Cheese Report May

Market Watch
- Digital Finance/New e-Commerce Trend – The Rise of Cashless Payments
- Taiwan CDC Launches COVID-19 Chatbot on FB Messenger, Offers Latest Updates on Disease
- New Facebook, Instagram Function: Helping Businesses Promote Gift Cards, Food Orders
- E-Commerce Marketers Get a Boost from Mother’s Day Opportunities
- Forget about a V-shaped Recovery; the Nike ‘Swoosh’ More Likely
- U.S. Unemployment Rate Highest since WWII; Could Hit 25%, Mnuchin Predicts
- E-Commerce Survey Reveals Items Taiwanese Are Buying During the Pandemic
- What Marketers Need to Know in 2020: Key Marketing Data Unveiled
- AI, AR, VR the Keys to New Digital Technology Development Trends: MIC
Travel Industry Update
- Taiwan Outbound Departure Statistics, January-April 2020
- DGBAS Latest Economic Indicators
- Government Proposes Three-step Plan to Revitalize Travel Market
- Emirates May Cut 30,000 Jobs, Retire A380s Faster; How Long before Air Travel Returns?
- What Will Travel Be Like before a Coronavirus Vaccine Is Found?
- Looking at the Concept of an ‘Immunity Passport’ in the ‘Post-Pandemic Era’
- Danger in Opening Borders? New Zealand, Australia Float ‘Travel Bubble’ Plan
- New Zealand, Vietnam Could Be First Countries in Commercial Opening
Media Watch
- SEO Content Marketing Key to Finding Customers, Seizing Opportunities in Post-COVID 19 World
- Supporting Groups of 5,000, Accepting Anonymous Users – What is LINE’s New Function About?
- Facebook Enters e-Commerce Battleground with Shops; Can Communities Drive Spending?
- Instagram Adds ‘Food Orders’ Function to Business Accounts
- TV Ads on Greater Taipei Subway Station Platforms Seen by 2.5 Million People
Case Study
- Production Design for Chunghwa Post
About CheeseAd

Market Watch

Digital Finance/New e-Commerce Trend – The Rise of Cashless Payments

The Market Intelligence & Consulting Institute’s latest survey on the online shopping behavior of Taiwanese internet users has found that the top three payment methods of consumers in 2019 were “credit cards” (75.7%), “convenience store cash on delivery” (46.8%), and “LINE Pay” (21.8%). Of these, LINE Pay vaulted past “home delivery pay on delivery” as the third most used option in 2019.

_{Source: United Daily News
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Taiwan CDC Launches COVID-19 Chatbot on FB Messenger, Offers Latest Updates on Disease

The Taiwan Centers for Disease Control has unveiled a Facebook Messenger chatbot to keep people up to date on the COVID-19 outbreak. People can use the chatbot to check on the spread of the disease at home and abroad, get information on how to prevent it, find out where to buy face masks, get clarification on “fake news,” or connect to the 1922 COVID-19 hotline.

Messenger and developer communities have worked to support the CDC in fighting COVID-19 and ensuring that people are safe and informed. Facebook has focused on three areas: providing accurate information and useful resources, limiting the spread of misinformation, and supporting public health agencies.

_{Source: techbang.com}_More…

New Facebook, Instagram Function: Helping Businesses Promote Gift Cards, Food Orders

Because of the sharp decline in through traffic during the COVID-19 outbreak, many restaurants and shops have had to rely almost completely on home delivery services to stay afloat. But many stores that did not previously offer home delivery or have abundant marketing resources have found it hard to promote their menus and get people to order their food, even after launching home delivery or food ordering services.

To help these small businesses, Facebook and Instagram have rolled out new “gift card” and “food orders” functions. Businesses can get set up with select partners and use these interactive “gift card” or “food orders” stickers to promote links to their stories and products and increase sales.

_{Source: Marketers Go
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E-Commerce Marketers Get a Boost from Mother’s Day Opportunities

Online gift shopping has gotten a big boost from Mother’s Day in 2020, with the Fubon Group’s momo and Far EasTone’s FriDay both reporting strong sales. Momo has been playing up the special day celebrated on May 10 this year since the beginning of April, and it expects sales during the Mother’s Day period to be up 40% from the same period last year. FriDay said sales of its Mother’s Day cakes and instant soup or stew packets were up 20-fold from the previous month, but sales of gift vouchers for restaurants were down 20% compared to last year.

_{Source: Commercial Times
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Forget about a V-shaped Recovery; the Nike ‘Swoosh’ More Likely

Until recently, many decision-makers and senior corporate executives were still expecting a V-shaped recovery, believing that after the recent economic plunge, the economy would quickly rebound to the level seen before the onset of the new coronavirus pandemic. The Wall Street Journal is reporting, however, that many of them are now predicting a “swoosh” recovery.

In evoking the shape that has gained fame as Nike’s logo, the executives now think any recovery will be painfully slow, and that many economies in the West, including in Europe and the Americas, will have to wait until the end of 2021 or even longer before returning to the levels of economic activity seen in 2019.

_{Source: United Daily News}_More…

U.S. Unemployment Highest since WWII; Could Hit 25%, Mnuchin predicts

Hurt by the widespread shutdowns used to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, the United States reported unemployment in April that was the highest since World War II. U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin admitted that because of the measures taken in states around the country, the jobless rate could get even worse, with actual unemployment climbing to 25%.

_{Source: Money DJ
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E-Commerce Survey Reveals Items Taiwanese Are Buying During the Pandemic

Amid growing optimism that things are looking better, more than a third (38%) of Taiwanese consumers plan to spend as much in the future as they did before the onset of COVID-19, while 51% are currently shopping both in-store and online, though at a lower rate than before the pandemic because of ongoing concerns about the safety of brick and mortars. Those are among the key findings of a recent survey by leading Asian online survey company Rakuten Insight on Taiwanese consumers’ online shopping behavior during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The most common items consumers have purchased or are planning to purchase online during this period are food & non-alcoholic beverages (59%), personal care items (40%), clothes/accessories (39%), health products (34%), and electronics (29%). They are also buying more of these items than previously, an indication of the online shopping opportunities created by the pandemic, Rakuten Insight said. Purchases in the five major categories above in 2020 Q1 were more than double those made in 2019 Q1 and have approached the highs seen during peak buying periods such as Nov. 11 Singles’ Day. The COVID-19 outbreak has created particularly strong demand in Taiwan for dumplings, air purifiers and cosmetics, the survey found.

_{Source: SET News
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What Marketers Need to Know in 2020: Key Marketing Data Unveiled

33% of internet users click on paid ads because the content of the ad is highly correlated to search keywords
63% of users prefer clicking on Google search ads than on ads on other platforms
64% of consumers say they have bought a product because of a video seen on social media
86% of consumers say they like brand information sources that are honest and direct
70% of the posts on Instagram are never seen

_{Source: Marketers Go
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AI, AR, VR the Keys to New Digital Technology Development Trends: MIC

The Market Intelligence & Consulting Institute (MIC) is predicting four major digital technology trends this year, focused on environmental experiences, artificial intelligence (AI) augmentation, digital ecosystems, and trust in AI. Several technologies, such as emotion recognition, AI, the internet of things, augmented reality (AR), blockchain, and other physical and virtual reality (VR) technologies will have to be integrated to capitalize on the four major trends, according to MIC.

_{Source: Newtalk
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Travel Industry News

Taiwan Outbound Departure Statistics, January-April 2020

_{Charts: Tourism Bureau, Ministry of Transportation and Communications}

1. Taiwanese went abroad 2,127,816 times in the first four months of 2020, down 61.87% from 2019 Q1. The devastating effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on international travel became particularly apparent in April, when the 11,168 departures were down 99.21% from the 1,415,406 departures in April 2019.

2. The top destination for outbound travelers from January to April 2020 was Japan, followed by China, South Korea, Vietnam and Hong Kong, but departures to all of those destinations were down from the same period a year earlier, falling by as much as 76.97% to Hong Kong. In April, 76% of the 11,168 departures were to mainland China.

_{Source: Tourism Bureau Monthly Statistics
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DGBAS Latest Economic Indicators

_{Chart: Directorate General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS)}

1. Taiwan’s GDP year-on-year growth was 1.59% in 2020 Q1, according to a DGBAS preliminary estimate, 0.05 percentage points higher than the advance estimate of 1.54% made in April 2020.

2. GDP is expected to grow 1.67% for 2020 as a whole, down 0.70 percentage points from the 2.37% growth forecast in February 2020. The DGBAS has forecast per capita GDP of US$27,131 for 2020 and expects the consumer price index to fall 0.32% this year.

_{Source：National Statistics, R.O.C.(Taiwan)}

_{Charts: Directorate General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS)}

1. Unemployment rate: Taiwan’s unemployment rate in April exceeded 4% for the first time in any month since August 2016; there were 481,000 people who were unemployed, an increase of 36,000 from the previous month.

2. Average regular wages for workers in the industrial and service sectors: The average regular wage in March was NT$42,309, down 0.01% from the previous month but up 1.56% from the previous year.

_{Source: DGBAS Latest Indicators
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Government Proposes Three-step Plan to Revitalize Travel Market

Transportation Minister Lin Chia-lung laid out a three-stage plan to revive the travel market on May 18. In the first stage, to run from May 27 to the end of July, travel agents around Taiwan will focus on domestic trips that respect epidemic prevention measures. The second stage, from Aug. 1 to Oct. 31, will involve “safe travel” in which travelers will receive subsidies of NT$600 to NT$1,000 per hotel stay. The final stage, “international travel,” has been tentatively set for the period from October to the end of the year. The plan is to gradually open up international tourism and border controls and relax restrictions on visitors from countries that have effectively contained the COVID-19 outbreak.

_{Source: Economic Daily News
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Emirates May Cut 30,000 Jobs, Retire A380s Faster; How Long before Air Travel Returns?

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has forecast that it will take until 2023 for airline passenger traffic returns to pre-COVID-19 levels. Emirates has said recovery from the coronavirus crisis is at least 18 months away and is currently planning to cut 30,000 jobs and speed up the planned retirement of its A380 fleet. Because people remain fearful of catching the virus while flying, ticket sales will continue to slump and airlines will have to raise prices if they want to continue to operate. The elaborate health and quarantine process in place for the coronavirus will also likely change the flying experience in the future, experts have predicted.

_{Source: Business Next, Reuters
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What Will Travel Be Like before a Coronavirus Vaccine Is Found?

Sunbathers divided by plexiglass, getting a blood test and being sprayed with disinfectant before boarding an airplane….such measures may sound extreme. But some travel industry insiders are seriously studying these and other steps to make passengers feel safe and comfortable flying once global lockdowns to battle the COVID-19 pandemic are lifted.

_{Source: BBC Chinese
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A World First! Shanghai Disneyland Reopens, to Increase Capacity by 5,000 Visitors a Week

Shanghai Disneyland officially reopened to the public on May 11 after having been closed for more than three months due to the novel coronavirus pandemic. It was the first Disney park in the world to restart operations and is being closely watched as a potential blueprint for the opening of other parks. Tickets for admission on the first day sold out within minutes, but visitor numbers were limited as a precaution and the atmosphere was not as lively as usual. Shanghai Disneyland plans to increase capacity at the park by about 5,000 per week until it reaches the maximum 30% capacity, or 24,000 people per day, allowed by China’s government.

_{Source: MoneyDJ
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Academic Sees Global Pandemic Easing at End of June, Leading to Lifting of Overseas Travel Bans

Chen Hsiu-Hsi, the vice dean of National Taiwan University’s College of Public Health, expects the global COVID-19 pandemic to ebb at the end of June, which could lead to the gradual lifting of the lockdown on overseas travel. He suggested setting daily quotas on the number of people arriving from abroad based on each country’s positive test rate.

_{Source: Central News Agency
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Even with NT$3.2 Billion in Relief, Can Airlines, Travel Agencies Survive the Crisis?

Taiwan’s aviation and travel sectors may have received NT$3.2 billion in bailout subsidies from the government during these difficult times, but is it enough and is there anything else travel operators can do to get through the current crisis? Perhaps this is a good opportunity for them to recalibrate their approaches, take control of the agenda, and bid farewell to the era when “exposure equaled sales.” Starting by focusing on the consumer, they should respond to change, adjust strategies in real time, and stay flexible to survive their current challenges.

_{Source: The News Lens
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Looking at the Concept of an ‘Immunity Passport’ in the ‘Post-Pandemic Era’

Some countries in the West have proposed the concept of an “Immunity Passport” in recent weeks. The passport would confirm the holder has antibodies to the novel coronavirus and act as a health certificate to travel freely across borders and get a work permit. In practice, however, there are still many obstacles to making this a reality. Yet with the global tourism sector in a deep rut and laying off large numbers of people, the world is looking for solutions to get the industry back on its feet.

_{Source: United Daily News/Global Vision
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Danger in Opening Borders? New Zealand, Australia Float ‘Travel Bubble’ Plan

At a time when most countries have closed their borders, New Zealand and Australia are studying the idea of a shared travel zone between the two countries that would remove the need for 14-day quarantines for visitors. To countries with highly interdependent economies as New Zealand and Australia, the reciprocal opening of borders could prove a viable solution for keeping the novel coronavirus epidemic contained while promoting economic recovery.

_{Source: Business Weekly
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New Zealand, Vietnam Could Be First Countries Targeted in Commercial Opening

Health Minister Chen Shih-chung, the head of Taiwan’s Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC),, said on May 21 that the COVID-19 outbreak has been brought under control in New Zealand and Vietnam and that those two countries have been targeted for the initial lifting of business restrictions. As for Hong Kong and Macau, Chen said the CECC is still watching their situations.

_{Source: Central News Agency
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Media Watch

SEO Content Marketing Key to Finding Customers, Seizing Opportunities in Post-COVID 19 World

When embracing the internet world, you cannot ignore SEO’s power

According to the 2020 Pixnet survey on social networks, more than 80% of online users in Taiwan rely on keywork searches to find information, with videos the second leading option. As for the format in which they get their content, more than 60% of Taiwan’s netizens choose “articles/discussions” because of the more complete information they provide. SEO marketing is also critical for e-commerce operators, who said nearly 40% of their traffic originated from search behavior.

Now Is the Perfect Time to Focus on SEO and Content Marketing

Investing in search engine optimization (SEO) can help you improve your exposure in searches, and combining SEO with social communities and other marketing tools can strengthen a brand’s voice in multiple channels. As for how to adjust one’s SEO content strategy to be more responsive to a target audience and maintain a brand’s relevance with consumers, there are two major directions worth following:

1. Find a tie to the COVID-19 pandemic, and provide the latest information on how your brand is dealing with the outbreak

2. Use a keyword strategy to find keywords and content topics with potential

_{Source: awoo.com Growth Hacker marketing blog
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Supporting Groups of 5,000, Accepting Anonymous Users – What is LINE’s New Function About?

When pet owners, motorcycle enthusiasts and even aviation buffs want to exchange information with other netizens with the same interests, they tend to go to PTT discussion boards or Facebook social communities to chat.

LINE now wants a piece of this market, and it has decided to launch LINE OpenChat in Taiwan after having done so in Japan, South Korea, Thailand and Indonesia. The service can accommodate up to 5,000 people at once.

How Is It Different from Regular LINE Groups?

LINE OpenChat is an open internet chat room that enables users to create communication models founded on common interests. People can have discussions on specific topics or share information from specialized fields, complementing their regular social communities.

To Start Small on a Trial Basis, Open Formally in June

Because the functions involved in LINE OpenChat are relatively complex, the service will first conduct a small-scale trial run before formally opening.

The trial run will begin on May 13, 2020 with a site manager appointed by Taiwan LINE and the participation of a select group of LINE users in the first phase of operations. The second phase is expected to begin at the end of June, when any LINE user can experience the new social community function by updating LINE to the designated version. LINE users will be able to take part in any community that has already been established as well as apply to create their own group and manager function. The application procedure has yet to be announced.

_{Source: Business Next}
_More…

Facebook Enters e-Commerce Battleground with Shops; Can Communities Drive Spending?

Facebook has launched an e-commerce service targeted at small businesses called Shops.

The service gives businesses the chance to set up free storefronts on Facebook and Instagram, and the hope is that the power of social communities will help businesses have more opportunities to sell their products. At the same time, vendors can use online interaction and membership functions to deliver an online shopping experience that is as close as possible to shopping in a physical store, creating even more opportunities to build up their online businesses.

Facebook Online Shopping to Allow Live Streaming, Community Interaction

Vendors that set up storefronts through Shops can use the communications functions of WhatsApp, Messenger or Instagram Direct to directly communicate with their customers and handle customer support issues. They can also use Facebook or Instagram live streams of products to get consumers and fans interesting in buying them. The online memberships function can be used to develop loyalty programs that encourage repeat purchases, and payments will be made simple as users’ payment credentials will be stored in a single place for use on any Facebook or Instagram storefront.

_{Source: Business Next
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Instagram Adds ‘Food Orders’ Function to Business Accounts

Business can now add a “Food Order” sticker to their IG Stories or a button to their IG business profile, and all consumers have to do is tap the button or sticker to order food from the business’ food delivery partner’s platform. At present, two food delivery services in Taiwan are serving as partners: foodpanda and Uber Eats.

_{Photo: Screenshot from IG merchant account}

How to set up a “Food Orders” sticker on an IG Story
Select a photo or video to upload to your IG story
Select the “Food Orders” sticker
Add a partner for your business’ food orders. (If you haven’t already set up food orders with a partner,follow the instructions on the partner’s website.)
Add the partner link for the food orders service you selected.
After you’ve entered the website, click on Done
Move the Food Orders sticker to where you would like it to appear on your story. You can also tap the sticker to change its color.
Share your story.
Setting Up Food Orders on Your Instagram Profile
Go to your Instagram profile
Tap Edit Profile
Under “Public Business Information,” tap “Action Buttons”
Under “Select a Button,” choose “Order Food”
Select a partner for your business’ food orders. (If you have not already set up food orders with a partner,follow the instructions on the partner’s website.)
Add the website your business uses to link to the food orders service you selected.
After you’ve entered the website, tap Done

_{Source: Facebook
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TVs on Greater Taipei Subway Station Platforms Seen by 2.5 Million People

Special Features of Platform TV Ads
Focuses attention of captive audience waiting for trains, excellent for broadcasting strong brand videos because viewers remember these ads
About 2.5 million riders take the Greater Taipei subway network every day
Passengers are students and salaried workers concentrated in the 20-49 age bracket, representing the age demographic with the greatest spending power
By targeting peak traffic hours, ads can reach audiences that TV ads miss

_{Note: These displays will include openings on the New Taipei Circular Line starting July 1}

_{Source: CheeseAd}

Case Study

Production Design for Chunghwa Post

Campaign Background

Chunghwa Post (Taiwan’s official postal service) commissioned CheeseAd Integrated Marketing to design educational pamphlets and posters for its iBox service (an automated, 24/7 parcel sending and receiving service), postal mail services and a mobile phone “number-taking service.” These designs were used to highlight the new, innovative functions Chunghwa Post has steadily rolled out to give its expanding customer base better service and choices. At the same time, cute and modern designs were used to grab the attention of the younger generation.

iBox Pamphlet Design

We created a cute iBox mascot to introduce the iBox’s different services and user functions and also simplified what has typically been a cumbersome process to send or receive a parcel so that anybody could follow it. Those steps made it easier for consumers to understand and use the iBox service. Faced with the global coronavirus pandemic, many people have decided to give it a try.

Poster Design for Chunghwa Post Mail Service The design used the Chunghwa Post boy driving a race car to give consumers a clear impression that if they use the new 3+3 zip code format their letters will be quickly delivered to the intended recipient.

Poster Design for Online Number-taking Service We used a simple, highly intuitive design to promote Chunghwa Post’s new e-Postal app. The simple steps needed to download and use the app were illustrated on the poster so that consumers could clearly understand how it works and have confidence they can take a number online if they want to.