The emergence of seamless retail

The juggernaut of online shopping

It is just to state the obvious that the Internet has totally transformed the world for both the shoppers and the retailers. Shoppers have taken to online shopping with gusto and entrepreneurs and businesses are straining hard to exploit the opportunity. In the early days of Internet, it was common to consider the web as a resource or an aid to shopping, and it was expected that consumers will rely on the Net to look for information about products, to locate a store where they can buy and to perhaps look for advice and assistance on how to make the right choice. It is indeed true and nearly all agree that the Internet has become a very useful resource for shopping. However clearly it has gone far beyond that and has become a gigantic marketplace - consumers are buying everything from luxury goods, shampoo, automobiles and freshly slaughtered chicken on the Internet. 

Online shopping has not just established itself in the developed markets, it has firmly established itself in the developing markets and e-tailing already accounts for 5-6 percent of 2012 retail sales in China and about 5 percent in the United States. In China online sales recorded an astonishing estimated 60% year-on-year growth in 2012 (Source: McKinsey. MGI China e-tailing report)

Last year online shoppers grew by 25% in China, with nearly 50 million new shoppers added to the fold (Source: CNNIC January 2013). The growth of group buying or tuan gou (which actually originated in China), also continues. We also see that consumers are losing their fear on online payments. In the initial era of online shopping, cash on delivery used to be a common method of payment, but thanks to Taobao (the largest online shopping platform in China with more than 6 million merchants listing their products), and the escrow system of payment known as Zhifubao, which protects both the buyers and the sellers, online shoppers are now ready to pay online.

The circuitous consumer journey

For the consumers the two worlds of online and offline shopping are now intrinsically intertwined. In the initial days of online shopping the consumers often looked for information on products online but the then returned to the comfort and security of the familiar bricks and mortar environment to lighten their wallets. While this is still a reality, the other phenomenon is more prevalent and on the rise - consumers today often touch and feel the product in the traditional stores, but come back to their comfortable chair at home, where they sit in front of their favorite computer or the newly acquired tablet and enjoy in-home retail therapy by clicking the "Buy" button.

The fact is that today the Internet is as much a part of the retail scenario, as is the supermarket or the hypermarket. Whether you are a retailer or a marketer of brands, it is no longer a question of developing an e-commerce strategy - the task really is to entirely reshape and develop a retail strategy for the digital world.

Online, offline and seamless..

This juggernaut of online sales has huge implications on the online as well as the traditional retail industry. It is not possible to understand the implications for e-commerce unless we simultaneously look at and compare the respective roles that online retail and conventional retail are carving for themselves. And to understand that we must understand what consumers expect in an online environment and what are their expectations in a traditional store.

Consumers are very clear when they think about what is important to them in an online store – ‘saving money’, ‘more payment and delivery options’ and  ‘better selection and delivery’ top the list. The needs from an offline store are very different. ‘Ability to touch and feel the products’, ‘satisfaction of immediate delivery’,  ‘better service’ and ‘enjoyable experience’ top the list. So the two channels have very different strengths and at this moment at least, it is too early to proclaim the demise of the traditional trade, though some change in its role is definitely in the offing

According to Deloitte’s Store 3.0 Survey among retail executives, it is apparent that the role as well as form of a bricks and mortar store will inevitably change. Today the executives say that he role of in-store employees is largely in providing basic purchase service and assistance and display some product knowledge. But this is expected to be totally transformed five years from now, when the most important skill of the workers will be to be able to leverage technology to enrich the customers' experience. Another important role of the sales staff will be to act as brand ambassadors. In fact retail executives indicated that in five years, providing customers with a compelling brand experience will become the primary role of the store.

So what does it augur for the future of online and offline trade. Online retailers need to clearly understand, that they lag behind the traditional trade when it comes to providing immediate gratification, intimate touch and feel, the immersive experience and the joy of shopping. They need to look at innovative ways of providing that intimacy - can technology be used to provide a better virtual touch and feel of the products, can virtual reality be used to help consumers come closer to the product? Can they collaborate with traditional retailers or can they establish their own limited brick and mortar presence (as some of them are doing already)? 

For offline retailers, the task it to zealously guard and enhance their ability to facilitate human interaction with the consumer. The store's function is not just to act as a convenient transaction center, it is to provide a valuable and important experience to the customer. For brands it is an opportunity to develop a relationship and bond with the customer, which is more of a challenge in an impersonal online environment. The most successful retailers will be those who can offer the best of both offline and online shopping and in fact offer a seamless shopping experience in which the shoppers can effortlessly move from online to offline, back to online then again to offline if they so desire .

This article is based on FutureBuy 2013 - a research study conducted by GfK in 14 markets across the world – which focuses on understanding shopping trends across the globe.

Written by Ashok Sethi

Ashok.set@gmail.com

Spring festival blues and commercial opportunities

The Chinese new year is a festival of joy, family reunion, fun and celebration. However when 1.3 billion Chinese decide to celebrate and get reunited with their families during the same seven day period, it generates unprecedented competition for limited resources and ensuing hardship. At the same time it generates a commercial bonanza. According to data from the Ministry of Commerce in China, total retail sales during the week long festivities reached 539 billion yuan ($86 billion)- 14.7% more than last year. The commercial opportunities do not just exist for the big retailers and manufacturers, this special time of the year generates some rather niche, ingenious but also sometimes dubious commercial activity.

Take me home

The most intense competition during this period is for transportation to go back home. According to popular estimates in the media, the Chinese will make 3.4 billion trips during the peak 40 day travel period around the Chinese New Year, of which 3.1 billion will be road trips. 220 million are expected to take a train ride during this period. Online ticketing, which started just a few years ago, was expected to make the whole process relatively painless - however it turned out to be a barrier for migrant workers in buying tickets to go back home during the spring festival. According to a survey by the Shanghai Institute of Foreign Trade, more than 90% of the migrant workers preferred taking a train to go back home and almost 80% of them said that they would do so by buying tickets from a ticket office. 70% of them said that they were not familiar with the online ticketing procedure and only 18% had tried using the online ticketing service. A kindly couple who was offering the service for online ticket purchase at a small fee to migrant workers was apprehended with the accusation of touting. 

For those who are internet literate the task of making a booking is no less arduous. The average daily number of hits on the website has topped 120 million during the peak days. Online sales are now responsible for over a third of total tickets, accounting for as many as 6 million tickets a day. The buyers often face interminable waits while the overtaxed computers cope up with the deluge of booking requests. In an exhibition of ingenuity, three internet giants - Qihoo360, Kingsoft and Sogou - designed plug-ins for browsers to automate the task of repeatedly trying to login and buying  train tickets on the overloaded train booking website. Critics opined that the software gives the internet savvy an unfair advantage to secure the much prized tickets.

The road less travelled 

Many consumers are taking the "road less travelled" with one entrepreneur from Hangzhou choosing to take 48 buses to reach his home in Linyi in Shandong. Another enterprising soul undertook the arduous journey back home using 8 train tickets and transfers from Shanghai to his home town in Sichuan. As direct tickets are most difficult to secure, this segmented approach worked well for him and he was able to get home smoothly and relatively quickly. In fact the train enthusiast is offering consultancy to others on identifying circuitous routes back home where ticket purchase is still a possibility.

Meet your future son/daughter-in-law

When the young city workers go home, the parents are solicitous about their quest for marriage partners. Those who have not achieved success in this area, are worried about creating anxiety among their parents and persistent pressure on themselves. Taobao, china's online megastore, which offers everything from the latest iPad to freshly slaughtered chicken, comes to rescue on this count also. For a few thousand yuan, any unattached youth can hire someone who would pretend to be his or her future life partner during the golden week that is spent with the parents. Things do not always go as smoothly and dispassionately as planned, with a genuine spark of affection for the hired companion. 

Happy meals

Those who have already tied the knot and are the sole bearers of the family name and hopes for their parents ( as a result of family planning) need to make the difficult decision of with which set of parents should they have the nianyefan or the New Year's Eve dinner. Restaurants have come to the rescue urging the young from hosting the dinner at their premises, including both set of parents and even grandparents. The service is popular and the good restaurants are often booked months in advance.

Packaging for 'face'

Of course, when you go home you must carry gifts. Migrant workers who have left their children in their home towns and villages in the custody of their elders, have no dearth of what they can buy, and go back home loaded with toys for their children. The elderly are often rewarded with health foods, which will provide them with even more energy and stamina to look after their grandchildren. Marketers often exploit the gifters' need for face and desire to be seen as someone who has done well in the city and has come back with generous and valuable gifts. The often modest gifts are made to look more alluring and grand through excessive packaging. The authorities have taken notice of this and are coming down or deceptive and wasteful use of extravagant packaging.

Sleep well while you travel home

A product named "sleep support" has gained popularity on the internet as a sleep support for sitting upright sleep. The gadget provides head and chest support to the users, while sleeping upright on a train. a netizen suggested that if the instrument can also provide a place for comfortably holding an iPad its value will be considerably enhanced.

Written by Ashok Sethi

ashok.set@gmail.com

Looking ahead to 2013

An ode to joy 
  

Like every year we went through our ups and downs in 2012, holding our breath, praying, cursing , rejoicing and regretting. But it was delightful to see that the year ended with a cry of joy (or rather the promise of a cry) when it was declared that Kate Middleton, the Duchess of Cambridge was expecting a baby. Through sheer luck and extraordinary coincidence, prince William a kind of heir to the British throne and Kate's husband, is expecting the same! The British (or rather the world's) cup of joy runeth over and we should see a brighter and more prosperous 2013. David Cameroon, the British Prime Minister said that he was delighted at hearing the news. John Osborne, the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced that the austerity (not abstinence)  measures seem to be paying at last and the end of recession can not be far now. The world will listen to every gurgle, splutter and burp coming from the royal mahogany cot and look once again at the future with a sense of optimism. Such good fortune while the British were still basking in the glory of the Olympian sun, and the Queen's diamond jubilee! Experts feel that this will make the British a less cynical nation and might transform the nation of stiff upper lips to one of drooping lower jaws.

Pantagon

 

General  Petraeus, who moved a while ago from Pentagon to CIA, apparently left his pants behind and was caught without them, having an affair with his biographer.  "I wasn't content just having my name on the book, and wanted to get under the covers," said Paula Broadwell, his biographer.  It was a shirtless FBI agent who blew the whistle on the trouser less General Petraeus. The story captivated the American public's attention, while the nation was having its pants taken in Afghanistan. 

A number of other countries competed to put forward their own sex scandals. In UK news channel BBC was itself in the news, when it accused one who didn't of sexual offences, and broadcasted Christmas tributes to the one who did it. Thankfully Jimmy Saville, the one who did it, is dead and severely handicapped in doing it again. 

New leadership

After a grueling electoral battle with Mitt Romney, Barack Obama won the tenancy of the White House for four more years. Mitt put up a brave fight and spent a lot of money to evict Obama but failed to win favour of  "binders full of women", and hordes of Asians and non-whites who set their faith in Obama. Obama's acceptance speech saw a change of sponsor from Metal Can Company (and hence the slogan -Yes, we can) to American Best Foods (the Best for America is yet to come). Perpetually being scolded by his wife Michele for not listening to her, Obama embraced her on Twitter and proudly announced "Four more ears".  The Economist urged him to follow this with an embrace of a Republican.

New leadership also surfaced in the most important country in the world and Xi Jin Pin replaced Hu, while Wen looked on. Bent on making a difference, Xi started by setting a record for the shortest speech delivered by a senior Chinese leader. He announced, to the amazement of everyone, that the mission of the party was to look after the needs of the people. He also made the political leaders tongue tied by banning "empty talk" and red carpet receptions, with bouquets, banquets, expensive Chinese liquor and smiling children. The share price of all Chinese white spirits companies has been coming down and orphanages putting up more smiling children for adoption after the announcement.

In Russia, Vladamir Putin decided that Russia is yet to realize its full Putintial and moved back into the presidential palace.  A man called Hollande was elected leader, not of the Netherlands, but France, and is showing Dutch courage by attempting to raise the tax rate of on the wealthiest French to 75% of their income.

Liberal world

It was a good year for GLTB's as three states in America voted to legalise marriage between partners of the same sex. Several other states are expected to follow suit, while some are considering gay marriages to be the only legal marriages in their territories. Some American states changed their attitude towards marijuana usage and said that they will not try to shoot or blow up recreational users of the drug. The Netherlands on the other hand demanded a proof of Dutch citizenship before serving the stuff in its cafes, saying that it was worried about crime, though it did push tourism (as well as the tourists) to a new "high".

Banking in a fine fettle

That everything was fine with the world's banks, was proven by the fact that UBS paid nearly a billion dollars in fines to the regulators for fixing something called LIBOR. HSBC and Standard Chartered also paid over a billion each in a fine gesture to help the struggling US economy under the guise of a punishment for money laundering.

Apple and Siri 

It was a fruitful year for Apple, when it shortly became the firm with the largest market capitalization ever. As it conquered and expanded to new markets, it learnt their ways and talk and Siri started speaking Chinese when iOS 6 was released. To the delight of the Chinese iPhone users, Siri was very well informed about the location of brothels and promptly named several prominent establishments when asked "where can I find a prostitute?". This service has since been suspended and the phone now Siriously reprimands the enquirers on their cheekiness.

Bedlam in India

Indians, of course, do not have sex but still somehow manage to produce a prodigious number of babies. Many of these babies grow to become adults and need jobs which makes it imperative that the country registers a decent level of economic growth. India lost its secular momentum and reverted closer to the Hindu rate of growth. The Prime Minister made desperate efforts including allowing direct foreign investments from the likes of Walmart in retail trade. Opposition parties, true to their name, opposed this initiative (as they opposed everything else - good or bad - it is not for nothing that they are called opposition) saying that Walmart will eat the lunch of small shop owners by stealing their shoppers. 

Ending the year in style

The whole world rocked to the beat of Gangnam style from Park Jae-sang, better known as PSY, whose video clocked a billion hits on YouTube. Another young Korean, a little to the North, called Kim Jong Un, son of the Great leader Kim Jong Il (who passed away last year)  was declared the most handsome man by the satirical news channel called the Onion, which was widely and seriously endorsed by the China media. Kim swore to keep his country fit by allowing only low calorie diets for the country's starving people. It is rumoured that he might inadvertently succeed in shooting a rocket to the moon, by attempting to fire one at South Korea. 

Cliff-hanger finish

it was a cliff-hanger finish to the year. Republicans were refusing to accept any tax increases, particularly for the rich, who they argue work harder than the poor and hence deserve more tax breaks, and the Democrats were balking at any spending cuts. Speaker of the House John Boehner, a ski enthusiast, dismissed the cliff as a mild slope and decided to use it to ski down for his new year holiday. To most others, however, it was clear that the cliff will be very sharp indeed. Despite sovereign claims it is not just an American cliff, the whole world would to enjoy the precipice. As we enter 2013 we look forward to being taken for a collective ride - you don't have to have an American passport or even a green card to enjoy the spectacle and the ride. 

Written by Ashok Sethi

ashok.set@gmail.com

Half price for those with no "better half"

Singles' Day

One would have thought that Singles' Day would be a celebration of being single, when those who consider themselves lucky having escaped the clutches of matrimony, will revel with gusto and exchange congratulatory messages.  However in China, one of the few countries which has taken to the festival with enthusiasm, we see dating parties, mass marriage ceremonies and other activities designed to help the singles in losing their independence. Singles' Day seems to be treated as an occasion to attempt to rid oneself of one's single-hood and start dreaming of romantic togetherness, rather than a celebration of "single-hood". 

Online shopping extravaganza

While the significance that this day (which is celebrated every year on the 11th day of the 11th month) is debatable, the marketers have latched on to this and adopted it as a day when they will get rid of their inventories and persuade consumers to liberally open their purse strings.  During some other holidays also, most notably golden week holidays (or huangjinzhou ), we witness festooned shopping malls beckoning customers with enticing deals. Customers normally do not disappoint the marketers and reach liberally for their wallets during this period of biannual break (down to two a year from the earlier three, as May Day holiday is reduced to a single day celebration). Other festivals like Mother's Day or Father's Day also try to offer excuses for retail therapy. Singles' Day is a relative new addition to these hyper shopping festivals. The logic of why one should shop on Singles' Day is not clear (one can more easily understand why one would shop on Valentine's Day). Perhaps it is to console oneself, literally using shopping as a therapy for loneliness. Or to buy the latest fashion paraphernalia to prepare oneself for the mating ritual and try to win the attention of the opposite sex while dressed like a peacock. One needs these accessories as the game is becoming increasingly competitive, the gender imbalance in China means that there would be 24 million Chinese men who will be unable to secure a bride in the next 10 years. For these souls Singles' Day may become a life-long celebration (or lament), and "half price" at the retail shops a substitute of having a "better half".

With the unstoppable growth in popularity of online shopping, the e-commerce vendors are trying to create their own occasions for shopping. They seem to have successfully hijacked Singles' day shopping bonanza and clearly established it as a special occasion not just for any shopping buy specially for online shopping. This year it is estimated that 213 million of the 550 million internet users, took the opportunity to click a purchase on Singles' Day. Alibaba, the owner of the largest online platforms in China (Taobao and Tmall) claims to have offloaded merchandise worth a hefty 19.1 billion yuan on a single Singles' day. The secret of the success is attributed to generous discounting, with some products available for picking at half the regular price. 

Marketing opportunity

Is this shopping orgy, on a particular day of the year, with no natural connection to buying, a marketing success? Does it lead to sustained increased consumption, or merely an advancement of the purchase date, as is true with many other promotions? Does it really add value to the brands or the retailers in the long run? As with all promotions, marketers need to seek answers to these questions by carefully studying consumer behavior and attitudes. At the same time they need to worry about the potentially negative effect of heavy price-offs on brand image. In fact they need to explore how they can convert this occasion from a mere opportunity to offload their unsold goods, to an occasion to knit a bond with the consumers. According to the TIME magazine's "10 Ideas that are changing  your life", living alone is the new norm - 28% of all U.S. households are made up of people who live alone. With declining birth rate, delayed marriages and high divorce rate, the number of single member households in China is also on the increase. Marketers need to adopt a long-term strategy and look at the Singles' Day as an opportunity and occasion to win the affection and hearts of these singles in a more durable manner (after all they are still unattached and very likely to be open to a bit of love and wooing!) rather than merely a tactical opportunity to lighten their unsold inventory.

Written by Ashok Sethi

Regional Development Director – GfK Consumer Experiences, Asia Pacific

Importance of being "Foreign" -Global, local or glocal?

Multi-national companies in China often wonder the extent to which they should emphasize their foreign origin to the consumers as against demonstrating roots and strength in the local market.  In general it is true that in China, as in many other developing countries, products of international origin command a certain degree of respect and are often favored over their domestic rivals. The reasons for this are not difficult to fathom - including frequent disastrous experiences that consumers have had with some miscreant local players. However, given the ascending star of China on the global stage and the emergence of a strong streak of national pride, one could also be forgiven to assume that emphasizing local roots is of paramount importance.

Like many marketing riddles in developing markets, this is a complex question and the answer depends upon many factors. First of these factors is whether the product category in question is a premium product or an inexpensive product of daily use. At one end of the spectrum are luxury product categories.  In these categories, only international brands have been able to register their prowess with the consumers so far. Consumers use such products for their exclusivity, as status symbols and as markers of success in their climb up the ladder of success. Brands are valued for their high quality, craftsmanship and heritage. Brands are often strongly associated with a country and derive their image from the perception of the country (as in case of Luxury automobiles from Germany, a country known for its craftsmanship and engineering skills, or perfumes from France, associated with romance and chic)  Clearly establishing your international origin is of critical importance in this category. Such brands normally do not need to (in fact are not advised to) adopt their core offer and brand essence  to the local markets.

At the other end of the spectrum are daily use products whose usage is in the private space. Whether you use an expensive premium product or a cheap one, may have a significant effect on how well does your bathroom floor shine, but not in terms of how are you seen by your friends and compatriots. The consumer choice of such products is based on price and basic functionality, and consumers show little concern about the origin or provenance of the brand. In fact, often the consumers are not able to correctly classify such fast moving consumer goods as local or foreign. In a research among consumers in second tier cities of China, many consumers mentioned Johnson & Johnson as coming from Shanghai!

For products which fall somewhere in between the continuum of luxury and pedestrian, the issue is a bit more involved and establishing the international origin can be a plus though not necessarily so. While being foreign may be associated with better quality, being nimble and having a strong pulse of the market and the consumers can be even more important. Marketers have to carefully decide the relative emphasis they need to place on their international origin and local roots. One important guiding factor is the specific product category. For high technology products, consumer experience suggests that international brands bring in a quality and panache that local brands struggle to achieve. On the other hand for some categories such as skin-care or apparel, understanding of local tastes and preferences can act as a plus. In this middle territory, local brands often try to disguise themselves as international ones by choosing names such as Metersbonwe ( a popular apparel brand in China) with varying degrees of success. 

The third factor guiding the brand's strategy is specific to the brand. For brands like Coca Cola and Nike, which through clever and consistent marketing investments, have built a unique narrative and aura for themselves, which has stood the test of time as well the test of geographical diversity, it makes sense to exploit their universal value in all markets. For other brands, which though still international, lack that strong narrative, localisation and ammasing local strength may be a more logical choice. Even when such brands choose to retain their global aura and persona, localization of communication themes and styles is necessary - absence of which often leads to alienation.    

Lastly, while such preferences and attitudes do determine the importance of being "foreign", certain events can suddenly change the equation. The most notable of which has been the milk contamination scandal, which drove mothers to imported milk powder to ensure the safety of their children. In a short period of time, the share of imported milk powders rose to unimaginable levels. International marketers need to be on the look out for such sudden "change of wind", which can make their provenance and heritage more valued by the consumers.

Written by Ashok Sethi

ashok.set@gmail.com

The case of the fraudulent frauleins

Financial fraud is becoming more salient in China. Interestingly, of late, we have witnessed a number of "fraudster frauleins" – a few women entrepreneurs who scooted (or tried unsuccessfully to scoot) after relieving a number of gullible lenders of rather large sums of money. Ms. Zhang Hong, boss of a medical devices company in Nanjing in Jiangsu province, went missing with her son a few weeks ago. Along with her went a sum of RMB 500 million which she owes to several hundred private lenders. In another case of the "most beautiful boss", Ms. Gu Chunfang was apprehended in Shanghai, having earlier tried to make herself scarce with an equally large sum of money. While the temptation for these skilful and attractive operators is strong, the punishment in China is disproportionately severe. Ms. Wu Ying, another comely entrepreneur from neighbouring Zhejiang Province, is facing a death sentence for crimes involving similar fund raising.

In China it is not easy for small and medium enterprises to borrow from banks to finance their operations. Most banks are state-owned and they tend to favour lending to state-owned enterprises. On the other hand, China's large body of savers are finding it difficult to find attractive returns, as interest rates are low, the stock market has been sluggish, and the property market is on a strong leash. The lure of double-digit returns through private lending, therefore, is not insignificant. Hence there is a healthy demand as well as supply for private lending.

The effect of pulchritude on human emotions and behaviour is a complex subject. Daniel Hamermesh, an economist at the University of Texas, has been frequently writing about “pulchronomics” or the linkage of looks and economics. In a recent book called “Beauty Pays” he professes that, over a lifetime, a good looking worker in America might on average make $230,000 (in terms of today’s wages) more than a relatively plain one.   Beauty generates the confidence of competence and trust. Research has shown looks of the candidates play a significant role in voters’ choice. And  given the number of cases of fraudulent frauleins in China, one can possibly at least raise the hypothesis that Chinese men of substance find themselves reaching more readily for their wallets when confronted with a woman of grace.

In the meanwhile the Supreme People’s Court of China has overturned the death sentence for Wu Ying and ordered a retrial. It is not known whether the defendant’s good looks and youth were a part of the factors which led the judges to overrule the severe punishment.  But research does show that good looking offenders do get away with lighter punishments.

Linsanity

China found another hero in Jeremy Lin, whose success gave birth to a new word "Linsanity". The lightning and stratospheric ascent of Jeremy Lin in popularity among the Chinese seems to suggest that they are rather desperately in search of heroes and ready to overlook minor details of origin and political belief (Jeremy Lin is a Christian with his origins in Taiwan) in their embrace of such icons.

The psychology of this quest for heroes possibly lies in the Chinese desire for celebration of their achievements as well as international recognition of their success. While China is continuously adding to its list of achievements domestically, international recognition is often not forthcoming or comes begrudgingly. Even if recognition is accorded, it comes with a spectre of Chinese dominance. While Western nations refuse to applaud China's achievements, Western brands need to make sure that they do so – or else they will lose the opportunity for emotional connection with the Chinese.

While national or clannish identification definitely leads to hero worship, the developing countries like China and India reward  another characteristic in selection of their heroes – which is the quality of being underdog, who wins accolades against all odds, fighting and valiantly overcoming the hurdles and barriers which came in his way. On the face of it Harvard educated Jeremy Lin is hardly an underdog – a privileged Asian kid form an Ivy league university. However these are the precise characteristics, which make him an underdog in the world of NBA – which rewards not Ivy league education but towering body height and impressive physique – something which one would not associate easily with Jermey Lin and which perhaps does enhance the value of his accomplishments as seen by his large fan base in China.

By

Ashok Sethi

Ashok.set@gmail.com