Latest news with #WilliamLi
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
What NIO's Q1 Earnings Could Reveal About Its Breakeven Dream
Nio Inc. (NIO) has been a disappointing stock this year, underperforming the broader market and particularly its Chinese peers, despite a moderate rebound following the tariff war shock that hit the EV sector. While the company has made progress on deliveries and shown some improvement in margins, the bold target set by management to stabilize losses in Fiscal 2025 still feels out of reach, even with three quarters left. Easily unpack a company's performance with TipRanks' new KPI Data for smart investment decisions Receive undervalued, market resilient stocks right to your inbox with TipRanks' Smart Value Newsletter The upcoming launch of several new models with better margins, along with ongoing cost-cutting strategies, is the main hope for doubling margins by year-end. With Q1 results set to drop on June 3rd, I think investors will be watching closely for any shifts in margin trends or cost structure. That said, I remain skeptical that Nio can consistently maintain steady losses, move toward profitability, and generate healthy cash flow in such a short timeframe. For now, I'd rate the stock as a Hold. Investors are closely monitoring Nio's investment thesis, which hinges on the company achieving financial breakeven by 2025 and potentially turning profitable by 2026. According to Nio's CEO and founder, William Li, the company is expected to hit breakeven in the fourth quarter of this fiscal year based on three key factors: (1) the launch of nine new models to fully diversify the product portfolio; (2) the rollout of new vehicle technologies aimed at gradually boosting gross margins; and (3) perhaps the most challenging, the aggressive expansion of its battery swapping network, with plans to install stations in every county across China's 27 provinces—an initiative that's expected to drive sales. In Q1, Nio reported a solid 42,094 vehicle deliveries, marking a 40% year-over-year increase. The company is also seeing early momentum with its new Onvo and Firefly brands. Between March 19 and 27, out of 6,530 vehicles delivered, 2,690 came from these two brands, even though Nio had not officially started ramping up production of these new models yet. These brands are expected to play a significant role in helping Nio reach its ambitious profitability goals. Management has also reaffirmed its target to double deliveries in 2025 compared to the 2024 goal of 222,000 units. Still, Q1 financials raise some serious questions about how realistic the breakeven by year-end really is. Nio reported a net loss of $977 million, a 24% increase year-over-year, pushing its total projected loss for fiscal 2024 to between $3.1 billion and $3.2 billion—about 4% more than in 2023. Gross margins came in at 11.7%. That helps explain why Nio's ADR has been underperforming. Most analysts covering the stock expect the company to keep reporting annual losses per share until 2027, with the first potential for a positive figure coming in 2028. As for Q1, estimates suggest Nio will report a loss per share of 35 cents, which, while still a loss, would actually be a 7% improvement over the same period last year. Given that analyst consensus seems to clash with Nio management's promise to reach breakeven within the next three quarters, gross margins are likely to be the sore spot come earnings day. Management has already warned in advance that vehicle margins will be under pressure in Q1 due to seasonal factors and a product transition period. They also noted that the NIO brand's vehicle margins are currently under stress, while the ONVO brand has been impacted by weaker-than-expected sales and higher amortization costs. Despite these headwinds, the company aims to improve margins throughout the year, with targets of a 20% vehicle margin for the NIO brand and 15% for ONVO by Q4 2025. In theory, those margin levels are what's needed to hit breakeven. To achieve this, Nio is implementing several cost-cutting measures, such as standardizing platforms across different models and brands (for example, utilizing common seat structures) and reducing hardware costs by consolidating smart vehicle interfaces. Therefore, it'll be essential to monitor the evolution of the cost of sales. Last quarter, it was already up 9.9% year-over-year and 4.4% sequentially. However, management is primarily relying on the launch of higher-margin models in the second half of the year. They're also tightening up pricing and cost controls, which have already led to a 10% drop in the bill of materials in 2024—a trend they say will continue into 2025. Still, it feels like Nio doesn't fully have its business under control. There are just too many internal and external moving parts for the company to realistically double gross margins in such a short time frame. One thing that stood out to me in Nio's story (maybe not in a good way) is how vague the company is when it comes to detailing its cash flows. For a business that annually burns through cash on R&D, infrastructure like battery swaps, and relies on government subsidies, it's a bit surprising how little clarity they provide. A good example is from Q3, when Nio reported positive free cash flow (FCF), despite still posting negative operating margins. In that case, the most likely explanation was changes in working capital, rather than any real improvement in profitability. FCF can still be positive if depreciation is high (a non-cash expense) or if the company boosts payables or books early revenue through pre-sales. In Nio's case, all signs point to this kind of financial maneuvering. And while it's not inherently bad since plenty of companies do it to ease short-term pressure, it's also not a reliable sign of financial health. If FCF is being propped up by accounting maneuvers rather than genuine operational improvements, it's something investors should be wary of. So while Nio's FCF might not look bad at first glance, especially with profitability still lagging, it's likely more of a temporary boost than a true turnaround. The real challenge, which is building a profitable core business, still lies ahead. Analyst sentiment around Nio remains cautious. Among the ten analysts covering the stock, seven recommend holding, two suggest buying, and just one advises selling. Despite this generally conservative outlook, NIO carries an average stock price target of $5.07, implying a significant upside of approximately 38% from the current share price. Investing in Nio remains highly speculative. Currently, management appears to be chasing ambitious targets that may be overly optimistic given the timeframes they've outlined. While Nio is undeniably improving—the delivery ramp-up is a positive sign, and efforts to boost margins are promising—expecting gross margins to double within a year feels unrealistic. Such progress depends not only on internal execution but also on external factors in the EV market, which is grappling with fierce competition, supply chain disruptions, and evolving regulatory challenges. Disclaimer & DisclosureReport an Issue
Hindustan Times
5 days ago
- Health
- Hindustan Times
Doctor shares foods that help burn body fat. Hint: It is also a good source of protein
Can food burn body fat? Dr William Li, a physician, scientist, speaker and author, believes so. Known for posting interesting facts about the food items that we consume daily and how they can benefit your body, Dr Li shared in a new video certain food items that can burn your body fat. Also Read | Gastroenterologist shares 5 breakfast foods that won't cause bloating: Kiwi to ginger tea with honey According to Dr Li, various types of beans are the ideal food to burn fat. In a video posted on May 23, he explained, 'White beans, black beans, kidney beans, fava beans, lentils, garbanzo beans, and chickpeas. These beans, also called legumes, are useful for fighting excess body fat. They contain good dietary fibre, which feeds your gut microbiome.' Dr Li explained, 'When your gut microbiome and healthy bacteria are well-fed, they actually ramp up your body's fat-burning activity. Additionally, beans are a good source of protein, so you're getting the protein while burning extra body fat.' A post shared by Dr. William Li (@drwilliamli) According to a 2020 study that examined the association between bean intake, body fat percentage, and waist circumference in 246 women, it was found that women who consumed moderate or high amounts of beans had less body fat and smaller waists than those with low intakes. Moreover, beans and other legumes seem to have dietary qualities that may be beneficial in the battle against obesity. Additionally, the study found that for each 10 percent increase in bean intake per 1000 kcal, body fat was 0.12 to 0.14 percentage points lower. Per Dillon Swinney, fitness coach, there are 10 filling foods you should start eating if you want to burn belly fat without starving. He suggested items like plain Greek yoghurt, pickles, bone broth, zucchini, berries, and more. Learn all about them here. Note to readers: This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your doctor with any questions about a medical condition.
Time Magazine
5 days ago
- Automotive
- Time Magazine
Loading... The Shift East: How China's EV Boom Powers Its Tech Rise World Economy NIO employees work on an automated electric-vehicle production line on Jan. 17 in Hefei, China. NIO employees work on an automated electric-vehicle production line on Jan. 17 in Hefei, China. Kevin Frayer—Getty Images Story by Charlie Campbell / Shanghai and Hefei NIO employees work on an automated electric-vehicle production line on Jan. 17 in Hefei, China. Kevin Frayer—Getty Images
At NIO's design workshop in suburban Shanghai, engineers spread billets of clay onto an aluminum frame of a basic car. A robotic arm with a mechanized drill bit then carves a series of grooves into the clay corresponding to a designer's sketch. The rough surface is then painstakingly smoothed with palette knives before aluminum foil is pasted on top. Finally, the sleek-looking metallic model is rolled into a sunlit courtyard where every curve and camber is scrutinized. Advertisement 'The artistry really happens with these guys putting color on, taking it off; putting more clay on, taking it off,' says Colin Phipps, senior director of NIO Shanghai Design, who previously worked 12 years for Cadillac. 'This is a very labor-intensive process.' It's also an incongruously artisanal first step of a design methodology that is otherwise steeped in pushing technological boundaries. Since its founding in 2014, NIO has notched 9,800 global patents, most impressively popularizing battery-swapping technology that allows customers to change their drained battery for a fully charged one in just three minutes at over 3,000 swap stations across China and Europe. NIO also produces the world's longest-range electric-vehicle (EV) battery, capable of over 650 miles (1,000 km) on a single charge (Tesla's record is 402 miles). It has the world's only dual-display windshield—projecting data at two separate perspectives directly in the driver's line of sight—and the first homologated drive-by-wire system, which guides the wheels without a physical steering shaft. NIO's EP9 sports car was upon launch in 2016 the world's fastest EV, breaching 194 m.p.h. and breaking records at Germany's famous Nürburgring Nordschleife racing circuit. 'Innovation creates value,' NIO CEO William Li tells TIME. 'And innovation helps us survive amid fierce competition, be it in China or worldwide.' NIO is just one of an alphabet soup of Chinese brands—from AION, BYD, and Clever, to Maxus, Neta, and Onvo, to Xpeng, Yangwang, and Zeekr—dominating the global EV market today. It's been a meteoric rise. In 2001, China had fewer than 10 million passenger vehicles for its 1.2 billion population. That's just one vehicle for every 128 people, or a market penetration equivalent to America's in 1911, three years after Henry Ford produced his first Model T. But by 2009, China was the largest car market in the world. From being a net car importer as recently as 2020, China today sends more vehicles overseas than any other nation; its passenger-car exports jumped nearly 20% in 2024 to 4.9 million. Meanwhile, imports of cars to China dropped from a peak of 1.24 million in 2017 to just 705,000 last year. Chinese automakers are expected to account for a third of the global market by 2030, according to AlixPartners. When it comes to EVs, China already accounts for nearly two-thirds of global sales (62%). NIOs are currently sold in six European nations as well as Israel and the UAE. BYD, meanwhile, is now undisputedly the world's top EV firm, present in over 70 countries and outselling Tesla globally for a second straight quarter. While Tesla delivered 336,681 vehicles worldwide for the January–March period, down 13% year-on-year, BYD delivered 416,388, up 38%. Americans remain largely unaware of all this. Under President Biden, a tariff of 100% was slapped on Chinese EVs, and President Trump has added an additional 25% on all foreign cars. This has negative consequences for EV adoption in the self-styled spiritual home of the automobile—where half of Americans are interested in going electric, according to recent polls. It also impacts the global fight against climate change. 'Consumers in the U.S. could drive better cars, consume less gasoline, spend less on maintenance, and that would also be good for climate change,' says Paul Gong, head of China autos research at UBS Investment Bank. 'There is a certain pity that because of tariff protectionism, and geopolitics, the world is not as green and not as prosperous.' Still, some very real concerns lie behind import barriers. The U.S. and allies accuse China's industrial policies of massive subsidies that cause overcapacity and crowd out competitors. Chinese government support to its EV industry cumulatively totaled $230.9 billion from 2009 to 2023, according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), a bipartisan D.C. think tank. Last July, the E.U. also imposed a provisional antisubsidy tariff of up to 37.6% on Chinese EVs, prompting Beijing to hike tariffs on European pork and brandy in retaliation. In August, Canada hiked its import tariff on Chinese EVs to 100%. However, to simply blame state subsidies for China's mastery of EVs is reductive. Time and again, whether it's smartphones, solar panels, or 5G, China is combining state support with economies of scale and a fiercely competitive domestic market to command transformative technology. Strong supply chains leverage high-quality, low-cost components to commercialize technology for market. And China's ascendency in EVs provides a window into future tussles between the world's top two economies over innovations set to power the Fourth Industrial Revolution. The risk for the U.S. is that these advantages will soon also allow China to dominate industries such as generative AI, quantum computing, and humanoid robotics. And EVs are front and center to those goals. 'These are much more than just battery-powered vehicles,' says Ilaria Mazzocco, a senior fellow focused on China business and economics at CSIS. 'The technological shift involves a lot of data processing, more AI integrated into the system, and synergies that provide pathways to advance in other technologies.' China's rise didn't initially make the West uncomfortable. Far from it. China's peerless manufacturing efficiency reaped billions of dollars for U.S. firms. The fact that an ostensibly communist nation was trying its hand at capitalism was thought endearing, even quaint—not to mention proof that liberal economic theory had won the day. The country, after all, represented a giant and growing market for American industry. Until China began to pull ahead. Though it welcomed McDonald's and Starbucks and encouraged its brightest to hone their minds at Western universities, Beijing maintained a strict hold over the economy, while cannily acquiring foreign expertise. Today China accounts for 27.5% of all global auto sales, more than the next three countries—the U.S., India, and Japan—combined. China's government facilitated this rise by allowing foreign auto firms to enter the Chinese market only with a domestic partner, as well as what might be called resourceful harvesting of intellectual property. It was good old-fashioned protectionism—and for China, it worked. Chinese companies are poaching engineers and executives from storied European and American manufacturers while buying up foreign competitors wholesale. Ford sold Swedish firm Volvo to China's Geely for $1.8 billion in 2010. In 2017, Geely also bought storied British sports-car firm Lotus. 'Ten or 15 years ago, products in China weren't competitive globally, to put it mildly,' says Dan Balmer, Lotus president and CEO for Europe, Asia-Pacific, Middle East, and Africa. 'But you could see the energy, the enthusiasm, the investment into the industry. So they've learned very well, and they're now leading in many fields.' Lotus now retains a design and production facility in the U.K., but all its Eletre and Emeya EVs are made in Wuhan, best known as the epicenter of COVID-19, where a $1.1 billion plant opened in 2022 can turn out 150,000 vehicles a year. 'Before, people were coming to China just to have better access to the Chinese market,' says Frank Bournois, dean of the China Europe International Business School in Shanghai. 'Now you come to China to improve your processes. And AI is really pushing that forward.' U.S. policymakers have a hard time squaring this new paradigm, as evidenced by Vice President J.D. Vance's complaints to Fox News in early April that 'we borrow money from Chinese peasants to buy the things those Chinese peasants manufacture.' But whereas the first generation of Chinese entrepreneurs grew up poor and were happy to wring a livelihood from cheap imitations, today's tech graduates were spared the privations of their parents and yearn for something more meaningful. 'Before, Chinese were happy to copy others just so they wouldn't go hungry,' says Grace Shao, a former Alibaba manager turned IT consultant who publishes the AI Proem newsletter. 'Now they seek a sense of mission.' While Washington attributes China's recent successes to subsidies, that is only part of the story. When the Beijing central government pinpoints an industry to prioritize, city and provincial governments immediately offer incentives in the desperate race to seed a local champion. This flood of liquidity generates a bubble that artificially inflates values and encourages other big players to enter the market. But in 2020, the leading government-supported EV maker in China was Tesla, whose consumers received $325 million in tax rebates as well as $82 million in grants to construct its Shanghai Gigafactory. Meanwhile, at its peak in January 2021, NIO's market cap was $96.57 billion, or double that of General Motors. Competition between regions and manufacturers, however, is remorseless. In 2023, some 52,000 EV-related companies shut down in China. As the EV bubble burst, NIO's worth has plunged to just $7.53 billion, despite shipping a record 221,970 cars last year. But those firms that emerged unscathed are lean and technologically agile, and infused with the necessary moxie to thrive. BYD, for one, employs more engineers than Tesla has total staff. In March, it unveiled an EV battery that can charge in just five minutes. 'You cannot imagine such competition intensity in any other major market,' says Gong. NIO's factory in Anhui province is a case in point. It has an annual capacity of 300,000 units and can deliver entirely bespoke cars of 3.5 million specification combinations within 10 days. Ford may have pioneered the assembly line, but NIO has an assembly matrix six floors high and five wide, where individual chassis can be plucked in any direction. Once they're grounded, AI-powered automated guided vehicles ferry each shell among 940 welding and riveting robots. Most impressively, ground was broken at the factory in April 2021 and mass production started just 17 months later—a timeline virtually unheard of in the U.S. Crucially, traditional auto manufacturers and China's new energy companies approach the production process in reverse. Instead of focusing on the panels, axles, and bearings of a car, NIO first looks at the high-voltage architecture—batteries, power train, and so on—followed by the low-voltage, like digital compute. 'Then we bolt the mechanical pieces around it,' says Jonathan Rayner, NIO's vehicle-experience manager for its ET9, who joined the firm after 14 years at Jaguar Land Rover. 'With today's modern software and capabilities, what used to be the hard thing for the old companies is relatively easy.' Putting software at the beating heart of production means modern EVs are unlike their gasoline-powered forebears. Even if you purchased a NIO, BYD, or Lotus a few years ago, the car's brain is being regularly updated, much like your smartphone. This also means that the constantly honed AI-powered core technologies can be applied to many adjacent fields. 'AI is a very important enabler for our vehicle products,' says Li, NIO's CEO. 'These technologies help us improve the product experience and overall competitiveness.' Waiting outside an office building in Shanghai's Pudong district, a white robotaxi produced by a Guangzhou-based autonomous-vehicle firm, circles slowly around the entrance foyer before coming to a stop at my feet. Once I'm aboard, the self-driving system embarks on a 20-minute tour of the rain-soaked neighborhood, dodging delivery bikes, overtaking parked vans, and bravely fighting through oncoming traffic at stoplights. 'Strategically, we definitely have the ambition to go global,' says James Peng, CEO of 'Because mobility needs are everywhere. Using technology to have a positive societal impact should be our ambition.' Of course, the U.S. also has robotaxis. Alphabet-owned Waymo completed 4 million paid driverless ride-hailing trips in 2024 in Phoenix, San Francisco, and Los Angeles. But competition is scant. Amazon-backed Zoox secured the necessary permits to carry the public in Foster City, Calif., only last year. Tesla has claimed since 2016 to be about a year away from launching a robotaxi; CEO Elon Musk most recently said his Cybercab would be ready by 2027. More notable are the players that have exited the space. Uber sold off its self-driving business in 2020 after a fatal collision. Ford abandoned its stake in its robotaxi developer two years later. In 2023, GM paused all its Cruise driverless operations, despite already plowing in $10 -billion, following collisions that led to the suspension of California licenses. (While a recent spate of self-driving crashes in China hasn't diminished official support, the government on April 17 did ban the word autonomous from car ads.) By comparison, faces a crowded field. China also has Apollo Go, DiDi, AutoX, and WeRide—the latter already operates in 30 cities across nine countries—all clamoring for market share with express government backing. As of August 2024, Chinese public-security authorities had issued 16,000 test licenses for autonomous vehicles and 20,000 miles of roads nationwide had been opened for testing. For Peng, the difference is that while licenses in China are harder to obtain at the outset, once permission is granted, the government will be fully supportive. 'In the U.S., it's easy to get a license,' he says. 'But if you're ever in an accident and it's your fault, they will heavily penalize you.' Rather than fostering its own domestic champions, the U.S. national strategy aims to slow down its key rival via stricter export controls. However, China is catching up. In semiconductors—a crucial industry in which the U.S. currently leads—Huawei's Ascend 910C AI chip reportedly achieves up to 60% of performance in inference tasks compared with Nvidia's latest H100. Whereas NIO's earlier models contained four Nvidia chips, its latest ET9 instead has two designed in-house. 'It's precisely the shortage of semiconductors that is leading China to develop their own faster,' says Bournois. The rush is also on to translate EV supremacy to other industries. Humanoid robots produced by Hangzhou-based Unitree caused a stir in households across China when they appeared, twirling decorative fans and dancing with other performers, at state broadcaster CCTV's prestigious Lunar New Year Gala in January. It was a stunning display of China's booming robotics industry. Over 190,000 robotics-related companies were registered in China last year, with 44,000 more registered since the start of 2025, according to data company Qichacha. As with EVs and AI, Beijing has prioritized humanoid robots as 'disruptive products.' In 2023, China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) issued industrial-development guidance that outlined its goal of mass-producing humanoid robots by 2025 to build a globally competitive industrial ecosystem expected to reach $43 billion by 2035. EVs are key. Roughly 70% of their components are interchangeable, which is why Chinese automakers including BYD, Xiaomi, Chery, GAC Motor, Huawei, SAIC, and Xpeng Motors are all entering the robotics market. At March's National People's Congress, China's annual rubber-stamp parliament, XPeng chairman He Xiaopeng proposed supportive policies for humanoid robots to mirror those EVs enjoyed, arguing the industry has similar growth potential over the next five to 20 years. China is also gaining ground in the so-called low-altitude economy—autonomous air taxis, drone delivery, and so on. Last March, China's MIIT and civil-aviation and transport regulators released a six-year plan for the sector, exploring regulations for aerial tolls, pilot licenses, and establishing trial areas where early-stage eVTOL (electric vertical takeoff and landing vehicles) can fly around actual city environments. The 2025 NPC's Government Work Report named the future industry among the state's priorities. Once again, China's EV industry provides the backbone. Early eVTOL pioneers include Ehang, Autoflight, XPeng, and AeroFugia, a subsidiary of Geely. 'We have the basic infrastructure already ready for the low-altitude industry,' says Burt Gao, Aerofugia's CEO and chief scientist. 'Also, our supply chain is the same as for EVs.' It is not all positive for China, of course. The nation faces myriad economic challenges, including deflation, local governments drowning in debt, poor consumer spending, plummeting real estate values, record youth unemployment, and a demographic time bomb. China's regulatory framework and especially its draconian rules regarding data transfers are anathema to foreign partners. In September, the European Chamber of Commerce in China released a position paper that made over 1,000 recommendations for how to improve the business environment. Then there's the as-yet-unknown effect of a trade war with the U.S., where China last year sent 14.7% of exports, worth $438.9 billion. But as America walls itself off, China also has a golden opportunity to reset trade relations with the rest of the world. In mid-April, after Trump's global tariff onslaught, President Xi Jinping embarked on a charm offensive in Southeast Asia, declaring that a trade war has 'no winners' and that protectionism 'leads nowhere.' Just as export controls have spurred domestic innovation, a U.S.-waged trade war only puts Chinese firms in a more favorable light. 'The bar is low in terms of looking like a more reliable and constructive partner than the United States these days,' says Mazzocco of CSIS. We have been here before. The U.K. became the world's biggest economic superpower in the 18th and 19th centuries through its first-mover advantage in industrialization. But the U.S. adopted these technologies and, via its larger market and manufacturing capabilities, soon became the global leader in both innovations and their commercialization. The question is whether the U.S. can survive a trade war that threatens to drastically diminish its markets, while simultaneously undermining the development of core technologies by defunding universities and research institutions. China already produces twice as many highly cited AI-research publications as the U.S. According to a recent report from the D.C.-based Information Technology and Industry Foundation, China is near the lead of innovation or better in 6 out of 10 industries of the future. If EVs are any augury, America's days at technology's vanguard might be numbered. 'We believe the Chinese market has the best talent,' says Li. 'Every year there are several million new science and technology graduates.' And they, like their government, are determined to seize the day. 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Saudi Gazette
6 days ago
- Business
- Saudi Gazette
FancyTech A&M awards 2025: Honoring excellence in retail advertising and marketing
FancyTech has officially launched its first-ever A&M (Advertising & Marketing) Awards, a landmark initiative celebrating exceptional achievements in retail marketing, innovation, and brand engagement. The awards ceremony was held at the JW Marriott Hotel Marina and welcomed over 40 nominated brands and top marketing professionals from across the MENA region and global markets. Known as THE TAG, the FancyTech A&M Awards is the first regional recognition platform dedicated exclusively to creative excellence in retail advertising and marketing. With a focus on innovation, personalization, and effectiveness, the awards honored groundbreaking campaigns that demonstrated a strong blend of strategic thinking and creative execution across 14 categories. These included AI Marketing Excellence, Most Admired Retail Campaign, Influencer Collaborations, Customer Experience Initiatives, and more. FancyTech, a global leader in AI-powered commercial content, organized the event to showcase how artificial intelligence is reshaping content production, audience targeting, and storytelling in marketing. Serving more than 1,000 clients across 10+ countries, FancyTech recently established its MENA headquarters, signaling its strategic commitment to the region. Its content solutions span end-to-end creative production and distribution across digital and social platforms.'We are proud to launch the A&M Awards to highlight the intersection of technology, creativity, and marketing excellence,' said William Li, CEO of FancyTech.'These awards celebrate how brands can unlock personalization-at-scale and drive impactful engagement using AI and strategic creativity. The winners this year have shown us that the future of retail marketing is here, and it's smarter, faster, and more relevant than ever.'An independent, cross-disciplinary jury selected the award winners. The panel featured leading voices from academia, media, branding, and design, including Ravi Dhar from the Yale School of Management, Nancy Villanueva of Interbrand, Andrea Gordon of Dubai Design District, Avishesha Bhojani of BPG Group, and other senior professionals from Mullen Lowe Lintas, Zebra Technologies, and MAHE insights ensured a balanced and credible selection process. Among this year's winners were major names such as Max Fashion, Nayomi, Centrepoint, Eyewa, Landmark, and Adidas, along with fast-rising innovators like Space and Shapes, Threads, and THAT Concept Store. These brands impressed the jury through their excellence in localization, customer engagement, and AI-driven content Windra, CEO of Space and Shapes, a winner in the AI Marketing Ecosystem Partner category, remarked, 'With FancyTech, we've transformed the way we work. We can now produce multiple creative sets at the same cost as one traditional campaign — and do it two times faster. It's a complete shift in efficiency and results.'The FancyTech A&M Awards 2025 sets a new standard in the region, recognizing how marketing is evolving through technology and storytelling. It is not just a celebration — it is a glimpse into the future of retail creativity.
Biz Bahrain
7 days ago
- Business
- Biz Bahrain
Bahrain's AI Sector Witnesses 17% Annual Growth, Paving the Way for Retail
Innovation Bahrain is experiencing a robust surge in artificial intelligence investments, with AI adoption in the retail and marketing sectors growing at an estimated 17% annually. This technological leap is helping redefine how businesses communicate with consumers, moving beyond traditional advertising to real-time, data-informed storytelling. The A&M Awards hosted by FancyTech spotlighted this transformation, honoring brands that have embraced AI-driven marketing innovation. While FancyTech played a supportive role in the event, its influence was unmistakable—pushing the boundaries of what's possible in digital marketing. FancyTech's end-to-end content platform allows brands to generate multiple creative variations using automated tools. For Bahrain-based marketers, this means achieving greater campaign diversity and speed without increasing costs. The impact is clear: brands are now able to test, adapt, and respond in ways that were previously impractical or expensive. 'Artificial Intelligence is a key pillar of Bahrain's Economic Vision 2030. We are empowering industries to adopt AI through national frameworks and training programs,' – Bahrain Economic Development Board. 'Marketing powered by AI helps brands break free from one-size-fits-all content. We're seeing the impact of hyper-personalization across the Gulf,' said William Li, CEO of FancyTech. Retail businesses across Bahrain are aligning their strategies with consumer expectations for relevance and immediacy. AI is empowering teams to deliver personalized messages that speak to specific demographics—on social media, web, and offline platforms. FancyTech's quiet but strategic presence is contributing to a growing ecosystem of innovation in Bahrain's digital economy. The awards also highlighted the efficiency gains that AI brings. Traditional production cycles are being replaced by streamlined, intelligent systems that reduce manual workload and improve creative agility. For smaller businesses and startups in Bahrain, this creates a level playing field—where quality content no longer depends solely on big budgets. As the country accelerates its national digital agenda, tools like those offered by FancyTech are becoming vital for staying competitive. The company's model of smart automation, paired with human insight, is setting a new standard in marketing execution. The A&M Awards revealed that Bahrain is ready—and already on its way—to becoming a beacon of AI-powered brand transformation in the region.
