On average, each Indonesian user has 57 unwanted items at home that could be sold, and 12% estimate they can earn more than IDR 10,000,000 for selling all items

JAKARTA, INDONESIA – Media OutReach – 9 December 2021 – According to the first Carousell Recommerce Index, led by Carousell Group, the leading classifieds group in Greater Southeast Asia, Indonesia ranks first in the region with an average of 57 estimated unwanted items that could be sold per user. It is also one of the four leading market forecasted of having 100 items to be potentially sold, with the other three being Singapore, the Philippines and Taiwan. 12% of Indonesian users estimate they can earn more than IDR 10,000,000 for selling all their unwanted items at home on Carousell.

Recommerce refers to the selling and buying of previously-owned products, which could be new or used. The Carousell Recommerce Index 2021 Report is a Carousell Green initiative to highlight the importance of sustainability and recommerce in the Greater Southeast Asia region. The report covers findings from four Carousell Group brands—Carousell, Cho Tot, Mudah and OneKyat—across eight markets—Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan and Vietnam.

In Indonesia, more than seven out of 10 people have made secondhand purchases before. Users cite value for money (62%) as the most popular reason for buying secondhand items. 21% of users chose to purchase due to environmental reasons, similar to the regional average. 70% of secondhand item buyers declared they try to buy only secondhand items as much as possible. This is the highest in the region.

Fashion is the most preferred category for Indonesians to buy (74%) and sell (85%) secondhand. This is similar to regional preference where Fashion remains the top category with the most secondhand listings. Women’s Fashion has historically been the top category in terms of secondhand listings created and viewed. In 2020, fueled by demand for tops and outerwear, Men’s Fashion grew by almost 10% in listing views. Similarly the demand for children’s apparel has also driven an increase in the number of listings created in the Babies & Kids category, as parents decluttered to make extra cash.

Lucas Ngoo, Co-founder, Carousell Group said, “As a pioneer for mobile classifieds in the region, Carousell Group has been constantly working to remove friction and enable secure, seamless transactions. With the use of AI and data, we have been focused on accelerating our recommerce leadership in the region to make buying secondhand trusted and convenient. This, in turn, will help to solve the meaningful problem of overconsumption with recommerce and thus make secondhand the first choice for consumers.”

The Carousell Recommerce Index (2021 Report) is available for download here.

About Carousell Group

Carousell Group is the leading classifieds group in Greater Southeast Asia on a mission to inspire the world to start selling, and to make secondhand the first choice. Founded in August 2012 in Singapore, the Group has a leading presence in eight markets under the brands Carousell, Mudah.my, Cho Tot, OneKyat and Ox Street, serving tens of millions of monthly active users. Carousell is backed by leading investors including Telenor Group, Rakuten Ventures, Naver, STIC Investments and Sequoia Capital India. Visit here for more information.

#CarousellGroup

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

SINGAPORE – Media OutReach – 9 December 2021 – Cloud Comrade (https://cloudcomrade.com/) today announced it has earned the Microsoft Azure Virtual Desktop (formerly Windows Virtual Desktop) advanced specialization, a validation of a partner’s deep knowledge, extensive experience and expertise in deploying, scaling and securing virtual desktop infrastructure on Azure.

Only partners that meet stringent criteria around customer success and staff skilling, as well as pass a third-party audit of their Azure Virtual Desktop technical practices, are able to earn the Microsoft Azure Virtual Desktop advanced specialization.

Supporting secure remote work for employees is more critical than ever. Microsoft Azure Virtual Desktop is a Microsoft solution that seamlessly integrates with other Microsoft products and allows customers to implement virtual desktops in a scalable, secure, and cost-effective way.

Partners with validated capabilities in implementing Azure Virtual Desktop can help customers deploy and navigate the licensing efficiencies it offers to deliver the solution that is most efficient for their organization.

“Distributed workplaces and hybrid/remote work are increasingly becoming the norm rather than the exception. Adapting quickly and seamlessly to this altered environment without compromising on productivity, efficiency, scalability, and security can be challenging for most businesses. The choice of the technology platform/ solution as well as a competent, qualified, and experienced partner are both critical to help a business achieve these objectives. That is why we are excited to earn the Microsoft Azure Virtual Desktop advanced specialization, a reflection of our competence in this area,” said Andy Waroma, Co-Founder & Co-Managing Director, Cloud Comrade.

“As a Microsoft Partner with a Gold Cloud Platform competency, we are confident of our best-in-class capabilities for deploying a range of Microsoft business solutions. We value the collaboration, working relationship and support from Microsoft, which help us maximise the value our clients can get from their deployments of Microsoft products, solutions and technologies.”

Rodney Clark, Corporate Vice President, Global Partner Solutions, Channel Sales and Channel Chief at Microsoft added, “The Microsoft Azure Virtual Desktop advanced specialization highlights the partners who can be viewed as most capable when it comes to deploying Azure Virtual Desktop in Azure. Cloud Comrade clearly demonstrated that they have both the skills and the experience to offer clients a path to transition to desktop-as-a-service in a scalable, secure, and cost-effective way.”

Cloud Comrade offers comprehensive cloud services including strategic consulting, deployment or migration and managed services for companies in a wide range of industries. Besides Microsoft Azure Virtual Desktop, Cloud Comrade’s areas of expertise in Microsoft products and solutions include Office 365, Windows and SAP on Microsoft Azure. For more details, visit: https://appsource.microsoft.com/en-sg/marketplace/partner-dir/e9011111-82f5-4b5e-9f78-62b09cf4eef4/overview

About Cloud Comrade

Cloud Comrade (https://cloudcomrade.com) is a Singapore-based cloud computing consultancy company with a regional footprint in Indonesia and Malaysia. The company offers a comprehensive range of services from strategy and design to deployment, migration, and management of customers’ IT infrastructure. Cloud Comrade partners with the best solution providers in the field of cloud computing and is a preferred Amazon Web Services (AWS) consulting partner in ASEAN, as well as a managed service provider for AWS, Google, and Alibaba Cloud. In January 2019, ST Telemedia (sttelemedia.com), an active strategic investor specializing in communications & media, data centers, and infrastructure technology businesses, acquired a majority stake in the company. For more information on Cloud Comrade, visit cloudcomrade.com

#CloudComrade

SINGAPORE – Media OutReach – 9 December 2021 – Research conducted by Kobe Global Technologies in an effort to study Gen Z’s and Millennials’ spending habits in relation to social media advertising has revealed that Millennials and Gen Z look towards authenticity and unfiltered content curation from content creators and social media influencers. This means raw and authentic content is more likely to convince these two demographics to engage with the brand.

In this day and age, Millennials and Gen Z are not only tech-savvy, but they are also more mindful of what they digest online and how marketing advertisements or contents are packaged and communicated to them. These two demographics are no longer viewing celebrity endorsements for products or services alone; they are looking for internet personalities who embody their values and social beliefs, as well as someone who openly embraces their natural flaws or mistakes that a layperson can resonate with.

This research has been backed up by the two campaigns that Kobe has assisted its clients with. By entrusting the social influencers, who understand what content style works best for their followers, to produce authentic content that speaks to consumers, Kobe’s clients – Genki Sushi and Livinguard – were able to reap the benefits. The followers were able to sense the influencers’ honesty, and therefore, they were more receptive to what these key opinion leaders had to say.

Moreover, understanding that consumers disliked being told what to do, the influencers avoided including a call to action in the initial phases of the Livinguard campaign, thereby generating intrigue among followers. On the day of the launch, the content creators were flooded with queries on how to purchase the products.

Through the brilliant execution of these said campaigns, Genki Sushi saw a 64% increase in the sales of its Xmas Deluxe Dai Man Zoku Set from the company’s previous year, and Livinguard saw sales spike by more than 300% on the day of its Instagram campaign, easily cementing this launch as the company’s highest sales count since its inception in Singapore.

And Genki Sushi was clearly happy with the results, as the company has continued its partnership with Kobe for its various marketing campaigns since January 2020. The acknowledgment of Kobe’s good work is also echoed by Mr. Gavin Gan, Executive Director of Hoe Hin Pak Fah Yeow Mfy. Ltd, another beneficiary of Kobe’s authentic approach to content creation. When requested to provide feedback, Mr. Gan had this to say, “Kobe Global Technologies provides good professional service and insightful knowledge on social media and influencer marketing.”

With online viewers and consumers being at the heart of social media marketing, getting the right people to spread the right message to the right audience is essential. And Kobe’s research has made the company aware of this fact, leading to a transformation in the way the organization approaches influencer marketing.

About Kobe Global Technologies

Kobe Global Technologies is a pioneering company in Singapore delivering consumer-first social media marketing campaigns. With access to over 20,000 content creators across Southeast Asia and its patented A.I. technology that combs through millions of data points, the company is able to deliver influence for more than 500 brands globally. For more information on the company’s services, please visit https://www.getkobe.com/

#KobeGlobalTechnologies

• The looser travel restrictions for the domestic helper is not enough to cover the high demand of local families; given the current difficulty and cost to hire overseas helpers, local helpers are constantly in shortage
• Despite frozen minimum wage, 9.60% annual average increase in domestic helper monthly salary, so employers need to offer a higher salary to easier find a helper
• Domestic helpers working conditions need concern, especially under pandemic

HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach – 9 December 2021 – For the 3rd consecutive year, HelperPlace has been surveying the average monthly salary of foreign domestic helpers working in Hong Kong. This year, HelperPlace conducted an online survey among domestic helpers in Hong Kong from January 2021 to December 2021 and received over 12,501 responses. One of the objectives is to measure the impact of the pandemic on the job market. The results provide insights into the actual average salary, factors affecting salary, expectations, and working conditions of helpers in 2021.

The Significant Impact of the Increase in Salary in 2021

HelperPlace’s annual salary survey has been conducted three years in a row. In 2021, the average actual monthly salary for a foreign domestic helper is HK$5,288. The average monthly salary for 2019 and 2020 are $4,765 and $4,825, respectively. It reveals a significant annual increase of 9.60% from 2020 to 2021 compared to only 1.26% from 2019 to 2020. Since 2019 September, the minimum monthly salary has been frozen at HK$4,630 by the government.

In the context of the travel restrictions, the shortage of overseas helpers has brought up the market salary. Even though the government has loosened up the restrictions, the population of overseas workers has decreased by over 20,000 in less than a year. The struggle to book quarantine rooms for helpers due to its limited number, the long process, and the extra cost of HK$15,000 (fees for quarantine hotel and food) to hire an overseas helper push employers to find other solutions. As a result, employers have a preference for hiring foreign domestic helpers who are already settled in Hong Kong. Therefore this phenomenon creates a large demand for a limited pool of workers. The results show that the impact of the COVID on domestic helper salary has been fully reflected in 2021.

Territorial Difference of Salary

The survey shows the territorial difference in average salary among domestic helpers. The Hong Kong Island has the highest average salary with HK$5,612, followed by Kowloon of HK$5,148, and the least in New Territories with HK$5,093.

Factors of Domestic Helper Salary

Besides salary, the survey also conducted interviews on the working hours, no. of kid, and the years of helpers’ experience. The average salary increases with the number of years of experience of helpers. However, the results show a shocking negative relationship between workload in relation to salary. The higher the working hour and the number of kids in the employer’s family, the lower the salary. It reflects that domestic helper salary is not reflecting their workload.

Based on the survey, the hiring channel is one of the important factors for salary. The average salary ranks lowest for the agency ($4,683), then online platform ($5,393), and highest for employer referral with $5,418. This can be explained by the fact that direct hiring through online platforms and employer referral can save a considerable amount of agency fees, create more trust, and result in higher monthly salaries.

The working hour and working conditions still need improvement

The survey also reflects on the long working hours issue and poor working conditions of some domestic helpers in Hong Kong. For instance, nearly 61% of respondents work over 12 hours a day.

According to Hong Kong law, employers are obligated to provide food allowance or free food to domestic helpers. 81% of the survey respondents said their employers provide free food, and 12% out of them said that they do not have enough food provided by employers.

For the living conditions, most respondents either have their separate room (56%) or share a room with kids (20%), elderlies (2%), or other workers (10%). However, around 11% of respondents stay in the living room, bathroom, or kitchen of the employer’s house. About 1% of respondents are live-out, although the law forbids it.

Despite the poor working and living conditions for some domestic helpers, over 70% of respondents find the relationship with the employer at least acceptable or better.

Forecast for next year

There is no doubt that the travel restriction will persist for a few more months. This may result in a more severe shortage of local helpers, assuming the same domestic helper quotas for entering Hong Kong. In the last 3 months, it was not rare to see workers asking for more than HK$7,000 per month.

Conclusion

Despite the higher bargaining power for a better salary, the local helpers who have finished their 2-year contracts are also looking for better working conditions, such as separate rooms, lower workloads, and locations in Hong Kong Island to conveniently hang out with friends on weekends. It is undeniable that employers who have better offers can attract domestic helpers to start or continue working for them. It will create more difficulties for the middle class and lower-income families.

About HelperPlace

HelperPlace is an ethical platform for foreign domestic workers founded in Hong Kong in 2016. With the largest domestic helper community of 170,000+ members and collaborating with NGOs or international organizations, it was recognized as creating a fair impact on this community. Its website and mobile app allow helpers to connect freely with potential employers, providing an alternative to the traditional employment agency.

#HelperPlace

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.