Latest news with #E-commerce
Associated Press
3 days ago
- Business
- Associated Press
X-Design Rolls Out New AI Background Generator To Streamline E-commerce Photography Workflow
HAYMARKET, NSW, Australia, May 29, 2025 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) — X-Design, a leading AI-powered photo editing platform, has introduced its latest innovation in the e-commerce product marketing domain: the AI Background Generator. This new tool is designed to assist e-commerce businesses in upscaling their product photography to save thousands of bills and hundreds of hours. X-Design aims to modernize the process of creating professional-quality product images for E-commerce business owners and graphic designers. This will help businesses to present their products more effectively on e-commerce platforms. It will not only be helpful to create premium quality marketing assets, but also help boost the sales for E-commerce stores. COMMON CHALLENGES IN E-COMMERCE PRODUCT PHOTOGRAPHY Product photography has been a tricky job for emerging businesses. It requires professional gear and expertise to get things right, especially if you have multiple products in your inventory. E-commerce product photography also seeks a massive budget to get accurate product images in high resolution. New and small e-commerce platforms may not have sufficient space or gear for ideal product photography. These issues are commonly faced by new players in this segment and hinder the ability to produce compelling visuals that resonate with consumers. X-Design's AI Background Generator is developed to tackle these issues. The tool helps businesses to get premium quality photos that upscale the visual representation of the products. Most importantly, it cuts the need for professional designers, because the tools by X-Design are easy to use, even for those with no prior experience with product photo editing. X-DESIGN'S BACKGROUND GENERATOR: A GAME CHANGER FOR E-COMMERCE VISUALS AI Background Generator from X-Design solves the above-listed challenges of e-commerce businesses with the help of its prominent AI technology and quick results. Here's how the AI Background Generator elevates e-commerce product visuals: AI-Powered Background Generator The users can use this AI background generator to create stunning product backgrounds instantly in one click. The tool offers a huge selection of HD background scenes ranging from home decor to indoor plants, designed to match diverse product photography styles. The users can also generate studio-quality product backgrounds simply by using prompts powered by GPT-4o model. Built-in Background Library A background for every product. X-Design has a vast library of 600+ high-quality AI background templates that resonate with e-commerce products for different photography styles. The platform offers a huge selection of ready-to-use product background presets tailored for online stores, helping businesses to streamline product listings and enhance branding visuals. Users can easily generate product backgrounds featuring realistic home scenes—such as scented candles, green plants, hanging decor, and decorative ornaments—to enhance brand visual appeal. Smart Prompts for Personalized Customization Can't find the perfect background for your product? X-Design's intuitive AI helps users create their own backgrounds from simple text-based prompts. The tool is powered by the GPT-4o model to ensure the images blend seamlessly with the backgrounds with realistic lighting and shadows. Batch Background Generator The AI background generator from X-Design allows users to upload multiple images and generate backgrounds in bulk, streamlining product photography workflow. Whether you're removing or replacing product backgrounds, the tool ensures that every image retains a high-quality output. X-DESIGN'S PLANS FOR E-COMMERCE PRODUCT PHOTOGRAPHY X-Design plans to expand its suite of AI-driven background generator tool to support e-commerce businesses in creating high-quality marketing assets. The upcoming new feature will allow users to effortlessly replicate any product image they like-customized to match their own products. In addition, more photo editing features will be integrated into this background generator tool—including background removal, image enhancement, color correction, cropping and more—to streamline the e-commerce product photography workflow. ABOUT X-DESIGN X-Design is an AI-powered photo editing and assistance platform that helps e-commerce businesses create studio-quality product photos and enhance their marketing assets. It offers a wide range of features like background remover, background generator, AI fashion model, object remover, image enhancer, AI color changer and more. Using their suite of AI-Powered photo editing tools, X-Design simplifies the process of creating eye-catching visuals that help drive conversions. It strengthens product marketing by helping to fix the visual gaps in product images and upscaling them for better branding. NEWS SOURCE: X-Design Keywords: Software, AI background generator, product photography, ecommerce, design, photo editor, make background transparent, HAYMARKET, NSW, Australia This press release was issued on behalf of the news source (X-Design) who is solely responsibile for its accuracy, by Send2Press® Newswire. Information is believed accurate but not guaranteed. Story ID: S2P126594 APNF0325A To view the original version, visit: © 2025 Send2Press® Newswire, a press release distribution service, Calif., USA. RIGHTS GRANTED FOR REPRODUCTION IN WHOLE OR IN PART BY ANY LEGITIMATE MEDIA OUTLET - SUCH AS NEWSPAPER, BROADCAST OR TRADE PERIODICAL. MAY NOT BE USED ON ANY NON-MEDIA WEBSITE PROMOTING PR OR MARKETING SERVICES OR CONTENT DEVELOPMENT. Disclaimer: This press release content was not created by nor issued by the Associated Press (AP). Content below is unrelated to this news story.
Business Times
4 days ago
- Business
- Business Times
Agile partnerships can help Asia face global challenges: DPM Gan
[SINGAPORE] Flexible partnerships are one of three ways that Asia can tackle global challenges, alongside deepening integration and reforming institutions, said Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong on Thursday (May 29), on the last day of a working visit to Tokyo. Such 'flexible multilateralism' could involve moving ahead first with like-minded partners, while 'leaving the door open for others to join when they are ready', he said in a speech that was streamed online. He was speaking at the two-day 30th Nikkei International Forum on the Future of Asia, themed 'Asia's Challenge in a Turbulent World'. As an example of flexible multilateralism, DPM Gan cited the World Trade Organization (WTO) Joint Statement Initiative (JSI) on E-commerce, with Japan, Singapore and Australia as co-conveners. JSIs allow groups of WTO members to address specific issues, in contrast to the usual WTO negotiations which require unanimity. The JSI on E-commerce now involves 91 members that account for over 90 per cent of global trade. An attempt to incorporate the JSI into the WTO framework this February failed – but the co-conveners are continuing to pursue this, and are exploring options to implement the agreement in the meantime, said DPM Gan. A NEWSLETTER FOR YOU Friday, 8.30 am Asean Business Business insights centering on South-east Asia's fast-growing economies. Sign Up Sign Up New alliances can also be forged by building on existing economic groupings and plurilateral agreements, he added. 'These new alliances will facilitate effective and timely collaboration on key trade policies, and signal our commitment to a rules-based trading system.' He noted Asean's efforts to deepen economic cooperation with the Gulf Cooperation Council – raised by Prime Minister Lawrence Wong at the Asean Summit earlier this week – including through a possible free trade agreement (FTA) between the blocs. The Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership is an opportunity to broaden economic partnerships with Asean and the European Union. Fundamental challenges This is one of the ways that Asia can meet three 'fundamental challenges' that it faces, beyond the economic fallout from US tariffs, said DPM Gan. The first challenge is maintaining 'strategic autonomy' amid intensifying US-China contestation, with both powers seeking to influence others. This affects many Asian countries that have deep trade and investment ties with both – but countries need to maintain autonomy and act in 'a principled and consistent way', in their own and the region's interests, said DPM Gan. The second challenge is preserving the rules-based, multilateral trading order. This is based on predictable tariff terms, with clear and shared frameworks for non-tariff policies, including the 'most favoured nation' principle underpinning the WTO. If members trade only on their own terms, larger economies will have more bargaining power, while smaller ones may be marginalised, said DPM Gan. 'This is why recent moves by some economies to impose and remove tariffs at will are concerning.' The third challenge is tackling global threats such as climate change and protecting the global commons. Given the need for urgent action, it is disconcerting that a collective commitment to climate-related treaties seems to be waning, said DPM Gan. He warned that if the commitment to international institutions – such as the WTO, World Health Organization, International Monetary Fund and World Bank – similarly weakens, the world will be less able to tackle issues such as future pandemics or financial crises. Integration and reform Besides agile partnerships, Asia can face these challenges by doubling down on regional integration and reforming organisations such as the WTO, said DPM Gan. On regional integration, Asia must enhance its trade, digital and physical connectivity, and 'raise the ambition' for existing partnerships. For instance, Asean has concluded talks to upgrade its Trade in Goods Agreement, and is working to upgrade FTAs with other partners. As cross-border payments are a key enabler of the digital economy, some Asean countries are working with India on a real-time payment network, he noted, inviting more Asian countries to join the project. Asia can also explore cross-border energy flows, he added. Not only will the Asean Power Grid enable the region's low-carbon transition, it also presents opportunities for green investments, he said. He welcomed financing support from the World Bank and Asian Development Bank, as well as from Japan. Finally, Asia can work with partners to reform global institutions, particularly the WTO. While imperfect, the organisation remains 'an important foundation on which to build a better global, rules-based trade architecture', he said. Such reforms include enabling flexible agreements such as the JSI on E-Commerce to move forward within the WTO framework. The existing consensus-based decision-making process should also be reformed to avoid gridlock, while the WTO rulebook should be updated to address issues such as state subsidies and industrial policy, and respond to the digital revolution and climate change. Japan-Singapore collaboration DPM Gan's visit comes ahead of Japan and Singapore's 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations in 2026. On the trip, he met Japanese political and business leaders, and the countries reaffirmed their close and longstanding ties. Noting that Japan invested significantly in Singapore when the latter was industrialising in the early 1970s, DPM Gan added that there will be more investment opportunities, with Singapore as a growing Asian hub and a gateway to South-east Asia. Beyond economics, both countries can cooperate in areas such as climate action and defence, he added. In a question-and-answer session after his speech, DPM Gan was asked what advice he would give Japan and its businesses, given the country's 'struggling' economy. In response, he noted that Japan's economy remains 'very significant' with 'very innovative' businesses, and highlighted scope for cooperation with Singapore. He encouraged Japanese startups to set up in Singapore, adding that the Republic also encourages its startups to enter Japan, tap its technologies and explore opportunities to collaborate.
Business Times
4 days ago
- Business
- Business Times
Agile partnerships can help Asia face global challenges: Gan Kim Yong
[SINGAPORE] Flexible partnerships are one of three ways that Asia can tackle global challenges, alongside deepening integration and reforming institutions, said Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong on Thursday (May 29), on the last day of a working visit to Tokyo. Such 'flexible multilateralism' could involve moving ahead first with like-minded partners, while 'leaving the door open for others to join when they are ready', he said, in a speech that was streamed online. He was speaking at the two-day 30th Nikkei International Forum on the Future of Asia, themed 'Asia's Challenge in a Turbulent World'. As an example of flexible multilateralism, DPM Gan cited the World Trade Organization (WTO) Joint Statement Initiative (JSI) on E-commerce, with Japan, Singapore and Australia as co-conveners. JSIs allow groups of WTO members to address specific issues, in contrast to usual WTO negotiations which require unanimity. The JSI on E-commerce now involves 91 members that account for over 90 per cent of global trade. An attempt to incorporate the JSI into the WTO framework this February failed – but the co-conveners are continuing to pursue this, and are exploring options to implement the agreement in the meantime, said DPM Gan. A NEWSLETTER FOR YOU Friday, 8.30 am Asean Business Business insights centering on South-east Asia's fast-growing economies. Sign Up Sign Up New alliances can also be forged by building on existing economic groupings and plurilateral agreements, he added. 'These new alliances will facilitate effective and timely collaboration on key trade policies, and signal our commitment to a rules-based trading system.' He noted Asean's efforts to deepen economic cooperation with the Gulf Cooperation Council – raised by Prime Minister Lawrence Wong at the Asean Summit earlier this week – including through a possible free trade agreement (FTA) between the blocs. The Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership is also looking at how to broaden economic partnerships with Asean and the European Union. Fundamental challenges This is one of the ways that Asia can meet three 'fundamental challenges' that it faces, beyond the economic fallout from US tariffs, said DPM Gan. The first challenge is maintaining 'strategic autonomy' amid intensifying US-China contestation, with both powers seeking to influence others. This affects many Asian countries that have deep trade and investment ties with both – but countries need to maintain autonomy and act in 'a principled and consistent way', in their own and the region's interests, said DPM Gan. The second challenge is preserving the rules-based, multilateral trading order. This is based on predictable tariff terms, with clear and shared frameworks for non-tariff policies, including the 'most favoured nation' principle underpinning the WTO. If members trade only on their own terms, larger economies will have more bargaining power, while smaller ones may be marginalised, said DPM Gan. 'This is why recent moves by some economies to impose and remove tariffs at will are concerning.' The third challenge is tackling global threats such as climate change and protecting the global commons. Given the need for urgent action, it is disconcerting that a collective commitment to climate-related treaties seems to be waning, said DPM Gan. He warned that if the commitment to international institutions – such as the WTO, World Health Organization, International Monetary Fund and World Bank – similarly weakens, the world will be less able to tackle issues such as future pandemics or financial crises. Integration and reform Besides agile partnerships, Asia can face these challenges by doubling down on regional integration and reforming organisations such as the WTO, said DPM Gan. On regional integration, Asia must enhance its trade, digital and physical connectivity and 'raise the ambition' for existing partnerships. For instance, Asean has concluded talks to upgrade its Trade in Goods Agreement, and is working to upgrade FTAs with other partners. As cross-border payments are a key enabler of the digital economy, some Asean countries are working with India on a real-time payment network, he noted, inviting more Asian countries to join the project. Asia can also explore cross-border energy flows, he added. Not only will the Asean Power Grid enable the region's low-carbon transition, it also presents opportunities for green investments, he said. He welcomed financing support from the World Bank and Asian Development Bank, as well as from Japan. Finally, Asia can work with partners to reform global institutions, particularly the WTO. While imperfect, the organisation remains 'an important foundation on which to build a better global, rules-based trade architecture', he said. Such reforms include enabling flexible agreements such as the JSI on E-Commerce to move forward within the WTO framework. The existing consensus-based decision-making process should also be reformed to avoid gridlock, while the WTO rulebook should be updated to address issues such as state subsidies and industrial policy, and respond to the digital revolution and climate change.
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Business Standard
08-05-2025
- Business
- Business Standard
Rural demand for FMCG grows at a slower pace in January-March: NielsenIQ
Rural demand drives 11 per cent FMCG growth in Q1 2025 despite slowing pace as consumers favour smaller packs and E-commerce gains traction in urban metros Sharleen Dsouza Mumbai Rural demand for fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) started to grow at a slower pace in the January–March quarter but still remained four times faster than growth in demand in urban areas, according to NielsenIQ (formerly known as Nielsen). Demand from rural areas stood at 8.4 per cent in Q1 of 2025 (calendar year), which was lower than 9.2 per cent in October–December of 2024. Urban demand, on the other hand, saw its growth further moderate in the quarter to 2.6 per cent, compared to 4.2 per cent in the October–December quarter. 'A higher unit growth than volume growth indicates a preference shift towards smaller packs in consumers,' NielsenIQ said. FMCG majors have also continued to highlight the slowdown in urban demand for FMCG items. In a recent interview with Business Standard, Sudhir Sitapati, managing director and chief executive officer, said that he hopes urban demand will recover in the next 12 to 18 months. Companies have also observed consumers opting for smaller packs more than larger ones. "The FMCG sector is showing mixed signals—while volume growth is slowing across categories, non-food segments are still outpacing food. Inflation is easing overall, but high edible oil prices are keeping staples expensive,' said Roosevelt Dsouza, head of customer success – FMCG, NielsenIQ India. He added, 'Rural markets continue to drive growth, whereas urban metros continue to see a shift toward E-commerce with higher shopper engagement. With a favourable monsoon forecast and revised tax slabs, consumption is likely to pick up in the upcoming quarters. Interestingly, small players are gaining more ground due to a low base and changing market dynamics, though their long-term momentum remains to be seen." In the quarter, traditional trade, which typically refers to sales from mom-and-pop stores, increased to 6.2 per cent from 5.0 per cent in the corresponding quarter last year. Modern trade saw a decline of 3.3 per cent in the quarter, compared to a decline of 1.1 per cent in the October–December quarter. Food consumption growth slowed to 4.9 per cent in the quarter ended March from 6 per cent in the quarter ended December, due to decreased volumes in staple categories like edible oils and palm oil, which saw price increases. Home and personal care categories saw a consumption growth of 5.7 per cent in the quarter, as demand from rural areas was higher. 'E-commerce continues to strengthen its presence significantly in eight metros, impacting the share of offline channels—both modern trade and traditional trade. This growth is largely volume-driven, supported by increasing online shopper penetration, more purchase occasions, and increasing basket sizes (more units purchased per shopper),' the report noted.
Malaysian Reserve
24-04-2025
- Business
- Malaysian Reserve
Smobi, an AI-powered RCS Platform, Partners with Vonage to Enhance Customer Engagement with RCS Messaging
HOLMDEL, N.J., April 23, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Vonage, a global leader in cloud communications, helping businesses accelerate their digital transformation and a part of Ericsson (NASDAQ: ERIC), today announced that Smobi, an innovative AI-powered RCS platform for E-commerce, has chosen Vonage for Rich Communication Services (RCS) via the Vonage Messages API. By integrating RCS, Smobi's clients will now benefit from branded, verified communications that build customer trust, improve click-through rates (CTR), and boost conversion rates. 'As early adopters of RCS, Smobi is redefining the way E-commerce brands interact with their customers,' said Kunal Puri, Founder of Smobi. 'This is only the beginning of RCS's potential as a game-changing communication channel. We're excited to see how this partnership with Vonage raises the benchmark for customer engagement in the industry.' Smobi empowers businesses with manual RCS campaign capabilities, allowing brands to craft and send rich, interactive messages at scale. Smobi's offerings include Mo, an always – on conversational AI agent that proactively engages customers and responds instantly to inquiries, driving conversions with personalized interactions. Smobi's advanced analytics dashboard provides deep insights, including message read rates and interaction metrics, helping brands optimize engagement and maximize ROI in real time. The versatility of RCS, paired with SMS fallback via the Vonage Messages API, ensures a seamless customer experience, even when RCS is unavailable. 'Smobi is helping to usher in a new era of branded, interactive messaging as a leading RCS platform for E-commerce businesses,' said Seckin Arikan, Head of API at Vonage. 'Smobi joins a growing list of Vonage RCS customers in the US market. This collaboration exemplifies Vonage's continued leadership in RCS innovation and underscores our commitment to helping businesses effectively connect with their customers in meaningful, impactful ways.' Juniper Research's Tech Horizon for Mobile Messaging 2025 highlights RCS business messaging as one of the top technologies set for significant growth in 2025, particularly in North America. Backed by a surge in RCS-capable subscribers in 2024, the adoption of RCS presents a high-value opportunity for enterprises to enhance branded communications. Juniper Research ranked Vonage as one of the top leaders in RCS business messaging in 2024. This recognition underscores the strength and scalability of Vonage's Communications APIs, which enable enterprises to adopt RCS effectively and unlock its full potential. About Vonage Vonage, a global cloud communications leader, helps businesses accelerate their digital transformation, providing a comprehensive set of engagement solutions to deliver richer, more personal and meaningful communications across the entire customer and employee experience. Vonage's Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS) and Contact Center as a Service (CCaaS) solutions enable companies to transform how they communicate and operate from the office or anywhere. Vonage's Communications Platform as a Service (CPaaS) offering is fully programmable and allows developers to embed video, voice, chat, messaging, AI and verification into existing products, workflows and systems using communications APIs. Leveraging the power of the network, Vonage's CPaaS is expanding to incorporate new network capabilities exposed as APIs to help developers worldwide pioneer new, advanced applications that help enterprises reimagine their business, transform their operations and improve customer experiences. Vonage is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Ericsson (NASDAQ: ERIC), and a business area within the Ericsson Group called Business Area Global Communications Platform. To follow Vonage on LinkedIn, visit To become a fan on Facebook, go to To subscribe on YouTube, visit
