The Straits Times
Singapore s Ninja Van a year away from IPO: CEO
Ninja Van saw its delivery volumes boom in 2020 amid the Covid-19 pandemic, although this also spelled more challenges.PHOTO: NINJA VAN
Sharanya Pillai
https://str.sg/33FR
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To seize future opportunities, companies that are selling online need to build on infrastructure that support their businesses, said James Root, senior partner and chairman at Bain Futures, a global think tank of consulting firm Bain & Company. E-commerce platforms need two pieces of infrastructure: They need great digital payment. The second thing is that they need great supply chain, he told CNBC. And that s both to manage cross-border products coming into a market like Singapore, having swift customs clearance and easy paper processing for that. In-market capabilities that are appropriate are also needed, Root said. For example, parcel delivery spots that are near the big blocks of housing, and very good last mile transportation to get products into the hands of consumers at the sorts of speeds that we re educating our consumers to start to expect now, he elaborated.
Retailers face the challenge of last-mile delivery as online shopping grows CNBC 5 hrs ago Sumathi Bala
To seize future opportunities, e-commerce companies need to build on infrastructure that support their businesses, said James Root, senior partner and chairman at Bain Futures.
When Singapore imposed a circuit breaker or partial lockdown at the peak of the Covid-19 crisis last year, it laid bare the delivery and logistical challenges that e-commerce companies face. Ultimately, convenience is king, Vaughan Ryan from NielsenIQ. It s the convenience of shopping when I want where I want. And it s 24/7.
Online businesses grapple with logistical and delivery challenges
The honourees were selected across 10 categories, including social impact, consumer technology, and healthcare and science.
Announcing the list on Tuesday (April 20), Forbes said that it features bright and innovative young leaders who have persevered and thrived despite global uncertainty amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
Singapore is represented by 28 entries - co-founders of the same company are grouped together in one entry - its highest number of entries since the list s inception in 2016. It is the fourth-most represented country, after India, China and Japan.
Among the Singapore-based individuals who made the list is Ms Serene Cai, co-founder of digital health start-up Speedoc, which provides services such as booking of healthcare professionals and medicine deliveries.
SINGAPORE - Logistics firm Ninja Van has seen its business grow this year as the coronavirus pandemic brought on a surge in e-commerce, and consumers turned to online shopping amid lockdowns and movement restrictions globally.
Co-founder and chief executive Lai Chang Wen told The Straits Times the pandemic has led to significant increases in parcel volumes across its network in South-east Asia, with more brick-and-mortar stores pivoting towards e-retail and existing e-commerce sellers selling more when many people were confined to their homes during lockdown.
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