the SM Group in the Philippines.

It has been a good 2014 for H&M — its store and online sales surged ahead last year on growing demand and an expanding network of stores worldwide.

Asia’s third-largest economy, India, showed positive growth last year, sparking hope of a retail boom under the helm of the country’s new Prime Minister, Narendra Modi. Shirish Nadkarni reports.

Global economy turning gloomy

The UK’S leading premium party food manufacturer, Frank Dale Foods, has begun to expand its footprint in Asia. It has introduced its renowned Classic British Miniatures to the Singapore retail market, putting five classic British party food products on the shelves at Jason’s the Gourmet Grocer, Market Place, and selected Cold Storage supermarket stores.