Three big things are happening in digital China right now. The coronavirus is radically altering the behavior of hundreds of millions of consumers (and businesses), resulting in what is being called the quarantine economy. Everyone is trying to move from in-person to digital interactions. This shift to digital interactions is supercharging and rapidly evolving China’s […]
I consider digital platforms the super predators of the business world. They are like that Indominus Rex dinosaur in the movie Jurassic World that is part T-Rex and part velociraptor (photo here). And when it breaks free (which always happens in those movies), it runs around eating everything on the island. Because it is the […]
In my online Asia Tech Class, I talk a lot about digital superpowers, which are digital tools that upend established business. And one of these superpowers a dramatically improved user experience, such that the traditional offering is now unacceptable to users. And this sort of dramatically improved user experience is what is happening in luxury […]
In this podcast episode, Jeffrey Towson discusses four options for how Huawei can respond to the US tech ban on its smartphone business. These options include fixing the supply chain, becoming a digital platform, ignoring Europe, and trying to build an anti-US alliance for smartphone operating systems. Towson argues that Huawei’s best option is to become a digital platform, as this would allow it to continue to innovate and grow its business even in the face of the US tech ban.
When the SARS virus swept through China / Asia in 2002-2003, it resulted in millions of workers isolating themselves in their homes. And this phenomenon turned out to be pivotal for several, now dominant digital companies. For then small company Alibaba, it created a surge of activity in e-commerce. And for then physical-only retailer JD, […]
In this class, Jeffrey Towson discusses four options that Huawei could have taken to respond to the US tech ban. These options include fixing the supply chain and staying the course, becoming a digital platform, ignoring Europe and focusing mostly on China, and trying to build an anti-US alliance for smartphone operating systems. Towson argues that Huawei should have focused on becoming a digital platform, as this would have allowed the company to continue to innovate and grow.
I recently attended WeChat’s Open Class in Guangzhou. It is their big annual event for developers and there were lots of updates on WeChat Work and Mini-Programs. I will be writing about these in subsequent articles. But it was WeChat founder Allen Zhang’s introductory comments that have really stayed with me. He talked about how […]
Happy Friday everyone. Three quick reads for the Daily Update. Have a great weekend. – jeff TikTok Is Rocking Facebook TikTok continues to go international fast. Here is a good summary at SCMP, which claims Tiktok was the second most downloaded app globally in 2019 (although take these numbers with a big grain of […]
Jeffrey Towson visited the WeChat Open Class in Guangzhou and was impressed by the company’s platform business model, its focus on social and transactional features, and its ability to adapt to the needs of Chinese consumers. He believes that WeChat is smarter than Apple and Facebook because it has a better understanding of the Chinese market and is able to offer a more comprehensive suite of services.
In this class, I discuss my visit to JD’s new 50,000 sqm e-space in Chongqing – and the question of what new retail (i.e., online-merge-offline) will mean for department stores and shopping malls. You can listen here or at iTunes and Himalaya. Articles / podcasts cited in this class: JD’s E-Space Is a Fascinating New […]