Good day,
An e-commerce law came into effect in China on January 1 – a regulation that would increase scrutiny into the goods being sold through e-commerce platforms in the country. The law, which was passed in August last year, was implemented to tackle proliferative counterfeit merchandise that went unchecked even as it strayed into intellectual property.
China is currently the world’s largest e-commerce market, recording over $1.53 trillion in sales last year. The country is now taking conscious steps to repair its image of bulldozing copyright infringements and intellectual property protection, and also being dismissive of issues regarding false advertising, data protection, and consumer safety. The new law is expected to bring in more order to the trillion dollar industry and also encourage global participation in the burgeoning industry.
Did you know?
Department stores accounted for 14.5% of all retail purchases across North America in 1985. The number has now shrunk to just 4.3% last year, according to data gathered from GlobalData Retail.
Quotable:
“Business concerns about the government’s recent blueprint for future immigration rules must be taken seriously – and companies must be able to access skills at all levels without heavy costs or bureaucracy.”
– Adam Marshall, the director general of the British Chambers of Commerce, while discussing the staff shortage problems that manufacturing faces in the U.K. due to Brexit
In other news:
Volkswagen’s mobile charging station will help solve a key problem with EVs
Volkswagen envisions a new mobile charging strategy that would deliver charging units directly to electric cars in need of power. (The Verge)
Walmart and Amazon face tougher e-commerce rules in India
The Indian government tries to prevent the two retail giants from locking in brands and consumers. (The Motley Fool)
Arizonans waging guerrilla warfare against self-driving Waymo vans
Some locals don’t want Waymo’s vans in their town, and they’re displaying that distaste in equally distasteful ways. (CNET)
Why the West Coast is suddenly beating the East Coast on transportation
The East Coast’s famed subway systems are now showing their age and are suffering from neglect, even as the West Coast invests heavily in upgrading its train routes and bus transit system. (The New York Times)
Oil prices decline on swelling oversupply, volatile markets
Oil supply surge is creating a glut and Saudi Arabia is expected to cut physical crude prices in February. (CNBC)
Final thoughts:
In the fight toward market dominion in the electric scooter vertical, something that sticks out in a company’s favor is the sturdiness and robustness of the bikes it runs on the streets, especially since they constantly come under attack from miscreants or are generally rough-handled by users. Segway-Ninebot, one of the major manufacturers of the e-scooters plying in the U.S. has unveiled a more durable e-bike at the Consumer Electronics Show today.
“Model Max” as it is called, would be sold to companies like Bird and Lime, with Ninebot insisting that the new model would bring down operating and maintenance costs in the longer run. The details on the specifications and the build are still under wraps and would be made public on January 8. Lime would likely be the biggest benefactor, as the company had a minor fallout with Ninebot a few months back regarding safety issues with the company’s previous e-scooter model. The problem, Lime reported, was with the batteries that Ninebot used, which when under heavy duress caught on fire.
Hammer down everyone!
