Today I’m with Chris, the Delivery Manager of Qoo10 to talk about how it is accelerating the development of e-commerce deliveries. (Chris Lee, Delivery Manager for Qoo10) James: Chris, thank you for taking my interview. I just wanted to find out if there are any new developments going on with Qoo10, in terms of parcel deliveries. Chris: Currently, we are trying to cooperate with many delivery companies such as Singpost and Qxpress. What we are looking to achieve is the next level of delivery service to improve the quality of delivery – one of our ideas is to have a delivery locker. Normally, parcels are dropped off from Singpost normal mail or delivered by courier services. But now people feel more comfortable collecting from certain places. Services like SingPost’s Popstation and Qxpress’s Bumbox are looking into how they can provide convenient delivery locations for customers to pick up their parcels. (Singpost PopStation Locations) James: To paraphrase what you are saying, so Qoo10 customers can choose 2 types of delivery options. One is standard delivery to their home and the second is a click and collect option, whereby they can have their Qoo10 purchase delivered to a locker in a convenient location. How big will the network of lockers be and where will they be located? Chris: Popstation which is run by Singpost has 150 collection points islandwide and you can find one every 1.5 kilometers. Qxpress is currently in talks with Bumbox, which is working with universities to put the locker service in their campuses. For instance, in NTU, deliveries can’t be made to certain parts of the campus. So drivers drop off parcels at Bumbox and university students can collect from there. (Bumbox Locker) James: So it’s sort of like a one-stop postal box for university students in NTU? How does it work exactly? If I buy something from Qoo10 today, do I have a limited time to collect my parcels and how will I be updated about the delivery? Chris: Actually both locker services are quite similar. Sellers have to first offer this delivery service on Qoo10 because our sellers have the freedom to choose their own delivery companies. Buyers can then choose normal delivery or the locker service. They can choose the locker location and the seller will pass the items to Singpost or Qxpress. They will deliver the items to the locker and then send a message by SMS or email to the customers to notify them that the deliveries have been made. The customers can open the lockers with these messages. James: So a PIN is sent to their mobile phones or emails, with which they can unlock these electronic locker boxes to retrieve their parcels. How many days do they have to do this from the point they receive the message? Chris: Once the seller dispatches the package, both services are similar but Popstation could be faster. In less than 1 day, the items could be delivered to the boxes. (How Bumbox Works) James: This Singpost Popstation and Qxpress Bumbox development, why did Qoo10 decide to go into this area? Is this a trend that is catching on in Singapore – Singaporeans preferring to do click and collect instead of home delivery? Especially since Singaporeans are usually working or in school or out, is it more convenient to collect their parcels from these locker boxes instead? Chris: Yes, it’s true. The difficulties for delivery companies are quite similar. Even though they try to deliver to the house, most of the time Singaporeans are quite busy so they are not at home. It takes a lot of time and effort to rearrange or collect the item from Singpost post office. During work or school, it’s quite difficult to deliver to their office or school. A lot of demands coming from such a busy situation - so buyers prefer to collect nearby where it’s easy to access. According to Singpost staff, it is really fast moving. Once they send the message, the time customers take to collect their parcels from these lockers is quite short and it’s usually within one day. James: Chris, earlier we were chatting about your new same day delivery service Qxfresh. Do you mind talking a bit about it as well?
Chris: That is still in the planning and development stage. We are trying to deliver items on the same day. Singaporeans love to eat fresh food but such items are usually frozen and need temperature controls. In those cases, the delivery time for these items is crucial to keep the freshness. The second thing is we are trying to make customers purchase lifestyle necessities like soap and diapers, necessities which are regularly needed in their life. If you do not have enough toilet paper today, you need to go to the convenience store. What we are trying to bring to customers is deliver those items urgently to customers and that’s why we are developing same-day delivery at this moment. James: So basically there’s a focus on fresh food, frozen meat for example. The other part is daily groceries and daily necessities. For this service, will customers be paying a premium? How will it work out? Chris: If the price is too high, people might still choose to purchase these items from offline channels. We have to find a balance between the cost and service itself. Actually this is still in development stage so if we can find a low-cost, faster-delivery solution, that’s the best. James: That sounds like something we will definitely be looking forward to. I just wanted to ask when these two projects will be past the development stage? Chris: Locker services with Qxpress and Singpost will be launched in a month or so (August) as the infrastructure is already there. Now we are exploring technical issues so it shouldn’t take much time to do this. Qxfresh will need some trial and error – we are trying our best to provide the service ASAP. James: You are from Korea, where e-commerce is so much more mature and there are a lot of advancements there, but not in Singapore yet, in terms of delivery for e-commerce. Are these two projects trends in Korea and how has the response been? Chris: Actually the locker service is quite unique for Singapore. It’s a quite different environment. In Korea I’m not sure if you heard of kyeong bi won or guardhouse – every condo and public housing flat has one of these. Even though there is no one at home, there’s someone who can receive parcels on their behalf so they don’t need a locker service. In Singapore, HDB flats only have small mailboxes and condo guardhouses doesn’t keep the parcels for the residents. James: So basically you’re saying that the security team would have a room where they keep the parcels. Is Qxpress trying to explore a commercial form of this, whereby they are putting these lockers boxes in convenient locations around Singapore? What do you see for Singapore in 5 years, since you’re an e-commerce delivery expert? The trends you hope would happen or bring to Singapore? Chris: This is just a plan but I think we can cooperate with many retail shops. TaQbin is already cooperating with 7-11. A lot of delivery options will be available, including the new locker boxes. If Qoo10’s items can be collected from 7-11, Macdonalds, Starbucks, definitely it will be much more convenient for our customers and there are some customers who will demand this service. I believe there is room for collaboration between offline and online stores, in terms of delivery. James: That sounds really exciting. Thank you Chris for the talk today – it was really good to understand how Qoo10 is improving the development of deliveries for e-commerce. I’m sure we will catch up with you soon. Chris: Thank you so much
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22 July 2015, Singapore – Singapore-based Giosis Pte Ltd (Giosis), the parent company of Pan-Asian e-commerce platform Qoo10, has raised US$82.1 million in a Series A funding round, led by SGX-listed Singapore Press Holdings Ltd (SPH), along with eBay, Saban Capital Group, UVM 2 Venture Investments LP, Brookside Capital and Oak Investment Partners. Qoo10 operates six online e-commerce marketplaces across Asia (Singapore, Japan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Hong Kong and China). Qoo10 has 17.6 million registered users across the region and saw a combined total of US$408 million in GMV in 2014. Of the six markets in which the company operates, Qoo10 Singapore is the best performer with 1.8 million registered users as of June 2015 and US$182 million in GMV in 2014. Through this Series A investment, Giosis will deploy the new funds to accelerate Qoo10’s technology growth and service development, while investing in additional infrastructure and talent acquisition. The new funds will also help Qoo10 strengthen its position as a leading Pan-Asian platform in its key markets Singapore, Japan and Indonesia, and accelerate its expansion in its other rapidly growing Asian markets Malaysia, Hong Kong and China. As the lead investor in this Series A round, SPH will also partner with Qoo10 to explore strategic collaborations on the e-commerce platform across various content, marketplaces, retail, advertising and classifieds opportunities. Mr Alan Chan, Chief Executive Officer, SPH, said: “Qoo10 is the number one ranked e-commerce website in Singapore and its parent company Giosis has established itself as a market leader in the region’s e-commerce space. The investment in Qoo10 will enhance our portfolio of digital assets and open up opportunities for future marketing collaborations. With the region’s e-commerce market poised to grow, this investment puts us in a good position to tap on the industry's growth and be an active player in this e-commerce space.” A joint venture between Gmarket Inc. founder Mr Ku Young Bae and eBay, Qoo10 was founded in 2010 with US$20 million seed capital, after Gmarket was acquired by eBay in 2009 for US$1.2 billion. Mr Ku Young Bae, CEO, Qoo10, said: “From the beginning Qoo10 has strived to be a hyperlocal e-commerce platform which enables local merchants, big and small, to sell their products to a local and regional customer base across Asia. Today, 90% of our staff and merchants are local, in order to provide consumers with a seamless shopping experience in a specialised marketplace. With this new funding, we aim to further strengthen our position as the leading Pan-Asian marketplace.” - end - For media queries, please contact:
James Lin Public Relations Manager Qoo10 Singapore Email: [email protected] Chin Soo Fang (Ms) Head Corporate Communications & CSR Singapore Press Holdings Limited DID: (65) 6319 1216 HP: (65) 9688 6209 Email: [email protected] Yeo Siew Chi (Mr) Manager Corporate Communications & CSR Singapore Press Holdings Limited DID – (65) 6319 1586 HP- (65) 749 5105 Email – [email protected] About Qoo10 Launched in June 2010, Qoo10 Singapore is the No. 1 Singapore-based e-commerce platform (Alexa Country Rank #10), with 1.8 million registered users. A joint venture established between Gmarket founder Mr Ku Young Bae and eBay, Qoo10 has marketplaces in Japan, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Hong Kong and China. Our mission is to establish a decentralised and open market e-commerce platform which provides everyone with the opportunity to buy and sell almost anything. With a holistic customer-centric business model, Qoo10 is the Qoo-ler way to shop. For more information about the company, please visit our website at http://www.Qoo10.sg/ About Singapore Press Holdings Ltd Incorporated in 1984, main board-listed Singapore Press Holdings Ltd (SPH) is Asia’s leading media organisation, engaging minds and enriching lives across multiple languages and platforms, ranging from print, digital, radio and out-of-home media. SPH owns award-winning newspapers, magazines and best-selling books in both print and digital editions, as well as online classified businesses in the region. In addition, SPH has two English radio stations and one Chinese radio station, an out-of-home digital advertising unit, a regional events and conferences arm, and runs a chain of modern retail convenience stores. SPH also has a 20 per cent stake in MediaCorp TV Holdings Pte Ltd, which operates free-to-air channels 5, 8 and U, and a 40 per cent stake in MediaCorp Press Limited, which publishes the free newspaper, Today. SPH REIT comprises Paragon, a premier upscale retail mall and medical suite/office property in Orchard Road and The Clementi Mall, a mid-market suburban mall. SPH's latest retail development is The Seletar Mall located in Sengkang. For more information, please visit http://www.sph.com.sg/. Today, we are with Devin from Qoo10 to talk about their newest development, Q-store. James: Devin, can you tell me a little about Q-store? Devin: It’s an add-on package to our existing e-commerce platform. Besides listing their products on Qoo10, our merchants can now customise their own website and mobile app, with functions like payment gateway and web hosting powered by Qoo10. These standalone websites will have their own .com domain and are linked to their Qoo10 shops, so all product listings and changes are synced and mirrored at the same time. Ultimately, we want to provide our merchants with a ready-made solution to build up their own brand and push out their own content and promotions easily. James: So what are the functions supported by Qoo10? Devin: Qoo10 merchants will get existing services like the backend inventory system, payment gateways and delivery tracking. Merchants will be able to send eDMs and mobile app pushes. They can send SMSes too, at $2 per 100 SMS. Most importantly, they can gain a wealth of database information and know who their customers are when they follow their Q-stores. (Integrated Shopping Cart, Order Form and Payment Delivery) James: What are the advantages of having your own Q-store? Devin: For merchants who want to build a loyal following, branding is a crucial element in their marketing efforts and Q-store allows them to own that space. Many aspiring blogshops want to be like Love Bonito but they don’t realise how difficult it is to set up payment gateways, hosting web traffic and keeping their site secure. (Cocomo.sg Q-Store and Mobile App) James: How much does it cost to create a Qstore? Devin: The Standard package will cost $1,000 for creation of the website for the first year and an annual fee of $500 will cover web hosting and domain registration charges. The Advanced package will cost $10,000 for creation of the website and mobile app for the first year and an annual fee of $1,000 for web hosting and domain registration charges. James: Which of your merchants have already signed on? Devin: In Singapore, we have 30 participating merchants including Korean cosmetic brand Cocomo (http://www.cocomo.sg/), OneMart (http://www.onemart.sg/) and tempered mobile screen protector brand Nanotech (http://www.nanotech.sg/). In China, we have Paris Baguette (http://www.pbcake.com/). Qoo10's SEA Business Development Team (From left to right: Lynn Sen, Devin Hahm, John Yun and Jocelyn Yip) Today, we speak to Devin Hahm from Qoo10’s business development team about Qoolife (http://www.qoo10.sg/shop/QooLife), a new e-commerce concept aimed at delivering everyday necessities to customers within 2 days. James: Can you tell us a little about Qoolife? Devin: It’s a new e-commerce concept which aims to deliver daily necessities to our customers within 2 days. We want to provide an online supermart experience for our users, where they can get nutritional, personal care and household cleaning products in one stop and have their items delivered to them in a short time. The FMCG sector is a fast-growing sector for our site and our customers make repeat purchases for these goods. For example, our customers purchase more than $150,000 worth of diapers from the Pampers brand every month. Brands and products you can find on Qoolife! James: What brands and goods are sold on Qoolife? Devin: We have quite a number of well-known household brands ranging from nutrition to personal care to household cleaning goods. You can get Dynamo detergent, Downy softener, Pampers diapers, Oral-B toothbrushes, Garnier facial washes and Pantene shampoo, just to name a few. Free shipping via Ninja Van within 2 days for certain brands! James: What is the main benefit of QooLife? Devin: The convenience of having daily necessities delivered to your doorstep is a huge benefit most of us don’t stop to think about. Here’s a food for thought - a 12-piece carton of diapers, detergent and 1.5l pet bottles of water weigh around 7kg, 14kg and 18kg respectively. Why do you have to make multiple trips to lug these goods from a nearby supermarket to your home when you could have them delivered in bulk at one time? Especially since brand loyalty is pretty strong for such goods and you’re not going to try out a new detergent every month anyway. Devin Hahm from Qoo10's SEA Business Development Team James: You‘re from Korea, where the e-commerce industry is so much more developed. Are there any cultural trends you would like to see replicated here? Devin: In Korea, the process of e-commerce purchases, from order to delivery, takes an incredibly short time. If you order something before noon today, you will have your items delivered to you tomorrow. So online shopping has become the norm, not the exception, because of its convenience compared to shopping in a physical store. So I would like to see an online shopping culture among SIngaporean consumers, where you buy something online and know that it will be delivered within two days. Qoolife's Shopfront with Ongoing Promotions James: Any exciting activities so far?
Devin: We recently launched Gillette’s new razor, Fusion ProGlide with FlexBall Technology, on Qoolife and we received 790 pre-orders for the shaver before it’s even launched in stores. Our customers also redeemed more than 10,000 complimentary samples of Swisse Vitamins in a recent launch. So we see it as a great and cost-effective channel to create awareness and build brand equity for new-to-market products as well. Want to get an all-rounded smartwatch without burning a hole in your wallet? If your answer is 'yes', then this is the watch for you. Packing style, function and affordability into one sweet package, the Alcatel ONETOUCH Smartwatch had a successful debut at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas in January and was also honoured with a prestigious iF Design Award by iF International Forum Design GmbH. With its official launch slated for 8 July 2015, Qoo10 users can be among the first to lay their hands on the coveted wearable by making an order on http://www.qoo10.sg/shop/MSTATION. The first 10 customers will be able to purchase the watch at a special promotion rate of $199 while the first 50 customers will receive a complimentary power bank worth S$25. (Photo Credit: ALCATEL, Kosstel) The Android and iOS compatible watch is embellished with a series of fine finishes that meet the demands of those looking for the same look and feel as a traditional watch, with materials such as brushed chrome, micro-textured resin bands and white stainless steel. “It’s called a wearable, so we wanted to make something that would be a pleasure to wear,” said ALCATEL ONETOUCH’s Chief Marketing Officer Dan Dery. “The watch face and the band are slim, like a regular watch, but it has the multi-functionality of a smartwatch.” While offering choice and style, the WATCH also offers multiple fitness functions and connects to Android and iOS smartphones via Bluetooth. Monitors User Activity Keep track of your daily health, including steps taken and sleep patterns. The WATCH is packed with sensors: the heart-rate monitor is embedded discretely on the underside of the watch face; there’s also an accelerometer, gyroscope, altimeter and e-compass. The WATCH also allows users to track their sleep cycle, distance covered, steps taken and calories burned. To monitor their fitness goals, users can access the activity overview that the WATCH offers. Multimedia Remote Control and Phone Notifications Be notified of social media updates with a quick glance and control music player functions easily. When the smartwatch is connected to a smartphone, it sends users call notifications; social media updates and vibrates if users stray too far from their phones. Touching the WATCH’s screen activates a multimedia remote control. Users can control music, take pictures from their phone from a distance or make their phone ring in order to locate it. Simplicity of Use Is Built In Embedded USB charger for a cleaner aesthetic form The WATCH is compatible with a number of ALCATEL ONETOUCH smartphones in the HERO, IDOL and POP series, as well as with any phone running on Android 4.3 or above and on iOS 7 or above. It is dust and water-resistant, with a long battery life.
Speaking of the battery, the WATCH has a clever USB charger integrated into its band for simplicity of use. With beauty and functionality integrated into one device, ALCATEL ONETOUCH offers a smartwatch at a smart price, fulfilling its mission of making the latest technology available to all. |
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