Speaking on a panel at the 2021 Hong Kong FinTech Week conference, Tsai said the direct-to-consumer trend has led to an “explosion” of data collection by companies across sectors as they try to provide more tailored customer experiences and shorten their manufacturing cycles. Alibaba owns the Post. “The trend really drives the whole movement towards digitisation of the business world. When you talk to senior management of various companies, they say they use data to drive decision-making,” said Tsai, who took part virtually. “Getting closer to the customer is no longer a need. It is a necessity.”