Mobile messaging start-up Snapchat rejected an acquisition offer from Facebook Inc that would have valued the company at $3 billion or more, according to a Wall Street Journal report on Wednesday.

Snapchat, which allows consumers to send smartphone photos which automatically disappear after a few seconds, has proven popular among teenage users but it is mainly popular in North American and some European countries. Maybe accepting the offer from Facebook is a good choice because the competition in tech industry is so intense that thousands of apps have already been forgotten and mobile software is not sustainable. And both Facebook and Snapchat are witnessing a decline in daily use in teenagers. So a combination between these two social apps can enhance respective qualities and bring another peak in market share.

On the other hand, Snapchat should also try to duplicate the success the of one chatting application called Wechat, which is a popular chatting software in China. It allows users to chat without costing any annual fees and its users can subscribe to many brands like Starbucks and Nike. No annual fees helps it elevate its reputation and popularity among people at different ages, and the increasing number of users makes more brands willing to have contracts with it.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/snapchat-rejects-facebook-s-3b-buyout-offer-report-1.2426180

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/14/technology/rejecting-billions-snapchat-expects-a-better-offer.html?_r=0

Last week, an artificial egg product called beyond eggs went on sale. Aside from being cheaper and more humane than real eggs, Beyond Eggs attempts to solve the problem of sustainable protein.  Beyond Eggs is made of ingredients like peas, beans, sunflower lecithin and canola. It is meant to replace traditional eggs in every type of existing food – whether it be cakes, cookies or mayo.

Compared to traditional eggs, owing to the fact that no chicken involved in the process, could artificial eggs be accepted as future food? As artificial eggs are 19% cheaper and have a longer shelf life, they should be perfect substitutes for eggs. As its cheaper price, there will be hardly any baker refuses to use it. In addition, as artificial eggs are produced in the laboratory, influence from climate and disease can be minimized. Moreover, different ingredient can be used to satisfy different people, such as vegetarian and those who are allergic to eggs.

However, the selling of artificial eggs may not be as smooth as we think. After all, artificial eggs can trigger mental blocks when eating. People tend to take artificial eggs as  genetically modified food and refuse to take it. Although the ingredient used to produce artificial eggs are from plants, but no clinical data ca be found to support their edibility.

http://www.finedininglovers.com/blog/points-of-view/artificial-vegan-egg-beyond-eggs/

http://motherboard.vice.com/blog/silicon-valleys-fake-eggs-are-better-than-the-real-thing

An online shopping website called Taobao run by Aribaba, whose CEO is Jack Ma, created a record at Nov 11, also known as China’s Single Day. China’s Single’s Day shopping blowout was the biggest online shopping event in history and this year brought in 35 billion yuan ($5.75 billion) in sales. The one-day event, which has drawn comparisons to America’s Black Friday shopping extravaganza and all online products are sold at 50% off.

As e-shopping is one of the benefits brought from the advent of the Internet, many people get profit from it. Everyone can be a owner of an online store. In addition, online store significantly decrease the fixed cost, such as rental cost and some  incidental fees. Moreover, another fact that can cause great effect on traditional retail store is that online store can get easy access to customers’ preference. As long as owners analyse the data or records, they can easily get the information about what customers are really interested in.

On the other hand, the development of online business also triggers the development of physical distribution. Because of the absence of physical stores, importance of distribution is now being valued gradually. And thanks to its progress, more posts can be provided, which can alleviate unemployment issue.

www.ibtimes.com/chinas-singles-day-nov-11-shopping-extravaganza-overwhelms-postal-workers-photos-1466530

http://multichannelmerchant.com/crosschannel/chinas-singles-day-breaks-world-record-5-7-billion-sales-13112013/#_

Microsoft opens store in Burnaby’s Metrotown, first in British Columbia, third in Canada.

I was excited to witness the opening of new Microsoft store at Metrotown, but I was also shocked to know this is the third retail store in Canada. As Apple develops so rapidly this years, it seems that Apple will outpace Microsoft in the future. And this new store is a duplicate of Apple retail store.

As Apple’s main rival, Microsoft fails to have as many physical products as Apple does. Despite the fact that new Iphone and new system do not bring much surprising innovations, Apple does update its electronic products frequently. But as far as I know, compared to Apple’s new IOS7, Iphone and Macbook, the current products of Microsoft are just Surface and Windows 8 system. So in order to maintain and grow Microsoft’s share of market, it must increase its input into technological development.

On the other hand, Microsoft should pay more attention to products’ appearance. Because people’s usual impression on Microsoft is mature and conservative. In order to absorb more young and modern people, Microsoft should consider changing its traditional design.

http://blogs.vancouversun.com/2013/11/06/microsoft-opens-store-in-burnabys-metrotown-first-store-in-british-columbia-third-in-canada/

http://www.straight.com/blogra/522886/microsoft-store-open-metropolis-metrotown-kelly-clarkson-concert

The Vancouver billionaire who founded clothing label Lululemon Athletica is raising eyebrows for suggesting that the company’s popular yoga pants aren’t appropriate for “some women’s bodies.”When Chip Wilson was asked about recently-reported problems with pilling in the fabric of the pants, he responded by suggesting the problems are not a quality issue, but more about the way that women are wearing the pants.

However, in order to maintain and grow Lululemon’s business and its popularity, the fact that the body size changes with age should be taken into consideration. As customers age, it is really hard for them to keep slim or “appropriate” size. And as for the company, if it just caters to slim and “appropriate-sized” customers, it tends to bear a great quantity of loss because the elder generation is sharing a large share of market now. In addition, nobody is able to predict how the future will develop, so it is important to enlarge young market and sustain old customers simultaneously because a manager should think of the worst situation that the firm will become unpopular with the young in the future.

As consumers change,only the companies that notice the change and implement different strategies are the ones that are able to keep living in the market.

http://www.ctvnews.ca/business/lululemon-founder-says-yoga-pants-don-t-work-with-some-women-s-bodies-1.1532005#ixzz2kam5rMo8