The Impulso Podcast

“E-commerce cannot become social media. It is separated,” - Zulkifli Hasan, Minister of Trade, Indonesia.

 

Last month, Indonesia shocked the digital commerce world by introducing a new regulation whereby social media companies are now “prohibited to facilitate payment transactions in its electronic system”.

 

Although the new regulations didn't explicitly name TikTok, the ongoing discussions about banning TikTok Shop was well-known - the platform was given one week to comply with the new regulations.

 

TikTok was quick to comply and officially stopped their TikTok Shop operations in Indonesia on October 4, forcing many sellers to shift their transactions to Whatsapp or move to Shopee Live.

 

There is no doubt that this ban will have a significant impact on TikTok’s monetisation efforts - but there are deeper implications to all parties in the ecommerce and retail ecosystem as well.

 

Tune in to the exclusive recording of our event to find out:

- Who are the biggest beneficiaries and losers?

- What is the impact on the rest of the world?

- Will TikTok Shop be able to reverse the ban?

- What lessons can we learn from this?

In this episode, we take a closer look at Temu's operational efficiency which helped its rapid expansion into 22 more countries within a short timeframe since last year. Specifically, we dissect a significant case showcasing their speed, notably their appearance in the Super Bowl.

What strategies does Temu employ to maintain a low pricing strategy in such a competitive market, and how has this contributed to its success?

Additionally, we delve into differences in user propagation in the US versus the Asian market. How does Temu navigate in these diverse markets, and what insights can we gain from its approaches?

Furthermore, we examine the aggressive market disruptions orchestrated by Temu and Shein. How have their aggressive marketing strategies reshaped the landscape, and what implications does this have for the industry as a whole?

 

Tune in to our new episode. Enjoy!

 

Who is Temu? Report - Who is Temu? | Momentum Works

Welcome to another episode of the Impulso Podcast. This week was surely eventful and in this episode, we are going to cover in detail Flash Coffee closing, J&T’s upcoming IPO, and finally Foodpanda appointing new CEO.

 

Singapore-headquartered Flash Coffee exits Singapore to focus more on promising markets. Note that this closure is following exits in Taiwan and Japan that took place last year. Why did this happen and why now? What are some of the things coffee companies need to consider before coming to or expanding to Singapore? How do some companies have a flawed approach when it comes to differentiating themselves?

 

Indonesian courier J&T Global is planning an IPO on the 27th of October on Hong Kong Exchange, they are aiming to raise half a billion US$, which would be the second largest IPO on HKEX.  Now, we did cover J&T extensively in our report “Who is J&T”,  which you can find below, as well as a complimentary report: J&T Express: highlights of draft IPO prospectus, so we will not go too much into company background. Our expert will delve into the most interesting parts of the prospectus and as well as discuss the state of logistics in South East Asia.

 

Foodpanda has removed its chief executive officer after he allegedly leaked confidential information about the platform’s potential sale to Grab. John Fang, who held the position of chief international officer, will succeed Angele as the company’s new CEO and continue to lead and oversee Foodpanda’s business. How has Foodpanda’s performance changed since last year? Does it justify the price of the deal that was disclosed by the media? How can Grab ultimately benefit from the deal? Stay tuned and find more in this episode!

 

Featured this week:

 

Who is J&T report -> Who is J&T? | Momentum Works

J&T Express: Highlights Of Draft IPO Prospectus -> J&T Express: Highlights of draft IPO prospectus | Momentum Works

Everyone knows Alibaba but not everyone knows its middle-eastern arm operating in Pakistan, India and Bangladesh. In the newest episode of the Impulso Podcast, we invited Zori Zafirova, COO of Daraz, to talk about being a part of Alibaba Group as well as her personal journey.

In this episode, we have touched upon:

What are shared learnings among various Alibaba Group companies that have played a pivotal role in Daraz's growth?

How onions helped Daraz gain traction in Bangladesh?

How to manage multimarket operations?

As we look ahead to the future, what opportunities and hurdles does the e-commerce world have in 2023?

Join this episode to gain intriguing insights from our guest on operating in the frontier ecommerce world.

In Episode 33 of the Impulso Podcast, we share raw, unfiltered conversations between Chao Gao (CTO of FinAccel), Shaolin Zheng (Co-founder and CTO of NextBillion.ai), and our own Jianggan Li (CEO Momentum Works) about their experiences in tech companies (startup or corporate), why tech companies in US, China and Singapore operate so differently, and how to deal with the difficulties thrown by 2023.

We also touched upon:

Differences in working culture in USA, China, and Singapore: How much certainty in product success a team needs?

Business model design/ no design: When does it work and when doesn’t?

How is founding with Rocket, Alibaba, corporate different from starting on your own?

Burden of a founder: Destined to be lonely?

Year of 2023: Navigating through high cost of capital and risk aversion

If you’ve ever wondered about the human side of tech officers, and how to resonate with them - this episode is for you.

In the latest episode of our podcast, we delve into news that has sent ripples through the world of social media and e-commerce. Indonesia has just introduced a regulation that shakes up the way transactions and payments take place on social media platforms.

 

How will it impact the operations of TikTok Shop which thrives on its massive user base? TikTok Shop’s frictionless experience allowed it to flourish. But with Indonesia slamming the brakes on this practice, TikTok Shops face a significant challenge. How will it affect the business model?

 

In our episode, we explore the motives behind Indonesia's regulatory move. What are the concerns driving this decision, can it serve as a blueprint for other countries’ policy?

 

Moreover, we investigate potential solutions. Indonesia has given a tight deadline of just one week for the issues to be addressed. Are there alternative strategies TikTok Shop can employ to continue its operations?

 

Join us in this episode as we unravel the complexities of Indonesia's new regulation and its impact on TikTok Shop!

Over the last year, TikTok Shop has shown incredible growth and has presence now in 9 markets, including all major markets in Southeast Asia, the United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia, and the United States.

After hitting US$4.4 billion GMV in Southeast Asia in 2022, TikTok Shop aims to triple that this year, as part of its overall (ambitious) US$20 billion target.

But what is behind all this growth? Why is TikTok betting so heavily on e-commerce? Would North American consumers watch videos and buy things on TikTok? Also, why would TikTok focus on the US market even as it is facing so much pressure there?

Episode 31 exclusively features the recording of our TikTok Shop event. Tune in as our experts discuss:

What are the 2 strategic focuses of TikTok in e-commerce

The 4 key differences between TikTok Shop and other e-commerce platforms

Should brands work with TikTok Shop, and if the answer is yes, how?

The top selling brand on TikTok Shop - how did they achieve it?

Enjoy the episode!

In this podcast episode, we invited our experts Ada and Vion, who recently attended the annual PE/VC summit. The summit gathers different investors, LPs, and some startup founders.

 

We posed the question to our experts: What are the hot topics in Southeast Asia? The answer was revealing – fintech, SaaS (Software as a Service), and the burgeoning field of agritech are making waves in the region. 

 

We explore the evolving landscape of investments and the intriguing concept of "lighter models." These are investments in tech-driven brands with high gross margins and minimal tangible assets, where the focus is not on massive growth but on sustainable profitability and cash flow.

 

But that's not all – we're taking a global perspective, looking beyond borders to examine the ever-shifting narrative surrounding investments in China. With headlines suggesting China may be becoming "uninvestable," we aim to cut through the noise and explore what lies beneath. Is China truly off the table for investors, or are there still opportunities to seize in this dynamic market?

 

So, stay tuned as we navigate the ever-evolving landscape of finance. You won't want to miss the valuable insights our guests have to offer.

Welcome to the Weekly Recap by Momentum Works, where we dissect business news in China and Southeast Asia. On this episode’s agenda: Luckin x Moutai collab, Lummo liquidation, and Indonesia’s plan to ban TikTok Shop.

 

Luckin, a Chinese coffee company, made headlines by selling in one day more than 5 million cups of an alcohol-infused latte, made in collaboration with Mouitai. Apart from discussing the technology and price of a new drink, we will dive deeper into how Moutai, a well-established brand of premium liquor, benefits from this collaboration, whether this is the first time they are making a liquor-flavored product, and what we can learn from partnership about competitiveness in F&B industry in China.

 

On Wednesday night news about Indonesia’s plan to ban TikTok Shop shook up the e-commerce scene. The government cites monopolistic activities as the reason for the prohibition. We will talk about how likely such a prohibition is to come into force and how it could potentially impact the e-commerce industry in Indonesia, as well as what is needed legally to make it come true.

 

Finally, Indonesian start-up Lummo (previously known as Bukukas) applied for voluntary liquidation after receiving more than USD $130 million from various investors, including Sequoia and Jeff Bezos’ VC firm. A SaaS startup originally offering bookkeeping services for SMEs was unable to generate enough revenue. We discuss the challenges of relying on bookkeeping as a core of a model.

 

Featured material:

The TikTok Shop Playbook | Momentum Works

 

https://open.spotify.com/episode/0o96zu5t6ZDlfXVSB5KrS6?si=368314592728461f

 

The Luckin x Moutai partnership that sold 5 mil cups of coffee in one day - The Low Down - Momentum Works

Will Indonesia really ban TikTok Shop? - The Low Down - Momentum Works

TikTok has become synonymous with rapid-fire entertainment and viral content. Recently, this social media giant stepped into the world of commerce, changing the way we shop online. In this episode of the Implulso Podcast, we unravel the intriguing story of TikTok Shop by answering some of the questions from the event where we premiered our new report “TikTok Shop: The Playbook”.

 

Could TikTok Shop integrate vouchers into its platform? Vouchers, often used in e-commerce to incentivize purchases and boost engagement, have been a staple of online shopping. We'll delve into the possibilities and challenges of introducing vouchers to TikTok Shop, discussing how they could enhance the overall shopping experience and how they are implemented in the system of  TikTok’s sister Douyin. Join us as we examine whether vouchers could be the missing piece in TikTok Shop's dynamic ecosystem.

 

TikTok Shop burst onto the scene in Asia, but is it a universal sensation? We'll explore if it might appeal to North American consumers.

 

How does TikTok Shop strategically leverage its vast user base and merge entertainment with commerce, ultimately reshaping the way users discover and purchase products within the app?

 

Tune in to uncover the secrets behind TikTok Shop's innovative approach and how it's changing the way we shop.

Featured report:The TikTok Shop Playbook: The TikTok Shop Playbook | Momentum Works