Category Archives: New Retail – OMO

Can ByteDance Breach Alibaba’s Infrastructure Moat and Become An Ecommerce Giant? (Tech Strategy – Podcast 82)

In this podcast, Jeffrey Towson discusses whether ByteDance, the Chinese tech giant behind TikTok, can breach Alibaba’s dominance in the Chinese ecommerce market. He argues that ByteDance has a number of advantages, including its large user base, its data-driven approach to marketing, and its ability to innovate quickly. However, he also acknowledges that Alibaba has a number of strengths, including its strong infrastructure, its deep relationships with merchants, and its brand recognition. He concludes that it is too early to say whether ByteDance will be able to challenge Alibaba, but that the battle between the two companies is one to watch.

China’s New OMO Platforms: Alibaba, Sun Art and Beike (Tech Strategy – Podcast 79)

In this podcast, Jeffrey Towson discusses the rise of OMO (online-merge-offline) platforms in China, such as Alibaba’s Sun Art and Beike / Lianjia. He argues that these platforms are disrupting the traditional retail and real estate industries. He explains that OMO platforms offer a number of advantages over traditional businesses, such as convenience, personalization, and data-driven insights.

Will Farfetch or Secoo Win in Luxury Ecommerce in China? (Tech Strategy – Podcast 38)

In this podcast, Jeffrey Towson discusses the competitive landscape between Farfetch and Secoo in the luxury e-commerce market in China. He argues that Farfetch has the global reach and brand recognition, while Secoo has the strong local presence and relationships with luxury brands. Towson believes that the winner of this race will depend on which company can execute its strategy better and adapt to the ever-changing Chinese market.

3 Ways AI Is Transforming Fashion: My Interview with JD Vice President of Cloud & AI (2 of 2)

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This is a follow-up to my article on conversational AI with He Xiaodong at JD (article here, podcast here). I also spoke with Tao Mei, who is Vice President of Cloud & AI – and Technical support Vice President of JD. We talked about how AI was being used in fashion, which is a fascinating […]

3 Ways AI Is Transforming Fashion: My Interview with JD Vice President of Cloud and AI (Tech Strategy – Podcast 33)

In this podcast, Jeffrey Towson interviews the Vice President of Cloud & AI at JD.com about how AI is transforming the fashion industry. They discuss three key areas where AI is having an impact: personalization, supply chain management, and product development. For example, AI can be used to recommend products to customers based on their past purchases, track inventory levels and optimize shipping routes, and design new products that are more likely to appeal to consumers.

How WeChat, TikTok and Chinese Consumers Are Disrupting and Personalizing Luxury

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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 […]

6 Questions About JD’s E-Space (2 of 2) (Tech Strategy – Daily Article)

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In Part 1, I laid out why I think JD’s e-space was a pretty bold move – and opens a new frontier in OMO retail. My argument was that as you move from retail about buying products in the supermarket to visiting shopping malls and department malls, you start to really merge products, services and […]