LV, Gucci bags have quality problem, according to Chinese government report#
According to a new quality check report by the Beijing Bureau of Industry and Commerce in the merchandise category of bags, among the 25 listed brands, many bags by luxury brands, namely Furla, Michael Kors, Valentino, Louis Vuitton and Gucci, have quality concerns. It's worth noting that two styles from Louis Vuitton and one style from Gucci were all made in Italy, and distributed through the brand’s China company. Those items did not pass the test mainly because they failed something called the "oscillation impact performance" test. A product has oscillation impact concerns if it deforms or breaks when tested under standard heavy load conditions. The bureau advised brands to take action and take down the problematic goods.
Netizen comment: “One of the biggest reasons I buy luxury goods is for the quality. Now I have to second guess my choices.”
New app Toutiao, WeChat, Facebook are top apps that users spend most time on#
Social apps want to live with users 24/7, competing with each other to see how much longer they can keep their user entertained. A local Chinese publication, Qdaily, measured user activity by putting social apps from the East and West on the same scale, gathering data from the financial reports of various tech companies using Questmobile and other public data. Social news app Toutiao is the No.1 on the list with users spending an average of 76 minutes a day on the app. WeChat and Facebook fall behind, with 66 minutes and 50 minutes, respectively. Facebook is still the king when it comes to the user base, owning more than 1 billion users. WeChat comes in second with 768 million users.
Netizen comment: “It's not good that I have become more addicted to my WeChat.”
Apple CFO: In-app purchase grow 12 percent after implementing Alipay#
Despite the decline in revenues of iPhone sales in China, Apple is seeing growth potential in its in-app purchases. Its CFO Luca Maestri attributed the growth to Alipay. According to Apple’s Q3 financial report, in the past 90 days, the Apple store's in-app users grew to 1.8 billion, achieving double-digit growth. Apple first implemented Alipay in November last year, and it soon became the top payment choice for Apple users in China.
Netizen comment: “Good to see Apple is upping its game of localizing in China.”
Zhang Zetian Is in New York and she met with Iris Apfel#
While people are still buzzing about the appearance of Zhang Zetian, the wife of JD.com founder Richard Liu, at the fashion shows of Dior, Chanel, and Chinese couture designer Guo Pei, she recently gave more evidence that she is aiming to gain firmer footing in the international fashion world. She recently posted picture of herself with Iris Apfel on Instagram, and piqued everyone's curiosity about why she was meeting with the American fashion icon. Zhang Zetian has become the unofficial face of JD Fashion, and encountered Apfel a few months ago at a dinner hosted by JD fashion. The event was attended by many fashion brand executives including Tiffany & Co. Many users reacted positively and displayed their affection to this new socialite. China's e-commerce giant JD recently made a big move toward upping its luxury fashion game when it acquired a nearly 400-million stake in British e-commerce site Farfetch. And we're wondering if these movements are signs of some larger role that Zhang will play in the JD empire.
Netizen comment: “Looking forward to what’s new that Zhang Zetian will bring to JD fashion.”