Venture studios offer lifeline to startups
These entities free up entrepreneurs to focus on their core roles Successful start-ups solve pressing problems for which consumers are willing to pay. In the process, they more often than not improve the life of customers and generate exponential returns for investors. Google, Facebook and Amazon – all ended up solving customer problems and generating […]
A breakthrough year for UAE online shopping
Ecommerce has been the buzz in the UAE business community for some time now. After all, there is the high smartphone penetration, relatively high disposable incomes, and a significant expat population. Ecommerce has worked across multiple categories such as online retail (e-tail), cab aggregation, foodtech, fintech and travel tech. But let’s focus on the bellwether […]
UAE food delivery sees a chance with web-TV
By Sandeep Ganediwalla and Anuj Kumar, Special to Gulf News The internet has led to hyper-growth across industries — watching movies or TV series on web streaming is no exception. Over-the-top (OTT) players such as Netflix, Amazon Prime, Shahid and Hotstar have disrupted the market, and our study shows almost 90 per cent of viewers […]
UAE online seeks out category winners
Dubai: The UAE’s online shopping universe is far from being a two-horse race between Amazon and noon. The two dominate when it comes to marketplaces, but in individual categories such as electronics and fashion, there is still much that is up for grabs. Take Sharaf DG, for instance. Independent observers reckon it is the third-biggest […]
Make way for the super-apps
By Sandeep Ganediwalla and Anuj Kumar
If it’s online, will buy: UAE shoppers spend $3.5 billion to $4 billion a year shopping on the Internet
Highlights As much as $1.5 billion is spent by UAE shoppers at online portals outside of the UAE. It comes down to price: Buying from an overseas site would still be cheaper by 20-30 per cent depending on the category. Dubai: Want to buy that dress or accessory trending on all the fashion and celebrity […]
Still lots at stake in Mideast’s eCommerce logistics
Online retail in the Middle East and North Africa is expected to cross $10 billion in the coming year. A key enabler to online retail is the strength of the logistics sector, as the merchandise needs to be sourced/picked from multiple locations, stored in warehouses, and orders delivered to customers’ doorsteps. Given the high occurrence […]
Omnichannel set to strengthen retail sector
A true omnichannel approach that puts power into the hands of shoppers is what is going to strengthen the UAE and GCC region’s retail sector, experts at the 2019 Middle East Retail Forum said. Officials at the event spoke about the evolution of omnichannel retail and how it is creating a shopping experience that is […]
Increasing foreign ownership will move investors beyond UAE free zones
Ecommerce and entertainment big winners, but construction could spring a surprise
With Prime, Amazon wants to get a lock on UAE shopper loyalty
Dubai: With the roll-out of its Prime subscription services in the UAE, Amazon is finally ready to take on the competition on two fronts — in e-retailing, where it dominates, and Web-based TV services, where it will take on the entrenched Netflix and StarzPlay. The launch of Prime — which allows members preferential rates and […]
Does rebranding of Souq change anything? Stage set for next round of online retail battles in Middle East
Online retail has been the biggest driver of e-commerce, to the extent that both these words have been used interchangeably. Each country started with its own local player that educated customers on online retail and raised the digital maturity of the region. China had Alibaba, India Flipkart, Indonesia had Tokopedia, while UAE had Souq for […]
UAE becomes Amazon marketplace: Will Saudi Arabia be next?
Souq has turned into Amazon in the UAE, but no timeline has been set on whether the same would happen in Saudi Arabia or for the other individual Middle East markets, but it will happen eventually, according to a top Amazon official. “The UAE becomes the first to transition to the Amazon marketplace in the […]
Gulf News : Drake & Scull International pins blame for Dh5b losses on previous management
The entire blame for the financial mess at Drake & Scull International, whereby it reported losses of Dh5 billion for 2018, has been placed on the previous management and Board of Directors, by the company’s current management. In particular, the “deliberate” decision to defer the announcement of losses incurred between the years 2009 and 2016. […]
Gulf News : Fast-track access to funds for a thriving startup ecosystem
Gulf News : The start-up ecosystem is buzzing in the Mena territory, with the most encouraging aspect being the ability to secure an exit as seen with Careem, Souq and Namshi, and even smaller companies such as Glambox and Almosafeer. The Mena start-up ecosystem received $1bn funding over the last year. However, the availability of […]
GULF NEWS: It needn’t be a two-brand hegemony in Mideast’s car-hailing space
GULF NEWS: One industry that has emerged as a torchbearer of eCommerce is mobility, and within that, especially in the cab-hailing sector. The annualised GBV — which is the gross bookings value or the total of all booking fares paid by users — of the sector in the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region […]
GULF NEWS: Saudi Arabia’s small grocery stores will have trouble keeping up
GULF NEWS: The grocery market in Saudi Arabia is undergoing transformation with the $20 billion (Dh73.4 billion) unorganized market serviced by convenience stores and baqalas up for grabs. Nearly 20 percent of the baqalas have already closed down in Saudi Arabia on the back of Saudization moves. This has resulted in an organized sector gaining […]
The rise of e-commerce in MENA
The Middle East e-commerce market is heating up with increasing competition, driven primarily by the UAE and Saudi Arabia. According to estimates, from 2015-17, the MENA online retail market went from $4 to $6 billion. By 2020, the MENA e-commerce market is estimated to surpass $15 billion at 35% CAGR. The UAE and Saudi Arabia […]
THE HINDU BUSINESSLINE: Urban Ladder sees 24% surge in average order value after opening retail stores
THE HINDU BUSINESSLINE: Omni channel home furniture and décor retailer Urban Ladder has witnessed a 24 per cent surge in average order value, driven by demand for sofas and beds, after the opening of its first large format store here last July. The five-year-old start-up, that was purely an online player until last year and also […]
TIMES NOW: Flipkart readies entry in to grocery, aims to launch services in 5 cities by July
TIMES NOW: After a $16-billion acquisition by US retail giant Walmart, Flipkart prepares to make an entry into the grocery segment with the etailer planning to launch services in five cities by July, The Economic Times reported citing two people familier with the development. Flipkart plans to launch grocery services first in Hyderabad and followed by Chennai, Mumbai, […]
YOURSTORY: Is Bezos waiting for the most opportune moment to strike back at Walmart-Flipkart combo?
YOURSTORY: Taking on Jeff Bezos is not something people look forward to in daily corporate life. Walmart, probably, knows it the best. Walmart’s CEO, Doug McMillon, may be looking to learn from Flipkart about Indian ecommerce play, but considering how the US major floundered in India with its offline initiatives, it may not be that […]
LIVEMINT: Ola, Oyo Rooms, Lenskart draw up plans for overseas expansion
LIVEMINT: A growing number of Indian start-ups, including cab-hailing service Ola, hotel brand Oyo Rooms and eyewear retailer Lenskart, are venturing overseas, as they grow increasingly confident about their business models and their ability to take on global rivals. On Tuesday, Ola said it has expanded its presence in Australia by introducing its service in Brisbane, […]
FINANCIAL EXPRESS: The e-grocery boom
FINANCIAL EXPRESS: The $1-billion online grocery space is all set for the big battle with deep-pocketed players signalling expansion and strengthening their online grocery operations. It is not just Amazon; Walmart’s recently acquired 77% stake in Flipkart could lead to a larger focus on the food and grocery segment, currently led by Bigbasket with 37-40% market share, followed by […]
ECONOMIC TIMES: Flipkart springs surprise checks on sellers
ECONOMIC TIMES: Etailer Flipkart will conduct surprise checks on sellers to audit product quality to reduce return rate due to poor quality products that has been a bane for ecommerce companies in India where returns are as high as 30%. If they fail to pass the audit, sellers could be delisted or lose the Fassured […]
THE HINDU: Walmart can infuse $3 bn in Flipkart
THE HINDU: Walmart has an option to invest an extra $3 billion in e-commerce company Flipkart, according to a regulatory filing by the world’s largest retailer with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The Bentonville, Arkansas-based company earlier this week said it had agreed to pay $16 billion for about 77% stake in Flipkart, a […]
FIRST POST: The CEO who helped deliver India’s online shoppers to Walmart
The outlook for Indian online retailer Flipkart was decidedly gloomy when Kalyan Krishnamurthy became chief executive officer in January 2017. The startup’s valuation was dropping, fundraising was more difficult and Amazon.com Inc. was pledging more than US$5 billion to siphon away customers. So the 46-year-old former hedge-fund manager took some risks. He fired senior managers, […]
QUARTZ: Why are Walmart and Amazon desperate to buy Flipkart?
The Indian e-commerce sector seems to have turned into a battleground for two American giants. Over the recent weeks, several news reports have suggested that retail major Walmart and e-commerce behemoth Amazon are in the fray to acquire a majority stake in Bengaluru-based Flipkart. Currently, Japan’s Softbank is the largest investor in the company. Last […]
YOURSTORY: Here’s how Alibaba-backed BigBasket will reach $1 billion in GMV in 2020
YOURSTORY: With a deep-pocketed strategic investor in its basket, BigBasket has stepped up investments and is focusing solely on scaling up. While the hullabaloo in the media over the second half of last year was over the possibility of an Alibaba investment in BigBasket, in the company each team member knew exactly what they were working […]
THE STREET: Walmart Would Have its Hands Full Fighting Amazon if it Buys India’s Flipkart
THE STREET: Over the last two years, Walmart (WMT) has spent billions to buy several U.S. e-commerce upstarts with the goal of becoming a formidable online retail rival to Amazon.com (AMZN) . But the results have been very mixed to date. Now, it looks as if Walmart is ready to fork over billions to become a top […]
THE ECONOMIC TIMES: India’s online food aggregators are taking lessons from China
THE ECONOMIC TIMES: India’s resurgent food-technology sector is having no respite even after its massive cleanup last year that helped it draw investors back in and garner massive amounts of capital. Much of this was pocketed by leading food aggregators Zomato and Swiggy even as the country’s largest ride-hailing platform Ola drove into the sector with an acquisition lifeline to Foodpanda. And […]
LIVEMINT: Swiggy, Zomato plan to raise fresh funds as investor appetite grows
LIVEMINT: Less than two months after raising funds, both Swiggy and Zomato are in talks to raise more money, as investors queue up to back online food delivery start-ups, three people familiar with the matter said. Swiggy (Bundl Technologies Pvt. Ltd) and Zomato Media Pvt. Ltd both have sufficient capital but the two companies are eager […]
LIVEMINT: Flipkart dialled Amazon after Walmart revived deal talks
LIVEMINT: India’s leading e-commerce firm Flipkart reached out to global internet giant Amazon.com Inc. for a potential sale less than a year after its chairman said India needs to follow the Chinese example of promoting local companies over foreign ones, two people familiar with the matter said. In December 2016, Flipkart chairman Sachin Bansal had called […]
THE INDIAN EXPRESS: E-commerce firms losing over 30 per cent of GMV due to cancellations/returns
THE INDIAN EXPRESS: Driven mainly by an increase in the number of shoppers from tier-II and lower category cities, the e-commerce sector in India touched a gross merchandise volume (GMV) close to $20 billion during 2017, according to a note by research firm RedSeer, which said that going ahead these new shoppers will continue to stick […]
YOURSTORY: Ola shifts gear, focuses on product to stay on growth track
YOURSTORY: For the financial year 2017, here’s how the fiscal turned out for Ola. We list down the cab aggregator’s key achievements and milestones, and set sights on its future in the next fiscal. In the eight years since Ola (ANI Technologies) began operations, the Bengaluru-based unicorn has seen several ups and downs. As of […]
THE ECONOMIC TIMES: Flipkart expands online groceries business, looks to sell movie tickets
THE ECONOMIC TIMES: India’s largest online retailer Flipkart Ltd is expanding its fledgling online groceries business even as it plans to sell movie tickets ahead of a proposed takeover of the company by American retailer Walmart Inc., three people aware of the developments said. Flipkart will also soon enter the food retail business, the people […]
THE ECONOMIC TIMES: Hedge fund Coatue, others in talks to buy stake in Swiggy
THE ECONOMIC TIMES: Coatue Management, one of the world’s top-performing technology hedge funds, is in talks, along with a few other investors, to put in $50-100 million in online food-delivery platform Swiggy, according to three sources familiar with the matter. Swiggy has so far raised $255.5 million, second only to the $443 million raised by competitor […]
LIVEMINT: Zomato’s revenue doubled to Rs399 crore in 2016-17, losses fell
LIVEMINT: Revenues at Zomato Media Pvt. Ltd doubled to Rs399 crore in the year ended 31 March 2017, even as the restaurant discovery and online food delivery start-up reduced its losses. Net loss at Zomato fell to Rs389 crore in the year ended 31 March 2017 from Rs590 crore in the previous year, according to its […]
YOURSTORY: Flipkart’s FY 2018 report card – did the unicorn pass or fail?
YOURSTORY: With two mega fund raises, rise in mobile and fashion sales, and the launch of private labels, Flipkart calls 2017 a ‘watershed year’ that helped cement its position as India’s leading ecommerce marketplace. When you are under siege in a battle you can either dig in, hoping the opposing side will run out of […]
THE ECONOMIC TIMES: Flipkart’s fashion vertical ahead of both Myntra, Jabong
THE ECONOMIC TIMES: Sibling rivalry seems to be brewing at Flipkart Group with its primary online marketplace trumpeting that its fashion category has crossed $1 billion in sales this fiscal year. That leaves the group’s fashion-focused arms, Myntra and Jabong, trailing behind with combined GMV of $1.2 billion for the year. Flipkart said its fashion vertical’s […]
HINDUSTAN TIMES: High margins vs driver incentives: The Ola, Uber business model
HINDUSTAN TIMES: A strike this week by drivers of Ola and Uber turned out to be a damp squib, but highlighted the tough business model of cab-hailing platforms that requires them to squeeze drivers to generate higher margins, analysts and drivers said. On Monday, drivers at Ola and Uber went on an indefinite strike to protest […]
FORTUNE: Grofers is back in the good books
FORTUNE: Life for online grocery store Grofers has been a bit of a rollercoaster since its inception in 2013. In this short period of five years, the business of selling groceries online in India has seen a boom, a bust and now a revival that appears to be sustainable. Less than two years after its […]
INC42: Amidst Competition From Ola And Uber, Meru Cabs Has A Revival Plan
INC42: Homegrown cab service provider Meru Cabs has announced that it is now adopting a marketplace model in the ride-hailing market. For this, the company has enabled its enrolled drivers to set dynamic fares in a bid to attract more customers. According to the reports, drivers associated with Meru Cabs will be able to decide fares […]
FACTORDAILY: Less heartburn: Hardening fares pull up Ola, Uber driver incomes
FACTORDAILY: After nearly a year, drivers on online cab-hailing platforms Ola and Uber in India are seeing incomes reverse their plunge. At the receiving end of the companies pulling back on driver incentives over the past few quarters, the drivers now see incomes rising thanks to better fares and demand for rides. This also allows Ola […]
QUARTZ: Not just lunch and dinner, Indians are ordering in all day and all night
QUARTZ: Indians have for a while exhibited a growing affinity for food delivery, but it’s now going beyond lunch and dinner. Over the last year, consumers in the country increasingly looked to get even their breakfast, evening snacks, and late night meals home-delivered. In March 2017, around 45,000 such orders came from outside lunch and dinner hours; by […]
LIVEMINT: Ola, Uber strike highlights tough business model of cab-hailing firms
LIVEMINT: A strike this week by drivers of Ola and Uber turned out to be a damp squib, but highlighted the tough business model of cab-hailing platforms that requires them to squeeze drivers to generate higher margins, analysts and drivers said. On Monday, drivers at Ola and Uber went on an indefinite strike to protest against […]
FORBES: Paytm Reloaded: It’s no longer just a mobile wallet
FORBES: Samsung electronics co sells its phones through about 150,000 authorised shops in India. And Paytm Mall, through a collaboration with Samsung that started in November 2017, is bringing all of them onto its online marketplace, giving each one a QR code, and the requisite training and support. Paytm Mall is the recently formed ecommerce business […]
FINANCIAL EXPRESS: Is UPI a currency gaining traction?
FINANCIAL EXPRESS: As mobile wallet companies face the heat of Reserve Bank of India’s KYC norms, instant messaging apps have been leveraging their popularity and stickiness to expand into payments. Facebook-owned WhatsApp recently launched its UPI-based payment feature and a separate WhatsApp Business app. It is not the only player to tread this path; last year we saw […]
YOURSTORY: Small towns become the next frontier for tech domination in India. Paytm Mall leading the pack?
YOURSTORY: Amit Sinha, the man at the helm of Paytm Mall, knows a thing or two about India’s small towns. You know this when he recounts how he didn’t get to hold a Coca Cola bottle until he was in high school. The stores in the town he lived in — Panchet in Jharkhand’s Dhanbad […]
THE ECONOMIC TIMES: Flipkart wooing urban shoppers to reclaim lost ground
THE ECONOMIC TIMES: Flipkart is wooing back customers in Indian metros with a slew of initiatives as the country’s largest online retailer seeks to reclaim lost ground among high spending urban shoppers who had gravitated to rival Amazon India in recent years. A larger selection of branded goods and faster deliveries are just a few of […]
THE TIMES OF INDIA: Foodtech startups revert to old recipe for success
THE TIMES OF INDIA: Orders have crossed 4,50,000 a day for food delivery startups across the country — and they are looking forward to a feast after the funding famine of the past few years NEW DELHI: Investors seem to have started 2018 with a healthy appetite for foodtech startups after going slow in 2016 and […]
LIVEMINT: Food delivery sector on cusp of revival as investments pour in
LIVEMINT: The food delivery sector, written off not too long ago, has seen a revival over the past six months. While market leaders Zomato and Swiggy have raised large funding rounds, cab-hailing firms Uber and Ola, attracted by the runaway expansion of Swiggy, are investing hundreds of crores of rupees to gain a slice of […]
THE ECONOMIC TIMES: Shopping deals, Why online sales work for Flipkart, Amazon despite massive cash burn
THE ECONOMIC TIMES: Exactly a month after the first mega online sale of the year, e-commerce companies seem to be clearing the decks for more, given that it may actually be paying off. According to a report by research firm RedSeer Consulting, last year’s sale days – which roughly totalled 30 – contributed a massive 30% […]
YOURSTORY: Myntra Jabong Pvt Ltd gets fresh funds of $176 M
YOURSTORY: The funding infusion also comes at a time when there has been a buzz around Myntra investing in adventure equipment and outdoor gear firm Wildcraft. Flipkart is ensuring there is no dearth of funding for its fashion powerhouse, Myntra Jabong Private Limited. The fashion arm of Flipkart Group got a huge funding boost in the […]
THE INDIAN EXPRESS: Small cities push e-cart to next phase of growth
THE INDIAN EXPRESS: In 2016, metro cities had the highest contribution to the total number of unique online shoppers in the country — 33 million out of 74 million, with tier-II and other cities having only 27 million. However, the trend reversed in 2017, when there were 37 million unique shoppers online from the relatively […]
THE HINDU BUSINESSLINE: Demand from tier II/III cities drives growth of kidswear on Amazon Fashion
THE HINDU BUSINESSLINE: Kidswear on Amazon Fashion reported 80 per cent year-on-year growth in 2017 over the previous year, in terms of units sold, fuelled by a sharp spike in demand from tier II and III cities. Tees, shirts and dresses topped the charts as the most popular items in these cities, followed by sneakers, sports […]
HINDUSTAN TIMES: Grofers in talks to raise up to $65 million from SoftBank and Tiger Global at 40% less valuation
HINDUSTAN TIMES: Online grocery start-up Grofers is in talks to raise $60-65 million from existing investors in a funding round that could see the valuation of the Gurgaon-based start-up drop by over 40%, two people close to the development said. The round is being led by existing investor Japan’s Softbank Group with participation from Tiger Global […]
THE ECONOMIC TIMES: UrbanClap, Housejoy plan to introduce private labels soon
THE ECONOMIC TIMES: On-demand service providers UrbanClap and Housejoy are looking to introduce private labels in their beauty and home appliance categories as they seek to capture a larger share of the mass market while squeezing the most out of margins. The move will see these companies shift beyond services to extend their footprint on the […]
YOURSTORY: Now you can schedule your meal delivery on Swiggy two days in advance
YOURSTORY: Bengaluru-based food ordering and delivery platform Swiggy has launched a new service that enables users to plan and order their meals in advance. Named ‘Swiggy Scheduled’, this service lets you place orders at least two hours and maximum 48 hours in advance, with no extra costs as there will be no delivery charges on […]
FORBES: Amazon pumps funds in India to fight Flipkart
FORBES: Amazon entered India in 2013 after losing out in China to local etailer Alibaba and its subsidiaries. The drubbing in China, especially after it was listed as a seller on Alibaba-owned marketplace Tmall, made it imperative for the company to make a mark in India. But it spent a relatively quiet first year, infusing […]
BUSINESS TODAY: Food-delivery app, Swiggy, raises $100 million in its largest funding round from Naspers and Meituan-Dianping
BUSINESS TODAY: Last year, India’s leading food delivery app had made headlines like ‘Swiggy lost Rs 1.5 for every Re 1 it earned [in FY17]’. But the Bangalore-based startup shouldered on, and its perseverance has paid off big time – yesterday it raised USD 100 million in its Series F funding from Naspers, a global internet […]
FIRSTPOST: Swiggy gets $100 mn funding, Zomato $200 mn: Food delivery sector heats up again
FIRSTPOST: With Swiggy getting $100 million in funds and Zomato $200 million a week ago, the food delivery sector seems to be poised for growth again after a bleak couple of years. From the latter half of 2015 through to 2016 and also the first half of 2017, a number of food-tech startups shut down. […]
TIMES NOW: How Swiggy’s fresh Rs 642 crore funds make online food delivery business hot and spicy
TIMES NOW: Swiggy has raised $100 million (about Rs 642 crore), mostly from South African media company Naspers Ltd, in its biggest-ever funding round as India’s largest online food delivery start-up wants to widen its lead in the country’s fast-growing food delivery market. This is the second round of funding Swiggy has raised in eight months. The […]
YOURSTORY: E-commerce in India has touched $20 billion, says RedSeer study
YOURSTORY: The gigantic rate of cash burn and the mounting losses for billion-dollar e-commerce companies such as Flipkart and Amazon India seems to be benefiting India’s e-commerce sector after all. Advisory firm RedSeer Consultancy has found that the online retailing industry had a very positive OND-quarter (October-november-december), with the gross merchandise value (GMV) touching nearly $20 billion. The […]
QUARTZ: Cheap data and demonetisation have created an online shopping boom in India
QUARTZ: India’s e-commerce websites are getting crowded, and the biggest chunk of new shoppers are coming from the country’s smaller cities. In 2017, the number of monthly active shoppers on Indian e-commerce portals rose 33% year-on-year to 20 million, advisory firm RedSeer Management Consulting said. This was mainly because of the increase in internet usage […]
YOURSTORY: Flipkart’s 68pc rise in FY17 losses masks a tale of extreme cost control
YOURSTORY: Flipkart’s Singapore filings for FY 2017 are out and the numbers show how unbridled ambition has had to be tempered with the realities of cost control. The point of all that money being spent should be much greater revenues and, hopefully, profits at some point of time in the future. The company filings show just […]
YOURSTORY: Small-town wallets power growth of ecommerce in India
YOURSTORY: With small-town Indians accounting for around 41 percent of all online shoppers, they are increasingly becoming the driving force behind ecommerce in India. India lives in her villages – so said Mahatma Gandhi all those years ago. The ecommerce industry, specifically online retail, seems to have taken this quote to heart. Large marketplaces like Flipkart […]
BUSINESS STANDARD: India’s online food ordering sector growing at 15% every quarter
BUSINESS STANDARD: India’s online food ordering sector saw a strong growth rate in the number of daily orders, growing consistently at 15 per cent on a quarterly basis from January to September last year, according to a report from RedSeer Consulting. The growth has resulted in the number of orders on a daily basis clocking an average of 400,000 […]
THE ECONOMIC TIMES: Digital payments may not be as pervasive as believed post DeMo
THE ECONOMIC TIMES: Digital payments have made inroads into consumer-facing businesses with large presence of organised players. Big ecommerce players such as Amazon and Flipkart have a larger share of digital pay-ins, and declining cash pay-ins. Over 60% of Amazon India’s pay-ins are via bank cards, netbanking or mobile wallets, it reported last week. But […]
THE ECONOMIC TIMES: Kishore Biyani takes cues from Jack Ma, to replicate Alibaba’s promotion model in India
THE ECONOMIC TIMES: About two months ago, Future Group founder Kishore Biyani visited China to understand shopping behaviour during Singles Day, the biggest shopping festival in the world’s most populous country. Biyani was part of the star-studded event that Jack Ma, the founder of Chinese e-commerce giant Alibabahosted in Shanghai and included guests such as actress Nicole Kidman, singer Pharrell Williams and […]
THE ECONOMIC TIMES: A rough road awaits e-commerce companies as they race to the Indian hinterlands
THE ECONOMIC TIMES: Lunglei in Mizoram, Zunheboto in Nagaland and Hailakandi in Assam are thinly populated: with just 36, 112 and 497 people per square km respectively. For most companies, these Northeastern outposts are at the very bottom of their priorities, far removed from the bustle of their metrocentric business day. However, through much of […]
YOURSTORY: Brick and mortar still holds its charm despite e-commerce boom
YOURSTORY: In the absence of the traditional concept of seeing the product before paying for it, many customers remain reluctant to be swayed by the e-commerce industry. With the wave of digitalisation prevailing in the nation and virtual becoming the reality of most industries and sectors, it is the shopping world that still holds an inclination […]
MONEYCONTROL: Tier-2 customers driving the $14.5 billion e-commerce industry in India: RedSeer report
MONEYCONTROL: According to the report, India’s e-tailing industry which has grown to over USD 14.5 billion in revenues still holds a large growth potential. Online shoppers from India’s Tier 2-3 cities and remote corners are now driving the growth of e-tailing industry, said Bangalore based research firm RedSeer in its year-end review. According to the report, […]
YOURSTORY: Autorickshaws to car-pooling, how cab aggregation fared last year
YOURSTORY: The year 2017 was interesting for cab-aggregators – while Uber faced flak on the global front, along with local competitor Ola, it also faced regulatory issues and driver tussles. Since their big bang entry in the India economic scape in 2012, there hasn’t been a single moment of peace for cab aggregators. What, however, makes […]
NEWSDOG: Startups hit with reality-check as VCs turn choosy with their money
NEWSDOG: In 2017, investors turned more choosy, putting higher amounts of money into a few companies they believe are potential winners. So, while the amount of start-up funding in 2017 doubled, the volume of deals was lower. Startups raised roughly $10.7 billion in 2017, compared with $4.6 billion in all of 2016, according to data […]
THE ECONOMIC TIMES: Cloud kitchen cos offer better spread vs food aggregators
THE ECONOMIC TIMES: The year 2017 has undoubtedly been the year of reckoning for India’s food technology startups. From food aggregators like Swiggy and Zomato to cloud-kitchen players like Faasos, FreshMenu and Box8, cost-cutting had been the theme for 2017. While food aggregators such as Swiggy lost more than what they made, the story has been […]
LIVEMINT: Tough to see where windfall will come from for VCs
LIVEMINT: In 2016, Indian start-ups got a reality check with valuation markdowns, market share losses and a lack of big-ticket fund raises. But while the funding bubble burst, start-ups had a “soft landing”. In 2017, investors turned more choosy, putting higher amounts of money into a few companies they believe are potential winners. So, while the […]
YOURSTORY: A year after getting a new CEO, it is not all ‘kalyan’ on the Flipkart front
YOURSTORY: The year gone by was a good one for Flipkart – at least at first glance. But scratch the surface and the façade shows many holes. Flipkart and its CEO, Kalyan Krishnamurthy, have a major task ahead as competition is only getting stronger and bringing the next set of customers online is not proving to […]
BUSINESS STANDARD: Flipkart cuts burn to half that of rival Amazon
BUSINESS STANDARD: Despite raising nearly $4 billion from investors such as Softbank and Tencent last year, India’s leading e-commerce marketplace Flipkart is keeping a tight control over its purse strings as it looks to build a sustainable business. The company has been able to cut its burn to just $17-18 million every month as measures to squeeze sellers […]
THE INDIAN EXPRESS: Let’s order-in and eat with just a click of an app
THE INDIAN EXPRESS: From pizzas, biriyanis, soups, starters, curries, tea to jars of sweet delicacies, Chennaites have now been constantly ordering in through delivery apps like Zomato, Swiggy and the new entrant in town — UberEats. In fact, having every day meals for consumers has evolved to a point where food delivery has become a must-have […]
QUARTZ: Millions of India’s internet users have never tried Google, Wikipedia, or e-mail
QUARTZ: India has the world’s second-largest internet user base, but Indians are hardly making use of the web. Only 10% of the over 500 million Indians with access to the internet are savvy enough to use online services like retail, travel-booking, and food-ordering, among others, Bengaluru-based RedSeer Consulting said in a report. RedSeer’s report is […]
BUSINESS STANDARD: India’s online retail space grew by 23% in 2017, pace to accelerate in 2018
BUSINESS STANDARD: India’s e-commerce firms had a reason to cheer in 2017 as online retail grew sharply over the previous year and is projected to accelerate its growth trajectory in 2018. In 2017, online retail grew to $17.8 billion in gross merchandise value (GMV) from $14.5 billion last year, a 23 per cent increase, Livemint reported on Thursday while citing […]
NEWS 18: E-Commerce Websites Can Never be 100% Fake Proof, Says RedSeer CEO
NEWS 18: In a major expose, CNN-News18 on Wednesday unveiled popular e-commerce websites duping consumers by selling them fake goods at the price and guarantee of originals. Management and advisory firms state that online markets will forever have a certain percentage of counterfeit products. “Perennial problem is can we make e-commerce 100% fake proof? No, that […]
THE ECONOMIC TIMES: Flipkart, Amazon to adopt new strategies in new year
THE ECONOMIC TIMES: India’s Flipkart and America’s Amazon will adopt vastly divergent strategies in the New Year after years of matching steps in the battle to dominate one of the world’s most dynamic ecommerce markets, say analysts who also expect Paytm Mall, which is backed by China’s Alibaba, to open a third front. Flipkart — the country’s largest online retailer — […]
THE HINDU: Consumer internet industry slows, but maintains a steady course
THE HINDU: The Indian consumer internet industry settled down to a modest growth rate of 22 per cent in 2017, ending the year at $55 billion; quite unable to maintain last year’s 29 per cent growth forget the scorching pace of 66 per cent growth in 2015. The first two quarters of calendar year 2017 […]
FIRSTPOST: Ola to invest $200 mn in Foodpanda after buyout; company returns to food delivery to take on UberEATS
FIRSTPOST: Germany’s Delivery Hero, an online food ordering and delivery marketplace, is selling its Foodpanda India business to Ola in return for shares in the Indian ride-hailing firm, the companies said on Tuesday. Under the agreement, Ola, owned by ANI Technologies, will also commit to investing $200 million in Foodpanda’s India business. The deal marks Ola’s […]
LIVEMINT: Flipkart, Amazon neck and neck on RedSeer’s e-commerce index
LIVEMINT: India’s top online retailers Flipkart Ltd and Amazon India Ltd continue to be the most popular online shopping destinations with consumers, with Flipkart having a clear advantage in tier-II and tier-III cities and towns and Amazon having a big edge in metro cities, according to the latest RedSeer E-tailing Leadership Index (ELI). While Flipkart […]
FINANCIAL EXPRESS: Ecommerce firms Flipkart, Amazon, others saw highest ever monthly sales of $3.2 bn; 45 pct higher than last year
FINANCIAL EXPRESS: Flushed with funds from their recent fund-raising rounds, e-commerce companies in India saw their highest ever monthly sales of $3.2 billion (Rs 19,000) in the one-month period of September-October. This was also the season that was dotted with flagship sales of e-commerce majors like Amazon and Flipkart. This revenue is 45% higher than the $2.2 billion of […]
THE TIMES OF INDIA: Amazon counters mkt share claim by Flipkart
THE TIMES OF INDIA: The war of words between Amazon and Flipkart continues. Countering Flipkart’s market leadership claim during the festive season sale, Amazon’s India head Amit Agarwal told TOI that the e-commerce major had a 42% market share in terms of orders placed during the sale period, quoting data from research firm Kantar IMRB. While Agarwal did not directly name any […]
BUSINESS STANDARD: Indians spent $3.2 billion on online shopping this festive season: RedSeer
BUSINESS STANDARD: Indians spent around $3.2 billion (approx Rs 19,000 crore) buying products online during the month-long festive sales period that ended mid-October, a growth of 45 per cent over sales during the same period last year. According to data from market analyst RedSeer Consulting, bulk of the sales happened in the first five days, with e-tailers clocking […]
FORBES: India’s Niche Companies Will Win The Holiday Season
FORBES: Indians have a propensity to spend during the festive season, which usually extends from August to December, making it almost mandatory for e-commerce companies to attract customers with discounts and offers. Large e-commerce companies like Amazon, Flipkart, eBay India, Snapdeal and Shopclues sell products across verticals. But the trend is now veering in favour of […]
THE ECONOMIC TIMES: E-commerce companies rake in Rs 9K crore during festive sale – RedSeer
THE ECONOMIC TIMES: E-commerce companies generated sales of an estimated Rs 9,000 crore (USD 1.5 billion) in the festive sale offered last week on most platforms, research firm RedSeer Consulting today said. “E-tailers generated their higher ever sale performance over the five festive days from September 20-24, 2017. For these festive sale days, RedSeer analysis […]
FORBES: DMart: The juggernaut continues to roll for India’s value shop
FORBES: During the IPO roadshow, while investors were excited with how DMart had kept costs low, they were concerned about the potential threat from online retail. An aggressive move towards groceries by Amazon or BigBasket could have DMart on the backfoot. RedSeer Consulting estimates that there are 45 million online grocery transactions across India, which have […]
BLOOMBERG: D-Mart Tries Online Delivery As Amazon Looms
BLOOMBERG: Billionaire Radhakishan Damani just entered Jeff Bezos’ turf. His supermarket chain D-Mart is running a pilot that allows customers to order online, and have everything from staples to shampoos either delivered at neighbourhood kiosks free or at their doorstep for a fee. India’s most valued retailer has set up 40 such booths in Mumbai. […]
FINANCIAL EXPRESS: Amazon, Flipkart to give much-needed boost to consumer electronics after it suffered demonetisation, GST blows
FINANCIAL EXPRESS: Flushed with funds, these companies will drive sales online by offering attractive offers and discounts. While Flipkart recently raised $1.4 billion from Tencent, eBay and Microsoft, it raised another $2.5 billion from Softbank. Amazon has already committed $5 billion and recently pumped in Rs 1,620 crore in Amazon Sellers Services. Smartphones and laptops will […]
FIRSTPOST: Diwali festive offers: E-commerce companies’ sales seen up 50% on year at $3.3 bn in October
FIRSTPOST: E-commerce companies’ sales during October this year, the festival month, are expected to be 50 percent higher than a year ago simply because of the attractive offers being lined up for the consumers. The range of products that are on sale and easy-to-purchase schemes devised by the companies are a killer combination that consumers may find difficult to ignore. […]
QUARTZ: Nykaa: A former investment banker’s online startup is giving a premium shade to Indian beauty care
QUARTZ: As much as 75% of India’s cosmetics market is unorganised, says consulting firm RedSeer. “Online horizontal retailers that basically sell everything are looking at expanding to categories beyond mobile phones and fashion,” Shubham Anand at RedSeer said. Since beauty is closely related to fashion, “we see more efforts from large online retailers such as […]
LIVEMINT: When buying shapes the narrative
LIVEMINT: Festive buying remained buoyant in a slowing economy. E-commerce firms’ sales grew 50% over the last year, recording $2.2 billion in sales in the one-month festive season until Diwali, according to RedSeer Consulting. Click Here for the full Article.