ETMall, a subsidiary of Eastern Media International Corporation (2614), continued to perform exceptionally well in April. Thanks to the stay-at-home economy driving sales, ETMall’s single-month revenue has reached NT$1.68 billion, the annual growth rate has increased by 23%, YOY profit growth rate has increased by 286%, and the valid monthly order volume exceeded 1.05 million, showing a year-on-year growth rate of 18% or around 160,000 orders. ETMall’s EPS for April has reached NT$1.06, and NT$3.46 in January-April 2020, showing a significant increase. Looking at the overall performance in April, the ETMall policy of multi-channel operation continues to be effective, with the two major channels, TV shopping and online shopping, performing exceedingly well. The online channel revenue grew by 25% YOY compared to the same period last year and 92% compared to last month. TV shopping has also surpassed expectations, with revenue increasing 29% annually, it has performed exceptionally.
Due to the benefits of the stay-at-home economy, people’s daily habits have changed. The proportion of people shopping at home has increased, and the shopping momentum has continued to grow in the second quarter. In January to April, ETMall’s performance has shown steady growth, with a cumulative annual revenue growth of 17% and profit growth of 127% in the first four months of the year due to strong and stable multi-channel performance. The three major channels of online shopping, TV shopping, and telemarketing are all experiencing balanced growth. With the sharply rising demand for online shopping, the cumulative annual revenue of online channels have increased by 22%, TV shopping grew by 15% and telemarketing grew by 31% in the first four months of the year compared to the same period last year.
With all citizens united in their fight against the pandemic, popular products in April are centered around the two main categories of pandemic prevention and healthcare and home and lifestyle, with health food products being the most popular. Probiotic products were the most popular items on both the TV shopping and online shopping channels, while Green Tea and Coffee Slimming Drinks and lutein were also items sought after by the consumers. X-Static face masks, antibacterial stain- and grease-removing soap, toilet paper, caffeine shampoos, and other personal hygiene products have also been popular products in the different sales channels. In addition, products in the cellphone, tablet & computer category, home appliances, and household necessities also performed well. Apple products, Switch gaming console, and kitchen appliances benefited from the stay-at-home economy’s effects and the overall performance was increased by this demand. Many Eastern Natural Beauty products also displayed excellent performances, with the STREMARK range’s “Ultimate Revitalizing Trial Kit” and “Ultimate Revitalizing Capsules” in great demand with consumers. It can be seen that people are not only paying more and more attention to pandemic prevention and healthcare, but also their demand for entertainment and beauty care in the “stay-at-home” lifestyle is also directly reflected in the sales figures.
Due to the impact of the overall situation, Taiwan’s economic consumption has suffered a dramatic change. ETMall continues to support small farmers, with the TV shopping channel greatly promoting the “Eastern Farm” product range to offer carefully selected high-quality local agricultural produce and drive the trend of incorporating agricultural products in diversified marketing platforms. ETMall was also the first in the industry to cooperate with the government. ETMall partnered with the New Taipei City Government to launch the “New Taipei Zone” in response to the Ministry of Economic Affairs’ “E-Commerce Service Promotion Program for Retail Sector”, as well as to participate in the “Taipei Stores Coming to Your Home” program of the Taipei City Office of Commerce. Not only will this assist businesses across Taiwan to expand their business opportunities through virtual channels, it will also provide more high-quality and diversified products to all members, creating a win-win situation and continuing to create the most caring shopping platform.
Over the years, ETMall has been deeply dedicated to helping local industries, managing our business with care, and continuing to fulfill our corporate social responsibility. The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted various industries and affected millions of people’s livelihoods. The Eastern Group has been implementing continuous public welfare actions: we are helping small farmers, supporting healthcare, and continuing to care for every consumer, so that we can fulfill the corporate social responsibility of “giving back to society in return for the things that we take from society” and support each other. President Gary Wang of Eastern Group recognizes and treasures talent and plans on saving the economy. He has announced a large-scale recruitment campaign where a total of 500 job vacancies will be made available. There will be a talent hunt for staff in all sectors, with the focus on hotel, department store, and large restaurant management professionals. The company is ready to offer annual salaries ranging in the millions of Taiwanese dollars, and to provide a complete education and training system, as well as group benefits better than our industry peers. Gary Wang, president of Eastern Group, said that the pandemic has affected the entirety of Taiwan and people’s livelihoods are suffering. This has saddened and disheartened him and he would like to help by offering talented individuals from all sectors to join Eastern’s Happy Enterprise and take on the challenge for a high salary.