Why Lazada vs. Shopee Is Faster Horse vs. Better Jockey (Tech Strategy – Podcast 40)

In this podcast, Jeffrey Towson discusses the competitive landscape between Lazada and Shopee, comparing the two companies to a faster horse versus a better jockey. He argues that Lazada has the resources and infrastructure to be successful in the long run, but Shopee has the better management team and is more nimble. Towson believes that the winner of this race will depend on which company can execute its strategy better.

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.

Chinese Ecommerce Is Quietly Going Global (Jeff’s Asia Tech Class – Daily Lesson / Update)

China’s cross-border ecommerce business doesn’t get a lot of attention. It seems peripheral to China ecommerce. There are a lot of logistics, taxes and customs requirements. There are tons of regulations. And it’s just not sexy. But it is also non-political. It doesn’t have any of the national security concerns of telecommunication (i.e., Huawei and […]

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3 Lessons in Conversational AI from JD’s Head of the Deep Learning (1 of 2)

I had a fascinating discussion with He Xiaodong of JD. He is the head of Deep Learning, NLP and the Speech Lab. And the Deputy Managing Director of JD AI Research. I did a podcast about this called Products with Personalities (Podcast 31) but I wanted to post some of his slides from our talk. […]

Grab vs. GoJek vs. Lazada: Who Will Win in Services in Southeast Asia? (Tech Strategy – Podcast 32)

In this podcast, Jeffrey Towson discusses the competition between Grab, GoJek, and Lazada in the Southeast Asian services market. He identifies the most important factors for success in this market, including consumer engagement, merchant engagement, and platform business models. For example, Grab has been successful in capturing a large share of the consumer mind by offering a wide range of services, including ride-hailing, food delivery, and payments.

The Next Big Trends in Chinese E-Commerce (Jeff’s Asia Tech Class – Daily Lesson / Update)

There was an interesting report about China ecommerce trends released by Coresight Research, which specializes in retail meets tech consulting. It’s run by Deborah Weinswig, who I’ve crossed paths with a few times in the last couple of years. I find their research to be very data-driven and generally close to my own thinking. So […]

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Ctrip and Hospitality’s Big Balance Sheet Challenge (Daily Update – Jeff’s Asia Tech Class)

Ctrip has forecast its revenues will drop 45-50% in first quarter. From KrAsia: Coronavirus spurs somber outlook for online travel companies Chinese major online travel agency Trip.com announced on its recently released Q4 earnings report that revenues would decrease by about 45% to 50% year-on-year (YoY) as a result of the coronavirus. Trip.com has already […]

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Covid-19 Drives Live Streaming. But Private Traffic Pools Are the Solution. (Daily Lesson – Jeff’s Asia Tech Class)

Much of our discussion about digital platforms (Alibaba, Tencent, etc.) has been about their business models. And all their strengths, which are formidable. But I haven’t talked much about the experiences of the user groups on these platforms. What does this mean for merchants and brands selling on Alibaba? For restaurants on Meituan? For content […]

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