Alibaba’s investment in Suning is a signal that companies in retail in China need a multichannel strategy: embracing both the online as well as offline worlds.
China Roundup: Apple China is Hot-Again
Apple China is back in the reckoning; Walmart announces brave expansion plan and Alibaba gives the YunOS a renewed push.
Contagious: Jonah Berger on why some things catch on
In his book Contagious, Jonah Berger explained why some things catch on. In this interview he decodes the science behind why some things go viral and how companies can use it. Seoul is hardly the nerve center for all things cool. Yet when South Korean singer Psy released his sixth album in July 2012, one song—Gangnam Style—rocked music charts, […]
China Roundup: Bitcoins get a Boost; Wal-Mart Outfoxed; and Revlon Booted out of China
The week that was: Chinese billionaire Chen Guangbiao makes a play for The New York Times; Asia’s richest man Li Ka-shing invests in Bitcoin payment processor BitPay; Wal-Mart deals with ‘donkey’ meat recalls; and Revlon exits China. Courting The Grey Lady Chen Guangbiao, the Chinese billionaire and philanthropist known for his outrageous publicity stunts, hit […]
What Plagues FDI in Retail in India?
FDI in retail in India is a prickly issue. For years, the proposed policy to allow foreign retailers to set up shop in the country was in limbo. Finally in 2011, the government eased the rules governing foreign direct investment (FDI) in both multi-brand retail as well as single-brand retail. Foreign retailers were […]
Digital Promised Land: Retailers Look to E-Commerce to Succeed in China
Can Western retail brands make it big in China’s e-market? In September 2012, The Home Depot announced that it was closing all seven of its megastores in China. After eight years of consumer research and a $100-million 12-store acquisition, The Home Depot called it quits in China after realizing that China isn’t a sure return […]
What a Difference a Word Makes
Does it make more sense to ‘beat’ or ‘meet’ your rival’s price? Last time I discussed a price war between China’s largest electronics retailers in which all three promised to price their home appliances below the other two. I explained how such a promise to “beat” any price offered by rivals resulted in a “death […]
