Shippit Inks Three New Deals with Leading Logistics Providers Janio, FedEx and Qxpress to Strengthen Domestic and International Capabilities

SINGAPORE, Jul 1, 2021 – (ACN Newswire) – Today, fast-growing e-Commerce fulfilment tech company Shippit announces it has signed three new delivery partner deals with integrated logistics solutions provider Janio, global logistics player FedEx, and e-Commerce logistics expert Qxpress. These deals come as part of Shippit's efforts to rapidly scale up its operations in Southeast Asia following its A$30 million Series B fundraise in December 2020.

Apart from strengthening Shippit's domestic delivery network in Singapore and Malaysia, Shippit's new partnership with Janio will allow Shippit to open up its delivery lanes with special rates in Southeast Asia, China, and the US. This enables merchants access to ship to more countries than before at lower costs. The partnership with Qxpress will help Shippit improve reliability and flexibility in domestic deliveries by offering new delivery options such as "same-day delivery" in Singapore, so parcels can reach end customers quickly.

With an estimated 40 million new users in Southeast Asia coming online because of the pandemic, e-Commerce spend has unsurprisingly surged; the industry is currently valued at US$62 billion and is expected to grow to US$172 billion by 2025. To support the increasing number of merchants moving online, Shippit has also added new integrations with some of the largest e-Commerce platforms such as WooCommerce and Magento to support a wider variety of merchants. WooCommerce and Magento join existing partner Shopify, allowing merchants a seamless integration with the Shippit platform.

Shippit has onboarded a variety of SMB and Enterprise clients in different product categories such as Seira Elves, Global Knives, Looqal, Sans & Sans, Hush Candles, Blender Bottle, Sterling Nutrition, and Boxgreen.

Mark Lancaster, Southeast Asian Business Development Lead at Shippit, said: "Shippit wants to be the platform of choice for growing, scaling and enterprise merchants across the region to support fulfilment and enable more last-mile choices. It's critical that we continue investing in carrier integrations, product enhancements that benefit our merchants to capitalise on this growth in the region. These recent carrier deals expand our network capability providing more domestic and international services to our growing merchant base."

"The growth of e-commerce in Southeast Asia has been phenomenal, and the need for robust technological and logistical infrastructure has never been higher. We are truly excited to be working with Shippit to collectively serve southeast Asia's merchants", said Senthil Kumar, Janio Group Head of Commercial.

Shippit recognises the negative environmental impact deliveries have and is committed to a future of sustainable retail. It is one of the only logistics SaaS platforms across APAC, that offsets 100% of the carbon emissions on deliveries made on Shippit's discounted rates, at no extra cost to the merchant. Shippit does this by partnering with the Carbon Neutral Group and purchasing carbon offsets to support projects that prevent and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. To date, the company has offset more than 278,000 kilometers of carbon footprint for its Singapore clients.

Shippit Co-founder and Co-Chief Executive Officer William On, said: "Southeast Asia presents a huge opportunity for Shippit; we think the region is set to become the world's largest e-Commerce market within the next five years! Since Shippit's launch in Southeast Asia in July 2020, we've seen our business grow quickly — and expect that it will continue to scale — which is why we are looking to improve our capabilities across the region and might consider expanding into other countries in the future."

Shippit was founded in Australia in 2014 with the intention of providing frictionless delivery options and enhanced customer experience. Shippit's software enables retailers to instantly ship with leading partner carriers, share seamless tracking and notifications, as well as provide dedicated delivery support.

Since the fast-growing logistic SaaS platform's expansion to Singapore less than a year ago, the company has announced partnerships with Shopify, SingPost, Ninja Van, DHL and Aramex and now powers more than 20,000 deliveries per month. Shippit serves more than 275 merchants across Southeast Asia and has a dedicated team of 7 people working across the region with a shared staff of 40 in product and customer service. Shippit is also present in Malaysia and is currently strengthening its offerings in Malaysia by partnering with local carriers and improving product capabilities.

About Shippit

Shippit is a fast-growing e-Commerce fulfilment technology company founded in Australia. Powering delivery for Asia's leading retailers like Sephora, Decathlon, UNIQLO, CottonOn, Harvey Norman, and JD Sports, Shippit's powerful shipping engine saves retailers time, money and provides better experiences for delivery recipients. By simplifying omni-channel fulfilment, enabling retailers to accept cash on delivery and removing friction from the cross-border shipping process, Shippit simplifies shipping for retailers so they can focus on growing their business. For more info, please visit: www.shippit.com/

Copyright 2021 ACN Newswire. All rights reserved. http://www.acnnewswire.com

Shippit Inks Three New Deals with Leading Logistics Providers Janio, FedEx and Qxpress to Strengthen Domestic and International Capabilities

MainettiCare Becomes Official Face Mask Supplier of Hong Kong, China Delegation to Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games

HONG KONG, Jun 24, 2021 – (ACN Newswire) – Mainetti Group ("Mainetti" or the "Company"), the leading global retail solutions provider, is pleased to announce that MainettiCare – the Company's high-quality PPE range – has become the "Official Face Mask Supplier" of the Hong Kong, China Delegation travelling to the upcoming 2020 Tokyo Olympics Games (Tokyo 2020), under a partnership with the Sports Federation & Olympic Committee of Hong Kong, China (SF&OC).

As Official Face Mask Supplier, MainettiCare will provide 100% Made in Hong Kong high-performance HK96 Nanofiber Filter 3D Face Masks (HK96(TM)) and the MainettiCare Disposable Masks (ASTM Level 3) to the travelling Hong Kong, China Delegation. This essential PPE will safeguard athletes and officials from Covid-19 while providing maximum performance and comfort.

MainettiCare's HK96(TM) masks offer better breathability and maintains more than 98% Bacterial Filtration Efficiency (BFE), Particle Filtration Efficiency (PFE) and Viral Filtration Efficiency (VFE) even after 96 hours of continuous use, as tested by Intertek, an independent international laboratory. The ergonomically designed masks also feature adjustable earloops for a tight fit while ensuring comfort during workouts.

Mr. Paul Tai, Regional Director of the Far East & Global Head of MainettiCare, said, "We are incredibly honored that MainettiCare has been selected as the "Official Face Mask Supplier" to the Hong Kong, China Olympic Delegation to Tokyo 2020. With sustainability being a key focus of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics Games, the ability of the HK96(TM) mask to be used for up to 96 hours is an important feature, and also highlights Mainetti's own commitment to sustainability as part of its 60th Anniversary celebrations.

"We look forward to the many proud moments that our local Olympians and Paralympians are sure to provide. We wish them every success as they go for gold in Japan."

About Mainetti
For sixty years, Mainetti has been a trusted partner to the world's most respected and well-known retail and apparel brands. Our 6,000 employees in 90 locations on 6 continents come to work every day with a mission to deliver innovative and sustainable solutions for our customers.

As the largest hanger company in the world, the name Mainetti is synonymous with superior quality and exceptional service. Mainetti pioneered garment hanger reuse and recycling, introducing sustainability practices that continue to lead the industry.

Mainetti's diversified portfolio includes Packaging, Branding, Supply Chain, and Intelligent (RFID) Solutions, and in 2020, we introduced a line of Health and Safety products that help customers in their efforts to mitigate Covid-19 risks. Our holistic supply chain process uses innovative materials to create products with less energy and more renewable sources every year.

Mainetti is a proud Member of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, working with the world's leading and most influential organizations to accelerate the global transition to a circular economy. Please visit www.mainetti.com for more information.

For media enquiries, please contact:
Think Alliance Group
Henry Chow / Matthew Schultz
Tel: +852 3481 1161
Email: henry.chow@think-alliance.com / matt.schultz@think-alliance.com

Copyright 2021 ACN Newswire. All rights reserved. http://www.acnnewswire.com

HYPEBEAST LTD. (0150.HK) Sees Record Profitability Despite Covid-19 Challenges, Looks Ahead To Growth

HONG KONG, Jun 22, 2021 – (ACN Newswire) – The Board of Directors of Hypebeast Limited (Stock Code: 0150.HK) has announced the Group's annual results for the year ended 31 March 2021 ("FY2021"). Revenue for the year totaled HK$674.2 million; notably, revenues from the fiscal second half ("2H2021") were 36.2% higher than revenues recorded in the first half of the fiscal ("1H2021"), chiefly due to strength in recovery of the Media business heading out of the COVID-19 pandemic, both by way of volume of campaign execution and by way of increasing contract values. Media recovered steadily, with total signed contract value during FY2021 increasing by approximately 20% compared to FY2020.

The Group's net profits totaled HK$70.6 million, representing a year-on-year increase of 7.3%, chiefly due to cost control measures adopted by management during COVID-19. Notably, net profit from 2H2021 was HK$49.7 million compared to HK$20.9 million for the first half of FY2021, representing a significant increase of 137.8%. Net profit margin for 2H2021 was 12.8%, compared to 7.3% for 1H2021. Such trends primarily reflect a resurgence of the Media business from COVID-19.

"The pandemic has led to an expected downside in our overall revenue, but we are expecting strong growth as countries begin heading out of lockdowns especially in view of significantly improving revenue, gross and net profits in the second half of the fiscal." said Kevin Ma, Founder and CEO of Hypebeast Ltd. "We are very much positioned for growth, ready to make a strong recovery out of the pandemic and extend our reach. Looking forward, we will focus on regional market expansion, category diversification to accommodate growing non-endemic sectors such as gaming, technology and F&B, and accelerating conversion of our editorial readers and visitors into e-commerce and retail customers alongside other strategies."

Key takeaways from the financial results:

— The Group recorded strong revenue recovery most notably in 2H2021, with second half revenues totaling HK$388.8 million which represented an increase of 36.2% over revenues for 1H2021 of HK$285.4 million; total revenues were HK$674.2 million compared to HK$751.4 million for the prior year, which represented only a moderate year-on-year decrease of 10.3% despite significant COVID-19 pandemic-related impact in 1H2021;

— Total value in signed contracts for the Media segment increased by 20% during FY2021 as compared to the prior year;

— Media gross margin for 2H2021 was 57.6% compared to 50.4% for 1H2021, reflecting an overall increase in revenues and more efficient cost control. E-commerce & Retail gross margin for 2H2021 was 42.2% compared to 36.3% for 1H2021, reflecting a higher mix of products sold at full price;

— The Group delivered net profits of HK$70.6 million, a significant 7.3% increase compared to FY2020 – notably net profit from 2H2021 was 137.8% higher than net profit for 1H2021; and

— 12-month average website monthly unique visitors and aggregated social media following improved to 15.6 million and 26.2 million, representing a 0.7% and 12.4% increase over the last fiscal year, respectively. Such increases reflect overall trends in user following being more heavily social media focused.

Outlook:

— COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the digitalization of advertising as global brands continue to allocate an increased proportion of marketing dollars to online advertising; the Group forecasts a positive effect on the Media segment going forward;

— COVID-19 pandemic-related disruptions in 1H2021 resulted in pent-up demand from brand partners for digital marketing services; the Group's strong second half results reflect increased investment in our services, and the Group expects this momentum to carry over to the first half of the next fiscal year ("1H2022") and beyond;

— Strength built upon opinion leadership over a loyal community of Gen Z and millennial user-customers coupled with healthy balance sheet and liquidity, streamlined business model, and competitive, unique 360-degree advertising services allow Hypemaker, our agency, to continue to stand out amongst brand advertisers and advertising agencies;

— Planned integration of our retail services with compelling and engaging content from our media platforms creates a powerful user-customer funnel for our e-commerce platform, allowing our loyal community of readers to enjoy a seamless shopping experience on an integrated site and/or app;

— The Hypebeast building in New York City is slated to open in 2H2021, which will integrate our flagship retail store, a coveted venue for activations and cultural events, as well as host our Group's US East Coast office; the Group plans to drive greater brand awareness and community building through this landmark location, which will benefit both Media and E-commerce & Retail segment growth within the U.S. region and globally; and

— Geographically and strategically well positioned to capture significant growth opportunities in both Media and E-commerce & Retail in Asia through leveraging the Group's brand popularity and high-profile networks – particularly, in South Korea, Japan, China and Southeast Asia.

For further details on the Annual Results performance, visit the Group's corporate website to view the full results announcement.
https://hypebeast.ltd/documents/2021062200977.pdf

About Hypebeast Limited (Stock Code: 0150.HK)

Hypebeast Ltd. started from a sneaker website founded by Kevin Ma in 2005 to a publicly listed media company in 2016. With a total reach of over 44.6M users across all platforms, The media group boasts a global readership across Asia Pacific, North America, Europe and more, with the flagship platform available in five languages. The group has expanded its publishing brands to a wider scope in recent years, encompassing Hypebeast and its multiple content distribution platforms, HBX, our e-commerce and retail platform, and Hypemaker, our global agency.

Copyright 2021 ACN Newswire. All rights reserved. http://www.acnnewswire.com

Singapore’s Commodities Intelligence Centre Signs Investment Agreement to Establish Its Overseas Digital Trade Platform in Chongqing’s Guoyuan Port

SINGAPORE, Jun 17, 2021 – (ACN Newswire) – Singapore-based Commodities Intelligence Centre (CIC) has signed an investment agreement with Chongqing Liangjiang New District Management Committee. The agreement will see an investment commitment of RMB 10 million (S$2.07 million) by CIC to establish its overseas digital trade platform in China's Guoyuan Port in Chongqing Municipality. The agreement was formally inked by Mr Luo Lin, Deputy Secretary of the Party Working Committee and Director of the Management Committee of Chongqing Liangjiang New Area and Mr Peter Yu, Chief Executive Officer of CIC, at the "Chongqing Liangjiang New Area Key Technology Innovation Projects Virtual Signing Ceremony". CIC's parent company, ZALL Smart Commerce Group (2098.HK), also announced its plans to invest in Guoyuan Port for their projects in West China.

The project is expected to contribute towards the China-Singapore (Chongqing) Connectivity Initiative, and will be able to tap on CIC platform capabilities in Singapore to enable data interconnection and interoperability and grow a vibrant commodity trading ecosystem in Guoyuan Port. The move comes as CIC is stepping up efforts to expand its global supply chain network and provide companies with increased access to market opportunities in China and Southeast Asia, helping them uncover new business opportunities, reduce transaction costs and achieve greater trading synergies globally amid the pandemic.

Mr Peter Yu, Chief Executive Officer of CIC, shared, "The need to strengthen the digital connectivity of the world's supply chain ecosystem is more important than ever today. CIC is proud to have inked this strategic agreement to establish our overseas digital trade platform in Chongqing, an important region that connects the Yangtze River Economic Belt and the Belt and Road route. This investment affirms our continued commitment to expand our technology-enabled global B2B trading ecosystem that would enable businesses to reap the benefits of the global digital trade economy on the back of the world's largest trade pact, the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) and China's dual circulation strategy, with greater digital trade connectivity between China and ASEAN."

Leveraging the strategic connectivity advantages of the China-Singapore (Chongqing) Multimodal Transportation Demonstration Base, the new International Land-Sea Trade Corridor (ILSTC) and other international trade channels of the Chongqing Guoyuan Port National Logistics Hub, CIC's digital trade platform would provide global trading services, such as transaction matching, customs declaration and clearance, supply chain logistics, trade finance, and global trade compliance to facilitate the development of an international commodities trading cluster in Guoyuan Port. The platform could also help accelerate the opening up of China's inland economy and drive global commodity trading and investments into Chongqing, thereby bringing about deeper economic integration with China's Belt and Road Initiative and the country's western provinces and regions.

Located in the core part of Chongqing's Liangjiang New Area, Guoyuan Port is a logistics hub integrating "water, rail, and road transport" of China's inland rivers, and is the only port-type national logistics hub in west China. CIC's project signing comes amid deeper Sino-Singapore cooperation under the China-Singapore (Chongqing) Connectivity Initiative, and increased investments by Singapore enterprises into Chongqing in sectors such as aviation, financial services, logistics and information and communication technology.

About Commodities Intelligence Centre

The Commodities Intelligence Centre (CIC) is a global trading platform for physical commodities including Ferrous & Non-Ferrous Metals, Chemicals & Plastics, Oil & Petroleum, and Agri Commodities. Officially launched in Singapore on 12 Oct 2018, CIC is a Joint Venture between China-based ZALL Smart Commerce Group, Global eTrade Services (GeTS) and Singapore Exchange (SGX) to build trade connectivity through digital marketplaces and to grow a vibrant trading ecosystem in Singapore.

CIC aims to revolutionize commodity trading and facilitate cross-border trade through deal matching, trade finance, supply chain logistics, track and trace and global trade compliance. Since its establishment in October 2018, CIC has achieved a GMV (Gross Merchandise Volume) of more than US$13.4 billion (S$17.6 billion), with over 5,800 registered users covering markets including Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, India, China, among other countries in Asia. For more information, please visit www.cic-tp.com

For media enquiries, please contact
Email: CIC@preciouscomms.com

Copyright 2021 ACN Newswire. All rights reserved. http://www.acnnewswire.com

Ulferts International Announces 2020/21 Annual Results

HONG KONG, Jun 8, 2021 – (ACN Newswire) – Ulferts International Limited ("Ulferts International" or the "Group", Stock Code: 1711.HK), a well-known furniture retailer in Hong Kong, today announced its annual results for the year ended 31 March 2021 (the "Year").

Financial Review
Despite a challenging retail landscape during the Year, the Group's total revenue increased to HK$234.5 million (2020: HK$218.9 million). Gross profit increased by 13.8% to HK$152.9 million (2020: HK$134.4 million), while gross profit margin increased by 3.8 percentage points to 65.2% (2020: 61.4%), mainly attributable to a larger contribution from "at . home" which enjoyed a higher profit margin.

Attributable to an increase in revenue, and a decrease in operating costs as a result of the Group's sound and effective cost control measures, coupled with a one-off other income recognised during the Year, the Group was able to achieve a net profit of HK$16.8 million during the Year (2020: net loss of HK$11.6 million), while a net loss of HK$1.0 million was recorded for the six months ended 30 September 2020, indicating a turnaround during the second half of the Year. An earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation increased markedly to HK$35.2 million (2020: HK$2.5 million). Basic earnings per share was HK2.10 cents (2020: basic loss of HK1.45 cents per share). The Group has recommended the payment of a final dividend of HK0.63 cent (2020: Nil) per share.

Cash and cash equivalents of the Group increased to HK$93.7 million (2020: HK$63.7 million). As at 31 March 2021, the Group did not have any bank borrowings (2020: Nil).

Retail Business Review
Revenue from the retail segment amounted to HK$217.0 million (2020: HK$198.6 million), accounting for 92.5% (2020: 90.7%) of the Group's total revenue. Among the retail revenue, aggregate sales of "Ulferts" and "Ulferts Signature" amounted to HK$151.4 million (2020: HK$153.7 million), and remained the key revenue contributor, accounting for 69.8% (2020: 77.4%) of total retail revenue. The sales revenue of "at . home" reported a growth of 68.0% to HK$40.5 million (2020: HK$24.1 million), accounting for 18.7% (2020: 12.1%) of total retail revenue.

As at 31 March 2021, the Group had 23 points-of-sale ("POS") in Hong Kong, including 1 "Ulferts Signature" showroom, 4 "Ulferts" showrooms, 5 "at . home" stores, and a total of 13 POS covering "Dormire" specialty stores, "Ulfenbo" department store counters and pop-up stores. During the Year, 1 "at . home" mega pop-up store was opened in Mongkok, and 3 "Ulfenbo" pop-up stores were opened in Shatin, Sheung Shui and Tuen Mun respectively, to further expand the market coverage.

Wholesale Business Review
The Group operates wholesale business of mattresses, sofabeds and sofas under its self-owned label "Ulfenbo" through over 200 dealers in Hong Kong and Macau. Based on its long establishment and quality products, the "Ulfenbo" brand has been recognised by the "Hong Kong Top Brand Mark" for seven consecutive years since 2014, under the Hong Kong Top Brand Mark Scheme organised by The Chinese Manufacturers' Association of Hong Kong and Hong Kong Brand Development Council.

Mr. Ricky Ng, Executive Director & Chief Executive Officer of Ulferts International, said, "Looking ahead, the economies of countries across the world will continue to be hit hard by the pandemic, posing challenges for the macro-economic environment. Though there are still a few sporadic outbreaks locally, the social gatherings have gradually returned to normal, providing favourable conditions for the retail market. It is generally believed that both retail and property markets will regain momentum more apparently afterwards. The Group remains cautiously optimistic about the future retail market."

Mr. Ng concluded, "Consumer behaviour has been reshaped during the pandemic with increased usage of online platforms. In view of this, the Group will continue to enhance its online sales platforms, and showcase and promote its furniture products on mobile apps or by social media engagements. Meanwhile, the Group will continue to enhance its sales network and strengthen its market presence. As the macro environment remains uncertain in the near term, the Group will closely monitor the market situation and adjust in response to changes, and strive to achieve sustainable growth in the long term."

About Ulferts International Limited (1711.HK)
Established for over 45 years, Ulferts International is a well-known furniture retailer in Hong Kong dedicated to supplying high quality, stylish and affordable furniture for transforming living spaces into ideal homes. Ulferts International currently operates a few retail lines in Hong Kong including "Ulferts Signature", "Ulferts", "at . home", "Dormire" and "Ulfenbo". In addition, several online shopping platforms are available for maximizing market coverage. "Ulferts Signature", "Ulferts" and "at . home" offer more than 50 furniture brands (some of which are international brands) imported from different suppliers in Europe and Asia, covering a wide variety of contemporary style furniture products targeting middle to high income group. Meanwhile, its self-owned brand, "Ulfenbo", mainly offers mattresses, pillows and sofas through wholesaling to dealers and retailing under "Dormire" speciality stores, "Ulfenbo" department store counters, pop-up stores, and roadshows. For more information, please visit its website: www.ulfertsintl.com.

Investor / Media Enquiries
Ms. Anna Luk
Group IR Director
Emperor Group
Tel: +852 2835 6783
Email: annaluk@emperorgroup.com

Ms. Janice Au
Group IR Manager
Emperor Group
Tel: +852 2835 6799
Email: janiceau@emperorgroup.com

Copyright 2021 ACN Newswire. All rights reserved. http://www.acnnewswire.com

New AppsFlyer Report Finds View-through Attribution Impacts Ad Clicks and App Installs

SINGAPORE, Jun 7, 2021 – (ACN Newswire) – AppsFlyer, the global attribution leader, today released its inaugural View-Through Attribution (VTA) Report. From Q4 2020 until February 2021, the report looked at impressions, examined video content, and VTA campaigns performance across 6 SEA countries (Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, and the Philippines) and 9 Industries (Shopping, Travel, Gaming, Finance, Entertainment, Education, Food & Drink, Lifestyle, and Health & Fitness) with the objective to provide marketers with insights into how right attributions could capture true consumer journey, increase optimization and drive benefits.

The report found that ads and videos are so immersive and engaging that users do not necessarily interact with the ad immediately because they do not want to leave the video experience midway. These users said they expect to engage with brands in a meaningful way as they claimed to be 1.5X more likely to purchase an item. Video exposure is impactful and influences purchase behavior. Incorporating VTA can help allocate credit in line with true consumer behavior.

In a study by Nielsen and Teluna, commissioned by TikTok For Business, consumers on video platforms said they will continue browsing content before moving to external websites or apps, with YouTube users supporting 60% of this statement, 58% on TikTok, 45% on Instagram and 40% on Facebook. This means that marketers should look beyond immediate click behaviour to accurately measure brand engagement.

VTA is an important metric to accurately measure the true user journey, since many users will purchase an item or install an app at a later stage. The report found that all SEA markets have at least VTA windows of 24 to 48 hours with up to 83.8% conversion rate.

"Constantly looking to expand our horizons, we are pleased to announce the all-new inaugural view-through attribution report. Southeast Asia's flourishing video content landscape is providing advertisers with novel ways to tap into new opportunities when engaging customers in a rapidly evolving ecosystem. We encourage marketers to use the report to utilise key data and insights on how best to maximise their campaign performances and understand the interconnections between determining metrics, behaviours and trends across Southeast Asian mobile app users," states Ronen Mense, President and Managing Director for APAC, AppsFlyer.

Video ad inventories have become a growing mechanism in Southeast Asia, especially amid Southeast Asia's flight to digital, accounting for 40% of all programmatic ad spends in the region. From this, short video ads of approximately 10 seconds drive installs or post-install events on platforms such as TikTok, making it a popular choice for advertisers to utilise in their campaigns. The rise of video has turned marketers towards using VTA models to best attribute their marketing efforts, compared to when using non-video inventories. The VTA Report also emphasised that marketers still need to incorporate a call to action to encourage conversion – as Impression-to-Install still remains somewhat low.

The report also found that due to the longer consideration process for "high-involvement" verticals, higher VTA is seen. Amongst all verticals examined, Finance in particular showed that despite fewer video impressions, more conversions were accredited to view-through attribution. High VTA rates were also seen in other verticals such as eCommerce and Media & Entertainment, with the lowest VTA rate seen in Gaming – averaging out at slightly less than a day across all countries. Marketers should therefore consider re-calibrating their attribution models according to their vertical and incorporate VTA as an important metric for conversions, as many users may not convert upon their first view.

Additional highlights from the report:

– Key festivities such as Singles' Day and New Year and lockdowns play an important role in peaks in clicks in the Food and Drink vertical, driven by VTA in Singapore and Indonesia.
— Health & Fitness apps in particular saw a spike in Southeast Asian markets in October, especially Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam, mainly as a result of cross-regional awareness campaigns. A similar outcome was seen in December during the transition to the new year with health and fitness, and shopping apps.

– Marketers that are able to measure and optimize a CTA and VTA method have seen success in their campaigns.
— In Southeast Asia, ecommerce, media & entertainment, and finance are the verticals with the highest CTA + VTA and are able to optimize ads by 113% faster with low spend.
— TikTok data shows industries such as Finance, E-commerce and Media and Entertainment recorded at least 22.8% VTA conversions when compared with CTA conversions across Southeast Asia in 2020 and VTA conversions can go up to 90.8%.

– The importance of the VTA model: if the average attribution window for one vertical is one day, an Install registered by a viewer would be accredited as most users in Southeast Asia need access to WiFi to download an app.

– Singapore, being a more developed market, has a longer average attribution window of close to 1.5 days unlike just over a day in Philippines and Thailand as consumers in established economies take a longer time to convert.

– iOS 14.5's Ad Tracking Transparency feature is still being implemented and will change the app economy and ability to measure campaigns. However, Apple's SKAdNetwork, an API for measurement of ad campaigns, continues to provide advertisers with a VTA measurement option, while maintaining the privacy of the users. This emphasises that advertisers should still consider VTA as part of iOS14 dedicated campaigns. TikTok has supported SKAN CTA since the rollout of iOS 14.5 in late April 2021. Starting from June 2021, TikTok has also started to support SKAN VTA via an open beta, with more tests to be conducted before an official general release.

The AppsFlyer report analysed over 14,600 apps, 10.39 billion installs, and 6.3 billion remarketing conversions, and takes into account both click-through attribution (CTA) and view-through attribution (VTA). CTA looks at installs made after clicking on an ad while VTA registers ad impressions that result in an install without the user immediately clicking on an ad. The app may sometimes be installed a day or two later and helps to outline a typical customer's journey.

To view the full report, visit: https://www.appsflyer.com/resources/others/vta-insights-southeast-asia/

About AppsFlyer

AppsFlyer, the global attribution leader, empowers marketers to grow their business and innovate with a suite of comprehensive measurement and analytics solutions. Built around privacy by design, AppsFlyer takes a customer-centric approach to help 12,000+ brands and 8,000+ technology partners make better business decisions every day. To learn more, visit www.appsflyer.com.

Media Contact
PRecious Communications for AppsFlyer
appsflyer@preciouscomms.com

Copyright 2021 ACN Newswire. All rights reserved. http://www.acnnewswire.com

Clothing That Was Planted: Xtep Launches New PLA T-Shirts

HONG KONG, Jun 5, 2021 – (ACN Newswire) – The pollution of textile and clothing industry has existed for a long time, and the green transformation is imminent. According to the United Nations, the total carbon emissions of the fashion industry exceed those of all international flights and shipping combined, accounting for 10% of global carbon emissions, making it the second most polluting industry after the oil industry. Regarding how to reduce pollution in the fashion industry, Xtep, a Chinese sporting goods brand, is providing its own solution.

Clothing that was planted

On June 3, a new environmentally friendly product, the polylactic acid T-shirt, was launched by Xtep. Polylactic acid (PLA) is mainly extracted from corn, straw and other starch-containing crops and transformed into polylactic acid fiber after spinning. The clothes made of polylactic acid fiber being buried in a specific environment can be degraded naturally within one year. This method of replacing plastic chemical fiber with polylactic acid can reduce the harm to the environment from the source.

As early as June 5 2020, the World Environment Day, Xtep launched the world's first PLA windbreaker, becoming the first enterprise in the industry to overcome the problem of PLA coloring and achieve the production of polylactic acid products. At that time, PLA accounted for 19% of the whole trench coat fabric. One year later, the proportion of today's PLA T-shirts has risen sharply to 60%.

Xtep said that the PLA content of knitted sweaters scheduled to go on sale in the second quarter of 2022 will be further increased to 67%, and in the third quarter of the same year, 100% pure PLA trench coats will be on the market, really coming from the field, going to the field, and "sowing" clothes. In the future, Xtep will gradually achieve layers of breakthroughs in the application of PLA products, and strive to achieve more than one million pieces of PLA products in a single season before 2023.

At the press conference on the same day, Xtep also displayed all the environmentally friendly products of the group's "environmental protection family". In addition to the ready-made clothing made of PLA material, there are also shoes, clothing and accessories made of organic cotton, serona, DuPont paper and other environmentally friendly materials. The design and production of environmentally friendly products is not only limited to the main brands of Xtep Group, its new brands Saucony and Palladium also join the exploration in the field of environmental protection. It is understood that at present, products made of environmentally friendly materials account for 30% of the entire category of Xtep Group.

It is supported by the powerful patron of Xtep environmental protection technology platform. Xtep environmental protection technology platform promotes environmental protection from the three dimensions of "raw material environmental protection", "production environmental protection" and "environmental protection by consumption", and has become the main driving force of the group's green material innovation. Among them, "raw material environmental protection" and "production environmental protection" not only attach importance to the environmental protection of raw materials, but also attach importance to the environmental protection of the production process. Because of the non-high temperature resistance of PLA, the dyeing temperature and setting temperature of the production process are 0-10 degrees Celsius and 40-60 degrees Celsius, respectively, which are lower than those of ordinary polyester. If all the fabrics of Xtep are replaced with PLA, 300 million cubic meters of natural gas can be saved per year, which is equivalent to 2.6 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity and 620000 tons of coal consumption.

Lu Peng, a researcher at the Institute of Sociology of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, believes that the sense of social responsibility of China's private enterprises is constantly improving, and the awareness of collective environmental protection is becoming the mainstream of China's private enterprises. The practice of sustainable development by a larger company like Xtep will bring great inspiration to the "concept of justice and benefit" of Chinese and even global counterparts.

Xtep Group (1368:HK) is a leading enterprise of sporting shoes and clothing in China. It was founded in 1987 and listed in Hong Kong in 2008. In 2019, Xtep signed Jeremy Shu-how Lin to enter the field of basketball. In the same year, Xtep acquired the development, marketing, and distribution of Saucony and Merrell in mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macau, and wholly acquired K-Swiss and Palladium brands. In 2020, Xtep Group's revenue exceeded 8.1 billion yuan.

For further information, please visit:
https://en.xtep.com
https://global.xtep.com
https://global-uk.xtep.com
https://www.facebook.com/XTEPSPORTS
https://www.instagram.com/xtepofficial/

Contacts
Xtep Group
Li Xiansheng
overseas@xtep.com.cn

Copyright 2021 ACN Newswire. All rights reserved. http://www.acnnewswire.com

Global awards honour hktdc.com Sourcing

HONG KONG, May 26, 2021 – (ACN Newswire) – The Hong Kong Trade Development Council's (HKTDC) hktdc.com Sourcing online trading platform has demonstrated solid performance since being upgraded in October last year to more efficiently connect global buyers and suppliers amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The upgraded platform uses machine-learning and image-recognition technologies to enhance business-matching efficiency and provide a more personalised smart-sourcing experience. The enhancement helped boost platform traffic and enquiries, which grew 15% and 26% respectively in the 2020/21 financial year ending March. The platform has also garnered multiple internationally acclaimed awards.

Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) Deputy Executive Director Benjamin Chau (centre) said the HKTDC will continue to upgrade digital services to help local companies tap online marketing opportunities in the pandemic-induced new normal.

The upgraded hktdc.com Sourcing platform is honoured by 13 international awards.

Commenting on these achievements, HKTDC Deputy Executive Director Benjamin Chau said COVID-19 had prompted companies around the world to accelerate digitalisation and online sourcing is becoming more popular. "The platform upgrading could not have been better timed. It enabled us to better connect buyers and suppliers just when online trading became all the more important amid pandemic-induced travel restrictions and distancing measures," he added. "The platform enjoys strong recognition among users and website professionals, and we are pleased to have received 13 prestigious awards in the past few months."

The accolades include Best International Business Website, Best Marketing Website, Best Directory or Search Engine Website and Best Small Business Website from the Internet Advertising Competition; Best International Business Website and Best Small Business Website from MobileWebAwards; as well as Redesign/Relaunch Website and Video awards from Astrid Awards and Mercury Excellence Awards. It is the 10th consecutive year the platform has received MobileWebAwards.

The International Advertising Competition and MobileWebAwards are annual competitions organised by the Web Marketing Association of the United States to honour excellence in relation to websites and mobile apps. The annual Astrid Awards and Mercury Awards are organised by US-based MerComm, Inc., which aims to define the standards of excellence in the communications fields.

Flexi plan, maxi flan

With 130,000 suppliers and 2 million buyers in its database, hktdc.com Sourcing creates 24 million business connections a year. An authentication system puts the suppliers in Gold, Silver and Bronze categories based on reputation and activity. Records of their participation at HKTDC events and most recent data update time are also provided, giving buyers useful reference as they seek out the most suitable suppliers. The Third-party Authentication Service, meanwhile, allows suppliers to highlight credibility and product quality, strengthening buyer confidence.

Mr Chau said suppliers can purchase "boosters", based on their business needs and promotion strategies, to increase exposure on the hktdc.com Sourcing platform, enhancing their reach to potential business partners. "For users, this service has on average driven a 2.4- fold rise in business enquiries and 29-fold increase in exposure to buyers," said Mr Chau.

New buyers, new markets

Buyers from economies with free trade agreements with Hong Kong, such as Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) members, are more active on hktdc.com Sourcing, according to Mr Chau. "Suppliers receive business enquiries mostly from ASEAN and other Asian countries [25%], followed by Europe [18%] and the Americas [17%]," said Mr Chau, adding that the top five enquired categories are gifts, toys & sports supplies; electronics; home products, lights & construction; health, beauty & baby care; and food & beverage.

Local governments and municipal trade promotion bodies in Mainland China, Italy, Japan and Korea have set up cluster zones on the platform to promote advantageous industries and special products in their respective countries and regions. The Federation of Hong Kong Industries and Hong Kong Exporters Association has also joined the platform to showcase members' brands and designs.

Creating opportunities

Mr Chau said the HKTDC will further enhance its digital marketing services and develop virtual platforms in order to improve the effectiveness of its hybrid physical-online events, create seamless event experiences and enhance its 24/7 online business-matching services. Mr Chau said local companies can leverage the SME Export Marketing Fund – which has expanded its scope to cover such promotion-related work as video/product shooting and editing services – and free online training at the HKTDC's Digital Academy to accelerate digital transformation and enhance online marketing competitiveness. "We have invited specialists to share secrets of success in a series of Digital Academy online videos and webinars, with topics ranging from digital marketing, e-commerce, content development and surviving in the new normal, helping local SMEs master the basic knowledge and skills needed to start online business," said Mr Chau.

He said the HKTDC will continue to organise quarterly online thematic promotions to create opportunities for various sectors. "We received encouraging feedback on the first two promotions of this year, namely 'Everything for Home' and 'Outdoor Living. We will focus on lifestyle and festive products in the second half of 2021."

Photo download: https://bit.ly/3bl3xVi

About HKTDC

The Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) is a statutory body established in 1966 to promote, assist and develop Hong Kong's trade. With 50 offices globally, including 13 in Mainland China, the HKTDC promotes Hong Kong as a two-way global investment and business hub. The HKTDC organises international exhibitions, conferences and business missions to create business opportunities for companies, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), in the mainland and international markets. The HKTDC also provides up-to-date market insights and product information via research reports and digital news channels. For more information, please visit: www.hktdc.com/aboutus.

Media enquiries
HKTDC Communications and Public Affairs Department
Beatrice Lam, Tel: +852 2584 4049 / +852 9036 0212, Email: beatrice.hy.lam@hktdc.org

Copyright 2021 ACN Newswire. All rights reserved. http://www.acnnewswire.com

Moglix raises $120 million, joins unicorn club as valuation jumps to $1 Billion

Singapore, May 17, 2021 – (ACN Newswire) – Moglix has reached an important milestone by becoming the first industrial B2B commerce platform, in the manufacturing space, to become a unicorn. The company is said to be valued at $1 billion in its latest $120 million Series E funding round. The latest investment was led by Falcon Edge Capital and Harvard Management Company (HMC). This round of funding also saw participation from its existing investors, Tiger Global, Sequoia Capital India and Venture Highway.

Moglix Founder & CEO Rahul Garg

Moglix is India's largest and fastest growing B2B commerce platform in the industrial & MRO procurement space with a clear first-mover advantage. The Company is building an operating system for manufacturing that provides its customers a full stack service covering procurement, packaging, supply chain financing and highly integrated software.

Rahul Garg, Founder & CEO, Moglix, said:

"We started six years ago with a firm belief in the untapped potential of the Indian manufacturing sector. We had the trust of stalwarts like Ratan Tata, and a mission to enable the creation of a $1 trillion manufacturing economy in India. Today, as we enter the next stage of our evolution, we feel this financing milestone is a testimony to our journey of innovation and disruption.

In these unprecedented times, we have pledged our support and disruptive thinking to help solve the challe nge of effective distribution and sharing of oxygen concentrators covering 1M+ people in the country. Globally, we have also been instrumental, in this and the last year, in streamlining the PPE supply-chain and distribution across 20+ countries.

We are glad that Falcon Edge Capital and Harvard Management Company (HMC) have partnered with us in this journey. Falcon Edge, with its deep roots in the Middle East and Europe and an understanding of public companies will guide us through the next phase of our journey."

Speaking on the occasion, Navroz D. Udwadia, Co-Founder of Falcon Edge Capital said, "We have studied and tracked Moglix for years, driven by our global experience in investing in online MRO platforms. We are strong believers in Rahul, his first mover advantage, his full-stack solution for under-serviced customers and his ability to drive robust unit economics. Moglix's distinctive customer value proposition and ROI are visible in its outstanding customer and revenue retention numbers. We believe Moglix is now well poised to scale and we are thrilled to back the Company in the next phase of its growth."

Tiger Global, which participated in the Series D round in 2019, has also invested in the latest round. Scott Shleifer, partner, Tiger Global Management, said, "We remain excited about the team, market opportunity, and continued innovation. Moglix is a market leader and we expect they will grow rapidly with high returns on capital."

Moglix was founded in 2015, by IIT Kanpur and ISB alumnus Rahul Garg. Moglix provides solutions to more than 500,000 SMEs and 3,000 manufacturing plants across India, Singapore, the UK and the UAE. Several manufacturing majors such as Hero MotoCorp, Vedanta, Tata Steel, Unilever and PSUs such as Air India and NTPC procure indirect material through the Moglix platform. Moglix has a supply chain network of 16,000+ suppliers, 35+ warehouses and logistics infrastructure. With close to 500,000+ SKUs, its marketplace, www.moglix.com is the largest e-commerce platform in the industrial goods category in India.

Moglix also has an award-winning suite of software products for contract management and B2B Commerce. Global FMCG giant Unilever uses the platform for ~$30 billion of material spend annually in 70+countries. Moglix recently launched Credlix, a supply chain financing platform for suppliers and manufacturers and expects to power INR 1000 crore of financing in the coming year.

This latest round of funding takes the total funds raised by Moglix to $220 Million. Accel Partners, Jungle Ventures and Venture Highway have been the earliest investors in the company. Moglix has in-subsequent rounds received investments from leading global venture capital funds such as Tiger Global, Sequoia Capital India, International Finance Corporation and Composite Capital among others. Mr. Ratan Tata, Chairman emeritus, Tata Sons had invested in the start-up in 2016. Leaders from the start-up and manufacturing communities such as Mr. Kalyan Krishnamurthy, CEO Flipkart, Mr. Vikrampati Singhania, MD, JK Fenner and Mr. Shailesh Rao, Ex-Google have been investors in Moglix.

Copyright 2021 ACN Newswire. All rights reserved. http://www.acnnewswire.com