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With Prime Minister <keyword id="6354477" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Narendra-Modi">Narendra Modi</keyword> slated to visit the Mecca of technology, Silicon Valley, at the end of the month, Digital India is back in news. But while PM Modi is all set to woo technology giants such as <keyword id="6354576" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Facebook">Facebook</keyword>, <keyword id="6355629" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Google">Google</keyword>, <keyword id="165037" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="NetApp">NetApp</keyword> and <keyword id="145865" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Adobe-Systems">Adobe Systems</keyword> among others, here are five concerns that he needs to address before he preps up for yet another chalk talk on September 26 and 27. 
 
Address the spectrum issue 
 
The first and foremost requisite for Digital India is the internet penetration. At present, this seems to be a challenge as there is a major spectrum crunch in the country. The rate at which call drops have been registered is disturbing and at this rate, providing seamless high-speed internet seems to be a distant dream. Telecos too have been complaining about tower shortages and spectrum crunch. So, unless this issue is not addressed, it will continue to be a major setback for PM Modi’s dream of digitally empowering every Indian. 
 
Corruption and red-tapism 
 
Digital India has attracted generous amount of funds-- Rs4.5 lakh crore being pledged by the companies across sector. However, corruption and lackadaisical approach is seen as a trademark for the Indian bureaucracy. While, we all know that the initiative is being monitored by a committee under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Modi, however, it would still be a tedious task to execute a massive project such as this efficiently. 
 
Efficient execution of the plan 
 
Digital India means connecting every Indian via internet. The government needs to take care of the minutest details of the initiative. There has to seamless coordination between different departments in order to successfully implement the project, which is yet another humongous task! 
 
Protection from data hacks and security threats 
 
The US academicians who have urged Silicon Valley leaders to be careful with PM Modi’s pitch, have a valid point to make. With information available online, how does the government ensure that it is adequately protected from hacks and security threats? This is especially a major area of concern as cyber experts expect wars to be cyber wars, which makes an average Indian citizen all the more vulnerable. 
 
“We are concerned that the project’s potential for increased transparency in bureaucratic dealings with people is threatened by its lack of safeguards about privacy of information, and thus its potential for abuse,” they said in their open letter to the technology firms. Besides, the academicians have also raised questions about one’s freedom of speech. 
 
“As it stands, “Digital India” seems to ignore key questions raised in India by critics concerned about the collection of personal information and the near certainty that such digital systems will be used to enhance surveillance and repress the constitutionally- protected rights of citizens. These issues are being discussed energetically in public in India and abroad. Those who live and work in Silicon Valley have a particular responsibility to demand that the government of India factor these critical concerns into its planning for digital futures,” they added. 
 
Estimated timeline of the project 
 
Every project should have a timeline. But the point here is what is the timeline for Digital India, especially since it is a massive project closely associated with PM Modi’s other ambitious projects such as Smart Cities and Make in India. What is the deadline for the project? By when can we expect Digital India to be fully implemented in the country? These are just a few simple questions that we would like our Prime Minister Modi to answer before his high-tea with the tech leaders of the world.

Digital India: 5 issues that Prime
Minister Narendra Modi needs to address

Leading omnichannel diagnostics platform <keyword id="11367931" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="redcliffe-lifetech" source="Orion">Redcliffe Lifetech</keyword> on Friday said it has raised $61 million led by LeapFrog Investments, and will expand its reach into tier 2, 3 and 4 cities across the country. The new funds will also be utilised to scale its platform and increase its product offerings to radiology, disease data profiling and lifestyle management, the company said in a statement. "Preventative medicine is the future of health in India. This investment will help us scale rapidly to achieve our goal to reach 500 million Indians within the next five years," said Dheeraj Jain, Founder of <keyword id="5857293" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Redcliffe" source="Orion">Redcliffe</keyword> Lifetech. The latest funding round saw participation from Healthquad, Schroders, LC Nueva, Growth Spark Ventures and existing investors Chiratae Ventures and Alkemi Venture Partners. "Redcliffe is an exemplar of LeapFrog's focus on digital-led and asset-light business models that enable access to essential healthcare services to emerging consumers," said Biju Mohandas, Partner and Global Co-Leader for Health Investments at LeapFrog Investments. Redcliffe delivers diagnostics services in its network of22 labs across 14 cities, several of which are already NABL accredited. Its omni-channel infrastructure combines innovative online channels with a fleet of 400 phlebotomists operating in more than 100 cities with home sample collection and an off-line network of 500 collection centres. SEE ALSO <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/zomato-policybazaar-nykaa-and-paytm-shares-witness-sharp-corrections/articleshow/91365062.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink" style="">New-age startups Zomato, PolicyBazaar, Nykaa and Paytm witness sharp corrections, market cap craters by over ₹6,000 crore</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/ril-tvs-motor-voltas-among-stocks-to-watch-out-for-on-may-6/slidelist/91362043.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink">RIL, TVS Motor, Voltas among stocks to watch out for on May 6</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/delhivery-ipo-size-cut-down-by-a-third-due-to-market-volatility-and-lic-ipo-say-analysts/articleshow/91348072.cms">Delhivery IPO size cut down by a third due to market volatility and LIC IPO, say analysts</a>

Omnichannel diagnostics platform Redcliffe Lifetech raises $61 million

<ul><li>The campaign kicks off with the release of pop-culture inspired brand film, conceptualised by <keyword id="10716961" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="scaler" source="Orion">Scaler</keyword>'s Marketing and Creative team.</li><li>The digital campaign aims to break through the noise in the edtech segment and voices the need for talent that is both skilled and motivated to make a difference in the world.</li><li>Scaler has earmarked Rs 100 crore for marketing and branding activities for the year 2022.</li></ul>Scaler, one of the fastest-growing tech upskilling startups, today kicked off its brand marketing campaign with a film that draws on popular shows and internet references as it takes the audience through an exciting premise that builds up to the punch line. The campaign, which will be run on digital platforms over the course of the next few weeks, aims to throw light on the enduring skill gap in the technology space and the urgent need to address the same. <div type="Youtube" id="E50jsn6dcuA" title="SCALER - #CreateImpact" thumbUrl="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/E50jsn6dcuA/mqdefault.jpg"></div> Through the campaign, Scaler aims to reiterate the importance of practical exposure and industry relevance in talent and the true value potential of a robust skillset, which empowers the holders to create a meaningful impact through whatever they do. The brand urges techies to imbibe the true value and create a resilient repository of practical capabilities, shifting the onus of 'creating impact' onto the techies themselves. Scaler has also announced a marketing budget of INR 100 crore for 2022. The core focus is to leverage digital media's power by creating IPS, curating branded content, and choosing the right voices to partner with for influencer campaigns to accurately convey the brand's value proposition to its niche audience. Speaking about the film, Abhimanyu Saxena, Co-founder, InterviewBit &amp; Scaler Academy, said - "Scaler has always been a proponent of the importance of having the right set of skills to perform any given role, and believes that securing a good job, while important and gratifying, is not the sole purpose of acquiring a skillset. The gap in skills that we are currently witnessing in the industry, acerbated even more by the rapid digitalisation that followed in the wake of Covid-19, has brought to light the need to not only keep oneself relevant by updating one's skill set but also the value of thinking beyond oneself and using one's skills to effectively address and overcome key challenges in the way we work and live." The campaign launch will be largely digital-led, following a double-pronged approach, with the brand film being 'pushed' to consumers via channels such as OTT, YouTube, and other social media, and from the 'pull' perspective, supported with memes, social media engagement activities, and other content collaborations across genres and geographies. In addition to crowdsourcing memes from their very own learner community (<a href="https://twitter.com/memersofscaler">@memersofscaler</a>), Scaler also plans to curate a series of brand engagements with niche influencers in the edutainment space, the likes of MBA Chaiwala, Soch by Mohak, RJ Abhinav, and Dhruv Rathee, to name a few. The campaign will also be further extended through regional content, beginning with the brand's first web series partnership with Chai Bisket for the popular Telugu show 30 weds 21, in its second season. Rahul Karthikeyan, Chief Marketing Officer, Scaler, added, "In the past, we have seen considerable success with our BTL approach, and this only reaffirms our belief that a unique value proposition like ours is best conveyed to our target audiences through engaging storytelling that effectively rises above the noise in the sector. Through our campaign efforts, we endeavour to build a meaningful connection with our audience, which ultimately transitions into consumer advocacy for the brand in the long term." Scaler is also proactively building a community of enthusiastic developers and coders on new-age platforms in an endeavour to bring the country's aspiring coding talent together. With over 96,000 members, Scaler runs India's largest active <a href="https://discord.com/invite/scaler">online tech community</a> on Discord, where tech enthusiasts share their knowledge with community members, collaborate for projects and discuss everything about technology. In addition, the company also runs the Scaler Star program, which helps in growing and engaging the community with the help of dedicated community ambassadors.

Scaler's campaign pulls off a people's heist to say skills matter more than degrees in advancing your career

<ul><li>Indian <keyword id="2526464" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="B2B-e-commerce">B2B e-commerce</keyword> platform <keyword id="6357316" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Udaan">udaan</keyword> has raised $280 million in additional financing.</li><li>The startup’s valuation has soared to $3.1 billion, from its last reported valuation of $2.8 billion in 2019.</li><li>udaan claims to have over 3 million users across 900 cities and 25,000 sellers across the country.</li></ul>Indian B2B e-commerce platform udaan has raised $280 million. The additional financing was led by the startup’s existing investors Lightspeed, DST Global, GGV Capital, Altimeter, and Tencent, while two new investors Octahedron Capital and Moonstone Capital too participated. The latest round takes udaan’s overall funds raised to $1.15 billion. According to <a href="https://techcrunch.com/2021/01/06/indian-b2b-e-commerce-startup-udaan-raises-280-million/">reports</a>, the startup’s valuation has soared to $3.1 billion, from its last reported valuation of $2.8 billion in 2019. udaan works as a marketplace for products across lifestyle, electronics, home and kitchen, staples, fruits and vegetables, FMCG, toys and general merchandise. Its clients are manufacturers and business owners like shopkeepers. The startup’s co-founder Amod Malviya said that COVID-19 accelerated the already fast digital-led evolution of India’s trade and retail industry, which has led to udaan’s growth. “udaan is at the forefront of this uniquely Indian <keyword id="436047" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Ecommerce">eCommerce</keyword> opportunity, emerging in the last 4 years as one of the largest eCommerce platforms in India, while taking an India-first mobile-first approach to e-commerce. This financing enables us to further our journey of taking eCommerce to the depth and breadth of the country, with udaan’s unique low-cost model for core middle India,” said Malviya. udaan claims to have over 3 million users across 900 cities and 25,000 sellers across the country. With the latest funding, the startup aims to expand its product categories, enhancing its technology platform and supply chain infrastructure, among other things. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/boat-raises-over-100-million-from-warburg-pincus-analysts-expect-the-headphone-brand-to-double-its-revenue-to-10-billion-this-financial-year/articleshow/80126200.cms">boAt raises over $100 million from Warburg Pincus — analysts expect the headphone brand to double its revenue to ₹10 billion this financial year</a>

Indian B2B e-commerce startup udaan raises $280 million, valuation jumps to over $3 billion

Freshworks, an Indian cloud-based <keyword id="9231180" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="SaaS-Company">SaaS company</keyword>, is organizing a summit to provide a deep dive into digital-first customer experience. Freshworks’ philosophy is simple — empower its customer to deliver delight with software that is simple, agile and intuitive. While larger companies can depend on IT teams to deploy CX solutions, smaller businesses face constraints of resources and budgets. And that’s where Freshworks steps in. The customer experience (CX) is the feeling that every customer takes away after an interaction with a brand. It’s a crucial part of the transaction that makes or mars the brand’s image. A strong customer experience is the best way to attract more consumers, ensure their loyalty and grow revenue through repeat sales. However, many organizations struggle to create that experience in a new digital-first world which has been disrupted by the pandemic and evolving consumers’ buying trends. Digital-led experiences will continue to grow in popularity even after the pandemic ends, and companies that act fast and innovate their operations will establish a superior advantage. Just as home-delivery has evolved from a ‘nice-to-have’ to a must-have, digital-first experiences are now integral to customer retention. Even if we forget about the pandemic for a second, the impact of poor CX goes beyond customer dissatisfaction. Negative CX leads to increasing support tickets, in turn increasing operational workload and unnecessary costs. In the new normal, CX isn’t limited to onboarding customers through various online channels but also integrating services and leveraging their potential. It’s essential for businesses to clearly understand their customers, their preferences, habits, and patterns to mould a perfect experience. At <keyword id="6474664" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Re">RE</keyword>:SOLVE, Freshworks will showcase how some of India’s most popular digital-first brands leveraged its tools to become digital-first and improve their customer experience. The future shall consist of contactless transactions powered by chatbots, omnichannel sales via multiple platforms, and close integration with chat apps like WhatsApp. Freshworks is bringing together some of India’s biggest digital disruptors to uncover what drives their success. Companies including Byju’s, Dunzo, Lenskart, and PhonePe will share their strategies and practices to inspire many more organisations. The conference shall be live-streamed globally and consists of three tracks — CX on mobile apps, optimisation of customer service, and modern stacks for customer support. Attendees can also benefit from live curated masterclasses that will help them take away actionable steps to evolve CX in their own organizations. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="RE:SOLVE, a summit on digital-first customer experience" comment="subhead" text="RE:SOLVE, a summit on digital-first customer experience">RE:SOLVE, a summit on digital-first customer experience</cmsannotation> With readily available tools, top-notch customer support, and minimal requirement of customisations, Freshworks is best suited to take the lead. With RE:SOLVE, it intends to show that the digital transformation of CX isn’t as difficult as it seems to be. For businesses considering a shift, RE:SOLVE is the perfect place to understand the nitty-gritty of digital CX, implementation of Freshworks software, and how it can permanently change its business model to embrace digital-first engagement channels. Right from sales to support, one can accomplish all under one roof. An added attraction for attendees will be the keynote session by cricketing legend Adam Gilchrist. In conversation with Freshworks’ Co-founder and CEO Girish Mathrubootham, Gilchrist will draw parallels between cricketing as well customer experiences by sharing how both involve learning, disrupting and winning. RE:SOLVE is scheduled for August 26 and is open to all. Just visit the<a href="https://bit.ly/BIxAr"> registration page</a> and fill-up the form to reserve your seat at the forefront of an ongoing digital revolution. Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post in partnership with Freshworks SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/corporates/news/infibeam-avenues-is-looking-to-acquire-a-point-of-sale-company/articleshow/85292156.cms">INTERVIEW: Infibeam Avenues is looking to acquire a point-of-sale company</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/travel-app-ixigo-files-for-a-1600-crore-ipo/articleshow/85292327.cms">Travel app ixigo files for a ₹1,600 crore IPO</a>

Freshworks announces RE:SOLVE, a summit for digital-first customer experience featuring prominent Indian brands

<ul><li><keyword id="100578" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Sharekhan">Sharekhan</keyword> today announced its foray into digital-led <keyword id="2888417" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Discount-broking">discount broking</keyword> with a new platform – Espresso.</li><li>In an interview with Business Insider, R Kalyanaraman, Espresso’s Chief Customer Officer, explains why for the 20-year old firm, discount broking was seen as the ‘need of the hour’ to serve India’s new age stock broking investor – the millennial Indian. </li><li>In a bid to win the confidence of the consumer, Espresso works on a model where it will take brokerage fees for intra-day trading only if the user makes a profit.</li></ul>Leading stock broking firm Sharekhan today announced its foray into digital-led discount broking with a new platform – Espresso. For the 20-year old firm, discount broking was seen as the ‘need of the hour’ to serve India’s new age stock broking investor – the millennial Indian. And interestingly, in a bid to win the confidence of the consumer, Espresso works on a model where it will take brokerage fees for intra-day trading only if the user makes a profit. In an interview with Business Insider, R. Kalyanaraman, Espresso’s Chief Customer Officer, talks about Espresso and the company’s plan to take no charge for brokerages services if you register a loss in an intra-day trade. Discount broking foray Kalyan believes that multiple things have happened in the last three-five years that led to Sharekhan’s entry into discount broking. “There is clearly a segmentation of customers. One which seeks services from a full services broker like Sharekhan, they need a relationship manager, reports, and a lot more hand-holding. And in the last few years, we have observed the trend that there are a lot of new to market investors who want to do things by themselves,” he said. So Espresso was built for this emerging clan of customers who just needed digital support but would trade the DIY way. “An Espresso customer would be very different from a Sharekhan consumer,” he said. Espresso will be competing with the likes of Zerodha who have already garnered a good reputation in the market. Espresso Competition <table style="border-width: initial; border-style: none; width: 468pt; table-layout: fixed;"></colgroup><tbody><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Company </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Users </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Angel Broking </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">2.15 million </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Zerodha </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">3 million </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Paytm Money (Mutual funds. Stock broking launched recently) </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">6.6 million </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Groww </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">80 lakh </td></tr></tbody></table>Source: Company data Building for the millennial customer Right from the name ‘Espresso’ to the look and feel of the website, it doesn’t look like a traditional stock broking firm. Kalyan says it was an intentional step to build a product for the new-age customer. “The whole idea of branding the new company Espresso was to communicate in clear terms that investing is not a taboo – it’s not something to dread about,” he said. Kalyan shared that in the past few months, discount brokers account for nearly 60-70% of the total new accounts opened, which shows that the average investor age group is getting younger. Sharekhan CEO Jaideep Arora shared during a conference call with reporters that while they have already invested ₹50 crore in Espresso, they would invest more ₹25-30 crore along the way. Free brokerage if you register a loss in intra-day transactions Espresso has also made a bold move with a ‘Pay When You Profit’ pricing model for intra-day trading. With this, the company will charge brokerage fees only when you make a profit on the same day trading. “The idea was to give the customer an additional chance to learn from their mistakes. I’m trying to say that for an intra-day trade, even if you make a mistake, don’t worry, don’t pay me brokerage. There are multiple ways to connect with the customer and this is our way of saying we are in this for the long haul,” said Kalyan. And he dismisses that this model might not be sustainable. Instead, he says if they can build credibility with this model, they will show the consumer that they “are partnering with the user for the road to success”. “We have a huge support from the balance sheet of BNP Paribas (Sharekhan’s parent company) and we can go ahead and paint the town red. We chose not to do so because we don’t want to just spend money and acquire customers. We hope to make a serious name in the stock broking industry and be in the top 3 in the next five years,” said Kalyan. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/news/smaaash-shuts-down-founder-calls-it-a-premature-death-for-the-company/articleshow/78251754.cms">Smaaash shuts down – founder calls it a ‘premature death’ for the company</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/insurancedekho-raises-its-maiden-20-million-from-parent-co-plans-to-expand-to-its-reach-in-the-real-bharat/articleshow/78250655.cms">INTERVIEW: InsuranceDekho raises its maiden $20 million from parent co – plans to expand to its reach in the ‘real Bharat’</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/apps/news/dailyhunt-to-launch-family-of-bharat-apps-claiming-it-can-push-a-new-mobile-app-every-three-days/articleshow/78250283.cms">EXCLUSIVE: Dailyhunt is curating an entire family of 'Bharat' apps — claims it can push a new mobile app every three days</a>

INTERVIEW: Sharekhan’s new discount broking platform will take no fees for a loss-making trade

<ul><li>The usual fervor of the Big Fat Indian Summer weddings have given way to downsized miniature ceremonies this year.</li><li>However, the global pandemic hasn’t affected Indians’ love for weddings. </li><li><keyword id="3237946" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Sandeep-Lodha">Sandeep Lodha</keyword>, CEO, OYO’s Weddingz.in voiced his optimism for the recovery of the sector. </li><li>He spoke to us about the brand's journey, COVID-19’s impact and projections for 2021 and how they are sticking to their idea of togetherness in times of social distancing. </li></ul>It was at a wedding that Sandeep Lodha, CEO, OYO’s Weddingz.in conceived the idea of starting a brand that could cater to the rising need for professional and organised wedding-related venue and non-venue requirements for the new-age, tech-savvy consumer. The idea was simple. Lodha wanted his Weddingz.in to be a one-stop-shop that enables the promise of a great event at guaranteed best prices and allows the bride and groom to focus on their dream wedding and not worry about mundane tasks. Walking us behind the idea that led to Weddingz.in, Lodha shared, “It all started in 2015, while I was attending a relative’s wedding. I realized that the Indian <keyword id="562840" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="wedding-industry">wedding industry</keyword> hadn't changed at all since 1999 when I got married. In fact, it was still very fragmented and disorganized, in terms of promises made by vendors vis-a-vis lack of delivery, which became one of the biggest pain points for to-be-weds as well as their families. I realised among all services, the largest investment or budget was allotted to venues alone, and poorly managed catering, sound, decor, among other elements threw a spanner in the works for the couple on their big day.” He saw an immense opportunity to organise the wedding sector with technological solutions, and he believes that the wedding industry still has a long way to go as an average Indian parent spends about one-fifth of the wealth accumulated in his/her lifetime on their child’s wedding. According to a KPMG report, India’s current wedding market is at $50 billion, growing rapidly every year. In 2018, Weddingz.in was acquired by OYO and has grown leaps and bounds since. As per Lodha, Weddingz.in is the largest wedding company in India that offers venue and non-venue wedding-related services. “Within the first year of acquisition, we scaled great heights. Just last year (2019), we executed over 27,000+ events and just before the pandemic-led nation-wide lockdown, we executed 4,000+ successful events in February 2020,” said Lodha. From the 'big-fat Indian wedding' to 'small is the new big' The big-fat Indian wedding industry in our country has never seen a recession period. However, 2020 has been an unusual period for businesses of all shapes and sizes, as well as economies of scale. Weddings that last usually for 4-5 days in India, had to be cut down to only include the main wedding day and ‘small is the new big’ emerged as the biggest trend of the year in the industry. Until early September, weddings were not a grand affair -- the overall spending on elements such as photography, food, decoration, etc also dropped with the number of people. In March 2020, Weddingz.in also saw its revenue dip by 90% but in the same quarter, things started looking up. Telling us how the 5-year-old brand tried to minimise COVID’s impact, Lodha said, “With restrictions on large social gatherings and events including wedding ceremonies, the pandemic has changed the wedding landscape in India. In the initial phase of the lockdown, customers were holding back. During this time, in light of the situation, we offered our existing customers the option of free rescheduling and offered potential value-based packages inclusive of venue, photography and makeup, among others. Owing to this flexibility that we offered our customers, the majority of them chose to reschedule their events, as opposed to cancelling them. Owing to our efforts, in Q1 itself, over 3000+ summer weddings were rescheduled for the latter half of the year, specifically, October-November-December 2020.” Weddingz.in launched a program called ‘Wz Safe’ with a 20+ point checklist to ensure social distancing, hygiene and sanitation across venues and win its audiences’ trust. It also offered flexibility to reschedule events free of charge. During the lockdown, it launched a multi-video conferencing platform called ‘Next Gen Weddingz’, with an emcee and multiple chat rooms. It also allowed the virtual attendees to interact so that they feel as much a part of the celebrations. As of today, the government allows 50-200 guests at the wedding. Weddingz.in’s partners are also scaling their operations by embracing the digital world. “These efforts also enabled our venue partners with online demand during such ‘socially distant’ times. For instance, we’re extremely glad to share that some of our Weddingz.in venue owners that leveraged our online platforms saw approximately 50-60% demand levels, thereby making operations feasible and enabling them with the necessary cash flow to sustain expenses towards rentals, etc. In my opinion, in a way, the pandemic is an accelerant, leading to the ‘digitization’ of events, a trend that we would have seen maybe 5-10 years from today. Since couples are trying to avoid running about and meeting the multiple vendors to fulfil their requirements, there was an uptick in demand for one-stop-shop online solutions that offered packages with all services,” said Lodha. Adding on how the lockdown period accelerated Weddingz.in to become a digital-led company, Lodha said, “This (lockdown period) really pushed us to re-think and accelerate our pace of innovations for sustainable and long-term health of the business. We decided to move on from being a tech-enabled organisation to a tech-driven/led company. Through a three-pronged approach to resurrect, win customer confidence and build for the future, combined with the steady relaxation of government restrictions, as of today, we have been able to reach 75-80% demand of pre-covid levels and believe this will continue to grow month-on-month in 2021.” Trends in 2020 and 2021 Brides and grooms are now taking the punt to travel to a different state and have their dream weddings with a smaller group of people. Commenting on the trends that emerged during 2020, Lodha shared, “We’re seeing an upswing in inquiries/demand for destination weddings - couples are opting to tie the knot across exotic locations like palaces, beach-side venues, outdoor farms or even in-city affordable resorts. Preference for open-air lawns or alternatively, booking hotel banquets twice the size for a much safer and socially distanced wedding are also on the rise. Another trend that’s definitely on the rise is live streaming of events for virtual guests/attendees. As couples are also increasingly opting for one-stop-shop solutions to avoid running about and meeting the umpteenth number of vendors to fulfill all their requirements. And of course, if there’s one thing in demand more than others, it has to be a lot of stress on hygiene-focused efforts.” According to Lodha, the wedding industry could roughly be at 35% of pre-covid levels in 2021 if three factors go in their way: the scale of weddings, number of events per wedding and guestlist increase. Lodha explained, “While things are almost there, we are already at 75-80% of pre-covid level demand. Some clients still continue to postpone their events but most are now taking the punt and going ahead with it. Secondly, the customer’s willingness to go ahead with pre-wedding ceremonies like Sangeet, Mehendi, Haldi etc. will help the industry bounce back sooner and steadily. In the short term, small and intimate functions may take place, however, large scale events will take time to make a comeback. For the winter wedding season, we saw a rise in guestlist (depending on region-wise relaxation of restrictions). But as you know, if cases continue to rise, the guestlist may shrink again. We feel as long as Covid is here to stay, the guest list will continue to remain small compared to pre-covid days, but with an upward trend as customers get accustomed to the new normal.” Vision for the brand Weddingz.in is now aiming to be there for its customers from the beginning of their planning and become the most sought after tech-led platform. It is betting big on tech and customer experience-driven path to recovery. “As we enter a new decade, for our customers, we want to be the most sought after platform for weddings in India. We want to truly become a one-stop-shop for all our customer’s requirements and continue delivering on our promise of a 100% great event. To do so, we will enable customers with our technology to plan their wedding right from the beginning. For our partners, we want to enable them to scale up operations by leveraging technology and equip them with the right infrastructure to make customer transactions more transparent, reliable and authentic. We want to create significant value for their business,” said Lodha.

The wedding industry would roughly be at 35% of pre-covid levels in 2021: Sandeep Lodha of Oyo's Weddingz.in

According to two new studies by <keyword id="2681073" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Pluralsight">Pluralsight</keyword>, a technology learning platform, 69 percent of Indian IT professionals believe that online learning is a more effective learning method than offline training. Meanwhile, 90% of IT organizations are gamifying learning. The findings of these studies provide insights into learning styles of the Indian IT professional and how gamifying learning is making it more interesting. Conducted by market research firm <keyword id="6354341" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Kantar-IMRB">KANTAR IMRB</keyword>, the studies surveyed 568 IT professionals across Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad, Pune, NCR, Kolkata and Ahmedabad on how an IT professional in India likes to learn, his views on various learning methods, has he set learning goals for himself and how it links to his personal and career growth. The second report surveyed 106 IT companies across the services and product space and looks at how the <keyword id="6374576" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="IT-Industry">IT industry</keyword> is making learning interesting with <keyword id="1071127" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Gamification">gamification</keyword>, how many companies are adopting it and what experience bracket they believe is the right target for gamified learning. Key findings from the studies include: 1) 97 percent of IT professionals believe in the importance of building one’s technology skills and 74 percent of them have undergone learning programs in 2016 2) 48 percent of IT professionals have set learning goals for themselves in 2017, those who did link it to career growth and better pay 3) 69 percent of IT professionals feel that online learning is more effective than offline training. Only 8 percent of IT professionals consider ILT (instructor-led training) to be an effective learning method 4) 74 percent of IT professionals want freedom in what they learn rather than being directed 5) Just-in-time, byte-sized and repeat learning are emerging as new learning styles 6) 94 percent of IT professionals feel personalization of learning experience, 93 percent feel byte-sized learning and 92 percent feel adaptive online assessments as key developments that will impact learning in next two years Gamification in Learning 1) 90 percent of IT organizations are implementing gamification in learning, 80 percent find gamification relevant and unique 2) 47 percent of the IT industry considers employees with eight or more years of experience as the target audience for gamification, while 37 percent considers employees with 0–8 years as the target audience – breaking the myth that gamification is only for younger employees What people want to learn IT networking, web development and JavaScript are the top three skill areas for learning in 2017. When looking at focus areas according to profession, software developers focus more on web development, while IT operations focus more on IT networking and creative professionals focus more on Photoshop. “With re-skilling being a critical need for Indian IT to prepare for a Digital-led future, it is important to understand how today’s technology professionals learn and how learning can be made interesting for them,” said Arun Rajamani, Country GM at Pluralsight India. “Learning styles have changed over time and are becoming online, personalized and byte-sized. Online learning will play a key role in helping the IT industry reduce the skills gap by helping them assess their skills, find or build the right learning paths, get instant expert help and apply learning interactive labs. Learning must also be made interesting. It is exciting to see the rise of gamification in learning in India. Gamification brings in the 3 elements of progression, pride and play into learning and promotes a socially inclusive culture”, added Arun. Pluralsight’s learning platform is designed to help technology professionals with a <keyword id="3829689" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="digital-ecosystem">digital ecosystem</keyword> of learning tools, including adaptive skill tests, directed learning paths, expert-authored courses, and interactive labs and live mentoring. These tools help inculcate a goal-oriented learning habit via Assessments and Skill Paths, support personalization of learning via Channels, and the modular design of courses helps address byte-sized learning needs of the learners. “Skill development and learning is the key for all level of employees in today’s dynamic technology and business scenario. However, employees are not keen to go through traditional learning program because of several reasons such as paucity of time, ineffective teaching, boredom etc. This is where online learning can play a major role. Gamified learning not only makes the learning process more of fun activity, it also increases learner engagement and effectiveness. If implemented in right manner, gamified learning will enhance the overall learning experience for all experience brackets”, said Indranil Dutta, Account Director, KANTAR IMRB.

A report reveals Indian IT professionals wanting to reskill are finding online learning more effective than offline training

<ul><li>In an exclusive chat with Advertising and Media Insider, Bollywood actor <keyword id="383666" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="varun-dhawan" source="Orion">Varun Dhawan</keyword> shares his thoughts on the state of advertising today, his latest brand association with OPPO and the advantages brands can draw from being active on digital platforms and targeting youth.</li><li>He further shares the parameters he uses to associate with different brands.</li><li>We also spoke to OPPO’s CMO, Damyant Singh Khanoria, to find out more about their ongoing campaign with Varun Dhawan and what lies ahead.</li></ul>Bollywood actor and entrepreneur Varun Dhawan, whose net worth is $25 million according to CA Knowledge, is known for his charming mass appeal and accessibility in the brandverse. He was last seen in Coolie No. 1 and is often called the ‘successor of Govinda’ who doesn’t shy away from serious roles. He rose from his niche after being a part of movies like October and Sui Dhaaga, which also helped add a diverse set of brands to his kitty and find a special place in his fans’ hearts. Over the years, he has worked with brands across categories such as smartphones, automobiles, FMCG, etc. Varun was recently appointed as the face of smartphone brand OPPO for the second time. In an exclusive interview with Ad and Media Insider, Varun told us about his screening process for brand associations and partnership with OPPO. “I put a lot of thought and research while selecting brands to be associated with. I always look out for brands that I can relate with and look for an association that not only helps me get closer to my fans, but also at the same time, help me learn about the latest innovations and trends in other industries,” shared Varun. In order to promote OPPO’s F19 series, Varun changed his Instagram account to <keyword id="12188168" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="vroom-dhawan" source="Orion">Vroom Dhawan</keyword>. It soon caught everyone’s attention and generated a lot of chatter. A day later, OPPO dropped its campaign titled ‘Vroom Dhawan.’ He was seen giving out autographs to his fans with the alias ‘Vroom,’ making his fans curious again. The idea was to promote the new OPPO F19s which comes with a 33W VOOC flash charge, in a gold color that represents the mood of the ongoing festive season. <div type="Youtube" id="Eig8FyIoRAY" title="OPPO F19s | Vroom Dhawan | What's the secret?" thumbUrl="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Eig8FyIoRAY/mqdefault.jpg"></div> To further keep the conversation going, OPPO launched a digital-led campaign featuring Varun in a triple role. <div type="javascript" title="Instagram" contenttype="Video"><cdata><![CDATA[ ]]></cdata></div> Telling us the idea behind the campaign, Damyant Singh Khanoria, CMO, OPPO said, “Fast Charging on the F19s is one of its key product differentiators. And ‘Vroom’, in addition the quirky wordplay with Varun, encapsulates the product benefit in a simple and memorable way. That was our key media strategy behind this - to create a unique Digital only campaign, focussing especially the top channel and high-affinity platforms for reference Instagram.” Brands look for endorsements and associations that help strengthen the connection with their audience. So, what sparked the partnership between OPPO and Varun. “At OPPO, we are committed to bringing industry-leading technology that make a meaningful difference in the lives of our consumers. Varun Dhawan is at the vanguard of the next generation of actors. His effervescent personality and ability as an actor made him the natural choice for the OPPO F series. We’re looking forward to a long association with him in positioning the F series as the smartphone of choice for the youth,” shared Khanoria. Telling us what inspired him to partner with OPPO, Varun added, “OPPO has always inspired me and through our association, I’ve amassed immense knowledge about technology, their commitment to India, and their promise to continuously bring the best of products for their customers. OPPO’s commitment towards their fans and customers is really commendable and this is one of the common grounds to which both of us pay most attention to.” When asked about the state of the advertising industry today and its future, Varun said that in order for brands to succeed in a digital world, they must adopt the digital-first approach. He said, “The advertising and marketing industry is huge and I believe that it has evolved a lot over the years. Every industry is integrating digital platforms in a bid to connect with its audience in a more organic manner. Digital consumption has gone up drastically in the past year and it is here to stay. I believe with the rise of user-generated content, consumers have also become a part of advertising, as they trust the opinions of their peers. OPPO has been at the forefront when it comes to connecting with its customers and delivering relevant and meaningful experiences and I am glad to be a part of this process.”

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