Competition in the booming multi-billion dollar Indian smartphone market is further set to intensify with e-commerce giants Amazon, Flipkart and Snapdeal all set to launch Google's much-awaited sub-$100 (around Rs 6,000) handsets on Monday.
In 2018, venture debt providers cumulatively deployed Rs 1,300 crore. This year, the market is expected to absorb venture debt of Rs 1,800 crore to Rs 2,000 crore. So what makes this asset class so attractive?
In its first acquisition in India, the American online retail giant is planning to buy out the fashion portal
However, the firm continued with its operation in the Indian market.
The likes of Microsoft and Cohesity have offered crore plus salaries to some students.
The proposed e-commerce rule book issued recently by the ministry of consumer affairs does not mention foreign companies or foreign direct investment (FDI) at any place, unlike most other government guidelines for the sector so far. That is a heartening development since the latest proposals could be fine-tuned as e-commerce policy.
Amazon India is waiting for clarifications from the government on several aspects of the latest FDI guidelines to be able to carry on with business in the country. Sources said, no new investment is likely till at least the second half of 2019.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday unveiled a Rs 39.45 lakh crore Budget with a view to fire up the key engines of the economy to sustain a world-beating recovery from the pandemic. This was Sitharaman's fourth Budget. While the taxpayers were left in the lurch, once again, was she able to cheer Corporate India?
The Chinese billionaire and founder of Alibaba is said to be planning a significant investment in business to business e-tailing as well as payment services and logistics companies.
Unlike the race to buy airwaves by telecom companies, airports by infrastructure companies and city gas networks by energy companies, the race to develop super apps by consumer-facing companies in India has not brushed up against any regulatory issues. Officials at the ministry of electronics and information technology and at other regulators are happy they do not have to meddle in who among the Tata group, Reliance Industries Ltd, Flipkart or Paytm will manage to build an app that sweeps in customers. Unlike separate apps a customer uses on her mobile to order groceries, buy food or airline tickets or just make payments, a super app can perform all these functions.
By value, however, electronic goods still account for a large portion of gross merchandise
The Tiger Global-backed company says the layoffs would affect all teams.
It is still "discounts" that e-commerce players have to rely on to bring in customers, though they might claim otherwise.
The market price action seems to point in this direction. Let's hope we finally break out. It is about time! asserts Akash Prakash.
Myntra, Flipkart are doing more than 60% of their transactions on phones.
Higher advertising spends to grab customer eyeballs take a toll on startups across segments
The chamber has sought clarity from government to remove uncertainty among businesses
While the talks are still at a preliminary stage, sources said major retail players had held discussions with Amazon
The legal regime does not permit home delivery of medicines, tough owing to situation of COVID-19 pandemic and an emergency-like situation, the government allowed the home delivery of medicines but it was meant for only neighbourhood pharmacies, AIOCD said.
The phone is expected to cost around Rs 25,000.
Zomato has the potential to be an equally important milestone for Indian equity markets, notes Akash Prakash.
An emergency arbitration hearing between Amazon and retail conglomerate Future Group took place last week and a verdict is expected in the next few days, according to sources.
While Team Indus had backing from Nandan Nilekani, Ratan Tata and Flipkart founders Sachin and Binny Bansal, it could not even muster half of the Rs 4.5 billion it required for the mission to the moon.
E-commerce in India could grow to $137 billion by 2020 from $11 billion in 2013, says Morgan Stanley, and firms like Amazon, local market leader Flipkart and rival Snapdeal, backed by Japan's SoftBank, are fighting for a bigger share.
E-commerce companies are seeing an increase in demand for products such as fresh fruits and vegetables, milk, flour, rice, and lentils, and personal hygiene items like sanitisers and soaps and household cleaning products. Other products include instant noodles, baby food and Ayurvedic items. "There is even a huge spike in pet food," said a person.
These start-ups are different from the ones that have made it big in India.
The US-based firm already has two fulfilment centres in Mumbai and Bengaluru.
The largest e-commerce entity of China is setting up its first India office -- an indication that it intends to capture a pie of the growing e-commerce market here. Raghavendra Kamath & Alnoor Peermohamed report.
Gits now has super food mixes like brown rice and flax seeds idli mix, oats idli mix and such other products. It has also launched an organic and vegan version of ready meals abroad. It also has an e-store, besides selling through Flipkart, Amazon and Big Basket.
In the start-up world, hitting the $1-billion mark, which accords the "Unicorn" tag, is a milestone. Enterprises typically reach the milestone only by series C or series D, or three to four funding rounds later. Zeta achieved it at the first one. On May 25, the six-year-old banking tech firm raised $250 million from Japanese conglomerate SoftBank, at a post-money valuation of $1.45 billion. "This is the first time we have raised institutional money," Zeta co-founder Bhavin Turakhia beamed on the conference call. This trajectory is uncommon in start-ups.
Chinese mobile brands are deeply entrenched in the Indian market. A move to bar them may send a bold diplomatic message. But its cost for the local industry is anybody's guess. In the event that Chinese brands face curbs, two handset makers - Samsung and Apple - squarely stand to gain.
'It's pretty likely that Kissinger, Rice et al came bearing gifts (read Trojan Horses) from McDonnell Douglas, Boeing, Grumman, Northrop, and all the other Military Industrial Complex stalwarts,' argues Rajeev Srinivasan.
The new online store, which will be launched on September 23, will provide customers with the same premium experience found in Apple Store locations around the world, delivered by online team members who are ready to offer their expertise, Apple said in a statement.
Amazon India Country Head Amit Agarwal refers to all talk of mergers as 'noise'. 'All this is a distraction, when the focus should be on the customer,' he says.
'While we may speculate about personality politics, the reality is that there are more important issues that drive the India-US relationship.'
In 2015, e-commerce contributed significantly to the growth in television advertising revenues.
The big breakthrough in e-commerce came in October when the big three of Flipkart, Amazon and Snapdeal went into an overdrive to win customers and offered pre-Diwali sales with eye-popping discounts.
With consumers staying indoors and e-commerce firms extending their reach to a larger number of pin codes, these giants have snatched a larger share from the offline traders this season.
The Delhi High Court on Tuesday permitted Chinese mobile phone maker Xiaomi to sell and import Qualcomm chipset based handsets till January 8, as a temporary measure.
Kapoor charges between Rs 3 and Rs 3.5 crore for a day's work for a brand. His current roster of brands include Asian Paints, Pepsi, Panasonic, Renault, Flipkart, Macroman, Saavn, and Hero MotoCorp.
