Domestic e-commerce operators have been successively announcing their Q3 results last week. Public data shows that the EPS of ETMall—a subsidiary of Eastern Media International Corporation (2614)—have reached NT$9.62 for the period from January to September this year. This is ahead of Momo.com Inc.’s EPS of NT$9.51, making ETMall the most profitable new retail virtual channel for shareholders. Gary Wang, chairman of ETMall, said that the company started to launch its self-operated retail services five years ago, and now it is entering the harvest season. The services have accounted for 30% of the revenue this year, which is one of the main sources of profit. Q4 is the peak season for e-commerce. ETMall is fully prepared to maintain a strong growth and will strive to exceed NT$11.4 in EPS for the year!

In this year’s Q3, the cumulative consolidated revenue of ETMall reached NT$17.542 billion (including the investment in StrawberryNET), with a profit of NT$981 million—up 191% from the same period last year—and EPS of NT$9.62. This has not only left e-commerce platforms such as PChome Online and KuoBrothers Corp. far behind, but has also been the first time since the listing of Momo.com Inc. that ETMall surpassed the EPS of Momo.com Inc. to become the most profitable virtual channel for shareholders. In addition, further observation of the financial reports showed that the annual growth rate of operating profit—EBITDA%—and EPS of ETMall exceeded those of Momo.com Inc.

Before the generalization of mobile networks, ETMall had already deployed omni-channel retail services to integrate the touchpoints of online and offline channels and provide consumers with an uninterrupted shopping experience. In addition to TV shopping, its other channels include: ETMall, U-Mall, Connected Network, telemarketing, mobile commerce, catalogs, MOD, and StrawberryNET—an overseas, cross-border cosmetics e-commerce platform. There are more than 9 million members in Taiwan, and the revenue results are becoming more and more impressive.

Gary Wang, chairman of ETMall, said that ETMall started to deploy its self-operated retail services since 2015, including toilet paper, laundry detergent, and other household products, as well as skincare and cosmetics products from Eastern Natural Beauty. After five years, the company has successfully cultivated members’ consumption habits and entered the harvest season. This year, self-operated retail services have already accounted for 30% of revenue and 60% of profit, making them one of the main sources of profits. Not only did these boost revenue and increase profitability, but EPS also grew significantly compared to the same period last year. It is expected that the performance of ETMall’s self-operated retail services will grow steadily. In the future, we will continue to develop and expand ETMall’s self-operated retail services, hoping that these account for 50% of revenue in 2022.

According to Gary Wang, in addition to the self-operated retail services, ETMall continues to pursue innovation. This year, five strategic directions were set, i.e., “AI and Big Data", “Expanding Overseas Markets", “Consumer-Oriented Services", “Building an ETMall Ecosystem with ET Coin", and “Creating a New Retail Business Model", which have also successfully contributed to overall revenue growth. Q4 is the peak season for e-commerce, and ETMall is expected to maintain strong growth momentum and drive the annual EPS to exceed NT$11.4. Looking ahead, e-commerce sales will continue to grow in the post-pandemic era. In addition, the 5G era will begin next year and it is projected that Taiwan will rank 4th in global Internet speed. ETMall will focus on strengthening the profitability of online products and AI/big data.

As a matter of fact, not only did ETMall achieve a good revenue this year, but also won the Gold Medal for Large-Scale Shopping Website under the 9th The Best Service in Taiwan Service evaluation. In addition, ETMall has long been committed to public welfare, providing help to remote areas and assistance to the disadvantaged. Due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic this year, the export of agricultural products was hindered and the sales volume dropped greatly. ETMall took the lead to offer support and worked together with 11 local, regional, and central government leaders, launching Eastern Farm to help farmers with domestic sales. As a result, we were honored with the Charity Festival of Chinese Award. Besides these accolades, the companies under the Eastern Group have also received numerous awards this year, including the FashionGuide Expert Certification Label, the Asia Pacific Health and Biotechnology Award, the Golden Pinnacle Award, the National Brand Yushan Award, and the Taiwan Excellence Award. ET New Media Holdings also received the Golden Pinnacle Award and first prize at the National Brand Yushan Awards. The year 2020 has truly been a fruitful year for the Eastern Group!