Singapore’s government will provide S$84 million to support the aviation sector amid COVID-19

singapore-changi-airport

You may have come across in the news that earlier this year in February and August, the S$112 million Aviation Sector Assistance Package and S$187 million Enhanced Aviation Support Package were rolled out respectively.

But more monetary help for the aviation sector is on its way. The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) announced on Tuesday (Dec 29) that the government will provide an additional S$84 million to the aviation sector to aid workers and businesses affected by the pandemic.

Aviation sector remains badly affected
SIA

Image Credits: The Business Times

There is no doubt that the aviation sector is one of the hardest-hit sectors in Singapore and abroad due to COVID-19. To give you an idea, we have some numbers. The report has it that the number of passenger traffic movements at Changi Airport last month saw a 98 per cent year-on-year decline.

“Given ongoing border restrictions and the resurgence of COVID-19 in many countries over winter, air travel will not recover soon. It is therefore critical that we maintain our support for the sector to help aviation companies and workers tide through the crisis,” said the CAAS.

Also, with selected aviation firms putting in place safety measures to enable air travel, many may require additional infrastructure, equipment, and workforce aid. The authority highlighted that firms would not be able to recoup these costs from passengers at the moment.

Government funding & rebates to calm the storm
CAAS

Image Credits: The Straits Times

“To help mitigate some of these costs, the Government will provide funding to support the development, adoption and deployment of innovative technologies and measures to protect our airport workers and aircrew from contracting COVID-19,” added CAAS in its media release.

There will also be some rebates between Apr 1 this year and Mar 31 next year to appease the situation. Specifically, the CAAS will not charge Certificates of Airworthiness fees for Singapore-based airlines.

On top of the abovementioned, they will also drop licence charges for those providing scheduled air services. Licence fees for ground handling and catering services at Changi and Seletar airports can also enjoy a 50 per cent deduction.

CAAS noted that such measures would cost about S$39 million in full.

Sustenance of aviation workers
SIA cabin crew

Image Credits: todayonline.com

With the ongoing pandemic with no clear end in sight, many aviation workers with lesser working hours have had income drops, while some have to settle with no-pay leaves.

In response, the CAAS mentioned that they would work with SkillsFuture Singapore, Workforce Singapore, NTUC LearningHub, and the NTUC Aerospace and Aviation Cluster to help these workers build up their skills. In turn, this will enable them to switch to other job openings within the sector.

“Pilots need years to get their licence and certification. To ensure that we have a sufficient number of pilots for the eventual recovery, we will also work with SkillsFuture Singapore to provide funding support to Singapore-based airlines to re-train their pilots and keep their skills current,” CAAS commented.

As for local pilots, Senior Minister of State for Transport Chee Hong Tat said the authorities would help convert their licences to fly other aircraft types from now on.

Mr Chee further remarked that retrenched Singaporean pilots working for foreign airlines who have returned to Singapore could apply for a Singapore pilot licence. This will allow them to work with a local airline in the future.

According to the CAAS, such measures to sustain workers amount to about S$20 million.

“Together, we will tide through this arduous journey and take our place in the skies again,” Minister for Transport Ong Ye Kung said in a recent year-end video.

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Is live streaming the way forward for individuals or businesses to generate revenue?

live streaming gaining popularity

Live streaming or auctions are probably one of the tools that came into the limelight in 2020. Coupled with the pandemic, the broadcasting of live video in real-time is gaining traction for businesses worldwide.

Many should be familiar with Facebook Live shops like Rheon Garcia; a buyer addicted to live-stream auctions. Within a year, he has spent about S$3,000 on various miscellaneous items in such auctions.

We can’t help but wonder if live streaming will be the way forward for individuals or businesses to generate revenue.

Pioneers of live streaming
Taobao Live hosts

Image Credits: Forbes

Did you know that one of the pioneers who used video streams to promote and sell their products is Alibaba? The Chinese e-commerce giant launched Taobao Live way back in 2016. But thanks to COVID-19, Taobao Live saw tremendous growth.

Ms Bonnie Zhao, head of Taobao Live Product at Alibaba Group, shared that the number of businesses who adopted live streaming for the first time on their platform increased by 700 per cent since February this year.

“When offline retail was not able to proceed in the normal way, through live streaming, we provided for entrepreneurs, and this gave them a new lifeline,” she added.

“Shoppertainment” as a new concept
live streaming hosts using Taobao Live

Image Credits: yicaiglobal.com

About 62 per cent of China’s total number of internet users, about 560 million people, use live streaming. This massive user base thus gave way to the birth of a new concept – “shoppertainment”. And you can probably guess it right; it’s the fusion between commerce and entertainment.

Rapid advances in technology, including the network in China transitioning from 2G to 5G has contributed to China’s live streaming e-commerce sector. It was worth an estimated US$60 billion in 2019 but is on track to break its record by doubling the numbers at the end of 2020.

Others are jumping on the bandwagon
Louis Vuitton live streamed on Red Book

Image Credits: SCMP

Even Louis Vuitton, the luxury goods company, is going with the flow. The French fashion house became the first international luxury brand to host a live streaming session on Xiao Hong Shu, a Chinese retail platform in March this year.

Featuring its LV Escale summer 2020 collection, the live stream recorded over 880,000 views on the app and succeeded in appealing to the younger generation on it.

Bringing our attention back to Southeast Asia, Pomelo recently enabled the live stream technology on its app. The CEO of Pomelo, Mr David Jou, highlighted the differences in users between the region’s markets.

While Indonesia saw high engagements levels, actual conversions were low. Mr Jou also commented that since the Singapore market is already an advanced one, live streaming will lean towards more for content than commerce.

Insights from Singapore’s first live streaming focused shopping platform

Shopavision, Singapore’s first live streaming focused shopping app, provided us with insights specific to our little red dot.

Have a look here:

live streaming trends in Singapore

“I fly to China quite often and observed how live streaming was done there and on platforms like Taobao Live,” said Rachel Pang, founder and CEO of Shopavision. Having seen live streaming as an essential part of people’s life in China, the 37-year-old wanted to bring it to Asia.

“Live streaming marries sales with entertainment and provides a direct channel for people to interact with merchants. Consumers are no longer just browsing through product descriptions, but they are now actively participating in the buying process.

They can ask questions, get responses live and get entertained by live streamers, from the convenience of their homes. Live streaming is the future of online commerce,” she noted.

BTS a living proof on how this business model can work

South Korean boy band BTS is a perfect example to demonstrate the importance of building long-term engagement as a business model. For the group’s virtual concert in June, 750,000 fans from over 100 countries tuned in and a few months later, the K-pop sensation drew in 993,000 virtual audiences across 191 countries and regions in October.

A business ecosystem that doesn’t just sell but focus on engaging with its customers will be on its way to more remarkable growth in the long run.

“Live streaming is not just about satisfying your wants. It’s about creating more wants in your life. It is more than just a simple business transaction. It has evolved, and it is now about getting fans, personalising the experience, and gaining loyalty from consumers,” Miss Zhao remarked.

Hormese Tharakan, commercial director at tech consultancy ThoughtWorks, encourages businesses to consider live streaming as part of their business strategy.

“The key difference is going to be, who can get it right. And to get it right, it’s content which drives data, data drives insight, and these insights help you create more personalised experiences for the users.

These personalised experiences are now going to drive your sales. But driving sales is not the last mile. What you would also need to do is set up a whole cycle which leads to building trust and loyalty.”

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A Guide on How SEO Helps Your Brand to Grow

Today every business, small or big, needs internet exposure. Because that is where our world is directed, and if your business is not according to these requirements, it can stay behind other businesses in this race. So if you want to keep the business in a race, you would need to implement all the things that can keep your business up-to-date.

There are many parts in your business you need to manage even if you consider them small. Right from dealing with your clients to taking customer’s calls. In between all these things, don’t forget about focusing on your brand or business’s digital marketing. It is short you can take to promote your business.

When it comes to digital marketing, things can be confusing what you must do to keep your business in the top position. The one easiest and simplest way to increase your digital marketing journey is to take help from search engine optimization. Although there are hundreds of ways to enhance your business online, nothing stands equal to the power of SEO.

Multiple SEO agencies are working out there to help businesses. For instance, if you’re not sure where to get SEO services, you can visit SEO Agency Singapore to improve your business’s digital marketing journey.

Below is a guide on how SEO can help us in the long run.

  • SEO lets us drive organic and targeted traffic that would be relevant to the business or brand.
  • It helps our brand to gain more exposure and higher visibility.
  • SEO will make it easy to convert the potential people into clients or customers.

1.      What is SEO and How It Works?

SEO is a set of some practices that help our sites gain maximum visibility on the SERPs. You think SEO is a simple task for your business, but it can be much more than what you think about it. It would help if you focused on working on different factors to have an idea of real SEO strategies that go beyond optimizing for keyword phrases that people use.

2.      How Can SEO Exactly Help You to Grow Your Business?

You must set some goals for your business, and this is where SEO can help you to achieve your targets. For instance, by publishing or creating relevant content, you can have a chance to enhance or improve the status of your business. When your content is worth it, Google or search engines will not hesitate to rank your business higher. Also, it will help you to produce organic traffic for your business website.

Moreover, when you seek the best SEO agency for your business, you also need to find out why you want it for your business. Think about what kind of actions you want your visitors to perform when they visit your website.

  • Think if you want your website visitors to fill out a contact form or quote.
  • You want them to opt-in to your email list.
  • You want your website traffic to hit the buy button.

3.      How is SEO Important for Your Business?

  • It boosts inbound traffic
  • It helps to build credibility and trust
  • Fetch you more referrals
  • SEO gets you more customers
  • Help in increasing the brand value
  • Make your business website user-friendly
  • Provide long-term results

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How To Protect Yourself From Scammers: Top 4 Online Scams to Avoid

With the latest advancements in technology, people have the best intentions of using it for good. But there are some people who are using technology to take advantage of others.

As time passes, scammers are getting more sophisticated in their goal to extract money from people or personal details that they can use to scam others. They will do anything just to get ahead of other people.

Scammers target people from different backgrounds, economical level, and ages. You and your family can be a victim of a scam because your exposure to the internet makes you vulnerable.

Learn the top 10 common online scams to avoid to protect yourself and your loved ones.

  1. Phishing

Phishing is a type of online scam in which the victim is being contacted by email, phone or text message pretending to be someone from a legitimate institution such as a bank, to get the victim to provide personal, sensitive information like a bank account, credit card details and password.

These messages are posing as lucrative offers and attention-grabbing headlines to lure people in providing their contact details. For example, the message says you won an iPhone or you won a 5-day stay at an expensive hotel and you have to click a link to get your prize. Be careful when you receive these types of messages, do not click on any of these suspicious emails.

  1. Fake Antivirus Software

You are scared to have your computer being attacked by viruses, spam, malware, and other internet threats. Cybercriminals are banking on this idea of fear and use it to trick people into downloading fake antivirus software that is created to put your computer in danger.

These types of scams often pop out on your browser while you surf the internet and pose as it offers the solution to your problem. And once you click the link, you will be redirected to a page that sells the antivirus software. It comes with a message to scare you like “We have detected a virus on your computer”.

When you agree to purchase the fake antivirus, these cybercriminals will be able to acquire your loan or credit card information and other sensitive information and you will get malware in return.

To avoid this, do not ever click on a pop-up window. If you see a pop-up message, just click X to close it. If you worry that your computer may be infected with a virus, use legitimate security software to scan your computer.

  1. Online Romance of Dating Scam

More people these days are trying out the unconventional ways to find love such as online dating.

The cyberspace is full of scammers these days to take advantage of lonely people looking for love. Here’s how it works: You create your profile and the website comes up with a possible match who is good-looking with a pleasing personality. So you chat with him/her, start getting to know each other and your potential love interest claims to be from another country.

As you grow closer through a series of chat messages, your new love says that he/she had an emergency, or someone died in the family and asks for your help to wire money and promises to pay you back, but in reality has no intentions to.

Avoid feeling a false sense of security from a person you just met online and watch out for these red flags:

  • Your new love interest sends you a picture looking like a model from a magazine more than an ordinary selfie.
  • He or she asks you to leave the dating website and continue chatting on instant messaging platforms
  • He or she promises to meet you in person but always has an excuse that’s why it is not happening.
  1. Free WiFi scams

If you are a frequent traveler and use free WiFi hotspots at the airport or malls, be careful in connecting your laptop, tablet or mobile phone. Scammers are clever in using fake-free WiFi hotspots to gain access to your device and steal your personal information.

Here’s how it works:

In a coffee shop, hotel, airport or in other public spaces, you start searching for available WiFi connections. If you see a “Free Public Wi-Fi, this may look safe but don’t connect. It is a scam. Once you connect with this the hacker can now access your account and purchase using your financial information and passwords.

To avoid this, be sure to verify the name of the network before joining. Also, consider using a VPN to encrypt traffic between your computer and the internet and protect you from unsecured networks. In addition, use an antivirus or turn on your firewall.

Always be alert

These days scammers are very smart in tricking you to get personal information. Always take extra measures to protect yourself especially when dealing with uninvited contacts. If you encounter this, consider the possibility of a scam. Cybercriminals will never run out of strategies to attack and deceive you, so keep yourself safe at all times.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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