Several years ago, I got a message (via LinkedIn) from Robin Trebbe, who was at that time the Managing Director for China / Asia Pacific for Intersport International. They had a new project with Alibaba that was trying to digitize the sports apparel business. I jumped at the chance to do a visit. Note: I […]
Will “new retail” change sports apparel? It turns out it’s a really interesting question. Sports apparel retail is people buying running shoes, Nike gear, yoga pants, sweatshirts and so on. At first glance it looks like pretty standard apparel retail. Requiring lots of stores, good inventory management and effective marketing. So that certainly presents lots […]
China’s consumers are now a 1 billion person digital network. This is a massive shift from the past when China’s consumers were largely disconnected from each other. This article explores the implications of this massive digital network for China’s economy and the world.
In this podcast, Jeffrey Towson discusses how Nike has successfully built a competitive advantage in China by participating in the large platform businesses of Alibaba and WeChat. He shares insights on how other businesses can do the same. Towson argues that businesses need to focus on providing a great customer experience and building strong relationships with platform partners. He also emphasizes the importance of data-driven decision-making.
In this podcast, Jeffrey Towson discusses how Nike has successfully built a competitive advantage in China by participating in the large platform businesses of Alibaba and WeChat. He shares insights on how other businesses can do the same. Towson argues that businesses need to focus on providing a great customer experience and building strong relationships with platform partners. He also emphasizes the importance of data-driven decision-making.
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”, coined by Alibaba, was probably the least creative business term ever. But it was a big idea. You combine online and physical retail into a seamless, data-driven consumer experience. It is giving rise to new business models, from transformed supermarkets and cashier-less convenience stores to automated package pickup centers and re-imaged department stores. […]
In Part 1, I detailed some of the basics of SenseTime, China’s leading computer vision company. I argued it was basically a linear business model, not a platform. It mostly reminds me of Adobe and traditional software companies. But the economics of AI software companies at large scale are still largely unknown. Especially when it […]
In this podcast, Jeffrey Towson discusses two big questions about the business models of AI software companies: What are the unit economics of large AI companies? What types of scale advantages and network effects do large AI companies have? He argues that AI software companies are still in the early stages of development, and that the answers to these questions will depend on how the market for AI software evolves in the years to come.
In this podcast, Jeffrey Towson discusses two big questions about the business models of AI software companies: What are the unit economics of large AI companies? What types of scale advantages and network effects do large AI companies have? He argues that AI software companies are still in the early stages of development, and that the answers to these questions will depend on how the market for AI software evolves in the years to come.