The Impulso Podcast

Momentum Works recently launched our 4th annual Food delivery platforms in Southeast Asia report and following the launch we also held an online sharing where we explored global developments, key events, and trends within the food delivery landscape in this region.

 

Some highlights of the event: 

Doordash outperforms its international peers in capital markets while Meituan has its most challenging year since IPO

Despite the recovery of F&B in the region, premium brands still face challenges

Chinese F&B brands enter Southeast Asia en masse, bringing with them their methodologies

Major players have made significant improvements in profitability, and have shifted their focus to balancing growth and profitability

Where can platforms find growth amid flat topline growth

Will TikTok enter the food delivery scene in SEA

 

Featured materials: 

Food delivery platforms in Southeast Asia 2024, Momentum Works

In the past few weeks, a poster has been circulating in the seller community outlining Temu's local sellers service model, set to debut on March 15th in the U.S. and later in Europe

 

But why did Temu decide to launch local sellers when it has been operating as a full consignment model since its launch? Is Temu trying to compete with Amazon in the US?

 

Join us as in this episode where we delve into the motivations behind Temu’s decision to launch local sellers in the US, examining its impact on Temu’s operational efficiency, and if this puts them in direct competition with platforms like Amazon and TikTok Shop. 

 

Featured materials: 

Who is Temu, momentum Works

Live Commerce Immersion to China, Momentum Works

An analysis of Temu’s cross border supply chain & logistics (1/2), TheLowDown

An analysis of Temu’s cross border supply chain & logistics (2/2), TheLowDown

Yesterday (24 Jan), it was announced that James Dong, CEO of Lazada, will take over as the Acting CEO of Daraz, the South Asia-ex-India-focused ecommerce platform under the Alibaba International Digital Commerce group (AIDC), with immediate effect. This announcement follows weeks of speculations regarding a leadership change at Daraz, and also comes a few weeks after Lazada’s recent major layoffs, which included several members of its leadership team.

 

But why did Daraz replace its CEO with Lazada’s CEO? Is this part of Alibaba’s restructuring efforts to simplify the organisation of both companies?

 

Tune in as we discuss the complexities faced by Lazada and Daraz, the motivation and challenges of Alibaba's ongoing organisational restructuring, and the need for agility in the evolving competitive ecommerce landscape. 

 

Featured materials: 

Lazada CEO takes over Daraz, what next?, TheLowDown

Interview with COO: How to run ecommerce in Pakistan, India and Bangladesh (all at once), The Impulso Podcast

With big layoffs, Lazada is digging in, TheLowDown

What’s behind Lazada Layoffs, The Impulso Podcast

Lazada layoffs: lessons from history and Jack Ma, The Impulso Podcast

[Seeing the unseen] Our thoughts on Alibaba’s major restructuring, TheLowDown

Transforming Alibaba: Understanding Alibaba’s most radical changes in history, Momentum Works

Why does Alibaba replace Taobao CEO?, The Impulso Podcast

In a candid conversation with Jasper Knoben, CEO of Flywheel Southeast Asia, we delved into the dynamic and evolving landscape of e-commerce in the region. With over a decade of experience, from his early days at Lazada Vietnam to leading Flywheel, Jasper brings a wealth of knowledge and insights about ecommerce in the region as he discusses the challenges and triumphs of navigating the e-commerce market in the region. 

 

Tune into this latest episode, where we explored:

the entry of Lazada, Shopee, and Amazon in the early days, shaping the market

new ecommerce models like TikTok Shop and the rise of live commerce;

the future of generative and general AI in the industry

 

Jasper also shares his vision for Flywheel and the strategic moves shaping the future of digital commerce in Southeast Asia. Tune in for a candid conversation that sheds light on the past, present, and future of the dynamic e-commerce landscape.

 

Featured materials: 

 

The TikTokShop Playbook, Momentum Works 

Ecommerce in SEA 2023, Momentum Works

In 2020, the pro-independence Democratic Progressive (DPP) won the presidential election in Taiwan for the first time, over its divided opponents. In an interview in May that year, Singapore’s statesman Lee Kuan Yew said: “A word of caution: There is a point beyond which no Chinese leader can survive if Taiwan is seen to be drifting away under his watch.”

 

Last Saturday, the DPP again won (its 3rd consecutive) presidential election in Taiwan over a divided opposition. China has made it very clear that it does not like the DPP’s incoming leader Lai Ching-te, and has been calling for its armed forces to be ready for war. The US continues to send arms to Taiwan. And the Economist has labelled Taiwan “the most dangerous on earth”. 

 

But what does Taiwan's recent election mean for investors and businesses in the region?

 

Tune into this latest episode where we delve into Taiwan's transition to democracy, the impact of the recent elections on the geopolitical dynamics between Taiwan, China and the U.S, and lastly, the implications for investors and businesses navigating this complex landscape. 

 

Featured materials: 

The most dangerous place on Earth, The Economist

Keith Zhai, veteran journalist on China, media and 2024, The Impulso podcast

The Generalissimo: Chiang Kai-shek and the Struggle for Modern China, Jay taylor

TRANSCRIPT OF FEER'S INTERVIEW WITH SENIOR MINISTER LEE KUAN YEW ON 26 MAY 2000, Singapore Government Media Release

The Generalissimo: Chiang Kai-shek and the Struggle for Modern China, Jay taylor

If you could wake up 10,000 years in the future, would you? 

 

Tune in as special guest Fernando Pinheiro, internet entrepreneur turned health tech entrepreneur, shares about his journey from Rocket internet to human cryopreservation, current advancements in cryopreservation technology, and the challenges of preserving complex organisms like humans.

 

We also delve into the intricate psychology behind cryopreservation decisions, as well as the legal, ethical and financial considerations of human cryopreservation, including the potential revival of legally dead individuals.

 

Join us in a thought-provoking discussion that got us questioning “What if the key to immortality lies in freezing life itself?”

 

Featured materials: 

INSIGHT Magazine, tomorrow.bio

r/cryonics, reddit

"The empire, long divided, must unite; long united, must divide. Thus it has always been." 

The opening line from the 14th-century Chinese novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms above probably resonates well with the considerations behind the recent Lazada layoffs.

 

The line, which described ancient empires, is applicable to large companies with complex operations - such as Lazada. Certain circumstances may require minimum division of responsibilities or decision making, but after a while such structure will grow rigid, and circumstances will change, causing the pendulum to swing towards centralisation. 

 

In the dynamic ecommerce landscape, the pendulum inevitably oscillates between centralisation and decentralisation - organisations need to be agile to navigate these shifts.

 

Yet, this shift comes with its set of challenges - in this situation, it is having to lay off employees.

 

In this latest episode, we dissect the additional details of the Lazada layoffs and hopefully provide an optimistic outlook about 2024 for everyone. 

 

Featured materials:What’s behind Lazada layoffs, The Impulso PodcastHow strong is Pinduoduo’s execution?, TheLowDown

Why is Pinduoduo’s execution so strong?, TheLowDown

With big layoffs, Lazada is digging in, TheLowDown

Seeing the Unseen, Behind Chinese Tech Giants' Global Venturing, Guoli Chen and Jianggan Li

How Jack Ma handles big layoffs?, TheLowDown

In Episode 50 of the Impulso Podcast, we dive into the dynamic landscape of media, China, and politics with veteran journalist Keith Zhai. 

 

Keith has been covering China's politics and policies for two decades at established and esteemed publications - The Wall Street Journal, Reuters, Bloomberg, and South China Morning Post. 

 

In this episode, we uncover the evolution of international (and especially Western) media coverage on China from the Beijing Olympics in 2008 to the present, and explore the three distinct phases in this evolution.

 

We also discuss common misconceptions about China (Hint: the top one is AI related) and the challenges of maintaining objectivity in reporting. 

 

Tune in to here us share about: 

The three phases of international media coverage on China over the years

Misconceptions about China and media bias 

Media’s portrayal of China and its impact on public perception

The nuances behind the logic of China

Yesterday (3 Jan), several media outlets reported that Lazada was carrying out a round of layoffs in Singapore. These layoffs were not unique to Singapore but also affected multiple other regional offices, including Thailand, Indonesia, and Vietnam.

 

In this latest episode of the Impulso Podcast, we delve into the behind-the-scenes of Lazada's recent wave of layoffs and restructuring, highlighting the company’s objective to centralise functions and become more agile. We also discuss the complexities of Lazada’s operations in the region and explore the company’s potential new strategies to remain competitive in Southeast Asia’s e-commerce scene.

 

However, as we have emphasised multiple times before, success goes beyond strategy; it hinges on execution—the agility and efficiency of an organisation in executing strategies.

 

Featured materials: 

Lazada cuts staff amid speculation of upcoming IPO, The Straits Times

Why does Alibaba replace Taobao CEO?, The Impulso Podcast 

Who is Temu, Momentum Works 

Temu has entered Southeast Asia, challenging Shopee, Lazada & TikTok Shop, TheLowDown

The winners and losers of the TikTok-GoTo deal, The Impulso Podcast

In Episode 48 of the Impulso Podcast, we engage in an unfiltered conversation with seasoned tech journalists, Jon Russell, and Aulia Masna, who have been observing the evolving Southeast Asia tech ecosystem over the past decade.

 

Join us as we unravel the events leading up to the ban of TikTok Shop in Indonesia and its recent partnership with GoTo. Although this partnership seemingly allows TikTok Shop Indonesia to resume its operations as usual, it's crucial to note that Indonesia still maintains a regulation barring social media platforms from managing ecommerce transactions.

 

And, of course, the lingering question remains: What about the small businesses the government pledged to safeguard?

 

In this latest episode, we also discuss: 

Our perspective on the TikTok-GoTo deal, and and its implications for GoTo;

2023 in the broader context of the Southeast Asia tech narrative over the past decade;

The potential influence of the 2024 Indonesia elections on the tech sector and regional investments;

TikTok's expansion strategy, and the challenges of entering different markets

 

Featured materials:

Winners and losers of the TikTok-GoTo deal, TheLowDown

E44: The winners and losers of the TikTok-GoTo deal, The Impulso Podcast

Tiktok shops suspension was supposed to to help small shop owners in Indonesia—its Tokopedia takeover won’t change a thing, Asia Tech review

Who is Temu, Momentum Works 

Temu has entered Southeast Asia, challenging Shopee, Lazada & TikTok Shop, TheLowDown