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March13,2017

DeborahWeinswig,ManagingDirector,FungGlobalRetail&Technologydeborahweinswig@fung1937.comUS:917.655.6790HK:852.6119.1779CN:86.186.1420.3016Copyright©2017TheFungGroup.Allrightsreserved.

Takeaways from SXSW 2017—Day 1

1) TheFungGlobalRetail&TechnologyteamisattendingtheSXSWConferencein

Austin,Texas,thisweek.

2) SXSWrunsMarch10–19andcomprisesconferencetracksintheareasofInteractive,FilmandMusic.

3) TheInteractivetrackcoverscontentinbrandsandmarketing,design,health,intelligentfuture,style,thetechindustry,virtualandaugmentedreality(VR/AR),andmanymore.

4) Ondayoneoftheevent,weattendedpresentationsandpaneldiscussionsfocusingonfashionandapparel,media,technology,andhealthandbeauty.Summariesoftheseeventsfollow.

5) TheFungGlobalRetail&TechnologyTeamwillcontinuetoreportonkeypointsandinformationduringtherestoftheconference.

TakeawaysfromDay1FashionandApparelProtein-BasedTextilesMightInspiretheNextWaveofFashionInnovationDanWidmaier,theCEOandCofounderofBoltThreads,islookingtodisruptthesynthetics-dominanttextileindustrybymakingprotein-basedfabricsthatarederivedfromspidersilk.BoltThreadshasdevelopedtheworld’sfirstscalablespider-silkfabrics.AccordingtoWidmaier,fabricsmadeusingspidersilkarenaturallydurableandstretchable.Furthermore,thefabricsarehighlymalleableandvarioustechnologiescanbeappliedtothemtocreateperformancewear.BoltThreads’firstproductisaspider-silktiesellingat$314.ThecompanyhassetupaspinningfacilityinCalifornia.

DAY 1

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March13,2017

DeborahWeinswig,ManagingDirector,FungGlobalRetail&Technologydeborahweinswig@fung1937.comUS:917.655.6790HK:852.6119.1779CN:86.186.1420.3016Copyright©2017TheFungGroup.Allrightsreserved.

Source:FungGlobalRetail&Technology

Widmaierseesnature-derivedtextilesasthefutureofthefashionindustry,astheirusecoulddrasticallyreducewasteandpollution.Whilethetechnologybehindspider-silktextilesisstillaworkinprogress,heisoptimisticaboutthesefabrics’scalabilityandadjustabilityformassadoption.

Thiscouldbeamajortechnologicaldisruptioninthetextileindustry.Innovationintextileshasstagnatedandtherehavenotbeenanyrealbreakthroughsinnewtextilessincethe1970s.Abouttwo-thirdsoftheworld’stextilestodayaremadefromsyntheticmaterialsderivedfrompetroleum.Themajorityofthesesyntheticsbiodegradeonlyafteraverylongperiodoftime,whichposesasignificantchallengetotheenvironment.

Fashion’sNewFrontier:InclusiveDesignforThosewithDisabilitiesThereisamovementinthefashionindustrytoprovidefunctionallypracticalyetfashionableclothingforindividualswhoaredisabled.Theseconsumersarelargelyunderserved:about51millionAmericans,orone-fifthoftheUSpopulation,hassomekindofdisability,buttheselectionofclothingthatspecificallyservestheirneedsislimited.

Tomeettheseconsumers’clothingneeds,CanadiandesignerIzzyCamillericreatedIZCollectionin2009asafashionlinewithitemsdesignedforindividualswithdisabilities.Thelineincludesabomberjacketthatfeatureszippersalongtheinsideofthesleevesforeasyaccessibilityandotheritemsthataredesignedtonotbunchorpinchwhenthewearerissittinginawheelchair.

DataAloneCannotDecodetheFashionIndustryAsessionfocusedontheuseofdatainthefashionindustryincludedpanelistsfromStitchFix,aretailerwhichsendscustomersacuratedboxofclothingitems,andPoshmark,whichenablesmemberstosellitemsfromtheirownclosets.Poshmarkusesdatatohelpmanagementunderstandthebusiness,tohelpshoppersfindthegoodstheyseekandtohelpPoshmarksuppliersmakegoodbusinessdecisions.Thecompanycollectsdatafromtwosources:explicitdataconsistoftheinformationcustomers

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March13,2017

DeborahWeinswig,ManagingDirector,FungGlobalRetail&Technologydeborahweinswig@fung1937.comUS:917.655.6790HK:852.6119.1779CN:86.186.1420.3016Copyright©2017TheFungGroup.Allrightsreserved.

provideaboutthemselves,whileimplicitdataarederivedfromcustomers’clicksandpuchases.Customerdataareextremelyvaluable,butofferdiminishingreturns,asadditionaldataareoftenlessvaluablethaninitialdata.Poshmarkhashadsomesuccesscreating“Frankenstyles,”whicharebasedonthecompany’sanalysisofpriorsalesdataonfeaturessuchassleevetype,neckstyleandpattern.Poshmarkhasusedthatinformationtodevelopcompletelynewclothingstyles.Still,onepanelistemphasizedthatluckplaysahugeroleinwhetherornotaparticulardesignsucceeds,duetothedifficultyinpredictingfashiontrends.

MediaVideosAretheFutureofBrandBuildingonSocialMedia;ThereIsStillPlentyofWhiteSpaceinLivestreaming

Source:FungGlobalRetail&Technology

SaraDietschy,aNewYork–basedcreativevloggerwithmorethan160,000subscribersonYouTube,sharedherinsightsontheroleofvideoinbrandmarketingondifferentsocialmediaplatforms.Shestressedthatvideoshavebecomeaprimarywayforpeopletoconsumecontent.Asaresult,socialmediaplatformssuchasYouTube,Facebook,SnapchatandInstagramhavestrengthenedtheirengagementusingvideos.Forexample,FacebookhasintroducedalivestreamingfeatureandInstagramhascreateda“story”feature;bothallowuserstosharemomentsintheformofvideos.Dietschysummedupthetrendbysaying,“Videosarenotthefuture.Theyarenow.”Inanefforttomaximizeengagement,Dietschythinksitisimportanttocustomizecontentforeachdifferentsocialmediachannel,asopposedtoblastingthesamepieceofmarketingmaterialtoeverysocialmediaoutlet.

Livestreaminghasemergedasanewformofvideothatholdssignificantpotential.Dietschysaidthatthereisplentyofwhitespaceinlivestreaming:manylivestreamingappsarebeingcreated,butnosingleapphasyetcapturedadominantmarketshare,shesaid.Therearealsochallengesinpopularizinglivestreamingasawayofbranding,asviewersoftenwanttoviewcontentontheirowntermsratherthanonsomeoneelse’sterms.

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March13,2017

DeborahWeinswig,ManagingDirector,FungGlobalRetail&Technologydeborahweinswig@fung1937.comUS:917.655.6790HK:852.6119.1779CN:86.186.1420.3016Copyright©2017TheFungGroup.Allrightsreserved.

TechnologyAFrameworkforActionableGamificationGamificationbringselementsfromvideogamesintonongamecontexts,withtheaimofactivatinghumanmotivationsandfeelings.Yu-kaiChou,whohasbeenpioneeringgamificationsince2003andhasauthoredseveralbooksonthesubject,spokeatonesessionongamification.ChoualsocreatedtheOctalysisframework,amodelthatdistillstheeightdrivesofgamification:meaning,accomplishment,empowerment,ownership,socialinfluence,scarcity,unpredictabilityandavoidance.Chouexplainedthatthesearchformeaning,forexample,causesuserstosharetheirlocationandtrafficdatatotheWazeappinordertocontributetothesocialgood(Wazeisafree,community-basedmappingandnavigationapp).Drivescanalsobeclassifiedas“whitehat”or“blackhat,”hesaid,meaningtheycanbedrivenbyourpositiveornegativeinstincts.Inaddition,drivescanresonatewiththeright(artistic)orleft(analytical)sidesofthebrain.

AreBiometricstheNewFaceofSurveillance?Facial-recognitiontechnologyhasmadehugeadvancesrecently,andonestartupcompanyfeaturedonapanelattheconference,Kairos,hascreatedsoftwarethatcanmakeapositiveidentificationwithinonesecond,identifyingrace,genderandethnicity,aswellasrecognizethesubject’semotions.Thetechnologyisnowsoadvancedthatitcanalsoidentifytheraceofmixed-racepeople,andcanbeusedforgeneaologicalresearch.Currentusersoffacial-recognitiontechnologyincludethemovieindustry,whichusesittomeasureaudiences’emotionalreponsesoverthecourseofamovie;entertainmentoperators,whichuseittoidentifythesubjectsofphotosforpurchase;andadvertisingkiosks,whichuseittovaryadmessagesbasedontheviewer’sdemographicprofile.Theseapplicationsraiseamultitudeofprivacyquestions.TheUSFederalBureauofInvestigationcurrentlyusesfacialrecognitionpurelytoverifyidentity—i.e.,toestabishwhetherasubjectisorisnotaparticularperson.

CopyingIsGoodInonetalkfocusedontheissueofcopyinginthetechsector,thespeakerprovidedahistoryofcopyinginChina,notingthatChineseschoolchildrencopywrittenChinesecharactersinordertolearnthem.“Copyingislearning,”thespeakersaid.Heusedtheterm“Copying1.0”todescribetheblatantcopyingofWesterncompaniesandtrademarks,andcitedthehalf-dozencopycatsofStarbuckscafesasanexample.“Copying2.0”isamash-up,hesaid,suchastheWeChatapp,whichcombinesthefunctionalityofWhatsApp,Facebook,InstagramandTinder.TheplatformhasbecomeasortofSwissArmyknife—enablingalargenumberofonlineactivities.Thenextiterationofcopyingisthetransformation,whenChinesecompaniesaddnewfunctionalitytoproductsalreadyavailable,suchasXiaomiturningtheSegwayscooter(whichitpurchased)intoasmaller,muchcheaperproduct.Finally,thereis“MethodStealing,”hesaid,inwhichChinesecompanieshaveadoptedleading-edgetechnologyfasterthan

Source:FungGlobalRetail&Technology

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March13,2017

DeborahWeinswig,ManagingDirector,FungGlobalRetail&Technologydeborahweinswig@fung1937.comUS:917.655.6790HK:852.6119.1779CN:86.186.1420.3016Copyright©2017TheFungGroup.Allrightsreserved.

industryleaderssuchasApple,therebyleapfroggingthoseleaders.Thespeakerseescopyingasatributetotheoriginalinventor,whoshouldbecreditedwithhisorherinvention.

MachineLearning:ExploreVersusExploit

Source:FungGlobalRetail&Technology

Inatalkfocusedonmachinelearning,aspeakerfrommusic-streamingservicePandoradescribedthecompany’slargeuserbaseandlistenership.Pandoraselectssongsinthreeways:bycontent(basedonmusicologists’ratingsonharmony,rhythmandinstrumentation),collectiveintelligence(basedoncategorizingcontent)andpersonalizedfiltering(basedonmorethan75algorithms).Thekeyquestionishowtobalanceprovidinglistenerswithsomethingfamiliar(exploitingtheirlisteninghistory)versustakingtherisktoofferthemsomethingunknown(exploringnewmusic),whichtheymaydislike.PandoraoffersThumbprintRadio,whichstreamssongsbasedonthelistener’sthumbs-upandthumbs-downratings.However,thereisatendencytoofferanexcessiveamounttried-and-truesongsandnotadequatelyadapttoauser’schangingmusictaste.Pandoraaimstoavoidwhatitcalls“Freakomendations,”songsuggestionsthatarewayoutsideofthelistener’stasterange.

SXSWCreateBecomesaPlatformforEmergingMakerstoShowcasetheirInnovationsSXSWCreate,thehardwarehackingandmakerarmoftheconference,showcasedthelatestinnovationsfromthemakersspace.AnumberofproductsondisplayfocusedonmakingSTEMeducationmorefunforkids.StemBoxisamonthlysubscriptionboxofSTEMexperimentsforchildrenages9–16.Samplesubscriptionboxesincludebacteriacultureskits,toolboxesformakingrocketsandmobile-basedmicroscopes.Ozobotisasmartrobotcompanythatcreatedapalm-sizedrobotthathelpsyoungpeoplelearntocode.TheRobotGroup,anAustin-basedroboticseducationorganizationthathashostedworkshops,meetupsandeventstopromoteSTEMeducation,alsohadaboothatSXSWCreate.

HealthandBeautyAgingReimagined:BetterHealthProspectsandaLongerLifeSpanHumansarejustbeginningtounderstandthefundamentalmechanismsofagingandtodevelopwaystosignificantlyprolongthehumanlifespanandimprovequalityoflifeinlateryears.Somebiomedicalscientistsarereimagniningagingasaflexibleandevenreversibleprocess.NathanielDavid,cofounderofUnityBiotechnology,suggestedthat

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March13,2017

DeborahWeinswig,ManagingDirector,FungGlobalRetail&Technologydeborahweinswig@fung1937.comUS:917.655.6790HK:852.6119.1779CN:86.186.1420.3016Copyright©2017TheFungGroup.Allrightsreserved.

agingistriggeredbyaccumulationofsenescentcells(cellsthathaveceasedtoreplicate),andthatsenescencecouldbereversed.MattKaeberlein,aprofessorofpathologyattheUniversityofWashington,suggestedthatcompoundsthatcouldreversethebiologicalsignsofagingexist,butthatthereareregulatorychallengestotreatingagingasanillness.

Therearesignificantsocialandeconomicimplicationstoenablingpeopletoliveprolongedhealthylivesviapreventativemeasures.Healthcaresystemswilllikelyfocusmoreonpreventativecare,whichcouldhelplessentheeconomicimpactoftreatingcertainillnesses.Aspeoplebegintolivelonger,healthierlives,societiesarelikelytobegintoredefinetraditionaltimelinesforlifeeventssuchascollege,marriageandretirement.

AbouttheConferenceTheSXSW(SouthBySouthwest)conferencewasfoundedin1987inAustinasavenuefortheinteractive,filmandmusicindustriestoconverge.Theannualeventfeaturessessions,showcases,screenings,exhibitionsandavarietyofnetworkingopportunities.Totalattendanceofregistrantsandartistsisexpectedtohit72,000thisyear,andtheeventinjectedmorethan$325millionintoAustin’seconomy.Theconferenceprovesthatthemostunexpecteddiscoverieshappenwhendiversetopicsandpeoplecometogether.

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March13,2017

DeborahWeinswig,ManagingDirector,FungGlobalRetail&Technologydeborahweinswig@fung1937.comUS:917.655.6790HK:852.6119.1779CN:86.186.1420.3016Copyright©2017TheFungGroup.Allrightsreserved.

DeborahWeinswig,CPAManagingDirectorFungGlobalRetail&TechnologyNewYork:917.655.6790HongKong:852.6119.1779China:86.186.1420.3016deborahweinswig@fung1937.comJohnHarmon,CFASeniorAnalyst

JingWangResearchAssociate

HongKong:8thFloor,LiFungTower888CheungShaWanRoad,KowloonHongKongTel:85223004406London:242–246MaryleboneRoadLondon,NW16JQUnitedKingdomTel:44(0)2076168988NewYork:1359Broadway,9thFloorNewYork,NY10018Tel:6468397017

FungGlobalRetailTech.com