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<ul><li><keyword id="790242" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="WhatsApp">WhatsApp</keyword> voice and video calls are now available for some beta users.</li><li>The feature is expected to be rolled out to more users in the coming days.</li><li>WhatsApp is also working on multi-device support, JioMart integration and more.</li></ul>Facebook-owned messaging app WhatsApp is working on adding a new feature for WhatsApp Web users, allowing them to place voice and video calls right from their computer, improving video calling experience. The two services <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/despite-concerns-zoom-sales-boom-amid-covid-19-pandemic/articleshow/76169526.cms">saw a boom</a> in users during the COVID-19 pandemic due to more people working from home and using video conferencing to connect with the outside world. As per a <a href="https://wabetainfo.com/whatsapp-beta-calls-available-on-whatsapp-web-desktop/">report</a>, some users have started seeing a button for voice calls and video calls on the WhatsApp Web with a ‘beta’ tag. The buttons are being shown in the chat header. <div type="twitter" handle="tomyto" handlename="Guillermo Tomoyose" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/542493695371517954/rbMtVHH3_normal.jpeg" favoritecount="12" retweetcount="3" status="@WABetaInfo this is a new feature for WhatsApp Web? (from Windows 10 app) https://t.co/ntCO2VxJbU" createdat="1611250945000" id="1352310598059618305"></div> The feature was spotted by a Twitter user Guillermo Tomoyose from Argentina. When a user receives or makes a call, a separate pop-up window will open, allowing the user to control the call. Just like mobile, Web users will be able to view their call history in a separate tab. The voice calls and video calls feature is currently in beta and is available to a limited number of users. Do not worry if you haven’t received the feature yet as it will probably be available for more users in the coming days. WhatsApp is currently facing a lot of backlash from users across the world after it announced a controversial <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/apps/news/whatsapp-will-stop-working-if-you-do-not-agree-to-its-new-terms-and-privacy-policies/articleshow/80127866.cms">privacy policy update</a>. While the company said that the features are <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/apps/news/whatsapp-says-your-privacy-wont-be-affected-if-you-dont-use-these-features/articleshow/80225748.cms">optional</a>, the Indian government has asked the messaging app to withdraw its <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/apps/news/whatsapp-has-reportedly-received-a-stern-message-from-the-indian-government-on-its-new-privacy-policy/articleshow/80344374.cms">privacy policy changes</a>. WhatsApp is also working on several other features, including multi-device support, JioMart integration and offering online insurance services. Let’s look at WhatsApp’s upcoming features. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Multi-device support" comment="subhead" text="Multi-device support">Multi-device support</cmsannotation> WhatsApp is currently working on multi-device support, which will allow users to log in on a new device by clicking on the ‘Link a new device’ button. Currently, WhatsApp does not allow users to use the same account on different devices, a feature that has been available for quite some time on Telegram. Telegram allows users to log into a secondary device by sending an OTP to the first device. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="WhatsApp and JioMart integration" comment="subhead" text="WhatsApp and JioMart integration">WhatsApp and JioMart integration</cmsannotation> Mukesh Ambani-led JioMart is <a href="https://www.indiatoday.in/technology/news/story/reliance-plans-to-integrate-jiomart-in-whatsapp-within-6-months-1760083-2021-01-18#:~:text=People%20can%20place%20their%20orders,is%20valid%20for%2030%20minutes.">reportedly</a> working on integrating its app with WhatsApp, allowing users to order groceries directly from the messaging app. JioMart is expected to become a mini-app within WhatsApp in the next six months. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Digital insurance" comment="subhead" text="Digital insurance">Digital insurance</cmsannotation> After getting <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/finance/news/whatsapp-pay-upi-services-gets-the-green-signal-from-npci-but-rollout-will-be-in-a-graded-manner/articleshow/79068908.cms">approval</a> from National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) to start its payments service in India, the Facebook-owned app is now reportedly looking to offer more financial service and it is <a href="https://inc42.com/buzz/from-loans-to-ecommerce-whatsapps-india-plans-for-2021/">expected</a> to start with micro pensions and digital insurance services. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/apps/news/whatsapp-has-reportedly-received-a-stern-message-from-the-indian-government-on-its-new-privacy-policy/articleshow/80344374.cms">WhatsApp has been told to withdraw its privacy changes by the Indian government</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/apps/news/whatsapp-says-your-privacy-wont-be-affected-if-you-dont-use-these-features/articleshow/80225748.cms">WhatsApp says your privacy won't be affected if you don't use these two optional features</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/apps/how-to/how-to-move-whatsapp-groups-to-signal-app/articleshow/80213969.cms">How to move WhatsApp group to Signal app</a>

WhatsApp to soon introduce voice and video calls for Web, multi-device support, JioMart integration and more

<ul><li>Facebook has bought 9.9% in Reliance Jio for $5.7 billion. </li><li>The bigger reason for the buy-in is how <keyword id="4878801" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="whatsapp-pay">WhatsApp Pay</keyword> and Reliance Retail can use this partnership to help each other out. </li><li>The payments platform can use Reliance’s massive network of offline stores to monetise its data, while Reliance can use the ‘household’ name to finally yield success with a seamless payments system. </li></ul>Everyone is excited about the deal between Facebook and Reliance Jio in hope that it will result in a new ‘super app’ for India. However, the partnership between Facebook and Reliance Jio has a few more layers than what is visible at first glance. The secret sauce to this deal is the potential for Facebook’s payment solutions — <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/whatsapp-payments-launching-in-india-against-paytm-google-pay-phone-pe-for-1-trillion-opporunity/articleshow/70376672.cms">WhatsApp Pay</a>. And, this is the reason why <keyword id="6354630" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="mark-zuckerberg">Mark Zuckerberg</keyword> is <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/heres-why-facebooks-mark-zuckerberg-is-paying-top-dollar-for-a-stake-in-mukesh-ambanis-reliance-jio/articleshow/75286331.cms">paying top dollar for a stake</a> in <keyword id="3820" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Mukesh-Ambani">Mukesh Ambani</keyword>’s Reliance Jio. “Our goal is to enable new opportunities for businesses of all sizes, but especially for the more than 60 million small businesses across India,” said Facebook’s chief revenue officer, David Fisher, and the VP and managing director of India, Ajit Mohan in a <a href="https://about.fb.com/news/2020/04/facebook-invests-in-jio/">post.</a> Zuckerberg’s social network has <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/news/facebook-picks-up-10-stake-in-jio-platform-for-rs-43574-cr/articleshow/75283937.cms">bought a 9.9% stake</a> in Reliance’s telecom venture for $5.7 billion. However, the second richest man in India — Mukesh Ambani — also owns the country’s biggest retail chain, Reliance Retail. It will now be a force of power to ensure that WhatsApp Pay has a chance of success in the Indian market despite being such a late entrant. “PayTM, PhonePe and other players will be impacted. They don’t have as much e-commerce as these guys will have. That will make a big difference,” Vikram Sud, an independent director at DBS told Business Insider. Retaining employment at brick-and-mortar stores rather than wipe it out “This is an amazing partnership on the payments side. Whatsapp Pay did not have the commercial sides of it as Whatsapp was trying to creep into the business. Now, between Whatsapp, Instagram and Facebook — all the commerce can be done through Whatsapp Pay,” said Sud. Jio’s plan to <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/news/mukesh-ambani-owned-reliance-retail-revenue-estimate-from-kirana-stores/articleshow/71643159.cms">pull all kirana stores</a> and combine it with this payment mechanism will be a massive competition to Amazon and all other e-commerce players. You will get delivery from local stores while also helping them retain their employment unlike the advent of Amazon and Walmart, who have been <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/if-were-living-through-a-retail-apocalypse-why-are-e-commerce-leaders-like-amazon-alibaba-and-jd-com-so-focused-on-building-brick-and-mortar-stores/articleshow/70849067.cms">chipping away</a> at the brick-and-mortar business. “By bringing together JioMart, Jio’s small business initiative, with the power of WhatsApp, we can enable people to connect with businesses, shop and ultimately purchase products in a seamless mobile experience,” said Facebook. And that’s the play that global IT giant is primarily aiming for, according to a senior industry analyst. They weren’t able to monetise it but that doesn’t change the fact that they're sitting on a huge pile of data. This is something they will now be able to leverage and monetise by using Jio Mart's reach. It’s a win-win situation for Ambani and Zuckerberg “In my mind, Whatsapp Pay and Jio money will all hopefully get rolled into one. It will just make it quicker since there is nobody in India that doesn't have WhatsApp,” said Sud. WhatsApp has been testing its payments platform in India since 2018. It was only available to a million users under a partnership with ICICI Bank. However, the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/whatsapp-spyware-hack-raises-security-concerns-around-its-upcoming-payments-service/articleshow/71888781.cms">concern for policymakers</a> was whether not it will be responsible to allow a social messaging app — known for being a vehicle of fake news or what’s more commonly called the ‘WhatsApp University’ — to also integrate payments into its platform. In February this year, two years after the company’s first trial, WhatsApp finally got the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/india-whatsapp-pay-global-rollout-zuckerberg/articleshow/73760554.cms">approval </a>to roll out its digital payment service in a phased manner. In the first phase, it will offer its payment services to 10 million users in the country. See also: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/mukesh-ambanis-reliance-industries-stock-gets-a-50000-crore-facebook-boost/articleshow/75285485.cms">Facebook’s investment in Reliance Jio boosts RIL share value by ₹50,000 crore</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/heres-why-facebooks-mark-zuckerberg-is-paying-top-dollar-for-a-stake-in-mukesh-ambanis-reliance-jio/articleshow/75286331.cms">Here's why Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg is paying top dollar for a stake in Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Jio</a>

WhatsApp is the secret sauce in the deal between Facebook and Reliance Jio

<ul><li>The retail arm of Reliance has posted an operating profit of ₹2062 crore, up by 19.8% from ₹1,721 crore in the same quarter the previous year. </li><li><keyword id="58448" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Reliance-Retail">Reliance Retail</keyword> also saw its revenue jump from ₹36,663 crore in Q4FY19 to ₹38,211 crore in Q4FY20. </li><li>The company also added 9% to the total retail space in the last three months. </li></ul>Reliance Retail has posted an operating profit of ₹2062 crore, up by 19.8% from the same quarter the previous year. The retail arm of Reliance also saw its quarterly revenue jump 4.2% to ₹38,211 crore year-on-year. Its area space has also grown by 9% in three months. Reliance Retail now has over 11,784 stores all across India. In the full year ending March 2020, it has added 1500 stores and 30% to its total retail space. <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="75474592" title="Mukesh Ambani offers Reliance Industries shareholders 1 new share for every 15 held⁠— at a price 14% below market value" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div> “Despite the daunting challenges arising from the fallout of the global pandemic, our company has once again delivered a resilient performance for FY 2019-20,” Chairman <keyword id="3820" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Mukesh-Ambani">Mukesh Ambani</keyword> said in a statement. However, the coronavirus lockdown came into force on March 25, five days before the quarter ended. The impact of the lockdown is likely to be more pronounced in the second quarter. Reliance Retail saw 640 million footfalls during the year, and has 125 million registered customer base, up 40% year-on-year. It is present across areas like food and grocery, consumer electronics, fashion and lifestyle. During the month of March, Reliance' grocery stores recorded their highest ever sales surpassing the Diwali month performance despite logistical challenges. “Through its Jio Mart Pilot initiative, Reliance Retail supported its partner kirana stores by offering uninterrupted services and supplies during the lockdown period. Daily orders grew by 4x during the lockdown period as kirana partners focused on serving their neighborhoods during the time of crises,” said the company’s release. Jio-Facebook partnership will fuel the next phase of growth in retail Facebook invested a whopping $5.7 billion in Reliance Jio. One of the most significant factors of the deal was that Reliance Retail and WhatsApp are now in a commercial partnership to accelerate JioMart’s growth. Through JioMart and WhatsApp, the entities will now help support consumer businesses. <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="75296172" title="WhatsApp is the secret sauce in the deal between Facebook and Reliance Jio" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div> JioMart has already <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/ecommerce/news/jiomart-is-neither-delivering-orders-to-your-doorstep-nor-cancelling-orders/articleshow/75408052.cms">started a pilot</a> run in Thane, Kalyan and Navi Mumbai. “The companies will work closely to ensure that consumers are able to access the nearest kiranas who can provide products and services to their homes by transacting seamlessly with JioMart using WhatsApp,” Reliance had said in a statement. See Also: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/on-facebook-earnings-call-mark-zuckerberg-opens-up-about-his-deal-with-mukesh-ambani-reliance-jio/articleshow/75465081.cms">On Facebook earnings call, Mark Zuckerberg opens up about his deal with Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Jio</a>

Reliance Retail sold more stuff in March than during last Diwali – no wonder profit jumped 20% in the latest fourth quarter

New Delhi, Apr 22 () Setting a new benchmark in dealmaking, the USD 5.7 billion investment by Facebook in Reliance Industries' Jio Platforms saw a bulk of the active M&amp;A dialogue, including for due diligence and agreement negotiations, happening remotely, bankers and advisors involved in the transaction said. This is one of the biggest deals that has taken place when there is a nationwide lockdown in India while same is the case for most states in the US -- the two countries where the two parties of this deal are based. The deal, which gives unlisted Jio Platforms an enterprise value of close to USD 66 billion, will help its listed parent firm Reliance Industries cut debt and also use Facebook's popular messaging platform WhatsApp as a front-end for creating an Indian e-commerce giant that could rival global giants like Amazon and Walmart. While Bank of America was the exclusive financial advisor to Facebook for this transaction, Morgan Stanley advised Reliance Industries. AZB &amp; Partners and Davis Polk &amp; Wardwell acted as counsels for RIL, while Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas was legal advisor for Facebook. Bankers involved in the deal said the active deal-specific dialogue had been going on for a few months before it became public, but broader discussion between Reliance Industries and Facebook was happening for much longer, which had started on talks for doing something together and then moved on towards getting to know each other and building the trust. "For last two months, much of the discussion, a large part of due diligence, agreement negotiations, etc, all of that have happened remotely. Even some board meetings have happened remotely. Once the active M&amp;A dialogue began, most of that has happened remotely," a top banker said. Traditionally, deals of this magnitude, especially cross-border ones, involve extensive travel and physical visits to offices and facilities by top executives as well as financial and legal advisors from both sides for an all-round vetting, including of books of accounts and financial statements. Another banker said the deal discussions from Facebook's side were mostly driven by the social media giant's finance and M&amp;A teams, while legal teams were also involved actively. The overall business leadership team of Facebook was mostly involved in discussions at the back-end with various top stakeholders of Reliance Industries group, the banker said. Reliance Industries' Chairman and Managing Director Mukesh Ambani said Reliance Jio and Facebook will look to use WhatsApp for delivering goods from local neighbourhood kirana stores to consumers before expanding collaboration into education and healthcare sectors. "The combined power of Jio's world-class digital connectivity platform and Facebook's intimate relationship with the Indian people will offer innovative new solutions to each one of you," Ambani said. "In the very near future, JioMart -- Jio's digital new commerce platform, and WhatsApp will empower nearly three crore small Indian kirana shops to digitally transact with every customer in their neighbourhood," he said. WhatsApp has over 400 million users in India while Jio has 388 million-plus phone subscribers. Facebook itself has about 250 million users in India. The bankers said the deal gives an opportunity to Facebook to establish a broader partnership in India as the country is very important for the global giant and it sees a long growth horizon in Jio, both in terms of mobile and fixed broadband businesses. During the discussions, Facebook was also impressed with the way 'Jio Homes' is connecting houses with fibre broadband and it has become even more important during the ongoing lockdown to have good fibre connection. Besides, Facebook sees a great value in a suite of apps and OTT (over the top) platforms that Jio has created, the bankers said. Facebook is also excited about a proposed collaboration between WhatsApp and Jio Mart, where it sees the messaging platform becoming a front-end technology partner for Jio Mart, among various other long-term growth opportunities. WhatsApp users would be effectively able to shop what they want, using the backend of Jio Mart. Facebook itself is not in the business of setting up stores or warehouses or moving goods etc. The deal can see Facebook and WhatsApp customer in India getting connected to retailers across the country. Another person involved in the deal said it does not put Facebook in direct competition with Amazon, Walmart or Flipkart, but Jio Mart is clearly competing with those e-commerce platforms. He clarified Facebook itself is not creating a new app or platform, but WhatsApp itself is moving towards becoming a tool for e-commerce. The bankers ruled out any immediate plans for Facebook increasing the stake from 9.99 per cent. BJ RAM

Dealmaking in times of corona: Facebook-Jio sets new benchmark for remote negotiations

(Eds: Adding word in header) New Delhi, Apr 22 () Reliance Industries' telecom arm Jio and social media major Facebook will continue to oppose each other over internet calls and messaging services despite the Rs 43,574-crore investment deal signed between the two companies. Telecom operators, including Reliance Jio, have been demanding "same service same rules" regime which means that mobile applications providing calls and messaging services should also be made to comply with set of rules that are mandatory for mobile service providers. Mobile app companies providing complimentary calls and messages have opposed the same. "Both Facebook and Jio are independent companies. We will have our independent views. There will be areas where we will collaborate and there will be areas where we will differ and compete. There is no change in what we think about business. We don't expect it from Facebook either. So no changes or nothing to really comment on those aspects," Reliance Jio head of strategy Anshuman Thakur told . He was replying to a question that whether there will be change in the stance of the company with Facebook coming on the board of Jio Platforms with 9.9 per cent stake. Facebook too echoed the same thought that differences will continue on the issue of "same service same rules" between both the companies. "As excited as we are about collaborating, I think we also expect that there will be areas where we compete. We are showing alignment on opportunity to work together to have positive impact for small businesses particularly. I do agree that there will be areas where we disagree as well," Facebook India vice president and managing director Ajit Mohan said. Earlier in the day, Facebook announced an investment of USD 5.7 billion (Rs 43,574 crore) to buy a 9.99 per cent stake in the firm that houses Ambani's telecom arm Jio as the social media giant looks to expand presence in its largest market in terms of subscriber base."We have made a minority investments in Jio Platforms. We are excited about that canvas. We do think it will be really good for the ecosystem at large. We also expect that there will be areas where we won't have same point of view," Mohan said.Facebook will get a seat on board on Jio Platforms Ltd, the company it is investing in, along with an observer seat.Once the investment comes in, Rs 15,000 crore will be retained in Jio Platforms Ltd while the rest will be used to redeem OCPS (optionally convertible preference shares) of Reliance Industries Ltd."In that sense, the entire amount does go to reduce the debt of the Group... Jio Platforms Ltd has been valued at an enterprise value of Rs 4.62 lakh crore. The debt in the company is around Rs 40,000 crore. With this investment, Rs 15000 crore will be retained in the company and balance will be used to redeem OCPS investments of RIL in this company," he said.In October, Jio Platforms transferred most of the debt to its parent firm Reliance Industries Limited. The net debt of Jio Platforms will correspondingly reduce because of cash which is retained in the company, Thakur said."Jio Platforms now has very little debt which mostly pertains to spectrum liability and some commercial business," Thakur said. Jio Platforms, Reliance Retail and WhatsApp have also entered into a commercial partnership agreement to further accelerate Reliance Retail's new commerce business on the JioMart platform using WhatsApp. Jio Mart will look at involving local businesses starting with grocery shops before expanding in to other categories like education, health, etc. RIL Chairman and Managing Director Mukesh Ambani after announcement of the deal said that Jio's digital connectivity platform and Facebook's relationship with the Indian people will offer innovative new solutions to all individuals in the country. "In the very near future, JioMart-Jio's Digital new commerce platform and Whatsapp will empower nearly 3 crore small Indian Kirana shops to digitally transact with every customer in their neighbourhood. This means all of you can order and get faster delivery of day-to-day items, from nearby local shops. At the same time small kiranas can row their businesses and create new employment opportunities using digital technologies," Ambani said. Thakur said that the beta version of Jio Mart has already been launched in parts of Mumbai and there is no definite time-line on it becoming completely operational due to uncertainty around the lockdown period. "We have been working on. Beta phase, in fact we have rolled out to a number of merchants in the new Bombay area and few other places. Things have been impacted because of the lockdown. Trials had to be slowed down. One doesn't know how the lockdown will be revoked. For now beta trials are going and they are going good. This will be across categories. Grocery is one segment where we are providing service to," he said. When asked about who will handle the payment part of Jio Mart app as the government has not yet allowed Whatsapp to carry out digital payments, Thakur said that the app leverages a system developed by Reliance Retail. "Jio Mart is Reliance Retail business and Jio mart has its own digital platform on which it is enabling customers and merchants to transact. We will work with Whatsapp to use the Whatsapp platform as a means to bring the merchants and customers more seamlessly," Thakur said.Facebook is also testing alternate technologies to provide internet services. The company tried to start trials for alternate technologies but could not go ahead because of regulatory reasons. Mohan declined to comment on testing those alternate technologies on the Jio network but briefly mentioned that 5G technology will be one of the area where both the entities can collaborate.He said that both the companies are trying to expand the digital ecosystem. "Why we have invested in Jio is that we are excited about what Jio has done in the last four years and what we can do. If we do bring in that energy we can bring new opportunities. Even without payments we think that the collaboration can bring a lot of value to the people," Mohan said. He said that the construct of collaboration around Jio Mart is not an exclusive arrangement between the two companies. The deal signed between the two companies needs only approval of Competition Commission of India but due to uncertainty around lockdown, Thakur said that definite time to close the deal cannot be committed. "This one comes under the automatic route for FDI. RJIL is the only licence business where 49 per cent is automatic. Only approval that we require is from CCI. We will soon approach them with our application and then whatever time it takes. They will settle the transaction and let us know," he said. With this agreement, Facebook has become the largest partner of Jio on board.Jio Platforms houses digital services of the group and Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd, with 388 million subscribers, is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Jio Platforms.The Facebook deal is part of value unlocking by RIL to cut debt. RIL has been seeking strategic partnerships across its businesses while targeting to deleverage its balance sheet.It has been talking to Saudi Aramco for sale of a 20 per cent stake in its oil-to-chemical business for an asking of USD 15 billion. RIL has already tied up with BP Plc for fuel business as it targets to have a debt-free status by next year.Jio had also been reportedly talking separately to Google but the fate of those discussions is not known.The latest deal is a win-win for both Facebook and Jio. It would give Facebook deeper access to India, the second largest internet market after China.Facebook already has 400-plus million Whatsapp users in India and is looking to launch a payment offering. Having a local partner could help it in navigating various regulatory issues, including those related to privacy and local storage. PRS MBI MKJMKJ

Jio, Facebook to continue opposing each other over internet calls, messages

<ul><li>The world was waiting to see two of the planet's richest men speak to each other and while they delivered some headlines, there was little chemistry to show.</li><li>Despite the multi-million dollar deal between the two companies, <keyword id="10437346" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="zuckerberg-and-ambani">Zuckerberg and Ambani</keyword> were asking each other questions that should have ideally been answered before their partnership. </li><li>Here are the highlights of the 40-minute conversation between two of the richest men in the world.</li></ul>Two of the richest men in the world, <keyword id="624769" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Facebook-CEO-Mark-Zuckerberg">Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg</keyword> and <keyword id="705208" type="POSITION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Reliance-Industries-Chairman">Reliance Industries chairman</keyword> <keyword id="3820" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Mukesh-Ambani">Mukesh Ambani</keyword>, agree on one thing. If the pandemic had hit even five years earlier, India would not have been ready. However, the headlines were few and far between. Their individual dispositions were exemplified by the lack of chemistry between the two of them during the last session of Facebook's <a href="https://www.facebook.com/watch/live/?v=1851422635011183&amp;ref=watch_permalink">Fuel for India 2020</a> conference. In fact, it seemed like the two of them didn’t know each other as well as business partners should, considering the massive amount of money <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/news/mukesh-ambani-gave-google-and-facebook-a-discount-on-reliance-jio-stake-heres-why/articleshow/77032126.cms">Facebook has invested in Jio.</a> Both Ambani and Zuckerberg praised each other and asked questions that, one would suppose, would have been addressed before the investment was made. The chat between <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/corporates/news/microsoft-top-boss-satya-nadellas-conversation-with-mukesh-ambani-asias-richest-man/articleshow/74278962.cms">Microsoft chief Satya Nadella and Ambani</a> was a bit more free-flowing than this one. But that was also before the pandemic and they were sitting next to each other. <div type="image" title="ambani_nadella_edited" msid="79740206" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Mukesh Ambani and Microsoft CEO Sataya Nadella in February 2020&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> Zuckerberg and Ambani may have been inconvenienced by the fact that it was a video call. But, one can't be reprimanded for expecting the ‘architect of the digital network of the world’ (how Ambani described Zuckerberg) and the man turning India into a digital society to be a bit more comfortable with technology given their shared vision of a hi-tech future. The entire transcript of their conversation, which lasted over 40 minutes, was around 11 pages long. We, at Business Insider India, have shrunk the tete-a-tete down to the most important things that you need to know. Here are some of the highlights from the conversation between Ambani and Zuckerberg on December 15: Zuckerberg: [..] So I'm curious from your perspective how is India doing right now? When you expect things are going to return to normal? And, I know that Reliance has taken a number of big steps to help the community in the country. It's been a big year for you. I'm curious to hear how your company adapted to help you move forward in the midst of this pandemic. Ambani: [Ambani spoke a lot about what the government, the Reliance Foundation and his teams had contributed to the COVID relief efforts before answering how he sees the current situation in India.] Mark, sometimes I wonder that if the pandemic had struck India just four or five years earlier, we would have not been in as good a shape as what we are today. With all the connectivity we have, and the credit for that must go to our Prime Minister's Digital India vision, where he motivated the entire industry to roll out broadband in the first five years of his first term. And, during the pandemic. India has attracted the largest foreign direct investment in its history, Mark. We have our own example of how Jio and Facebook concluded our partnership. Right in the middle of lockdown. [..] And, I believe, Mark, that our actions will speak louder than our words in the coming months and years time here. Zuckerberg: One of the big opportunities that I see with this partnership, Facebook and Jio partnership, is the role that we can play together in supporting the millions of small businesses in India especially now with the impact that COVID is having accelerating the move that a lot of businesses have from physical storefronts to digital ones and in this digital future. So, I'm curious — what role do you see technology, playing in this post COVID world? Especially as it relates to all of these small businesses that I know you share a passion with me that is just critical that we serve them. Ambani: Absolutely, Mark. And, let me point out a very unique feature about our partnership. Perhaps, not many people have understood this, but before this partnership I believe that each one of us was mainly a communication platform. Together, we now have become a value creation platform for our customers and small businesses. And, I firmly believe that technology with all the digitization steps that India has taken will democratize wealth and value creation for individuals and small businesses. And, let me explain this very simply, Whatsapp has hundreds of millions of subscribers in India Jio has hundreds of millions of subscribers in India. Jio Mart, which is our retail service, actually has the aspiration of serving tens of millions of small shopkeepers in India, who are the bedrock of employment. So, what does this mean? This means Jio brings digital connectivity. WhatsApp, now with WhatsApp brings digital interactivity and the ability to move to close transactions and create value. And, Jio Mart brings the unmatched online and offline retail opportunity that gives our small shops, which exist in villages and small towns in India, a chance to digitize and be at par with anybody else in the world. [...] Zuckerberg: I'm curious as you look ahead to the future in India — what other technologies or developments are you excited about now? Where do you see the country in the next five to 10 years? Ambani: Well, as I mentioned to you, Mark. I really see India accelerating as a premier digital society. I see us integrating 5G. [...] We also think that compute, and very low latency compute is real.I think that there is a great opportunity for really bringing education and healthcare with the second generation reforms that were done in the last six months, right. [...] And, I think that in a span of 10 years, we can set for ourselves an objective to really reskill India and the talent that you talked about can improve 10x. Today, you're just seeing the creamy layer. But, that's what technology can do to really make a better India in a better world. The same thing we can do in health, and all the emerging technology and integrations where we can make sure that we deliver services and we deliver good proactive healthcare. [..] And, that is why I think that the next two decades are going to be historic in terms of the social and economic transformation. Zuckerberg: It always blows me away that India has more than 60 million small businesses and millions of people around the country rely on them for jobs. That's a big part of what I hope that our partnership can serve here. We support more than 50 million WhatsApp business app users globally every month already and more than 15 million of these are in India. As you said, now, I can’t imagine going through the pandemic 10 years ago or even two decades ago when the internet was still nascent. It would have been a completely different experience. And, technology, of course, is allowing us to make sure that we can get accurate information out to people that has implications on health, education and helping serve people better. I think it shows a lot of the promise for what's ahead and I think we've certainly fared better now than we would have if the pandemic hit us before. Ambani: I couldn't agree more, Mark. [...] I call you the ‘architect of the digital network of the world’. While I have built some connectivity and broadband connectivity in India, you've done that for the world.Please share with us your experience of as the digital architect of the world, how your global Facebook experience has helped people in this crisis and your perspective of the crisis and where you see the world today and where it is going? Zuckerberg: [...] We just launched WhatsApp payments in India last month. So you can send money to your friends and family through WhatsApp as easily as sending a message and that was possible because of the UPI system that has been built in via unified payments interface so it makes it easy for anyone to instantly accept payments across different apps. I think we're working with 140 banks, or it's supported by 140 banks out of the gate. And, India's the first country in the world to do anything like this now. So we're grateful to be able to support this kind of innovation to help to work to create more prosperity and help achieve a more Digital India. In fact, I think that a lot of other places around the world are going to be better off when they follow some of this lead that India has set in creating public goods like this. [...] Ambani: I hope that the rest of the world learns from Indian policy, and what Facebook is able to achieve in India. We as Indians will be very proud if Facebook says we did it first in India, and then took it to 100 countries. I look forward to working with you on that. Mark, all of us would love to know your views on how the world is changing. And, what you and Facebook are thinking about. And what you see the future as. Just give us your perspective, Mark. Zuckerberg: [He spoke about how technology is empowering individuals, not just businesses and how it has been “incredibly democratising”.] We’re now on the next step with now great 4G and coming 5G networks. Video is really becoming the primary way that people share. Anyone can learn and capture something on their phones and then share it or stream it. Increasingly people are able to consume that. Video is just a lot richer of a medium than photos. Even when my daughters took their first steps, I wanted to capture a video of that and share it, not just a photo. But I don't think video is the end of the line. So, a lot of what I'm focused on is creating a helping screen virtual reality and augmented reality, so that way we can share not only the video of an experience, but you can use virtual reality to go into an experience and feel like you're right there. You can have holograms of digital objects that can kind of be as realistic as the physical objects that are there. Meaning in five or 10 years when we're having this conversation, it will just be a hologram version of me sitting on the couch next to you instead of having to do this over a screen. It'll feel a lot more realistic. A big part of why I was excited to partner with you is because there are not many people around the world, who've just gone industry after industry revolutionized them and improve them, and continue to do it and have that hunger to improve the lives of so many people so I just have a deep admiration for that. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/pornhub-adult-video-streaming-website-deletes-over-9-million-videos-to-remove-child-porn/articleshow/79732612.cms">Two in every three Pornhub videos are gone after a purge to remove child porn</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/finance/banks/news/hdfc-bank-ceo-aditya-puri-says-banks-must-change-every-3-4-years/articleshow/79734617.cms">"Banks must change every 3-4 years," says Aditya Puri, the recently retired chairman of HDFC Bank, dubbed as 'the world's best banker'</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/ecommerce/news/after-zomato-swiggy-scales-down-its-grocery-ambitions-leaving-the-market-open-for-jiomart-bigbasket-amazon-and-others/articleshow/79739364.cms">After Zomato, Swiggy scales down its grocery ambitions – leaving the market open for JioMart, BigBasket, Amazon and others</a>

Zuckerberg spoke to Ambani but there was no chemistry — even with a multi-million dollar partnership between them

New Delhi, May 26 () Billionaire Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Industries has launched an online extension of its grocery business under JioMart brand across 200 cities. The service is being offered in all leading metros (Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru and Kolkata), and even in smaller towns like Mysuru, Bhatinda and Dehradun. JioMart is now delivering in more than 200 cities, Damodar Mall, the chief executive officer of Reliance Retail's grocery business said in a tweet. JioMart last month started a pilot project serving users in three neighbourhoods surrounding Mumbai. Credit Suisse said, "The national roll-out provides customers with a useful alternative to existing players (BigBasket, Grofers) as online grocery orders have spiked, given the fewer store visits". D-Mart, it said, mentioned that April revenues are down 45 per cent year-on-year as nearly 50 per cent of the stores are shut or have very restricted hours of operation. Therefore, online orders should help offset some of the lower sales in physical stores. CLSA said as of now, the website will only use Reliance's offline grocery supply chain as its backbone and deliver to homes. "Success at its ongoing beta tests in Navi Mumbai, which also encompasses mom and pop stores and uses WhatsApp as a platform to order, will be later extended to pan-India," it said. Users can order from a full suite of grocery items by visiting the JioMart website. Products include fruits and vegetables, dairy and baked goods, staples, snacks and branded foods, beverages, and personal and home care. Reliance's private labels also featured prominently. "While it does not commit on a delivery timeline when ordering (due to the lockdown), it aims to deliver orders within a two-day timeframe," CLSA said. Eventually, like other online retailers, it is possible that Reliance integrates its entire retail offerings, including fashion, lifestyle and consumer electronics, onto one super e-commerce platform and mobile app. "This, along with a pan-India extension of partnerships with mom &amp; pop stores after a successful beta test and ramp-up of this new commerce venture is crucial in Reliance's grand plan of converting Jio's 400 million-plus subscribers into customers for its eCommerce and other offerings," CLSA said. Recent partnerships with Facebook-owned WhatsApp for JioMart will only help in increasing monetisation opportunities by increasing the convenience and reach of consumers. The grocery platform was previously piloting deliveries only in select areas of Mumbai. "JioMart has seen a 4x rise in online orders from a low base. With its pan India presence JioMart now directly competes with Amazon and Flipkart in eCommerce," Bernstein said in a separate report. Grocery is 70 per cent of the Indian retail market, 90 per cent-plus unorganised, driven by Kirana stores/small retailers. "Organised penetration is less than 10 per cent while online penetration for grocery is less than 1 per cent," it said. Facebook has made a bigger push into e-commerce with the launch of Shops. "The idea is to bring millions of small businesses online. This will allow free online storefronts for small businesses and retailers and expand Facebook presence across Instagram, WhatsApp and Messenger," Bernstein said. "Facebook shops will be complimentary to WhatsApp business use to sign and onboard Kirana stores for JioMart (grocery app of Reliance Retail)." Credit Suisse said JioMart currently fulfills the order by own entity and kiranas likely to be on-boarded subsequently. "The platform lists all the major grocery categories like fruits and vegetables, staples, dairy and bakery, snacks, beverages, personal care, home care and baby care. "In terms of pricing, Reliance has extended the Smart promise of 'minimum 5 per cent off on MRP' to all products on JioMart. The discount is higher on its private label brands, and is competitive to branded products," it said. Reliance Retail had been piloting the initiative in Navi Mumbai, Thane and Kalyan among select population group. It was serving these customers through both Kirana stores and their own warehouses. It also set up Smart Points, which were acting as delivery points in neighbourhood. However, orders post the national launch are being serviced by Reliance Smart and Fresh stores, Sahakari Bhandar stores (owned by Reliance retail), and is not yet fully leveraging kirana network (as on-boarding of Kirana stores is still ongoing), Credit Suisse said. "Just prior to the national launch, Reliance Retail tapped the WhatsApp customer base in the three pilot regions to source orders. In our view, it was just a test phase of integration. The orders were available only for pick-up from nearby Kirana store, whose details were sent to the customer via WhatsApp. However, the national launch, so far, does not have integration with WhatsApp," it said. The brokerage said it placed an order on JioMart but the delivered order value was 55 per cent of the booked order value, due to inventory limitation in the nearby Sahakari Bhandar store. ANZ BAL

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