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.
Tag Archives: ecommerce
What I Don’t Like About Alibaba (Asia Tech Strategy – Daily Update)
There is a lot to like about Alibaba (from a strategy and competition perspective). Massive, almost unprecedented, competitive strength. It’s a complementary platform and a digital-physical hybrid. That puts it at the top of my competitive strength pyramid. It is riding the mother of all secular trends – the rising wealth of Chinese families. And […]
6 Early Indicators of the Greatness of Sea Limited (Asia Tech Strategy – Daily Update)
Sea Limited is rocking and rolling. Jumping from gaming to ecommerce. Then to payment and financial services. And now to Mexico. There is a growing public consensus that the Sea management team is extraordinarily effective. That’s cool. But it would have been much better to know that two years ago, when the stock was much […]
6 Early Indicators of the Greatness of Sea Limited (Asia Tech Strategy – Daily Update)
Sea Limited is rocking and rolling. Jumping from gaming to ecommerce. Then to payment and financial services. And now to Mexico. There is a growing public consensus that the Sea management team is extraordinarily effective. That’s cool. But it would have been much better to know that two years ago, when the stock was much […]
Can Hello Bike Become a Mini Didi? A Mini Meituan? (Asia Tech Strategy – Daily Update)
Take-Away 1: Hello bike-sharing is a marginally profitable, small services business. Its recent shift to ebikes (and subscriptions) is increasing its revenue and making it more defendable. But it is also changing the economics. Take-Away 2: Hello is trying to build a platform business model on its large user base. A marketplace for mobility (like […]
Tactics and Growth Hacking at Perfect Diary (YSG) (Asia Tech Strategy – Daily Update)
In November 2020, beauty unicorn Perfect Diary went public in the USA after 4 years of stunning growth. Founded in 2016, the company rose to become the #1 (or #2) make-up brand online in China. And they did it mostly by growth hacking the major ecommerce and social media platforms of China. I thought Perfect […]
An Introduction to Baozun (BZUN), the Dark Horse of China Ecommerce (Asia Tech Strategy – Daily Update)
I like the saying that winning in digital B2C is like catching lightning in a bottle. But winning in digital B2B is more like mining. The former happens really fast but is difficult to predict. The latter is slower but pretty reliable when you’re in the right spot. You just keep digging away over time. […]
Can JD, Alibaba and New Retail Go International? My Interview With the CEO of JD Central Thailand. (Tech Strategy – Podcast 72)
In this episode of the Tech Strategy podcast, Jeffrey Towson interviews Vincent Yang, CEO of JD Central Thailand. They discuss the challenges and opportunities for Chinese e-commerce giants to expand internationally, such as the need to adapt to local cultures and regulations. Yang also shares his insights on the future of new retail in Asia, which he sees as a key trend that will shape the way people shop in the region.
JD Central Plays the Long Game in Thailand and SE Asian Ecommerce (2 of 2)(Asia Tech Strategy – Daily Update)
In Part 1, I summarized my visit to a media event at JD Central (JDC) Thailand. And I teed up some of the difficulties for Chinese ecommerce giants trying to go international, especially in Southeast Asia. After the media event, I sat down with JD Central CEO Vincent Yang, which turned out to be a pretty […]
My Interview with JD Central Thailand CEO Vincent Yang (1 of 2) (Asia Tech Strategy – Daily Update)
Last week, I attended a media event at JD Central in Bangkok. And I interviewed CEO Vincent Yang. This is JD’s joint venture with Central Retail, one of Thailand largest retailers. Note: This is one of JD’s two initiatives in Southeast Asia. The other is in Indonesia. It was a pretty interesting experience for a […]