In the excitement over the allocation of bank licences for the private sector, a new category of licence offered by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) last year went almost unnoticed. That was when the RBI consolidated the rules for prepaid payment instruments (PPI), popularly understood as e-wallets or gift cards. In the process, the regulator has fast-forwarded a bottom-up card usage industry in India that is completely different from the world of bank-linked credit and debit cards.
"We are the underdogs in this race. Level set, ok. We are the underdogs in this race, but this is a people-powered campaign," Vice President Harris said, addressing a group of 800 fundraisers in Pittsfield, Massachusetts.
Mondelez, Coca-Cola, PepsiCo and Nestle India have been working on bringing down the sugar, salt, and sodium content.
Bengaluru-based United Breweries (UBL), makers of Kingfisher beer, is eying strong growth in the premium beer segment, driven by changing consumer preferences towards premiumisation. "Across categories, premiumisation is taking place as people are looking for better choices and beer is no different. "People are upgrading to better beer and newer brands. We have a good offering of premium brands - Kingfisher's premium variants are Ultra and Ultra Max," Vikram Bahl, chief marketing officer (CMO), UBL, said in an interview.
Buoyed by regulatory overhaul and infrastructure boom, engineering conglomerate Larsen & Toubro (L&T) has identified realty business as one of its growth engines for the next 10 years and plans to acquire land parcels while expanding pre-sales, said a senior company executive. L&T Realty has started looking out to acquire land parcels and grab partnership development opportunities across markets to scale up its business. "We are making some strides in that direction, albeit cautiously.
One has to accept the reality, that to exist in society one can't live, like an island, observes Aarti David.
'This case is not a good example of intellectual property strategy for either sector.'
Despite the mediocrity at large, these films had me in raptures for the emotions they evoked within as a cheering audience, critic and cinephile.
Another trend: A preference for coloured diamonds among brides, who are pairing them with their groom's birthstone. So, along with yellow or white diamonds, they are choosing pink, green, blue sapphires, emeralds or red rubies.
'Primary buyers are commercial taxi and fleet operators and small businessmen.' 'CNG prices have been remarkably stable unlike petrol.'
State real estate regulators are the best option for home-buyers when it comes to seeking relief. The cases are disposed much faster, and the individuals don't need to engage lawyers as the process is simpler, says Tinesh Bhasin.
The Uttar Pradesh government on Friday defended its directive requiring eateries along the kanwar yatra route to display the names of their owners and staff, saying the idea was to bring in transparency, avoid 'potential confusion' and ensure a peaceful yatra.
In its consultation paper Trai addressed three key points including the bundling of channels under bouquets, rampant discounting within bouquets, and the lack of consumer choice.
The CEOs have been discussing a collaboration for some time, according to two people with knowledge of the situation.
For many developers, it may not be a sufficient saving to make it worth creating and maintaining alternatives.
Lamborghini has sold 10,112 cars worldwide -- so India's 100 is certainly a big deal for them. But how big a deal is it for us to peg our consumption theories around, asks Rama Bijapurkar.
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Tata Power sets up camps to explain the benefits of switchover for low-end consumers from their current supplier.
Monetary tightening by the Reserve Bank of India to control the sharp rise in prices has checked the march of Indian consumers up the consumer electronics value chain.
Ensure that the meals provided in their tiffins and snack breaks are colourful, says Dr Imran Patel.
Car sales are experiencing a challenging phase with around Rs 60,000 crore worth of inventory lying unsold with dealers.
There is hope for us non-vegetarians. At least some enlightened judges believe diet is a personal choice. Here's to Maansh Wapsi.
Sukanya Verma recommends watching CTRL on a computer for an eerie, immersive, real-time experience.
'As we enter 2025, it must be acknowledged that there is a convergence of capital, influential people (from business and politics) and technology deciding the destiny of others in the name of pride, patriotism, nationalism, nation building, all of it thinly veiled disguises for personal profit and glory,' asserts Shyam G Menon.
An online company would show a particular price to the customer and then quickly increase the cost after analysing consumer behaviour or detecting any kind of desperation.
'Food inflation is important and if that is controlled, then consumption will go up.'
The research team that comprised Myungwoo Nam of INSEAD in Singapore, Jing Wang of University of Iowa, and Angela Lee of Northwestern University, detailed their findings in the Journal of Consumer Research.
Only borrow an amount that can be repaid comfortably. The ratio of total EMI to take-home salary should not exceed 40 per cent.
A WGC survey says that there is no dearth of gold demand, but there is lack of trust among prospective gold buyers, not only in India but globally.
Christened Smart Choice, PepsiCo launched the first such cafe in Chennai recently to promote its key category -- the health segment - which was marketed under the name Snack Smart.
Prepare a batch of Lemon Iced Tea. Keep sipping it through the day. Add a tot of liquor to convert to a cocktail.
'Their chemistry is organic and authentic, making them an appealing choice for collaborative endorsements.'
India has been a tea sipping society. But the aromatic wave of coffee culture is wafting across it.
'The decrease in the popularity of white cars and the rise in preference for darker colours like black, grey, and blue over the past three years reflect changing consumer attitudes.'
The Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena faction has submitted to the Election Commission its three options of a trident, rising sun or mashaal (burning torch) for its poll symbol, sources said on Sunday.
The two-wheeler segment has shown signs of recovery in the first half (H1) of calendar year (CY) 2024, largely driven by improving performance in rural areas. According to the Federation of Automobile Dealers Associations, rural contribution to two-wheeler sales surged by 57-60 per cent in the April-June quarter of 2024-25, indicating a rising demand in these regions. Experts believe that this trend will continue, supported by a favourable monsoon season and government initiatives aimed at rural development.
'Sometimes I remind myself to take that moment and think and appreciate that I've been given so much and I've earned it as well.'
Much of the loudest opposition comes from those in the start-up world, who fear this would put them at a disadvantage in reaching new users
There is nothing to be worried about as bilateral ties are robust with solid foundations. Both are on the same page on the economic and defence/security ties bilaterally and globally and that shall continue irrespective of change in political dispensation in either country, points out Dr Rajaram Panda.
We have to ensure that mergers do not substantially reduce competition and consumer choice, says Indian Finance Minister P Chidambaram.
Some regulators are already unleashing their own algorithms to track and understand pricing software of e-commerce companies. While companies collude on pricing, governments are collaborating on curbing online malpractices. The legal liability of an algorithmic decision will be interpreted as legal liability of an entity of an individual. Anti-trust activities of algorithms will not go unchallenged in any economy.
