Best printers for Home

Best Mixer Grinder

Best wired Earphones

Best 43 Inch TV in India

Best Wi Fi Routers

Best Home Theatre in India

Smart Watch under 5000

Best Laptops for Education

Best Laptop for Students

<ul><li><keyword id="19902762" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Google" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Google" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="Google">Google</keyword> announced the launch of the <keyword id="20702287" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="Google-Wallet" source="keywords">Google Wallet</keyword> app in India on Wednesday.</li><li>Google Wallet is a <keyword id="20546945" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="digital-wallet" source="keywords">digital wallet</keyword> platform that allows users to store their <keyword id="21409411" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="loyalty-cards" source="keywords">loyalty cards</keyword>, gift cards, boarding passes and more.</li><li>Here’s everything you need to know about the Google Wallet.</li></ul> The Google Wallet has finally been launched in India, after being spotted on the Play Store a few weeks ago. While Google had then dismissed speculation around the launch of the app in India, it has now officially launched the app. For those unaware, Google Wallet is a digital wallet platform that allows users to store their loyalty cards, gift cards, boarding passes and more. Google has partnered with over 20 brands in India and has said that other brands will be added in the coming months. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="What is Google Wallet?" comment="subhead" text="What is Google Wallet?">What is Google Wallet?</cmsannotation> The Google Wallet was first launched in 2011 in the US as a payment app and was relaunched as a digital wallet app in 2022. With Google Wallet, you can store digital versions of your transit passes, office badges, vaccine records, car keys, boarding passes, and even student IDs. Now, nearly two years later, the app has made its way to India, albeit with some changes. While the app in the US allows users to add their debit and credit cards, Indian users will not be able to do so. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Google Wallet for India" comment="subhead" text="Google Wallet for India">Google Wallet for India</cmsannotation> To cater to India, Google has partnered with over 20 of the country’s leading brands, including PVR &amp; Inox, Air India, Indigo, Flipkart, AbhiBus, Kochi Metro and more. For India, the Google Wallet app will only work as a digital wallet and users will not be able to add their debit or credit cards. For this purpose, Indian users can continue to use the <keyword id="19907218" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Google-Pay" source="keywords">Google Pay</keyword> app. "The arrival of Google Wallet in India marks an important milestone in Android's India journey, bringing innovative and convenient experiences to simplify peoples' daily lives. We are delighted to partner with many of India's top brands to offer a comprehensive solution that helps you securely access and manage your everyday essentials. From boarding passes to loyalty cards, and event tickets to public transport passes - they're there when you need them,” said Ram Papatla, GM and India Engineering Lead, Android at Google. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Google Pay to continue" comment="subhead" text="Google Pay to continue">Google Pay to continue</cmsannotation> In February 2024, Google announced that it would replace the Google Pay app with the Google Wallet in the US. While Google has now launched the Google Wallet in India, the Google Pay app will continue to work as usual in the country. The Google Pay app already has a huge user base in the country, alongside PhonePe. As per NPCI data, over 5 billion transactions were done on Google Pay in April 2024. "Google Pay is not going anywhere. It will remain our primary payment app. Google Wallet is specifically tailored for non-payment use cases," Papatla added. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/mobile/news/google-has-silently-launched-the-pixel-8a-in-india-starting-at-52999/articleshow/109937286.cms">Google has quietly launched the Pixel 8a in India starting at ₹52,999</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/auto/webstories/top-selling-cars-in-india-in-april-2024-tata-punch-continues-to-dominate/slidelist/109909744.cms">Top-selling cars in India in April 2024 – Tata Punch continues to dominate</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/mobile/news/global-smartphone-shipments-grow-by-6-in-q1-2024-samsung-retakes-the-top-spot/articleshow/109817280.cms">Global smartphone shipments grow by 6% in Q1 2024, Samsung retakes the top spot</a>

Google Wallet launched in India – store your loyalty cards, boarding passes and more

A Delhi consumer forum has directed the <keyword id="13222" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="sbi" source="Orion">SBI</keyword> Cards &amp; Payments Services Pvt. Ltd. to pay Rs 2 lakh to a person here for sending him bill even after his card's expiry and blacklisting him for non-payment of the charges. The New Delhi District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum comprising its president Monika A Srivastava and members Kiran Kausal and Umesh Kumar Tyagi directed the company to pay the amount to M J Anthony, a former journalist, for "deficiency in providing services". The forum noted that the company had blacklisted him in the CIBIL system of the wilful defaulters maintained by the RBI, which resulted in the rejection of his applications for credit cards from another bank where he had maintained regular account for nearly two decades. "This Commission is of the view that the SBI Cards &amp; Payments Services Pvt. Ltd. has been deficient in providing services to the complainant and though the damage/loss occasioned to the complainant in terms of credit rating cannot be measured in terms of money yet punitive damage ought to be awarded against OP (opposite party) therefore, OP is directed to compensate the complainant by paying a sum of Rs 2 lakh as compensation within two months from the date of this order failing which the sum payable would be Rs 3 lakh," the forum said. The forum passed the order on May 20 on Anthony's complaint seeking compensation, claiming that he had requested the company to cancel his card in April 2016 much before its expiry and not to renew it. He did not use the card for any transaction after April 9, 2016 and had destroyed the card according to rules, he said, adding that no payment was due at that time on the card. In September, the complainant received a letter from the company about the cancellation of his card, however, the company continued to send bills relating to the card ignoring his protest e-mails, he said. The bills were to the tune of Rs 2,946 by May 18, 2017 inclusive of late payment charges and penalty, he said. He stated that in the same letter, the company had warned him to pay the bill otherwise it would "have adverse impact on the credit history as maintained by the credit Bureau and may hamper future credit requirement". The company further blacklisted him in the CIBIL system of the wilful defaulters maintained by RBI and he had trouble in getting loans or credit card. During the argument, the company had denied the allegations. SEE ALSO:<a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/personal-finance/news/how-some-companies-are-helping-habitual-borrowers-consolidate-their-loans/articleshow/100494588.cms" target="_blank"></a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/personal-finance/news/how-some-companies-are-helping-habitual-borrowers-consolidate-their-loans/articleshow/100494588.cms" target="_blank">Neck deep in debt? Here’s how some companies are helping habitual borrowers consolidate their loans</a><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/indians-want-to-spend-the-2000-note-but-it-doesnt-look-easy/articleshow/100496839.cms" target="_blank"></a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/indians-want-to-spend-the-2000-note-but-it-doesnt-look-easy/articleshow/100496839.cms" target="_blank">Indians want to spend the ₹2,000 note but it doesn’t look easy</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/careers/news/highest-number-of-entry-level-jobs-and-salary-in-bengaluru-as-per-foundit-report/articleshow/100499355.cms" target="_blank"></a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/careers/news/highest-number-of-entry-level-jobs-and-salary-in-bengaluru-as-per-foundit-report/articleshow/100499355.cms" target="_blank">Maximum City: Highest number of entry level jobs In Bengaluru &amp; it pays freshers more than other metros</a>

SBI penalised for sending bills to man despite credit card's expiry

With <keyword id="19899402" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="digital" source="keywords">digital</keyword> adoption fast gaining currency, <keyword id="19895063" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="India" source="keywords">India</keyword> is likely to see <keyword id="19992513" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="retail" source="keywords">retail</keyword> <keyword id="19989657" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="digital-payments" source="keywords">digital payments</keyword> double to USD 7 trillion by 2030 from current levels, a study by Kearney and <keyword id="19942875" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Amazon-Pay" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Amazon Pay" meta.hostid="153" meta.entityid="Amazon Pay">Amazon Pay</keyword> said. In the report 'How Urban India Pays', Kearney-Amazon Pay said strong adoption of digital payments in <keyword id="21056201" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="online-purchases" source="keywords">online purchases</keyword> has potentially led to a permanent shift in consumer behaviours, fuelling offline adoption as well. While 90 per cent of the respondents of the survey preferred digital payments when making online purchases, affluent consumers lead the way with the highest Degree of Digital Payment Usage (DDPU), tending to use various modes of digital payment for 80 per cent of their transactions. "<keyword id="19955338" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="millennials" source="keywords">Millennials</keyword> and Gen X are leading in the adoption of all types of digital payment instruments," it said. "Men and women both use digital payments in about 72 per cent of their transactions, indicating gender parity." The research was based on an online survey of over 6,000 consumers along with more than 1,000 merchants through offline and online methods across 120 cities with representation from various regions, income groups, city categories, age brackets and genders. India has seen a surge in <keyword id="19990771" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="e-commerce" source="keywords">e-commerce</keyword>, with the market valued at USD 75 billion to USD 80 billion in 2022 and expected to grow at a 21 per cent CAGR until 2030. "In line with India's digital journey, retail digital payments have grown dramatically over the past five years - from USD 300 billion in FY18 to USD 3.6 trillion in FY24. By FY30, they are likely to double to USD 7 trillion," the report said. The Unified Payments Interface (<keyword id="19900911" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="UPI" source="keywords">UPI</keyword>) has been a key driver of this growth, demonstrating a CAGR of 138 per cent in its volumes during FY18-24. Other instruments such as cards and digital wallets are also gaining in popularity, contributing 10 per cent of digital transaction value today. "With such dynamic developments, it is no wonder that India is a global frontrunner in the digital payment landscape, accounting for a stellar 46 per cent of the global digital transaction volumes in 2022," it said. Digital payments have penetrated small towns, with respondents in these areas highlighting that 65 per cent of their transactions are digital, while respondents in larger cities cited this ratio to be 75 per cent. "There is a strong correlation between a city's average DDPU and its retail potential, as measured by the Kearney India Retail Index, with the top six metros displaying both high DDPU and high retail potential," the report said. DDPU surpasses retail potential in some cities such as Lucknow, Patna, Bhopal, Jaipur, Bhubaneswar, Indore, Ahmedabad and Pune, which have a high DDPU nearly matching that of larger metropolitan cities despite having a lower retail potential than the top six metros. The report said co-branded credit cards are gaining momentum. "Emerging methods such as buy now, pay later (BNPL), wearable payments and voice assistant-based payments are also starting to make inroads." Digital modes of payment constitute around 69 per cent of the total transaction volumes for the Indian merchants that were surveyed. Even street vendors such as paan shops, fruit and flower sellers, food stalls, and kirana stores are joining the digital payment brigade. "Challenges for merchant adoption mirror consumer concerns, emphasizing issues of financial fraud, limited connectivity and trust," it said. The report said the next wave of growth in digital payments will be fueled by increasing penetration in segments with lower DDPU, such as consumers in lower-income groups and smaller towns, along with enhancing the value of spending via digital modes of payment in the higher DDPU segments by addressing their concerns. "All key stakeholders across the digital payments' ecosystem, including payment providers, the government, and value-added services players, will need to play a part in expanding digital payment adoption," it said. The focus areas should be empowering communities with financial education by launching target programmes to boost awareness of digital payments and new methods such as UPI Lite and UPI Lite X, especially for aspiring consumer segments, women in small towns, and street commerce merchants, to encourage higher adoption. Also, there is a need to create user-friendly consumer journeys by streamlining documentation and know-your-customer (<keyword id="19910870" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="kyc" source="keywords">KYC</keyword>) processes, optimising user interfaces, and establishing responsive customer complaint resolution mechanisms, it said adding also there is a need to enhance digital infrastructure by addressing systems and network issues and exploring innovations such as UPI Lite X for areas with limited internet. Also, the risk of fraud has to be minimised and access to credit-based payment methods expanded by using alternate data for underwriting risk, developing innovative credit products and promoting credit education for financial health. "These areas can help India overcome challenges in the digital payment ecosystem by fostering a more inclusive, secure, and user-friendly environment, thereby enhancing the adoption of digital payments among consumers and merchants in India," it added.

India to see retail digital payments to double to USD 7 tn by 2030: Report

The <keyword id="6354321" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Bengaluru" source="Orion">Bengaluru</keyword> <keyword id="6356415" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="metro" source="Orion">metro</keyword> <keyword id="6366234" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="rail" source="Orion">rail</keyword> project is on track to complete 175 km of commute by June 2025, a top official said here. Addressing a session on the 'future of mobility' at the Bengaluru Tech Summit 2022 on Friday, Anjum Parwez, Managing Director, Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (<keyword id="6367448" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="BMRCL" source="Orion">BMRCL</keyword>), said as part of the second and third phase of the project, Bengaluru will have 314 km of metro rail connectivity by 2041. He said construction of metro lines is also progressing well on the airport side. He said the biggest challenge in urban mobility is the integration of multi-modal transport systems and moving people to get into public transport from personalised transport modes. Parwez said urban India was the most neglected area until the 1990s, as urban planning was not in sync with connectivity or mobility issues. He said BMRCL is getting a lot of support from startups in mobility to ensure that commuters have last-mile connectivity. He said the corporation is tying up with mobility providers to get people to reach the nodal point and commute to their workplaces. Parwez said the <keyword id="6367447" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Namma-Metro" source="Orion">Namma Metro</keyword> has recently gone digital with its payment options that include the use of QR code scans and UPI-based payment options which has met with good response from commuters. Also, there is no waiting time for passengers who are in a hurry as there is no need to stand in queues to buy tickets or cards now. He said BMRCL is working on a transit-oriented development where commuters live close to the stations and to the workplace. Besides, the BMRCL also intends to integrate all aggregators by bringing out a mobility card for commuters. He said the corporation is in talks with BMTC to have bus stops at metro stations to help commuters hop on and hop off both modes of transport. He said bike taxis and carpooling should be encouraged although the government of Karnataka had put brakes on their operation. The BMRCL is also working on introducing shopping options for commuters inside and outside the metro stations. He said the BMRCL plans to sell office space in metro stations and provide end-to-end solutions to all the stakeholders. Amit Bhatt, Managing Director of the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT), said urbanisation in India is 33 per cent while it is about 80-85 per cent in European and American countries. He said about 66 per cent of urban infrastructure is yet to be built in India as the country is set to see a number of cities being built. The biggest challenge is to ensure zero emission, zero exclusion and zero accidents in urban transport, he said. Vadiraj Krishnamurthy, Vice President of Technology and Innovation, Bosch Global Software Technologies, said the future is software-defined fully programmable vehicles. "The key enablers of urban transport are personalised multi-modal mobility, automated mobility, electrified and connected mobility. Connecting vehicles using technology is an engineering challenge of the future," he said. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/news/alstom-bags-rs-2643-crore-order-to-design-manufacture-312-metro-cars-for-delhi-metro-phase-iv/articleshow/95582764.cms">Alstom bags Rs 2,643 crore order to design, manufacture 312 metro cars for Delhi Metro Phase IV</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/auto/news/2022-jeep-grand-cherokee-is-a-luxury-4x4-adventurer-at-77-5-lakh-heres-all-you-need-to-know/slidelist/95595383.cms">2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee is a luxury 4x4 adventurer at ₹77.5 lakh</a>

Bengaluru metro rail on track to complete 175 km of commute by June 2025: BMRCL MD

<ul><li>India on Monday launched a smart card that aims to link all modes of public transport in the country.</li><li>The RuPay-powered card is an amalgamation of all the other cards. People will be able to book tickets, use it for metro in any city and pay for parking. </li><li>It will also let users withdraw money using the card.</li></ul> In a bid to promote hassle-free and cashless transportation, India on Monday unveiled ‘One-Nation-One-Card,’ a smart card valid for all modes of public transport in the country. 
	
	
	<div type="twitter" handle="narendramodi" handlename="Narendra Modi" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/718314968102367232/ypY1GPCQ_normal.jpg" favoritecount="9050" retweetcount="2215" status="Here is how the dream of ‘One Nation, One Card’ was fulfilled today, furthering ‘Ease of Living’ for several citize… https://t.co/PQ371C28tf" createdat="1551721823000" id="1102627360656904192"></div>







 The card will run on the government-backed payment platform RuPay, and will be valid at metros, buses or trains, as well as for toll and parking. The card draws inspiration from existing services connecting transport in Singapore and London. India’s capital, New Delhi, has already been running a pilot project of a common smart card “One Card” connecting city buses and the Delhi metro. 
	
	
	<div type="twitter" handle="RuPay_npci" handlename="RuPay" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/869581030847639556/2EDZxC--_normal.jpg" favoritecount="39" retweetcount="18" status="RuPay Contactless Card with NCMC is now available with almost 25+ large banks as debit, credit or prepaid. With thi… https://t.co/9pN7qQnBbA" createdat="1551699840000" id="1102535156944916481"></div>







 Here are some key facts about the card: <ol><li>It will be powered by RuPay and <a href="https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/pm-modi-to-launch-one-nation-one-card-for-all-modes-of-travel-today/articleshow/68247992.cms">can be used</a> across all the public transport and retail payments including transit, retail, toll, and parking. In fact, it will let people withdraw money from it. </li><li>The card will be issued by any bank as debit, credit or prepaid. </li><li>The “Made in India” RuPay Card is a contactless card and will allow people to tap-and-go. </li><li>It can be <a href="https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/pm-modi-to-launch-one-nation-one-card-for-all-modes-of-travel-today/articleshow/68247992.cms">used</a> just like any other debit or credit card. The smart card can either be used to get tickets from the counter or to enter the stations like metro. </li><li>The smart card also has a “unique stored value” feature that can be used to make digital payments in offline mode. </li><li>It will also allow the purchase of monthly passes and season tickets. </li><li>The concept of a single card for all public transportation<a href="https://www.businesstoday.in/current/policy/niti-aayog-one-nation-one-card-for-public-transport/story/282009.html"> came from</a> Singapore and London. London’s Oyster card allows travel on any bus, metro or suburban trains. </li><li>India is <a href="https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/pm-modi-to-launch-one-nation-one-card-for-all-modes-of-travel-today/articleshow/68247992.cms">reportedly </a>using its own indigenous technology to support the card. </li></ol> In September, NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant said "The objective of the strategy is to plan for the citizens first, rather than focusing on vehicles alone, by providing sustainable mobility and accessibility by switching to cleaner mode of transportation," reported IANS. (With Agencies)

One-Nation-One-Card: Here’s what you need to know about India’s public transport smart card

<ul><li>Snapdeal added 6 million new buyers on its platform during the pandemic.</li><li>Its recent 5-day sale kicked-off on October 16 and ended on October 20. </li><li>Rajnish Wahi, Senior Vice President, Snapdeal tells us some of the trends the platform saw during its pre-Diwali sale, its plan to go deeper into Bharat and USPs that helped it stand out in the clutter of online sales. </li></ul>Indian consumers have always been value-conscious, who take pride in their haggling skills and with the pandemic, buyers are expecting greater value for their spends. Therefore, e-commerce player Snapdeal’s sale, which took place between October 16 to 20, focused on offering ‘Kum Mein Dum Diwali,’ i.e., value deals for lesser money. According to Snapdeal, less than 5% percent of retail is online and during this on-going <keyword id="36208" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="festive-season">festive season</keyword>, the platform’s aim is to bring more users online and give them strong reasons to switch. Snapdeal observed that consumers weren’t willing to buy premium brands this year and wanted to access the online platforms in their regional language. So, as other e-commerce platforms offered premium brands at a discounted price, Snapdeal wanted to make online shopping more inclusive for buyers across India. It focused more on non-metro cities, which is a market with potential 400 million users and shipped orders to rural places like Palasner in Maharashtra, Abdasa in Gujarat, Kalsi in Uttarakhand, Chitkul in Himachal among many others. Ahead of the sale, Snapdeal added 1300 new pin codes to go deeper into Bharat, areas which were previously unserviceable or where users were compelled to travel to nearby towns to collect their orders. It also updated its user interface by adding eight languages including Hindi, Tamil, Kannada, Telugu, Malayalam, Gujarati, Punjabi, and Marathi. As a result, 70% of its orders were received by sellers located beyond the top 5 metropolitan areas of the country and 90% of its orders were placed from non-metro cities. We caught up with Rajnish Wahi, Senior Vice President, Snapdeal to further understand some of trends that the platform saw during its sale. Excerpts: Q. The role of engagement and communication has never been more important, especially in today’s digital-first world. How are you making sure your communication during this year's sale is relevant to consumers? Snapdeal is sharply focused on catering to the value-conscious consumers, who see e-commerce as the connecting link between their aspirations, access and affordability. Our theme for this year’s festive sale - “Kum Mein Dum Diwali '' clearly communicates our core message - your shopping rupee has more value this year. As part of our sale preparations, we had conducted a survey of nearly 1.25 Lakh users and one of the key insights was user unwillingness to pay for brand premiums this year and instead focus on the functional value of their purchases. Based on these inputs, the festive assortment was expanded in a focused manner by on-boarding additional sellers for popular products like kitchen appliances, kitchenware, bed linen, apparel, footwear and fashion accessories like watches, wallets, etc. Shaping our sale offers around the clearly-stated expectations of our customers and conveying the same unambiguously through our festive promotions and digital marketing is the sum and substance of our festive communication. Q. This year is different. People have been observed to be judicious in spending. How has the consumer sentiment improved? While 2020 has been a volatile year, we see that there are many tailwinds that are propelling our business. The pandemic has resulted in redistribution of demand between offline and online channels, with online gaining share due to its inherent advantages of reach, convenience, large assortment and safety of buying from home. It has also accelerated the familiarity and acceptance of e-commerce amongst new buyers. With the pandemic, consumers have become more price conscious and are likely to opt for lesser-priced products, while not compromising on their quality expectations. Given all of this, we have seen two sets of buyers come on Snapdeal - one which is trading up to a better assortment and one that is trading down and opting for better functional value instead of big brands. In fact, we have added 6 million new buyers on our platform in the pandemic. We are witnessing the return of enthusiasm for festivities and it is also apparent that online channels will be a preferred medium for a larger number of buyers this year. But it will also be different this year, as more people will be price conscious and will look to spend on quality products that suit their price sensibilities. In a way, Snapdeal’s “Kum Me Dum” focus is about “offering more choices at price points better than last year”, especially for popular categories like home &amp; fashion, which has been made possible by year-long focus on expanding our value selection. Q. With the on-going festive season, many other platforms will have their Sales days too. How do you then cut the clutter and make sure you win consumers? How will you be different from the other players in the segment? Snapdeal is synonymous with value e-commerce. While others in the industry are now starting to build a value segment, we at Snapdeal have been focused on “only value” for the last three years. While other platforms are making efforts to sell branded items at discounted prices, these are still not affordable for a majority of the buyers in the country. On the other hand, we are focussed on bringing the depth and diversity of India's bazaars &amp; markets to the doorsteps of our users. On Snapdeal, buyers find endless varieties of regional and local brands that not only serve their needs, but also offer immense value at affordable prices. The result of our “Kum Mein Dum” Diwali sale bears testimony to this - more than 80% of Snapdeal’s Diwali shoppers chose to buy regional &amp; local brands on Snapdeal. The strong growth of lesser-known brands relative to national/international brands has been because of two key reasons: increased choice and a substantial price difference. Our value-focused positioning runs consistently through our selection and communication and is one the reasons why 90% of our orders flow from non-metros cities and towns across the country. Q. What are some of the other trends you are expecting to see this festive? Our first sales results are out and are reflective of how close the lives of users revolve around their homes. The sale in the home products category has grown by 30% over last year and has become the largest category on Snapdeal this year, overtaking the fashion category, which has traditionally been the top-performer at Snapdeal. The growth in the home category is propelled by popular products like kitchen appliances, kitchenware, bed &amp; bath,decor,cleaning equipment, lighting and comforters &amp; blankets etc. This growth in the fitness category reflects the extra time that people have on their hands and also underscores heightened awareness about personal health &amp; fitness. This category has grown by 45% over last year led by gym essentials like tummy trimmers, push-up bars, wrist supports, fitness gloves, hand grip strengtheners etc. Users buying sports equipment like badminton racquets &amp; cricket sets and weighing machines are also strong consumer trends. While the fashion category has also grown from previous years in terms of shipped units, the growth is less than other higher-performing categories. In the fashion category, there is an increased spending on kidswear in the festive season. . Among popular picks in Snapdeal’s Diwali sale are men’s &amp; women’s grooming products, nutritional supplements, religious items (prayer books, temples accessories etc). With the deterioration of air quality in North India, the sale of N95 masks, air-purifier filters, anti-pollution skincare items, skin moisturisers, lip balms has also increased. Snapdeal also witnessed an increase in gifting via e-commerce early in this festive season. The range of festivals starting with Karva Chauth and followed by Dhanteras, Diwali, Bhaiya Dooj and Chhath Puja have become important gifting occasions for users in various parts of the country. While in the previous years, shoppers used e-commerce channels to buy and ship to families &amp; friends in other cities, this year many shoppers in metro cities are also sending gifts to people living in the same cities. This year gift cards have also been hugely popular among people to send to their friends and family, with a 3X surge in orders as compared to the festive sale last year. These included gift cards of travel, entertainment, food and retail brands which were upto 30% off. Q. How are you working towards improving the overall consumer experience? E-Commerce in India has grown beyond the first 100 Mn largely urban, English-speaking users. A market of potentially 400 Mn users is now emerging across India’s smaller non-metro cities. This is a very diverse cohort in terms of languages spoken, literacy levels, frequency of online purchases and familiarity with technology. A large part of Snapdeal’s existing user base and new users come from this cohort and all our focus and efforts are on building the right experience that our users want. That means we work tirelessly to give them a wide array of products to choose from, and at just the right prices they are looking to spend. We also make it easy in many other ways for users to buy on Snapdeal. This includes providing interfaces on our app &amp; m-site in eight Indian languages, so that they can browse through products &amp; transact in a language of their choice. We also enable conversation with our customer service agents in multiple Indian languages. Transaction and promotional messages all are available in many Indian languages. Some other ways, in which we support our users to buy is by helping them make well-informed choices through short 10-second product videos which are far more captivating and help buyers to make decisions faster than static pictures of the products concerned, easy 7-days return, no questions asked refunds policy. We are the only platform that provides uninterrupted access to cash-on-delivery option even during the turbulent early days of pandemic lockdowns. Q. Which are your strongest markets currently? How are you planning to strengthen your presence in other markets? We have a strong pan India presence. During the current sale and consistent with Snapdeal’s positioning, more than 90% of Snapdeal’s orders were placed from non-metro cities. Populous cities like Nagpur, Vijayawada, Surat, Bhopal, Chandigarh, Visakhapatnam, Ranchi, Patna, Guwahati and others continued to drive orders on Snapdeal, but smaller cities like Sagar (Madhya Pradesh), Raniganj &amp; Durgapur (West Bengal), Patiala &amp; Gurdaspur (Punjab), Anand, Bharuch, Una, (Gujarat), Miryalaguda (Andhra Pradesh) and Bhimavaram (Telangana) also clock impressive order volumes. With our recent network expansion, Snapdeal has also shipped orders to rural places like Palasner in Maharashtra, Abdasa in Gujarat, Kalsi in Uttarakhand, Chitkul in Himachal amidst many others. Q. What are your current MAUs? More than 70 million users visit Snapdeal every month to browse and buy from our vast catalogue of 220 million plus listings. Q. What kind of target have you set for this year's sale? Do you anticipate people to buy more, considering a lot of people might have pushed buying things for the festive season? What kind of numbers do you aim to reach this year? Less than five percent of retail is online, which is an incredibly small penetration number. In our view, Diwali or not, our job to bring more buying options for our users doesn’t change. Diwali does serve as a milestone to accelerate some of our related initiatives or build virtual infrastructure to connect the dots between demand and supply in our country. This year, ahead of the festive season, we on-boarded additional sellers of popular products like kitchen appliances, kitchenware, bed linen, apparel, footwear and fashion accessories like watches, wallets, etc., as indicated by our users in a survey. In the run-up to Diwali, Snapdeal also on-boarded 5000 manufacturer-sellers who sell products like water purifiers, choppers &amp; blenders, steel &amp; copper utensils, crockery items, bedsheets, quilts, geysers, etc directly from their manufacturing units. This year, we knew more and more people would be buying online and ahead of the sale, and expanded our network to add 1300 new pin codes to go deeper into areas which were previously unserviceable or where users were compelled to travel to nearby towns to collect their orders, reaching out to 50 million additional users. Today, we are India's leading value-focused marketplace with more than 500,000 registered sellers and we cover 27000 + pin code areas across the length and breadth of the country.

Why Snapdeal targeted non-metro cities and rural India during its pre-Diwali sale

New Delhi, Feb 23 () German wholesale retailer Metro Cash &amp; Carry is gearing up for expansion in India with the addition of five new stores this year and also plans to accelerate its e-commerce play and partnership with kirana stores, according to a top company official. The wholesale retailer, which has registered profits in the last two years in India, has so far partnered with 2,000 kirana stores in Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Delhi, offering them complete end-to-end retail solutions. "The company thinks India is a big growth market. The opportunity for growth in India is huge in both physical stores and e-commerce," Metro Cash &amp; Carry India Managing Director and CEO Arvind Mediratta told . As part of expansion plans, he said, "we have five stores coming up this year in Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana." Metro Cash &amp; Carry currently has 27 cash and carry stores in India in 17 cities. When asked about investments for the new stores, he declined to comment but said besides the new physical stores, the company has also been focussing on its partnership with local neighbourhood stores through its 'Smart Kirana Programme'. The whole idea is how to make a kirana store smarter in terms of usage of technology, by running business more efficiently, targeting more customers using data analytics, drive more customer traffic and make it more successful and profitable, he added. "We believe in helping kiranas in increasing their sell-out, not just sell to them because if their sell-out improves, and if they think Metro can help increase their sell-out, we automatically become their preferred supplier," Mediratta said. The company has provided point of sale (PoS) devices, which come with a Metro app to kirana owners through which they can order items from Metro online, get daily sales and profit report while also track top customers, the most selling articles and slow moving items. The device also allows them to accept debit/credit cards and accept wallet payments, which offer customer cashbacks and other offers. It enables passing on of such benefits to the end customer, he added. "The programme is working well and we believe we now have enough results and have got approval from our global board to expand this programme and take it national. We are now already in the process of scaling it up," he said. For scaling up its Smart Kirana Programme, Mediratta, said the company is taking it one step at a time. "Our idea is to first saturate Bangalore, Hyderabad and Delhi before you enter newer cities. You get better returns on investment if you do one market and do it really well, this is one of our big learnings when it comes to profitability. Strengthen your dominance wherever you are," he said. Metro has partnered with Paytm in Delhi and MSwipe in the rest of the country for digital payments while it has also roped in ePayLater which not only offers credit to kirana stores but also to their end-customers enabling them to shop at specific stores, Mediratta added. Stating that Indian retail landscape is changing with new-age online players both in business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-consumer (B2C) investing a lot of money, including on pricing which has put a lot of pressure on local kirana stores. In order to help the small stores keep up with the changes, he said Metro is also helping the kirana owners remodel their stores and convert old closed-loop stores into an open format modern store where customers can come inside and shop thereby increasing customer traffic and impulse buying. "What we are tying to do is organise loans for these kiranas for remodelling, because it can cost from Rs 75,000 to Rs 2 lakh and the remodelling operations takes only 48 hours," Mediratta said. RKL DRR

You Searched For "Metro Card in India" and got 7 results

Google Wallet launched in India – store your loyalty cards, boarding passes and more

Sourabh Jain

SBI penalised for sending bills to man despite credit card's expiry

PTI

India to see retail digital payments to double to USD 7 tn by 2030: Report

PTI

Bengaluru metro rail on track to complete 175 km of commute by June 2025: BMRCL MD

IANS

One-Nation-One-Card: Here’s what you need to know about India’s public transport smart card

BI India Bureau

Why Snapdeal targeted non-metro cities and rural India during its pre-Diwali sale

Karuna Sharma

Metro Cash & Carry to open 5 new stores in India this year, enhance partnership with kirana stores

PTI

Popular Keywords

Buying Guides