In this edition of Weekly Focus APAC: A Third of APAC Data Specialists Fully Confident in Ability to Deliver; Alibaba Plans 11.11 Gala to Help Build Brand Connection; Online Accounts for 5% of Singapore Retail Sales; and GOJEK Snags Investment from Thai Bank.

A Third of APAC Data Specialists Fully Confident in Ability to Deliver

Just 29% of data specialists in Asia-Pacific, including data analysts, data scientists, and data quality managers, are fully confident in their ability to deliver trusted data in a timely fashion across their organisation.

Another 29% in the region's operational data professionals believed in their company's ability to have real-time, 360-degree data integration process, revealed a survey by cloud data vendor, Talend. In comparison, a higher 48% of respondents in management felt likewise, noted the study, which polled 763 data professionals worldwide including more than 150 from Asia-Pacific.

Talend's senior vice president of products Ciaran Dynes said: "The different levels of confidence displayed by people at a management level and operational data workers are not surprising, but it is definitely worrying. Organisations are struggling to deliver trusted data when they need to deliver it and they are also struggling to gain credibility internally, in the market and with customers."

Dynes urged businesses to close the gap between IT and data workers, which was key to delivering data insights at speed, as well as the people responsible for building and safeguarding trust.

The study found that people close to the data such as data workers, at 31%, were less confident in their company's ability to trust their own data, compared to 45% of respondents in management that were confident their organisation was able to deliver trusted data in a timely fashion.

Half of these managers in Asia-Pacific were positive that their company was in compliance with data regulations, while just 38% of operational data workers felt likewise. In addition, 27% of operational data professionals were confident their organisation's data was accurate and up-to-date.

Dynes said: "We've entered the era of the information economy, where data has become the most critical asset for every single organisation. To support business objectives such as revenue growth, profitability, and customer satisfaction, organisations require trusted data that can be delivered when it is needed and relied upon to drive critical business insights. Trust in data has to be paramount because without trusted data there can be no confidence in business decisions, and at that point stakeholder and customer trust will quickly evaporate too."

Alibaba Plans 11.11 Gala to Help Build Brand Connection

The Chinese e-commerce giant is looking to expand the coverage and reach of its countdown gala celebration marking the hours leading up to the annual 11.11 shopping festival.

Alibaba Group said it planned to broadcast the gala's live variety show on 10 cable networks in China, Southeast Asia, Africa, and North America, which would be the first time it was bringing the show to markets outside of Asia.

The show also would run for longer, starting in the afternoon rather than at its usual 8pm time slot, the Chinese tech giant said, adding that this new daytime segment would be shown exclusively on online video platform Youku as well as China's Zhejiang TV and Dragon TV.

Alibaba's lead for this year's 11.11 celebrations Liu Bo described the gala as "extremely valuable" as it was able to bring in conversion and brand impressions during the campaign.

Vice president of Alibaba's digital marketing unit Alimama, Yvonne Zhang, added: "Just like any other form of content, the gala is a space for brands to engage and learn about their customers. The value of that interaction stretches beyond the gala into the long term."

Last year's 11.11 festival raked in a gross merchandise volume of USD$30.8bn (£24.48bn), which was larger than the total takings from the US retail market's own annual shopping bonanza that spanned a weekend over Thanksgiving Day, Black Friday, and Cyber Monday.

Online Accounts for 5% of Singapore Retail Sales

Online accounted for an estimated 5.3% of Singapore's total retail sales in May, when the market was worth SGD$3.7bn (£2.16bn)

Overall retail sales dropped 2.1% year-on-year and 2.2% compared to the previous month, according to the Department of Statistics' retail sales index for May 2019.

The index defines online retail sales as orders that were received and terms of sale agreed on via online platforms, such as a company's website, third-party websites, mobile apps, and electronic data interchange.

Data assessed are primarily from monthly surveys of retail trade establishments that sell merchandise directly to consumers.

GOJEK Snags Investment from Thai Bank

Indonesian online platform GOJEK has secured investment from Thai bank SCB as part of the former's ongoing Series F funding round.

The investment amount was not disclosed, but the agreement would see the bank work with GOJEK's local affiliate, GET.

The new partnership aimed to facilitate payments and create a "more vibrant ecosystem" for GET users, drivers, merchants, and partners in Thailand. For instance, GOJEK said, GET drivers would be able to open an SCB bank account at GET's driver training centre and access essential financial services, such as loans and insurance.

The collaboration also encompassed the development of solutions for merchant customers of both GET and SCB to help them expand their businesses online.

In addition, GET users would be able to top up their GET PAY e-wallets using SCB's banking app, while SCB customer would enjoy promotions and discounts on GET's food delivery and ride services.

GET made its debut in Bangkok in February and currently was led by a local management team. Its CEO Pinya Nittayakasetwat said: "GET is growing rapidly, but this is only the beginning as ride-hailing and online food delivery penetration is still small compared to the market opportunity. We are excited about our partnership with SCB, as it will help us reach a wider audience and provide a more seamless experience for all our users."

SCB's president Apiphan Charoenanusorn added: "The partnership will promote financial inclusion for drivers with financial solutions tailored to suit their needs, such as digital lending or personal and individual loans, life-accident-health insurance as well as financial literacy programs. Additionally, SCB will link GET with our customers and alliances such as retailers, businesses, and universities to achieve the 'digital lifestyle' goal."