In Part 1, I argued that Starbucks China most interesting competitor is not Luckin Coffee. It is HeyTea, an upscale Starbucks-type business focused on tea (something Chinese consumers really, really like). And to their credit, HeyTea appears to be mostly focusing not on digital innovation but on product development and continually thrilling their customers. Which […]
Category Archives: Retail
Forget Starbucks. The Most Interesting Coffee Retailers Are HeyTea and Luckin (1 of 2)
China / Asia is usually the most dynamic frontier for retail – and especially when it integrates with ecommerce. This is the result of a really big market and never-ending hyper-competition. It means there is always frantic innovating just to stay in the game. It’s a space I generally avoid because of the degree of […]
Amazon Has a Winning Long-Term Strategy. Amazon Prime and Netflix Don’t. (1 of 2) (Tech Strategy – Daily Article)
I’ve discussed Amazon’s basic business model in an article and podcast. What Amazon Should Copy from Alibaba and Pinduoduo (Tech Strategy – Podcast 124) Why I Really Like Amazon’s Strategy, Despite the Crap Consumer Experience (US-Asia Tech Strategy – Daily Article) And I basically argued that I look for 3 things in this type of […]
What Amazon Should Copy From Alibaba and Pinduoduo (Tech Strategy – Podcast 124)
Amazon can learn a lot from Alibaba and Pinduoduo in terms of how to improve its consumer experience. Alibaba has integrated its ecommerce products with entertainment, payment, credit, and wealth management products, while Pinduoduo has focused on social commerce and group buying. Amazon could benefit from adopting some of these strategies in order to stay ahead of the competition.
New Retail in Furniture: My Visit to the JD-Qumei in China (2 of 2)
In this article, Jeff Towson shares his experience of visiting the JD Qumei Furniture Store in China and discusses the future of new retail. He highlights the importance of creating a seamless online and offline shopping experience for customers and how JD.com is leading the way in this regard. Towson also talks about the role of technology in the future of retail and how it can be used to enhance the customer experience.
New Retail in Furniture: My Visit to the JD-Qumei in China (1 of 2)
In this article, Jeff Towson shares his experience of visiting the JD Qumei Furniture Store in China and discusses the future of new retail. He highlights the importance of creating a seamless online and offline shopping experience for customers and how JD.com is leading the way in this regard. Towson also talks about the role of technology in the future of retail and how it can be used to enhance the customer experience.
Walmart, JD and Purchasing Economies at Traditional and Online Retailers (Tech Strategy – Daily Lesson / Update)
When you look for big competitive advantages on the cost side, it is usually about economies of scale – when a company with a larger volume has a lower per unit cost. Or, to be more precise, when a company has… …lower per unit costs based on a higher volume of production or throughput being […]
Shein and How To Compete on Rate of Learning (Asia Tech Strategy – Daily Lesson / Update)
Take-Away 1: With reports of +1,000 new products being added to Shein every day, there is a lot of speculation that this is a newer, faster version of fast fashion. That may be true in the future. But today, Shein’s growth appears to be mostly from offering really low-priced apparel to Gen Z women on […]
Shein Is Low-Priced DTC Apparel at the Speed of Algorithms. Is This a New Moat or Just Table Stakes? (Tech Strategy – Podcast 83)
In this podcast, Jeffrey Towson discusses the rise of Shein, a Chinese fast fashion retailer that has become one of the most popular online apparel brands in the world. He argues that Shein’s success is due to its low prices, its use of algorithms to design and market its products, and its rapid shipping times. He concludes that Shein is a disruptive force in the fashion industry and that its success could have implications for other retailers.
Is Shein’s “Ultra-Fast Fashion” Model Hype? I Think It’s Mostly a Low-Priced Apparel Story. (Tech Strategy – Daily Article)
Shein, a cross-border online DTC retailer, is transforming the fashion industry with its agile digital marketing and real-time fashion strategies. Founded by Chris Xu in 2008, Shein has grown to become a dominant player in the US fashion market, with its business model drawing significant attention. This article provides a comprehensive look into how Shein has upgraded fast fashion and its impact on the fashion industry.