Set to elevate retail solutions in APAC, WMH APAC's services now mirror those offered by its Japanese parent. WMH APAC has bases in a total of five countries: Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, Taiwan, and Australia. On top of solutions to address human resource, training, and operations, WMH APAC is also equipped to consult on digital marketing, e-commerce, CRM, retail technology, and visual merchandising as part of its integrated solutions.

Retail trends

"The luxury industry in APAC is bouncing back even stronger in many aspects than before COVID-19. More retail brands have also eagerly entered SEA as luxury consumers balloon in numbers and spending power. Hence, there is a huge demand for high-standard retail solutions to resolve the customer experience (CX) challenges of today," Mr. Shinsuke Kafuku, CEO and President of WMH Group, shared about the establishment of WMH APAC. He added that for Southeast Asia (SEA), due to systematic and cultural diversity, there is also a real need for solutions which can achieve standardisation for swift scaling and business growth, while leaving room for detailed customisations specific to in-market needs.

The establishment of WMH APAC is proof of its commitment to serving and growing with the retail industry in APAC. As the fashion and beauty sectors see major shifts and transformations, it is crucial for retail businesses to keep up with trends. This includes the adoption of practices such as personalised CX, augmented reality, and sustainability-driven efforts to remain competitive. "Our core objective is to raise industry standards, and we do this by supplementing clients' teams with operational capabilities and adequate skills development to drive memorable customer experiences," stated Ms. Angeline Yap, Director of WMH APAC. She continued, "We're a leader on the talent development front – supporting and grooming talent by imparting expert knowledge, technical skills, soft skills, and other transferrable skills." Through skills certification, WMH APAC incentivises employees to undergo training and upskilling through certification. This is key to propelling the retail workforce to meet dynamic market demands and various changes to come.

Meeting APAC's demands in recruitment, training, operations, and technology

Thanks to its expertise in various components of the retail, beauty, and fashion industries, and corresponding consultancy services, WMH APAC brings to the table holistic integrated solutions that meet the many demands of clients and end-customers.

Recruitment

Recruitment remains a core service of WMH APAC. Its job portal MyBRANDS has been serving fashion and beauty retailers in Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, and will soon have a presence in even more countries in the region. Through WMH APAC, MyBRANDS aims to expand its candidate database across markets in the region. The mission is to groom the next generation of the retail workforce, eventually connecting qualified job applicants with potential employers internationally.

Training

To elevate the calibre of the workforce, WMH APAC presents Mode Academy, built to deliver its education and training component. Ever evolving factors such as clients' needs, customer journeys, shopping habits, retail touchpoints, and any limitations inform the ways the training framework and curricula are crafted at Mode Academy. Through on-ground research and the approach of blended learning, Mode Academy aims to establish a benchmark for service excellence in the fashion and beauty industry. It takes on the role of a job-skills integrator to help employees achieve continuous employability with regularly updated and upgraded skills.

Operations

Delivering effective retail solutions at scale, WMH APAC offers human-centric services to enhance CX and productivity. For instance, WMH Group has been managing stores of major luxury brands and, based on its in-depth know-how, offers quality store operation management services. Creative visual merchandising is also one of the services that WMH APAC now boasts. Thanks to the Group's decades of experience at the frontline in stores and ongoing field research, brick-and-mortar retailers can expect creative solutions that take into consideration store front aesthetics and functionality, marketing, and human resource. The result is a delightful customer experience complemented by robust backend support.

Technology

CX solutions are only possible due to the seamless fusion of fashion and technology. WMH APAC works with partners to strengthen customer engagement and maximise retail sales by offering CX-enhancing technologies. For instance, physical stores can take advantage of technologies such as heat maps, digital colour matching, and business intelligence systems to analyse in-store and backend data in an integrated manner, transcending silos and fortifying the existing business strategy.

Mr. Shinsuke Kafuku, CEO and President of WMH, and Ms. Angeline Yap, Director of WMH APAC, are available for comment and interviews. For media enquiries, please see below.

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References

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