Jeremy Chew

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Stories By Jeremy Chew

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    News
    News By Jeremy Chew

    Half of All Internet Users Still an Online Shopping 'Noob'?

    October is at our doorstep and without knowing it, it's time for our annual year end shopping spree soon. As you well know (since you're reading this online), shopping over the internet is much efficient in terms of time spent, money and other resources as compared to the conventional offline routine. However, a recent survey by PWC found only 22% of Americans shop online via mobile devices on a monthly basis, while China is at 65%. Not to mention that over 23,000 shoppers surveyed in 25 countries, only 54% of them purchase products online on a weekly or monthly basis. This would probably mean the remaining 46% of respondents (which I trust represents majority of the worldwide internet users) are casual or non-online shoppers. This is a very much surprising as we would think that the whole world is going for online shopping. This seems to indicate there is still much work for businesses to do to galvanize the non-online shoppers to action. It's About Time We Become an Online Shopping Geek: While there is still much for businesses to do, nobody can deny that the online shopping arena does offer much benefits to consumers. Here are a few tips how we should be an online shopping geek and make the most of our shopping experience: Compare Prices Never buy-on-first-sight. Every online shopping geek knows you've gone full retard if you purchased an item you're looking for without comparing prices. Even the largest online merchant does not necessary sells at the most affordable price or with the best deal. Ensure you find the best price by 'Googling' or search at multiple online shopping platforms. Apart from compare prices, comparing other information like delivery time and shipping costs to help you make a more informed purchase decision. Plus, this is way easier online. Imagine the hassle you have to make if you had to compare prices offline. Shop with Coupons While some people collects coupons in extreme manner, the rest of us (including me) rarely bothers with this. Without realizing, we're missing out a lot. And no, I'm not saying we should go full retard as an 'extreme coupon collector' but rather to do this in moderation. Utilizing online coupons are a great way to save money. Why pay full price when you can save less? Just Google and you'll easily many online stores offer these money-saving codes. Sites like Groupon, Coupons.com, iPrice and many other websites can provide great coupons on top of discounts offered at shops. Also do look out for periods prior (or during) special events like Thanksgiving's Black Friday, the annual #MYCyberSale and of course the year end Christmas seasons when many interesting coupons are made available. Never Purchase Items from Insecure Sites You can spot clues about the security by checking the website's URL. Secure sites begin with "https" rather than "http". The added "s" shows it is a secure site. Another clue is to look for a padlock icon in the website's address, which indicates that the site uses encryption to ensure security. Never purchase anything from websites without "https" in the URL even if it offers crazy amazing deals. Pay with Credit Card Did you know using a debit card exposes you to higher risk of identity theft and financial fraud? Consumer protection laws (though varies in different countries but in general) offers better protection to credit card users as compared to debit card users. However we have to be sure to spend in moderation and review credit card statements regularly to keep a track of all transactions and not overspend. Never Shop on Public Wi-Fi Connections Public Wi-Fis are not secured and your personal information can be easily compromised by hackers. Only shop when you have secured internet connections. Find out the Return Policy Before Purchasing Here is where many has gone full retard: Purchasing an item with an incorrect size and finding out that it is a non-exchangeable product. As good practice, always go through the return policy of each online retailer before making your purchase.

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    Cybersecurity
    Cybersecurity By Jeremy Chew

    How We Unknowingly Open Doors For Cyber-Troublemakers

    Unless you're Canadian living at the countryside, it is a no-brainer tip that we should lock our doors and ensure we take precautionary steps to mitigate property theft. It would be also really unwise to write down your safety deposit box combination code in a notebook or speak out loud your ATM passcode at the coffee shop. Though we do not commit such dumb actions, we unknowingly do so on the internet. How so? A recent article revealed, how anybody can easily view and possibly change a person's flight details when someone posts a picture of their boarding pass. Even if the name, booking reference number and flights details are hidden, elementary hackers can easily access your details with a simple & free bar-code reader app. In fact, the barcode reveals more information than the boarding pass itself such as full name, flight number, booking reference, ticket number, frequent flyer number and you get the point. Note, that even experienced travelers commit this sin. This really made me review & question my social media/tech practices and unsurprisingly, I find myself opening doors for cyber-criminals without knowing it. Here is what I've learnt: Do Not Reveal Too Much Information on Social Media via Live Updates Like many, I get very excited before going on a holiday trip. Bubbling with emotions, I tend to share experiences on platforms like Instagram & Facebook. Yes, feel free to share amazing pictures and videos but never share it live. Why? You might be hinting your friends or friend's friend (hopefully not to the general public!) that you're not home and there is no one to stop you from taking my valuables. To make things worse, never share details on how long you'll be gone like "Can't wait to begin my month-long backpacking trip!". In fact, criminals are using tech to track whereabouts of homeowners. Some are making it super-easy by posting "countdown days" ahead of their holiday plans. Stop opening doors for criminals by turning off location-sharing features, ensure your personal device is updated and stop broadcasting to people who aren't in your group of friends. Once back from your trip, feel free to share your experiences, but it isn't ideal to share it while you're far away from home. Never Save Passwords on Your Internet Browsers Your browser password manager probably isn't enough. If experts aren't sure if internet browsers today can securely store passwords, it would be ideal to believe them. Evan Johnson, a systems engineer at CloudFare who has studied password managers said storing passwords with the browser is a bad idea as security is always their secondary focus. A browser exists to make internet access seamless and super convenient across all devices but does not secure your passwords. Solution? Choose to store your passwords with dedicated password managers such as LastPass, 1Password or Dashlane. More than storing passwords, they can help you create strong passwords as well. Though there is no such thing as a 100% secure password manager, these dedicated security sites are definitely much more secure than your Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge. The Best Way to Secure Your Personal Devices About a year ago, I encountered problems with my PC and sent it to a technician I could trust to fix the problem. About a day later he asks for my Windows login password when I was busy at work. It took hours for me to respond to him but when I responded he said "Thanks, but I managed to access your PC without your password". This really made me realize: my personal data has been so vulnerable all this time. Reading up Microsoft's solution to this password loophole, I realized the best solution is to have a super-secure password which only you would own: biometric verification (but this might not work if you have an identical twin). Windows Hello in Windows 10 is definitely much safer as access to your device is allowed only with your biometrics or at least your PIN code. This is definitely a much more personal, more secure manner to get convenient access to your device and is a feature now widely available in present devices such as Surface Pro 4, Microsoft Lumia, and many other devices (non-Microsoft hardware too). Even if your PC (like mine) does not have any form of biometric sensor, securing your PC with a PIN code is secure enough. If you think that a PIN code is no different than passwords, think again. Microsoft says that the PIN passcode you assign will be device specific and is tied to the hardware. This is great, as a hacker will be unable to access data remotely without both your PIN and physical device. Here's what I have so far. Feel free to share if there are any other ways we can secure our data.

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    Gaming
    Gaming By Jeremy Chew

    Why The Video Game Console Refuses to Die

    We have predicted the death of consoles countless times since so long ago. But as the years pass by, we still see Sony & Microsoft announcing positive growth with their own game consoles. How is this possible? Earlier this year, numbers suggests PS4s are outselling Xbox One nearly 2 to 1 and passed its 40 million mark earlier this year. Though Sony is "winning" in terms of sales, Microsoft's console sales remained very healthy with more efforts focused now to garner a larger audience with Xbox Play Anywhere to further blur the lines between PCs & game consoles and Project Scorpio in the pipeline to create the most powerful console ever. Are Video Game Consoles Here to Stay? How could this be possible? Most people would agree that PCs are much flexible and always ahead of the game in terms of performance, graphics, adaptability to players' requirements and many tons of other reasons why game consoles should die off. But here are a few reasons why I think game consoles are here to stay: China Driving the Demand As China lifted its 14-year ban on gaming consoles in 2015, both Microsoft & Sony rushed in to convert a country full of mobile & PC gamers into game console fans. Though their efforts are not represented in hard figures yet, China is expected to drive huge growth with an estimated revenue of $29 billion by the end of this year. China has made a domino effect to the rest of the world, enabling greater source of revenue in areas such as South East Asia and other parts of the world as well. You No Longer Co-relate Game Consoles with Low Graphic Performance Though many of us write off the possibility of consoles being better than PCs, Sony's PlayStation 4 is planning to change our minds. In fact Sony said the PS4 Pro isn't a response to Microsoft's Project Scorpio but rather aiming to give PCs a real challenge. Acknowledging that gamers tend to co-relate game console with low graphic performance, Sony aims to change perceptions by providing the very best and very highest performance quality. Not to mention we have yet to the outcome of Microsoft's Project Scorpio, the future of consoles are definitely not dim at all. Sometimes the "Plug & Play" Feature Is All You Need to Sell Though the hardcore gaming community is ever growing, we need to remember that casual gamers still outnumbers professional ones. To them, gaming remains a great form of escapism and source of fun. As such, casual gamers are content with consoles as they provide a hassle-free experience for both single & multiplayer both online & offline. For the avid gamer, initiatives such as Xbox's Play Anywhere are blurring the lines between PC & console games making it seamless to enjoy & help save costs for gamers. Similarly, a standard gamer would be unwilling to spend a lot & just want to enjoy a simple yet enjoyable gaming experience would go for consoles. What Matters in The End Though many still argue the relevancy of game consoles today & its impending death, one should ask: does this even matter to gamers? What matters most for gamers? The answer: an enjoyable gaming experience, awesome graphics, good fun for both single and multiplayer. Even if this is a sign of a very slow death for game consoles, one thing we know for sure: we'll never run out of great games as well as great variety of devices to play with (not mentioning other big competitions from mobile games and new tech like VRs!). Still think game consoles will disappear in the near future? Let me know what you think!

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    Smartphones
    Smartphones By Jeremy Chew

    Say Goodbye to Snail-Speed Smartphones

    If you did not realize by now (which you should), maintaining your mobile phone is no different from maintaining your car or room. Imagine the negative effects on your car if you did not send it for regular servicing, the cost to repair your car will cost more than maintaining it. Imagine not cleaning your home regularly, and let it be a breeding grounds for unwanted 'guests'. Surely I do not need to elaborate more for you to get my point. The same goes for your smartphone. Proper maintenance of your phone can ensure that it always runs just like how it was when you first bought it. Do this properly and soon you'd realize why you don't need to buy the iPhone 7 when you have the iPhone 6. Here's how you can do it: Clear Cache Data For the non-geeky mobile user, cache data is like that wrapping paper from your birthday present. Once you tore it open, it is of no use. Rather than just leaving it on the floor, you dispose of it. Same concept here. Cache data are leftover files from your previous browsing session, app usage, or residue of apps you've once installed. These files can hide inside the system folders of the phone and are not easily detectable through the phone's native file scanning capability. Get a performance optimizer or file cleaning app for this, like the Clean Master (Android) or Dr. Cleaner (Apple). Apps like these two will make a thorough system scan of your phone and will determine files and will make it really easy cleaning up your phone of useless 'wrapping paper'. Delete Unnecessary Apps Here's an important point, the more storage space in your phone consumes, the clunkier it gets. Delete unnecessary apps to save your frustrations (especially bloat wares!). Bloat wares are preinstalled apps that phone makers decided to throw into their phones based on what they think you need. More than often, you know yourself better than anyone do! So delete that Stocks app you don't need, or that Chrome app when you only use Safari. Do what you can to free up more space and allow the phone to work in your favor. A Thorough Clean Up Method for Your RAM Apparently, cleaning up your RAM by closing your recent apps is not enough sometimes. The most efficient way of making sure that there are no more sneaky files or apps that are eating it up is by using a RAM cleaner app. These apps will not only make sure that your phone is no longer slowed down by background apps, but it also optimizes your battery. The fewer apps and files making your phone move a muscle, the lesser battery it will burn. Apps such as Clean Master for Android and Dr. Cleaner for iOS can help you clean up your RAM effectively. Force Shutdown Background Apps This is a no-brainer tip but sometimes regularly ignored by conventional users. If you don't know what I'm saying, you're probably thinking pressing the home button once you're done shuts down the app. But in truth, the app is not entirely shut down, instead, they're just paused until they're launched again. These apps become background app and will continue to consume your phone's RAM until they are entirely shut (unless you have amazing RAM like the OnePlus3 with 6GB of ram!) With that being said, in order for you to fully end an app and here's how to do it: iOS Double click the home button. It will zoom out from the home screen and showcase all the running apps side by side. Flick the app that you want to end upwards. Android Press the multitasking (overview) button or long press the function key for phones with buttons like the Samsung Galaxy Note series. It will open all the running apps in the phone which you can't see. Flick the apps sideways in order to force close them. Avoid Animated Wallpapers Animated wallpapers look beautiful, but they are RAM draculas. Unless you have a phone with high-caliber specs, animated wallpapers are a no-no if you want a phone that operates like a Ferrari. Software Updates And finally, updates are to ensure your phone's performance is constantly optimized to optimal performance and to fix bugs. Phone & software developers today listens to consumers' feedback (and complaints) and take it as important consideration for the updates. Most importantly installing updates is vital to prevent your phone from cybercriminals who are always evolving. Criminals can get creative & identify security loopholes. Anything else I missed? Let me know if I missed out any other methods to speed up your phone. Article written by: Marc Adrian Padillo

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    Apple
    Apple By Jeremy Chew

    Has Apple Become an Innovation Zombie?

    "I think (Nokia) is a reminder to everyone in business that you have to keep innovating and that to not innovate is to die" said Tim in an interview. As the hype of yesterday's Apple launch event is now over, I could not help but think: has Apple become an innovation zombie with its new iPhone 7 & 7 Plus? Let's take a look at the event highlights and rate if they are a zombie or not: The iPhone 7 & 7 Plus Evolutionary? A yes. Innovation zombie? A definite YES! All that leaks you heard beforehand is true and sadly, Apple's launch event did not take the iPhone a step further by even trying to make it more meaningful or ground-breaking. All that was mentioned was undoubtedly great features that only went on to improve what Apple's iPhone already have. Zombie status: YES Camera Features Sure, the new 12-megapixel camera is something we have never seen on an iPhone before and we'll never really know how good it is till we get our hands on it. But mind you, countless of other Android phones has done this so, this is definitely NOT a ground-breaking feature. Not to mention its new software will be made available to most iPhones with the next update. For now, it might be ideal to find out ways how to get the iPhone 7's feature without needing to upgrade. Zombie status: Unknown Apple's no headphone jack Revolutionary? A definite no. Though I personally believe going wireless is the future, Apple's AirPods is nothing but gimmickry. What I saw from the launch event was Apple's attempt to sell its Airpods by eliminating the headphone jack. A general consensus from the new Bluetooth earphone was that felt exactly like Apple's wired earphone minus the wires. Glass half full; I appreciate Apple's plans to further accelerate the wireless vision but Apple is a a definite Innovation Zombie with this. As rightly mentioned by Phil (Senior Vice President of Worldwide Marketing), Apple is courageous with this move as they will encounter much difficulty, danger, pain & fear in the coming months. Zombie status: YES Super Mario Run & Other Features Among the great surprises from the announcement is Nintendo's entry into mobile gaming. Vowing never to enter this arena, Nintendo is somewhat contradicting their own words. Maybe something about Pokemon Go changed their stance in this. Though I am looking forward to try this out (with an Android!), I personally doubt they might stand out against countless other running games like Temple Run, Subway Surfers, Sonic Dash and many MILLION others! Comparing with other greats phones within similar specs & pricing, the iPhone stands out only for its internal storage variety, rear & front facing cameras and probably with its improved durability against water & dust. But overall it is definitely not strikingly outstanding among the competition. Zombie status: A VERY MUCH YES Seems like Apple is an Innovation Zombie to me. Unless you're able to convince me otherwise! Should Apple still consider themselves innovative? Topping The Boston Consulting Group's (BCG) Most Innovative Companies list every year since it began in 2005, Apple was the thought leader & provider of innovations to peoples around the world. Nobody can dispute Apple's ground-breaking innovations back in the days with products such as the first mass-produced Macintosh I & II, the first iPhones, iPod, MacBooks as well as great software like its retina display, iTunes, Siri, multi-touch and many others. But that is the past and now towards the end of 2016, is Apple still innovative? Though BCG rates them very high (first) for the past years, take note they rank innovation based on: 60% of the ranking is influenced by 1,500 senior executives from a wide variety of industries around the world; voting on who they thought is the most innovative company both within and outside their fields. 40% of the ranking takes account of each company's five-year growth in total shareholder return. To sum it up, BCG's methodology rates companies in a backward-looking point of view rather than its contributions for future innovation. Forbes conducted a study on to rank forward-looking innovators and Apple ranks 282nd place. Not to mention that Apple ranks only at 11th place in the top companies by number of patents granted in 2015. As I repeat Tim's statement saying "...to everyone in business, you have to keep innovating and not to innovate is to die". One wonders: is Apple dead now? Would Steve Jobs approve of Apple's current level of innovation zombification?

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    News
    News By Jeremy Chew

    Great in Relationships? You'll Do Great As An Entrepreneur

    Doing great in your current relationship? You'll most probably do great as an entrepreneur as well. Who would have thought initiating a start-up and dating would have anything in common? Let me elaborate how the odds of striking it rich can be similar to those of finding true love. Be Selfless The startup environment is the not the right place for you to run a 'One Man Show'. Studies has shown that startup founders tend to run their operations single-handedly. Similar like relationships, running a 'One Man Show' in a startup is definitely not ideal. Which is why it is imperative to work together with like-minded mates to help sail your ship more smoothly & safely - making the journey to success more meaningful. So learn to give, take, delegate work appropriately and party together in style. Be Flexible Adaptability is among the most basic yet important key to startup success. Like relationships, the environment can be constantly evolving and subject to change, especially in moment when you least expect them. To go the distance in a startup ecosystem would heavily require you to embrace & adapt to these changes even if it means stepping out of your comfort zone. Be Optimistic Entrepreneurs and businesspersons are getting younger. In fact, studies shown the average startup founder is aged between 20 to 36. The entrepreneurial spirit is alive and well in millennials. Be Prudent With Money Did you know it costs about $45,464 a year to maintain a startup in Manila and about six times more in Zurich? Though cynical, the statement "love won't pay the bills" realistically reflects the situation. While the initial round of seed funding may come from angel investors / in-laws, startups / marriages are an investment that will continually incur costs. Be smart about your spending and work towards developing a self-sustaining business model that generates revenue quickly. Just like how you wouldn't spend money on renovating your home to include a designer kitchen but with only peanuts in your bank account, don't spend money on glitzy TV ads for your business before you even have a chance to generate profit. Be Committed Before embarking your startup path, there are certain risks to be considered. On paper, initiating a startup seems fantastic with the idea of embarking on a new path. But the reality of it is that startups aren't everybody's cup of tea. A research revealed the odds of startup success: 10% of startups would become succcessful 89% of startups die around 20 months after their last funding 1% of startups enter stagnant 'zombie-mode' and end up being part of the 89% Sometimes we forget amidst the thrill of being involved in a startup is the amount of risk involved, so take time to learn what you need to deal with before diving head-first into your startup idea. And here is a very important aspect to consider why startups fail: There Is No Market Need Be An Expert On Your Partner / Target Market The more you understand your target market, the high your chances are. Listen & learn your consumers' likes & dislikes to find that one true unique calling that will work for your business in the competitive landscape of business. Niche marketing and quirky businesses have proven to be effective in garnering attention from your target market. Here are some niche and weird businesses that made bank: Litter Kwitter: A toilet training system for cats Sold over 500,000 units in five years The system is now carried in Petco, PetSmart and other majot online retailers across the U.S. Dirty Rotten Flowers: Breakup revenge service that helps people send revenge gifts to exes Their service expanded to now serving rotten items to bad bosses, colleagues and even neighbors I Want To Draw A Cat For You: A website that helps people draw cat pictures Sold 18,974 pieces within five years for $30 each Made an appearence on ABC's Shark Tank Show and received $25,000 worth of funds from Mark Cuban Be Ready To Fail Just like maintaining a relationship, it can be an exhausting endeavor as you will have to innovate all the time, whether it's on ideas, new places to go, technicalities, product design, room renovation or growth. Remember that the struggles you face will only make you stronger. "Alibaba is my 1,001th mistake. While it won't be east, believe in the fact that greater success and happiness awaits you" Jack Ma, CEO of Alibaba "As a startup CEO, I slept like a baby. I woke up every two hours and cried" Ben Horowitz, Co-Founder of Opsware Be Passionate Every struggle or hardship will definitely be easier, when you absolutely love what you do and believes that it achieves a greater purpose. Regardless your love for tea, organic food, a person's smile or even if you have greater goals like fixing transportation issues, ideas generally sound great on paper. Nonetheless, it is up to the market to decide whether you'll succeed but it is totally up to you to keep it exciting & relevant. Amuleek Singh Bijral, owner of Chai Point (tea retail venture) had to close his business after his first year and re-do his business concept. Today, he sells about 150,000 cups per-day. Hold on to your dreams and keep it up, because trial & error will always be part of startups (and relationships).

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    Google
    Google By Jeremy Chew

    Understanding Customers' Search Behavior With Google Tools

    Businesses today cannot expect to attract new customers with the same services or products that have been offered 10 years ago. The only way for you to keep up with the ever changing consumers' needs is to constantly analyse what is trending among customers in line with your business playground. Discovering what everyone is looking for and be the go-to person is the secret recipe to generate sale leads, which will put your business ahead of your competitors. For example, if you specialize in Health and Beauty products, being able to offer exactly which type of products or which brand that your customers are talking about will set your business apart from the enormous marketplace. Don't wait until your competitors steal your sales only to realize what you lack In many cases, if you have already a variety of products, a single boost on a particular trending item can help improve overall sales performance. As today's product discovery and purchasing process take place mostly on the internet (especially on mobile devices), business owners today can easily access, collect and record data on customers shopping journey. This historical database reports will then provide a clearer vision of their future business plan. Here are more reasons why must marketers must utilize data from customers' search behavior to ensure a successful marketing plan: Customers are more conscious of what they need when shopping online Gone are the days when companies try to persuade consumers that they have the best products that (they assume) everyone will need. The new retail "playbook" emphasizes on getting found by the customers for exactly what they want, which means you have to make a conscience effort to ensure your business is staying abreast of the local search trends. Real time customer analysis will pave a more solid business plan The accuracy of Google's AdWords insights is extremely valuable for businesses to determine which products should be promoted on their site. A report by Fleishman-Hillard has shown that online shoppers are getting more active in new products discovery. More often than not, a person's shopping journey will start and end on the Internet. Hence, you can monitor their search behavior on a daily basis to easily spot the emerging trend on real time. Marketing the right products to the right consumers usually ensure high conversion rates Once you have mapped out your company's next focus based on customers' interest, it is a piece of cake to build a strong impression on search engines like Google. It is also known as niche marketing whereas a business only focuses on those who are most likely to purchase their products. Not only will it help to gear your business towards the right direction but it also fuels marketers with the right set of information to convert visitors into customers in a shorter amount of time. Finding profitable products to sell is challenging and rewarding The essence of any new business establishment is to deliver down-to-earth products or services that the industry lacks to satisfy the current market demand. With a precise local consumers' analysis, business can better customize their services and products offered to fulfill the market needs on a more personal scale. In that way, you can ensure an excellent customer experience and encourage them to buy from your site. Put simply, if you have already pinpointed that your customers are interested in cosmetics, dive deeper into the topic and find out exactly which products will capture their buying intuition. Being the sole supplier will obviously give you the top-of-mind advantage. So when it comes to building your e-commerce site, it is wise not to underestimate the power of customers' data analysis. In this case, we are examining the advantages of utilizing Google's free tools such as Google trends, Google AdWords and Google Search Console on deciding what to sell. Google Trends - Real Time Discovery of Customers' Interest and Trending Topics Google Trends is a fantastic tool for market research. It unlocks unique data of your industry which will help you to step inside the sales game fully equipped. Google Trends offers visual graphs of local and regional search queries based on your search topic. It collects data from the previous years so that you can easily see if your current market is trending up or down. For example, you would like to consider boosting skin care products on your site within a selected time-frame; this is your first market research step: Step 1: Use Google Trends to observe the customers' interest for cosmetics in Malaysia The graph below shows a noticeable upward trend for the cosmetics search queries from 2005 till present in Malaysia. You can try out different search terms to get the most comprehensive data. Step 2: Keep developing business ideas by looking up on related searches: As you can see below, the top search queries provide wonderful insights on which products or brands that cosmetics buyers are looking for specifically. Out of these suggestions, Korean skin care products are quite dominant as compared with cosmetic products from other countries. Google Keyword Planner - Research for Particular Keywords That Are Related to The Trending Topic You don't have to set aside a huge budget to run AdWords campaigns in order to make the most out of Google Keyword Planner. In fact, this FREEmium tool is the ultimate resource to get to know your customers. The whole idea of doing keyword research is to discover what people are looking for as well as the popularity of the search terms. By collecting words or phrases that people use when searching on Google, marketers can ensure the effectiveness of their marketing focus through the actual search volume trends from time to time. There are 3 ways you can apply to market research using Google Keyword Planner: Search for new keyword and ad group ideas Get search volume for a list of keyword or group them into ad groups Multiply keyword lists to get new keyword ideas Example: Get search volume for a list of keyword or group them into ad groups Shops selling skin care products can easily find out which Korean brands (e.g. Innisfree, Laneige and Sulwhasoo) to focus on and which ones are the most popular. The search for Innisfree in Malaysia grew with 175% (2014 vs 2015) The search for Laneige and Sulwhasoo grew with almost 50% (MY) Google Search Console - Monitor and Compare the Specific Products During a Certain Period of Time After you have conducted the solid business plan, including which products to sell as well as the marketing approach, the next big step is to monitor the performance of your campaign digitally. The Search Console is not only for technical insights but also for marketing analysis. With this Google's webmaster tool, you will be able to gain a unique access to the Search Traffic metrics, which will give you not only a precise ranking positions for all search queries but also unique data to tell if customers are actually clicking on your optimized landing page. Search Analytics for all queries: Clicks Impressions Click through Rate (CTR) Position It is extremely important to keep the CTR rate upward to ensure the product / brand that you are boosting is profitable. By keeping a track record of these the search traffic data from time to time, you will be able to adjust your approach immediately to the right direction. In order to effectively make changes to your marketing plan if required, you need to pay attention to the Impressions on Google versus Clicks ratio for a particular keyword that you targeted using the previous tools. Demolishing Obstacles to Success with Data Driven Approach With the availability of sophisticated free online tools to better understand your customers search behavior and the products they are most interested in, there shouldn't' be any reason holding back your E-Commerce business to adopt a more data driven approach when deciding which products to market. As the online retail landscape becomes increasingly crowded and competitive, adopting such an approach can either drive the overall profitability of a business and let it flourish or hold it back form success

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    Cybersecurity
    Cybersecurity By Jeremy Chew

    Feeling insecure paying online? You're not the only one

    Making purchases online has now become bigger than ever. With advancements in technologies, internet connectivity & ease of online payments worldwide, consumers now have instant access almost anything, groceries, to flowers, mobile phones, lunch, plumbing service, transportation and so many more. On a global scale, cyber-attacks have costed businesses as much as $400 Billion. This includes money lost from the damage itself and subsequent disruption to the normal course of businesses. Not to mention we've all heard stories of hacking, and phishing, and other internet related scams as a result of using insecure payment portals and inadequate care on the part of the user. In a recent survey, it was found that many still have concerns on the security of online payments: 62% still fear financial fraud on the internet 49% or participants worldwide still encountered feeling of vulnerability regarding online transactions 42% expressed that they were more likely to utilize online payment solutions if they felt they were protected from cybersecurity threats 37% have admitted to terminating a financial operation midway due to lack of faith in the security of the transaction Though threats are always above & around us, best thing we can do to avoid it is to practice these few simple, essential yet highly ignored fraud-proof steps: Shop ONLY at secure sites Look out for secure sites beginning with: https://. The S in the link would mean the site utilizes a secure server that protects your information from hackers. Never use the same password for your bank & social media accounts Sounds pretty basic? Yes, but often a neglected aspect even by Mark Zuckerberg. Don't use easy-to-guess passwords such as your birth-date, name or even stuff like "qwerty". Create smart passwords by incorporating figures, symbols, upper and lower case letters. Never conduct private activities over public WiFi Trust us, as much as you enjoy free WiFi, stay away from it when doing activities like accessing your bank accounts or making online purchases.

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    Gaming
    Gaming By Jeremy Chew

    Pokemon Go driving South East Asia crazy

    Picking off from the American Pokémon Go fever, the ever so popular app has successfully driven South East Asia mad since its launch in the region on August 6. In Malaysia, the spike of Google searches for Pokémon Go surpassed other popular topics such as Game of Thrones, Fast & Furious and even the iPhone. In Singapore, many residents were unhappy with players who made a lot of noise and littered the area with food, bottles and cigarette buds. In Indonesia a French player was even arrested for trespassing a military base while hunting for a Pokémon. Similar like people or topics which either went viral or popular, it is for certain a number of passionate non-fan/hater club will be formed. Take the iPhone for example with the number of passionate Android fans, or celebrities like the Kardashians or Justin Bieber. But with the amount of bad press they're getting, would it be right to hate the game? Or hate the gamer? Or both? As a non-player myself, I felt that it wouldn't be right to hate the game but rather dislike the people who brought the bad habits with them while trying to catch them all. From a non-player myself to a passionate Pokémon Go player, here are some things I'd like you to know: Please do not attempt to catch a Pokémon while at a social events with me Be aware of your surroundings so we do not collide Be considerate by keeping silent at residential areas and please do not litter Try your utmost best not to spam our Whatsapp group with screenshots of your Pokémon For players who are practicing the 'etiquettes' mentioned, I am proud of you! Just be sure to spread your good influence around. Any addition advice you think I left out? Comment & let me know if I missed out any! Cheerios JC

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    News By Jeremy Chew

    GIF or JIF? Fight!

    It is "JIF"! This was confirmed by the creator of GIFs himself! (http://edition.cnn.com/2013/05/22/tech/web/pronounce-gif/). I know most of you would probably complain that if this is the case, we'd need to pronounce Graphics as Jraphics. But really? The creator himself acknowledged it is pronounced as JIF!

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