Mei.com and Alibaba launch TMALL Luxury Flash-Sale Channel

Mei.com and Alibaba have launched the TMALL Luxury Flash-Sale Channel with a livestreamed fashion show event featuring 42 looks, all immediately shoppable through the new channel. TMALL is Alibaba Group’s B2C online marketplace, and the TMALL channel, which was soft launched about three months ago, is being managed by Mei.com, which has since 2010 operated a China website that provides a flash sales outlet for nearly 300 well-known international luxury brands through exclusive partnerships. Alibaba invested in Mei.com last year.

Source: Mei.com. The fashion show launching the new channel.

Consumers who watched the fashion show had 'scan and buy' shopping access to the runway looks through the TMALL Mobile phone app.

The fashion show event was livestreamed on the TMALL APP, showcasing 42 runway looks of clothing and accessories, including 30 womenswear looks, 10 menswear looks, and a finale including two children's looks. 

Actor Peter Sheng, famous for the China hit web series Go Princess Go made his runway debut walking in the show in a Carven suit. American socialite Olivia Palermo styled one of the runway looks and was featured as a front-row attendee at the show wearing the look herself. 

Source: Mei.com. From left: Mei.com CEO Thibault Villet
with Palermo and Mei.com President Seamon Shi.

The fashion show brought together luxury brands from five of the world's fashion capitals, Paris, New York, Milan, London, and Shanghai: Sergio Rossi, Proenza Schouler, Stuart Weitzman, Carven, Zegna Sport, and Galeries Lafayette among them.

Interested?

Download the TMALL (天猫[淘宝商城]) app on Android or iOS

Watch the show online at Mei.com

National Geographic Channel and GE present new six-part TV series focusing on game-changing innovation

Source: National Geographic Channel website.

The National Geographic Channel and GE have announced a new TV series, BREAKTHROUGH, produced by Imagine Entertainment and Asylum Entertainment. Presented by National Geographic and GE, both brands dedicated to innovation, science and exploration, the series will air on National Geographic channels in 440 million homes spanning 171 countries and in 45 languages.

Executive-produced by Brian Grazer, Ron Howard, Steven Michaels, Jonathan Koch, Mark Dowley and Kurt Sayenga, BREAKTHROUGH is about scientific explorers from leading universities and institutions and how their cutting-edge innovations and advancements will change our lives in the future. The series brings to life the stories, people and technology behind these breakthroughs, and show how they are changing our world. Each hour-long episode is directed by a Hollywood visionary.

Breakthroughs covered include:

Fighting Pandemics (directed and narrated by Peter Berg, who may be known for his role as Dr Billy Kronk in Chicago Hope)
Premieres 7 November at 10pm SGT

Berg takes viewers into the world of pioneers scrambling to stop an outbreak and save the world from future plagues. From antibiotics and vaccines to computer programs that predict how viruses will spread, new lifesaving tools will be used to fight a wide range of viruses in the near future, including HIV, influenza, dengue fever, and malaria.

More Than Human (directed and narrated by Paul Giamatti, Golden Globe winner for Barney's Version)
Premieres 14 November at 10pm

Chances are you either are, or you know, a cyborg: a person who is aided or enhanced by embedded technology, such an artificial limbs or pacemakers. But advances in science are taking us beyond replacement parts and into a new realm that is changing the nature of the human body and the human mind.

The fusion of biology and technology is making us better, stronger, faster and smarter. But as the natural and man-made worlds merge, will we become more than human? Watch Trish Aelker at Lockheed Martin Exoskeleton Technologies build exoskeletons that give mere mortals super strength, and Dr Miguel Nicolelis, a brain-machine interfaces expert whose work with the Walk Again Project is giving hope to people with traumatic spine injuries.

Decoding The Brain (directed by Brett Ratner, who also directed the Rush Hour series; narrated by Adrien Brody, who starred in The Pianist)
Premieres 21 November at 10pm

We now have the tools to explore the hidden reaches of the brain, leading to research that may help those suffering from afflictions such as epilepsy and Alzheimer’s disease. Meet scientists such as Dr John Schenck, who helped pioneer magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technologies and was the first person to have his brain imaged by the machine in the early 1980s; Dr Mohamad Koubeissi, a neurologist who developed a groundbreaking way to treat epilepsy; and Dr Steve Ramirez, who is investigating how to implant or erase memories and hopes his work could help people suffering from post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

How Long Can We Live? (directed and narrated by Ron Howard, who also directed Grand Theft Auto and A Beautiful Mind)
Premieres 28 November at 10pm

In recent years, studies of the ageing process have opened up new ways that could help us all live healthier for longer. Some researchers believe the real breakthrough is extending our health span — the period of life spent free of disease. Hear from Laura Deming, who dropped out of MIT at age 14 and now focuses on projects that can expand the human health span, and Dr Brian Kennedy, whose work in the basic biology of ageing is the foundation of much other research.

Energy On the Edge (directed by Akiva Goldsman, an Academy Award winner for A Beautiful Mind; narrated by Jason Bateman of Arrested Development and Horrible Bosses fame)
Premieres 5 December at 10pm

We are surrounded by clean, raw energy waiting to be tapped — energy that could eventually replace fossil fuels. This episode follows innovative alternative energy projects and the people behind them, like the team at the US National Ignition Facility, who are trying to save the world by harnessing the power of controlled fusion.

Water Apocalypse (directed and narrated by Angela Bassett, who portrayed Tina Turner in What's Love Got to Do with It)
Premieres 12 December at 10pm

All over the world, governments are struggling with bigger populations and a diminishing supply of fresh water. Bassett focuses on inspiring stories of people working on innovative water projects.

Interested?

BREAKTHROUGH will air on National Geographic Channel (Singtel TV channel 201, StarHub channel 411) from Saturday 7 November 2015 at 10pm. View the repeat schedule

Read the TechTrade Asia blog post about Project Breakthrough, a complementary programme for Singapore kids that fosters their passion in science and technology

Fashion Television now available as a separate satellite channel in Asia

Source: Fashion Television website.

Fashionistas all over Asia can now receive the Fashion Television channel as a linear satellite channel. Fashion Television has been delivering fashion content from all over the world to audiences throughout Asia since 1999 as a content block, but the launch of a dedicated channel allows a population in excess of one billion to access its programming 24 hours per day, 7 days a week.

London-based owner Fashion Television International chose Asiasat 7 operated by Hong-Kong based Asiasat Satellite Telecommunications Co. at orbital position 105.5 East with a footprint reaching from Saudi Arabia in the northwest to New Zealand in the southeast.

"Fashion Television is excited about its launch as a dedicated channel in a region in which we know we already have many fans," says Ralph Siebenaler, who spearheads the international expansion of Fashion Television as the new CEO of Fashion Television's international headquarters, where all activities in Europe and Asia are coordinated under a new management team.

"Asia has become the growth engine for the fashion industry, with most fashion brands booking record revenue quarter after record revenue quarter, while the rest of the world is lagging," said Siebenaler.

Warrior Forum launches e-marketplace that taps on existing members' reach

Warrior Forum, an Internet marketing community and marketplace, has launched Warrior Payments, an all-in-one payments, analytics, affiliate marketing and distribution platform which the company hopes will transform the way people sell products and services online.

Matt Barrie, Chief Executive of Freelancer.com, which acquired Warrior Forum in April 2014, said, "If you are an entrepreneur or startup, and trying to figure out how to launch your product or sell your product or service online, then Warrior Forum is the #1 platform to help you do this."

Warrior Payments integrates payment processing*, online product delivery, analytics, affiliate marketing and distribution. It handles customer management, customer feedback, and connects with preferred mailing list services like MailChimp and AWeber to automatically add customers who purchase a product to the seller's email lists. Warrior Payments also allows sellers to provide special limited time offers to create a sense of urgency around a product launch.

Barrie added that every product or service listed in the Warrior Forum marketplace can be sold via Warrior's existing network of over 780,000 Internet marketers, who can now request a payments link to sell the item.

The new feature comes with detailed analytics on how these products and services are selling, including which products are best-sellers or have the highest margins. Warrior says that this means marketers can weigh how successful a product is even before taking it on. 

Alaister Low, Warrior Forum Director, said, "Warrior Forum is the home of the world's top Internet marketing experts and entrepreneurs, like Noah Kagan (#30 Facebook.com, #4 Mint.com & Chief Sumo, App Sumo) and Matt Bacak (2010 Internet Marketer of the Year). Warrior Payments will flip the traditional world of sales inside out by exposing the analytics of how things are selling in real time and it will turn the power of the Warrior Community's 780,000 experts into your very own sales force selling your own product or service. Without a doubt, Warrior Payments will redefine the way people sell products or services online."

To celebrate the launch of Warrior Payments, Warrior Forum is launching a competition, giving away US$20,000 in cash. The top seller on the platform will take home US$10,000 and the title of 2014 Warrior Internet Marketer of the Year, and the top affiliate marketer will also take home US$10,000 cash and the title of 2014 Warrior Affiliate Marketer of the Year. Competition details can be found at www.warriorforum.com.

*Warrior Payments charges a 2% flat fee.

New dessert trends, coming to a plate near you

Source: The Food Channel

First the cronut, the mashup between a croissant and a doughnut; what type of dessert will take the world by storm next?

Those who have partners or customers with sweet tooths may be interested in the Top Ten Dessert Trends for 2014 report, released by the Food Channel and sponsored by Otis Spunkmeyer. 

Based on research conducted in conjunction with CultureWaves, the list identifies the significant behaviors of consumers, food service professionals and manufacturers in the US, together with original recipes and photographs to illustrate each trend. Asia typically watches the US very closely, so expect these desserts in a restaurant near you very soon:

The Food Channel Top 10 Dessert Trends for 2014

Spoon Desserts – Puddings and other soft desserts—called "spoonables"—are big. These are not artistically served in a Chinese soup spoon, but in little ceramic pots called 'ramekins'.

Layers
The more layers the better, helped by new tools that make it easy to bake and divide cakes into layers. Just about anything can be layered, from muffins to cheesecakes to trifles.

Hand Pies - The mini dessert has extended itself to the pie. Hand pies are sealed on all sides and usually hold a fruit mixture, but expect to find them filled with just about anything this year.

Midwestern Influence - One of the big trends for 2014 is cuisine from the Midwest of the US. When it comes to desserts that means cobblers, pies, crisps, tarts, upside down cakes, and bar cookies.  

Mashups and Muffins - Muffins are the new doughnuts, or what some are calling the duffin. The new mashup isn’t really about putting unlike things together as much as it is creating a new form of something you love.

Pepper, Flavored Salts, and International Spices - New desserts on the menu are heavy on the stronger spices. Cracked pepper is particularly on the rise, perhaps because it gives a visible difference to a dessert plate without an overwhelming flavour punch, the company says. Suggestions include trying it in scones in place of fruit, with desserts made with fruit and cream, on ice cream, in bread pudding, in cookies and in candy. Sea salt can also be replaced with flavoured salts.

Dessert Butters - These are actually ground-up cookies turned into a soft filling that can be rolling into a truffle or added to a sandwich cookie, such as the PB and Chocolate Cookie.

Crepes - Versatile crepes are new again, as they can be a savoury main course or an amazing dessert.

Crepes in a prawn dish at Sakae Sushi, Singapore

Nuts - Nuts are big in desserts right now.

Small Batch Desserts - Americans have discovered smaller portions, or creating artisanally.  

The Food Channel says dessert recipes are downsizing into "one-offs", where you get a small batch of homemade chocolates, or a few dipped marshmallows, or a taffy pull that results in just a few pieces of taffy.