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<keyword id="6385850" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Raksha-Bandhan">Raksha Bandhan</keyword> is a very special day, one that celebrates the invaluable bond between siblings. The relationship between sister and brother is one of the strongest and loving bonds in a family. Raksha Bandhan is an occasion to show how much your sister means to you and express your love for her. On this auspicious day, give something wonderful, useful, and memorable to your sister and watch her face light up with joy and happiness. Here are some thoughtful and unique gift ideas for this year. The best gifts you can procure for your sister who is studying The COVID-19 pandemic lockdown has brought a significant change in education. With more focus on online classes and remote education, your student sister will find branded headphones or a good webcam system very useful. Good books always make for great gifts and help them add to good reading habits. Look for some titles that are connected to her studies or something that can boost her general knowledge. If your sister is a creative writer, stories and novels are something that she would love to read. Suitable gifts for an employed sister Following the pandemic situation, most firms have moved into remote working. If your sister is working from home - books, magazine subscriptions or audiobooks can be some perfect gifts you can get her. Tablets, phones, or a music player can help your sister spend her leisure time in a more relaxed manner and beat all the stress that strenuous work from home assignments bring along. The right gifts for a homemaker sister While the list of gift items you can think of for a homemaker sister are endless, some of these ideas would really help in the current lockdown situation. Gift vouchers for grocery purchase can bring a smile to her face, as she can stock up provision supplies at her home with a custom made order list. Vouchers from pharmacies and drug stores, coupons and e-gift cards from online shops and e-retailers would be a thoughtful present for Raksha Bandhan. Another way to show her you care and give her a break from all the cooking would be a gift voucher for food delivery or from a restaurant. Also, you can give her some beautiful crockery, serving sets and some useful kitchenware that will add to her kitchen’s sparkle and something that she can use. Memorable <keyword id="6821844" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Raksha-Bandhan-Gifts-for-sisters">Raksha Bandhan gifts for sisters</keyword> To make Raksha Bandhan unforgettable for your sister, here are some unique gifting ideas. Whether studying, working or running her home - your sister will always love and adore personalised gifts. They can be in the form of chocolate boxes, personalised mugs, cushions or photo frames. With the focus shifting to healthy living, ‘going green’ is the new mantra. Miniature plants, money plant terrarium, and Vastu plants can add some greenery and good luck to her living space. And of course, one can never go wrong with jewellery - if your sister loves fashion, watches, earrings and bracelets or rings would make for great gifts.

Celebrating Raksha Bandhan - here are some unique gift ideas for your sister

The story of <keyword id="6385850" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Raksha-Bandhan">Raksha bandhan</keyword> is not just about brotherhood only. In India, it transforms into a bond which brings with it, the responsibility of protection. The North Indian festival has assumed importance during the time of wars and strife in a pre-independent era when pillaging was common. Women who had no surviving male relative would tie a <keyword id="6373020" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="rakhi">rakhi</keyword> to friends or acquaintances, who will then take up the role of their ‘protector’. The story of the Rakhi finds mention in mythology too. Draupadi the queen of the Pandavas, in the epic Mahabharata, is believed to have tied a band around Lord Krishna’s arms, which turned into a rakhi. In turn, Krishna saved her with an endless supply of cloth as her husband’s rivals, the Kauravas, tried to disrobe her in an open court. The widowed queen of Mewar, Karnavati, sent a rakhi to Emperor Humayun of the Mughal Empire seeking help when her kingdom was under attack from Bahadur Shah. Humayun obliged and ran to rescue her despite the rivalry between the two families. Though she had immolated herself by the time his army reached the area which is now a part of Rajasthan, he did restore the kingdom to her young son by defeating Shah. The 21st century In the 21st century, Rakhsa bandhan celebrates the brotherly bond. Many Indians now refrain from tying a rakhi only to brothers but also include sisters and even parents into the fold. It has truly turned into a Thanksgiving of sorts where a family comes together and feasts, while honouring those who love and protect each other. Like most other India festivals, Rakhi too is mostly about giving gifts, in exchange for a rakhi. A large number of stores turn into a mini-Christmas offering a variety of options from potpourri, to clothes, to jewelry to spa passes. This is apart from the e-commerce blast on special offers for the day. Now, mutual funds and insurance companies also offer Rakhi schemes, making it an economically significant festival for the country. Whatever the cause and effect, Indians are known to celebrate them all with pomp, glory while sparing no expense.

The social, economical and political relationships that a Rakhi binds

If you're a salaried employee or a business owner who can't leave for a trip whenever you want and need to plan ahead, August is a great time for a vacation. In <keyword id="21604710" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="August-2024" source="keywords">August 2024</keyword>, there are some exciting long weekends thanks to holidays like Independence Day, Raksha Bandhan, and Janmashtami. This means it's a perfect time for you to plan a trip! If you plan your leave carefully, you can get up to five days off in a row. We're here to help you plan your August holidays and suggest some great travel options. We'll tell you about the top destinations you can visit near <keyword id="66" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Delhi" source="Orion">Delhi</keyword>, <keyword id="6358070" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Mumbai" source="Orion">Mumbai</keyword>, and <keyword id="6354321" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Bengaluru" source="Orion">Bengaluru</keyword> during these long weekends. <h2>Here's a breakdown of the long weekends in August:</h2> <div type="image" title="Calender" msid="112289713" hostid="261" sizebytes="143659" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Breakdown of the long weekends in August 2024.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> Now, let's look at great places to visit near Delhi, Mumbai, and Bengaluru during these weekends. <h3>Near Delhi:</h3>Jaisalmer, Rajasthan Known as the "Golden City," Jaisalmer is famous for its stunning sandstone architecture and desert landscapes. Explore the Jaisalmer Fort, Patwon Ki Haveli, and the picturesque Sam Sand Dunes, where you can enjoy a camel safari and witness a beautiful sunset. Munsyari, Uttarakhand A hidden gem in the Kumaon region, Munsyari offers breathtaking views of the Himalayan peaks. It's a paradise for trekkers, with routes like the Milam Glacier and Khaliya Top. The quaint village atmosphere and stunning natural beauty make it a perfect escape. Pushkar, Rajasthan A small town known for its sacred Pushkar Lake and the famous Brahma Temple, Pushkar is a spiritual and cultural destination. The vibrant Pushkar Bazaar is great for shopping, and if you're visiting in November, don't miss the famous Pushkar Camel Fair. <h2>Near Mumbai:</h2>Goa A popular beach destination, Goa offers a mix of sun, sand, and vibrant nightlife. Visit the beautiful beaches of Baga, Anjuna, and Palolem, explore historic churches like the Basilica of Bom Jesus, and enjoy water sports. Goa's rich Portuguese heritage and delicious seafood are added attractions. <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="109562865" title="Things to do in Goa in monsoon to make the most out of your trip" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div>Alibaug A coastal town with beautiful beaches, Alibaug is ideal for a relaxing weekend. You can visit Kolaba Fort, enjoy water sports, or just unwind at the various beaches like Alibaug Beach and Nagaon Beach. Matheran A charming hill station free of vehicles, Matheran offers peaceful walks through nature. The views from Panorama Point and Charlotte Lake are breathtaking. You can also explore the many viewpoints that offer stunning landscapes. <h2>Near Bengaluru:</h2>Hampi, Karnataka: A UNESCO World Heritage site, Hampi is renowned for its ancient ruins and temples from the Vijayanagara Empire. Explore the Virupaksha Temple, Vittala Temple with its iconic stone chariot, and the Hampi Bazaar. The landscape of giant boulders and ancient structures makes Hampi a unique and fascinating destination. Chikmagalur: A paradise for coffee lovers, Chikmagalur is a hill station surrounded by coffee plantations. You can trek to Mullayanagiri, the highest peak in Karnataka, visit the serene Hebbe Falls, and explore ancient temples. Mysuru: A city rich in history and culture, Mysuru is famous for its magnificent Mysore Palace. You can also visit Chamundi Hill, St. Philomena's Church, and the vibrant Devaraja Market. The Mysore Zoo and Brindavan Gardens are other popular attractions. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/travel/india/webstories/10-most-beautiful-hill-stations-to-visit-in-north-india-this-august/slidelist/112213767.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink" target="_blank">10 most beautiful hill stations to visit in North India this August</a>

Plan the perfect August 2024 long weekend: Getaways from Delhi, Mumbai, and Bengaluru

The entire country celebrating Raksha Bandhan today. But are you one of those elder siblings still mulling and stuck over the perfect gift to give your younger ones? Well, then it is time for you to move beyond your traditional gift ideas like sweets, gadgets, clothes, and jewelry, and invest in their future prosperity. How? By gifting them <keyword id="19905382" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="stocks" source="keywords">stocks</keyword>, or even mutual fund units. Here's a deep dive into how you can lay the foundations of a lasting bond with your siblings, and cement their financial future, one stock and one mutual fund unit at a time. <h2>How can I gift shares ?</h2>You can swiftly transfer shares online, provided both you and your siblings have a <keyword id="19977340" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="demat" source="keywords">demat</keyword> account. Many brokerage firms like Zerodha, Groww and others also offer this facility. For this, you will need to input details like your sibling's name (who you wish should receive these shares), particulars of their demat account, the amount of shares you wish to give as gift, and the name and 12-digit ISIN number of the company whose stocks you want to transfer. In addition, you will also have to provide the beneficiary owner ID of your siblings, reason for transferring these shares, and bank account details. In order to kickstart the process, you'll have to initiate what is known as an off-market settlement. This means without the stock exchange coming into the picture, two parties i.e. you and your sibling will mutually settle shares. For this, you will have to submit a delivery instruction slip (DIS) to your DP, or depository participant, which serves as a bridge between you and the depository. When you are transferring shares, you are essentially transferring your ownership of such stocks to them, and thus, you need to inform your DP and depository of the same. At present, there are only 2 depositories present in the country, namely NSDL and CDSL. You can submit this DIS both online and offline. If you have more than one siblings you wish to transfer shares to, remember to use separate DIS for each recipient's account. Once you initiate the transfer, your broker will send an email and SMS to the recipient, who will have 7 days to accept this. But remember, once you've transferred these shares, there is no provision to revoke this transfer. And just like with your clothes, accessories and everything else in life, your siblings will have full freedom and ownership to do whatever they deem fit with these shares! However, what you can certainly do, and make this gift more meaningful, is drive home the value of holding these securities for the long term, so that they are able to make the most of this investments. Ideally, a good start would be to start investing in stocks of large-cap, blue-chip companies, and them eventually complement them with small and midcap stocks, which offer higher legroom for growth. Per brokerage firm Master Capital Services Ltd, "consider choosing stocks from well-established companies with a solid track record and growth potential. It is essential to consider risk tolerance, investment horizon, and financial goals before selecting stocks for your brothers and sisters. The finest present you could give your siblings this year would be long-lasting financial stability". If you're looking for some stock recommendations you can consider for your siblings, we have you covered as well: <h4>Larsen &amp; Toubro Ltd. </h4>Why you should consider this? The company has shown consistent revenue growth and profitability in the past years while maintaining stability with its ROCE &amp; ROE of around 19% and 15%. L&amp;T has a significant global presence, with projects and operations in various international markets. This geographic diversification helps in tapping into global opportunities and reduces dependence on the domestic market. <h4>HCL Technologies Ltd. </h4>Why you should consider this? HCL Technologies is one of the IT giants of India, which is ranked amongst the top five Indian IT services companies in terms of revenues. HCL offers a wide array of IT, business services, engineering, R&amp;D services, and software products with operations in 60 countries. The company has been investing heavily in digital technologies, including cloud computing, artificial intelligence (AI), and automation. This focus aligns with current industry trends and positions the company to capture growth in the high-demand areas. <h4>TATA Motors Ltd.</h4>Tata Motors Limited is a leading manufacturer of automobiles and one of the largest OEM in India offering a wide range of passenger and commercial vehicles. Tata motors owns the flagship brand of Jaguar and Land Rover (JLR) which is a dominant automobile player in the global market. Its early entry in the electric vehicle segment has positioned it well ahead of many competitors and currently, it enjoys the largest market share in the EV segment in India. The focus on innovation and sustainability, along with a robust product lineup, positions Tata Motors well for future growth and market opportunities. <h2 style="margin-bottom: 0.7em; line-height: 1.3; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 24px; background: 0px 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;">Tax Implications of gifting shares</h2>The best part about gifting shares is that it is tax-exempt, since you're giving it to your relative. This means your sibling will not be liable to pay any taxes on this gift. However, to be on the safer side, make sure that the market value of the shares that you gift them does not exceed Rs 50,000, or else your siblings, i.e. the recipient will have to incur a tax liability. If your siblings decide to sell these gifted shares, they will have to pay LTCG (long-term capital gains) tax at the rate of 12.5%, or STCG (short-term capital gains) tax at the rate of 20%, depending on how long they hold these securities for. <h2>Gifting mutual fund units? </h2>Unfortunately, you cant transfer your mutual fund units to your siblings. The transfer of mutual fund units is only possible in case the unitholder passes away. But the one thing you can certainly do is start an SIP, or systematic investment plan (SIP) in their name. With as much as Rs 5,000 per month, invested over a period of 10 years, you 'll have invested Rs 6,00,000 for you siblings, which would have earned returns worth Rs 5,61,695, taking their total corpus to Rs 11,61,695. You can even start an SIP with just Rs 500/month in their name. You can nudge them into continuing this, so that you instill the value of financial discipline and long-term investing in them. Remember, at the end of the day, the true value of your gift lies not just in its monetary worth, but in the knowledge, responsibility, and financial acumen that you will pass on to your siblings. So, this <keyword id="22639140" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="Rakshabandhan" source="keywords">Rakshabandhan</keyword>, consider tying not just a rakhi, but also a knot of financial empowerment.

Move over regular gifts! Gift your sister stocks, MF units this Rakhi

From Holi to Christmas  – Important festival dates in 2024

Bhai Dooj is celebrated on the second day (Dwitiya – Dooj) of the waxing phase (Shukla Paksha) of moon in the month of Karthik (October – November). Therefore, Bhai Dooj comes two days after Diwali. Bhai Dooj is meant to celebrate the bond between brother and sister. Bhai Dooj is celebrated in the Hindu households enthusiastically. Here we learn the date, time and puja procedure of <keyword id="11013916" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="bhai-dooj-2021" source="Orion">Bhai Dooj 2021</keyword>. Bhai Dooj 2021 date and puja time This year’s calendar marks Bhai Dooj on Saturday, November 6, 2021. The Dwitiya Tithi begins at 11:14 pm on November 5, 2021 and ends at 7:44 pm on November 6, 2021. The best time to perform the Bhai Dooj rituals is between 1:10 pm and 3:21 pm on Saturday, November 6, 2021. Significance of Bhai Dooj The central theme of Bhai Dooj is to celebrate the bond between brothers and sisters. This is an event similar to Raksha Bandhan or Rakhi. On this day, brothers usually visit their sister’s home where a puja is performed and a sumptuous feast is given. On this occasion, sisters pray for the well-being of their brothers and perform a special puja praying for the health and long life of their brothers. Legend behind Bhai Dooj There is a legend that describes how Bhai Dooj came about. The Puranic characters connected to Bhai Dooj are Yamuna, the river and Yama, the god of death. Yama is one of the busiest gods in the universe and due to his preoccupation with his most important tasks, he could not visit his sister for a long time. Whenever Yamuna invited him to her home, Yama used to politely decline citing his busy preoccupations. Once, the time was ripe and Yama made a surprise visit to his sister’s home. During his visit, he too granted a boon to his sister. Joyful of this boon, Yamuna prayed Yama not to take the lives of brothers on the day of Bhai Dooj. She too prayed that those who take bath in her holy waters be blessed by Yama. Yamuna treated her brother with a sumptuous feast and they parted happily after the event. This event gave rise to Bhai Dooj. Bhai Dooj puja vidhi – what to do on Bhai Dooj On the day of Bhai Dooj, the sister wakes up early in the morning and takes a ritualistic bath. The home is decorated and the puja altar, special dishes and puja materials are readied. Once the brother arrives at the home, the sister invites him in a ceremonial way by applying tilak on his forehead and giving him water and sweets. Two chowkis are placed in the puja room. In one of the chowkis, the idols of Ganesh, Vishnu and Lakshmi are placed and special puja is done to them seeking the welfare of the brother. Then the brother is made to sit in the other chowki. The sister applies tilak on his forehead and asks him to hold a full coconut in his right palm as she ties the kalava. The puja concludes with a sumptuous feast after giving him sweets and wishing him good luck. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/who-approves-bharat-biotechs-covaxin-for-emergency-use/articleshow/87510108.cms">WHO approves Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin for emergency use after a long wait</a>

Bhai Dooj 2021 date, time and puja vidhi – everything you must know

<ul><li>To join the bandwagon of offering healthy solutions to consumers, <keyword id="215445" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Perfetti-Van-Melle-India">Perfetti Van Melle India</keyword>’s <keyword id="10113427" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="alpenliebe-juicyfills">Alpenliebe JuiCyfills</keyword> launched Liquid filled Candy with fruit juice and Vitamin C.</li><li>We speak to Rajesh Ramakrishnan - Managing Director, <keyword id="135659" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Perfetti-Van-Melle">Perfetti Van Melle</keyword> India to understand the idea behind launching immunity-based candy, impact of lockdown on the company and goals ahead. </li></ul>Since the COVID-19 virus came into our lives, brands have tried to come up with out-of-the-box solutions to help people surf through the rough waters and fight the virus. From anti-corona fabric to antiviral paint, brands have come up with all kinds of innovative, and at times even bizarre solutions to deal with the virus. To join the bandwagon of offering healthy solutions to consumers, Perfetti Van Melle India forayed into the fruit candy segment with Alpenliebe JuiCyfills that is a Liquid filled Candy with fruit juice and Vitamin C. In these testing times, Vitamin C has seen its importance increasing in the market since it helps build immunity. So, the brand wanted to offer a fun and healthy option to kids and adults. It launched a TVC reminding people that sometimes bringing the inner child out can also bring happiness to a family. The TVC showcases a kid who relishes the fruity blast of the new Alpenliebe JuiCyfills and is suddenly hit by an idea to bring his bickering grandparents together. Bolstered with the fruity mischief the kid plays a prank that lands his grandparents in a sweet moment of reconciliation. The idea was to position itself as a candy that ‘brings hearts together.’ <div type="Youtube" id="LwCKsIcCfhU" title="Alpenliebe JuiCyfills - #ShararatKaPhalMeethaBhiHotaHai" thumbUrl="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/LwCKsIcCfhU/mqdefault.jpg"></div> However, since confectionery doesn't fall under essentials, there was a clear cut down on the consumption rate. Telling us how the lockdown impacted Perfetti Van Melle India, Rajesh Ramakrishnan - Managing Director, said, “The <keyword id="10113426" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="confectionery-category">confectionery category</keyword> falls under the larger Impulse category. We are highly dependent on footfalls on the street. Due to the lockdown from end of March, the traffic in the street significantly came down- schools, colleges, offices were all closed and this greatly impacted our business. April was tough and then May-Aug picked up slowly as the lockdown started easing a bit. The good part is that most of our portfolio is at Re 1 and hence it is an affordable treat for many, so the bounce back is also that much faster.” Increasing focus on e-commerce was another trend that the brand latched onto. “One of the key trends that we see is moving towards Fortification, especially in the F&amp;B category. Consumers are looking for products that provide health related benefits in these times. Another is the move towards greater in-home stocking leading to in-home consumption. There is also a greater shift towards e-commerce across categories,” said Ramakrishnan. Perfetti Van Melle had to cut down its ad spends in the beginning of the lockdown and is now slowly bouncing back. “We had also cut down our spends during the tough months. But now we are slowly getting back to spending to further fuel demand and support our new launches. TV still continues to be our mainstay medium, while our spends in Digital have gone up,” said Ramakrishnan. To minimise COVID’s impact further, the confectionery giant is also focusing more on its large packs for in-home consumption and target consumers via e-commerce. And like any other F&amp;B brand, festive season plays a key role for Perfetti Van Melle. Speaking about the initiatives lined up during the festive season, Ramakrishnan said, “The festive season between Aug-Dec is a key period for us as well, like it is for many F&amp;B products. We have several initiatives lined up for the festive season on Alpenliebe and Alpenliebe Juzt Jelly. We kicked this off with an interesting activation on Alpenliebe during Raksha Bandhan, where we encouraged families to come together to create DIY Rakhis.” The confectionery industry is roughly worth Rs 12,000 crore and was growing steadily before COVID. Ramakrishnan said that it will take a while for the industry to come back to its normal rate of growth, since that would also depend on footfalls in the street. Meanwhile, the brand will continue to focus on staying relevant and building trust. Ramakrishnan said, “Brand building is always a long-term proposition. Consumers consume products that fulfil their functional needs and they connect with brands at an emotional level. This is not likely to dramatically change during or post the pandemic. I believe that brands need to stick to the fundamentals – understand and anticipate consumer needs, offer differentiated products, build strong consumer engagement and drive distribution. In fact, we have observed that consumers become less experimental and prefer to stick to their trusted brands. Brands which have stronger connect are doing better during this period because of the trust they have built over the years. We at Perfetti, operate in a largely impulse category, and the different brands in our portfolio play different roles in the lives of the consumer. For example, Center fruit is all about 'mood transformation' which uplifts your mood and makes you happy, Alpenliebe is about 'Bringing Hearts closer' by getting the family closer to each other. These are very relevant spaces in general and especially in these times.” As a marketer, Ramakrishnan said that it is important to be empathetic to consumers, understand and anticipate their needs in these tough times, and meet those needs. Perfetti Van Melle is currently the market leader in confectioneries and will be focusing towards further strengthening its position during and post-COVID.

Why Perfetti Van Melle India decided to launch Vitamin C candies

<ul><li><keyword id="527314" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="snacking" source="Orion">Snacking</keyword> has become an important part of our work-from-home routine and many FMCG brands have witnessed an uptick in packaged food products like biscuits, cookies and chips.</li><li>We speak to <keyword id="12061512" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="shailja-joshi" source="Orion">Shailja Joshi</keyword>, Associate Director, <keyword id="206441" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="potato-chips" source="Orion">Potato Chips</keyword> Category, <keyword id="110163" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="pepsico-india" source="Orion">PepsiCo India</keyword> to understand how the last 1.5 years have been for the brand, what kind of trends it has witnessed and how it is pivoting its strategies to meet its consumers' rapidly evolving needs and preferences.</li></ul>The pandemic has brought about a huge change in the way we live, work, or even snack. While stuck at home, the time we spend with our families have become important. And snacking has become an important part of that time spent at home. There has been a visible increase in in-house consumption of processed and packaged foods including biscuits to chips, anything that people could munch on while working from home, playing board games or simply while Netflix and chilling. In fact, it is not just consumers from metros or Tier II and III cities who started snacking more, even rural consumers are riding on the trend, according to reports. <keyword id="54572" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="pepsico" source="Orion">PepsiCo</keyword>’s Lay’s is a product that is almost synonymous with the chips category in India. Over the last few years, Lay’s has been focusing a lot on localization to continue to stay relevant for the Indian consumers. The way it reaches out to its consumers has also evolved. The brand which gives a lot of importance to social listening recently launched special ‘@ Home’ packs based on the insight that people were snacking more at home. A lot of its strategies are paying off too as PepsiCo reported double-digit growth in India in Q2 despite the second wave of the pandemic. PepsiCo's reported that its snacks unit volume reported double-digit growth in India and Pakistan. We recently spoke to Shailja Joshi, Associate Director, Potato Chips Category, PepsiCo India to understand how the last 1.5 years have been for the brand, what kind of trends it has witnessed and how it is pivoting its strategies to meet the requirements of rapidly evolving consumer preferences. Excerpts: Q) Walk me through the last 1.5 years. How have things been for brand <keyword id="1380276" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="lays" source="Orion">Lay's</keyword>? Over the last 1.5 years, we witnessed a paradigm shift in the business landscape. The exceptional times gave birth to a new reality – new behaviors emerged, consumption patterns evolved, and brands had to re-think and re-evaluate strategies to adapt to consumer disposition. In the last year, in-home consumption grew as ‘home’ became the new social hub; affordability and accessibility became key factors for consumer decisions across categories; and consumers started choosing brands which rose to the occasion at hand. Our strategy for Lay’s over these past months was guided by three key consumer truths–firstly, consumers were becoming increasingly value-conscious; secondly, they were seeking innovative brand offerings that were in line with their evolving preferences; and lastly, they were gravitating towards brands that were willing to ‘Solve, Not Sell’ and lead with purpose in these challenging times. We pivoted our plans and worked towards bringing joy as well as value to our consumers. These insights formed the foundation for all our campaigns in the recent months, including – <ul><li>Lay’s Heartwork campaign, wherein we extended support to the community by creating a narrative of gratitude.</li><li>The PepsiCo India x Airtel Promo, wherein we leveraged data as the key currency to deliver value. </li><li>#YehWaalaYaadRahega campaign, wherein we introduced new, limited-time offerings - Lay’s Herby Crush and Lay’s Cheesy Love – which were formulated basis consumers’ flavour preferences.</li></ul>All in all, it’s been an eventful year for the brand – complete with distinct offerings and innovative campaigns that were loved by consumers. Q) Being locked at home made all of us snack more. How did you capitalize on this trend? As people continue to remain indoors in light of the ongoing times, there has certainly been an uptick in at-home consumption. Robust and in-depth research showed us that with increased time spent at home, as work-from-home, celebrations and entertainment move indoors - such as friends’ get-togethers, movie watching and other occasions -there has been a surge in consumer demand for large packs. In line with this insight, we introduced the new, large-sized Lay’s ‘@ Home’ packs to be the perfect companions for our consumers in all their experiences ‘at home’– be it work or leisure. We leveraged four distinct moments that consumers are experiencing at home –including ‘Work At Home’, ‘Movie Watching At Home’, ‘Adda At Home’ and ‘Weekend Outing At Home’ – and curated a pack for each occasion. These packs have been strategically launched in larger sizes (priced at INR 50 and INR 85) to encourage sharing amidst at-home celebrations. Going forward as well, we feel that consumers will continue to seek the company of their favourite snacks, resulting in a continued upsurge for in-home demand, especially as they stay indoors or work from home in these challenging times. Q) What is Lay's current brand proposition? Lay’s believes in filling the world with joy for one and all. The brand celebrates the joy that is unlocked when friends and dear ones come together over their much-loved packs of Lay’s. This proposition is the common theme that runs across our recent campaigns – including ‘Lay’s Khol’ for our partnership with Airtel, ‘What’s Your RelationCHIP Status’ for the launch of Lay’s Herby Crush and Lay’s Cheesy Love, and most recently, ‘Ghar Par Lay’s, Always!’ for the introduction of our new, large-sized ‘@ Home’ packs. Q) How has your messaging evolved over the years? Since it is a product that appeals to all age groups, how do you make your communications relevant for this wide spectrum of audience too? Since its launch in 1995, Lay’s has established itself as a youth-centric brand that is widely-loved across the nation for its irresistible taste and unique flavours. ‘Irresistibility’ continues to be the functional benefit that we dial up in all our innovations. Our campaigns over the years have aimed at amplifying the emotional attributes of the brand via a strong storytelling approach. As consumers showered the brand with love for its distinct, delicious flavours, Lay’s also established itself as a popular name in every Indian household through campaigns and taglines that created an emotional connect such as ‘No One Can Eat Just One’, ‘What’s The Program?’, ‘Fight For Your Flavour’, and ‘Dilogical’. More recently as well, with campaigns like ‘Smile Deke Dekho’ and ‘Heartwork’, our attempt was to share the Lay’s story with consumers through all relevant touchpoints and thereby, humanize the brand in the process. Lay’s is a brand that is loved and consumed by people across age groups, however, at the heart of our brand strategy is a youth-centric and trendy brand. Q) Chips as a category is a very physical product, something that people would pick up when they see them stacked on shelves in shops/malls. How have you then made yourself attractive for consumers even on digital platforms, to make sure Lay's became a part of all shopping baskets? The recent times have brought about a significant change in consumer buying behaviour – a large section of consumers are now making a significant amount of purchases online, and we foresee this as a change that is here to stay. With this shift towards e-commerce and digital purchasing, the phenomenon of ‘Zero Moment of Truth’ becomes even more critical for brands –pushing marketers to think of innovative ways to make all key information about their products easily accessible and attractive for the digital consumer. For us, our packs are the primary consumer touchpoint and hence, our biggest asset. We have been experimenting with unique packs innovations – placing them at the heart of all our recent campaigns and communications. Right from the Lay’s Smile packs in 2019 and Lay’s ‘@ Home’ packs in 2021, to special digital packs for Lay’s Heartwork and Lay’s Khol in 2020, we have leveraged our packaging as a medium to communicate with our audience and thereby, forge a connection with them beyond the shelf. While digital penetration has gone up and consumers continue to look for products that are readily available, they also seek great quality and value in their purchases. This places the spotlight on e-commerce platforms, where we have adapted our play according to these consumer needs. For instance, with our partners on e-commerce such as Grofers, Big Basket, etc, we have not just invested to be present in the D2C channels, but have also strengthened our presence – in terms of assortment and visibility. Q) With more and more people moving towards healthy products, how are you making your products more relevant for the health-conscious? Lockdown and its implications placed consumers in situations that they had never seen before – inducing numerous changes in their lifestyles. Amongst these many changes were increased consumer awareness and a growing preference to switch to a healthier lifestyle. At PepsiCo India, we continue to stand committed to constantly transforming our product portfolio by introducing healthier choices, thereby, catering to our consumers who are on different stages of their health and nutrition journeys. We are also innovating and growing our nutrition portfolio to address consumers’ needs. We are targeting the breakfast and in between meals needs through our Tropicana and <keyword id="302586" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="quaker" source="Orion">Quaker</keyword> portfolio. Within these, we are innovating with local flavours to make the products more palatable for Indian consumers. Q) Which marketing mediums are the most important for Lay's? How important is UGC for you, since we have seen Lay's being a part of a lot of work done by content creators, a lot of which is done organically. As per a recent report by leading social media management platform, Hootsuite, there continues to be a rapid increase in digital adoption, with the number of social media users globally fast approaching another impressive milestone. Keeping in mind how consumers today are exploring digital and social media as their sources of both - entertainment and information, we have been maintaining a strong focus on digital media as a key marketing platform for Lay’s. Our focus is on understanding where consumers are and what they are seeking through active social listening. We follow this up by creating insight-driven strategies that are structured to deliver social impact. For instance, moment marketing is big for us, as we view it as an opportunity to facilitate continued and relevant dialogues with our consumers online. Some recent examples are our creative posts for Raksha Bandhan, Independence Day, Eid and World Emoji Day. Additionally, we also focus on leveraging trending, innovative formats. Lay’s was amongst the first brands to use Instagram Reels, and we recently launched an AR filter as part of Lay’s ‘What’s Your RelationCHIP Status’ campaign around Valentine's Day. Following the recent expansion of the influencer marketing industry in India, Lay’s is also amongst the leading brands to have worked extensively with content creators – including celebrities, macro as well as micro influencers. Post the success of our influencer engagement during the Lay’s Smile Deke Dekho campaign, we have created an army of content creators, whom we call ‘Friends of Lay’s’. These are bloggers and influencers who share a deep affinity for the brand, and we make sure that we connect with them as part of all our campaigns. This collaborative approach has resulted in brand Lay’s engaging with more than 4000 micro influencers over the last 2 years, resulting in incremental organic reach and conversations for the brand across social media platforms. Q) How important has localization been for Lay's? We strongly believe that India is not one, but is instead made up of ‘many Indias’ coming together – each part having its own unique culture and taste palate. As one of the most loved snack brands in the country, Lay’s has been focused on curating offerings that suit this wide array of flavour palates that exist at every few kilometers in India. A recent example of our localization strategy is the introduction of Lay’s Wafer Style for the South Indian market. Taking cue from the traditional hand-made and home-dried pappadams that are relished as part of every traditional South Indian meal, we launched Lay’s Wafer Style in ‘Salt with Pepper’ and ‘Sundried Chilli’ flavours, with the aim of tapping into this ritual that is unique to the Southern part of the country. Introduced as the perfect meal accompaniment for traditional South Indian dishes (such as sambhar rice, rasam rice, dal rice, curd rice, lemon rice, etc.),the product received an overwhelming response from our fans across Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Karnataka and Kerala. The focus on localization also reflects in our media strategy, as we continue advertising to our consumers in local languages, maintaining a connect with consumers across multiple regions. Going forward as well, we stand committed to the idea of strengthening brand Lay’s through both, relevance and distinction, by taking more familiar and local flavours to our consumers across India, whilst communicating with them in their native languages.

Here's how Lay's is transforming its products with evolving consumer preferences

<ul><li>The sluggish two quarters of this fiscal and dull results of auto, FMCG, real estate, apparel, telecom indicate that the upcoming <keyword id="36208" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="festive-season">festive season</keyword> will not bring profitability. </li><li>However, the first half of the year was unusual, unprecedented that the ad industry took a nosedive to as low as -60%. </li><li>Experts are hopeful that the festive season will bring in cheer and serve as a respite from the pandemic-associated slumber. </li></ul>This year, Diwali or Ganapati won’t be about bursting crackers on the street and meeting family to exchange sweets. It will be all virtual, about being there for each other in tough times and celebrating small victories. This festive season, like this year, is unusual, which has made many marketers rethink their strategies and understand consumer behaviour closely to come up with out-of-box solutions. The progress of advertising industry has always been in tandem to consumer sentiment and about 40-45% of the annual ad spends in India happen between Raksha Bandhan and New Year. This year, when ad revenue had reached as low as -60% in April, a lot of hopes are banking on the festive season for industry’s overall revival. In many ways, advertising is a lag and lead indicator for our country -- if the country's GDP is growing at 8%, advertising grows at 12%. If GDP falls, ad revenue falls even lower. With a steady monsoon and plump harvest so far, experts are hopeful that the festive season will bring cheer for the industry. It will help the ad world bounce back to normalcy. <keyword id="248051" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Ashish-Bhasin">Ashish Bhasin</keyword>, CEO - APAC and Chairman India, Dentsu Aegis Network Asia said, “In the month of April, we were -60%. I think we will end this calendar year at probably around -15 to -20% decline in the advertising market, which means the second half will have to do better than the first half. It may not be as good as last year, which in itself wasn’t a great period, however it will start improving and coming closer. Monsoon season is looking good, so our rural economy should do well. For many categories now there is saturation in terms of penetration at least in metros, so a lot of growth will come from Tier II, III and rural areas. So if the rains continue and we have a good harvest, there will be more money in the pockets of the rural consumers and that will help the demand. With the advent of the festive season, hopefully, COVID cycle goes down by that time, coupled with a good harvest, demand going up and sentiment improving, I think by around Diwali we will see some signs of normality returning.” Priti Murthy, CEO, OMD India said, “The festive season will bring in cheer and serve as a respite from the pandemic-associated slumber. Our recently conducted survey states how the general news consumption has significantly increased during the lockdown period. With an increase in music streaming, online games, and cooking shows, and re-runs of popular shows from the 80’s &amp; 90’s making a comeback, the ad revenue cycle is all geared up during the festive season.” This Indian festive season is coupled with IPL, which is a gigantic festival in itself that drives advertising industry’s revenue and holds the power to alter market sentiment. While sans-Vivo, OOH and no activitations, Navin Khemka, CEO, MediaCom South Asia still believes IPL will help put ad industry back to 2019’s growth trajectory. “Given that IPL is confirmed, we can expect this year's festival season to be equal to 2019. Last year, the last quarter was approx. Rs 24,000 crore and this year we expect the number to remain constant,” said he. Digital taking the bigger chunk of the pie With the lockdown in Mumbai, which is the creative hub and houses many Indian agencies, Sandeep Sreekumar, Managing Director, Media Moments is looking forward to seeing some creative storytelling made from the inside of four walls on digital mediums this year. "We feel this new phase will bring in new opportunities for the brands to showcase exceptional creativity and storytelling by integrating messages like social distancing, and work from home into their ads.” Sreekumar thinks digital will lead the game as advertisers have been shifting their monies from traditional to virtual platforms. “Digital platforms like Instagram Shop along with other channels including Facebook, Google and OTT platforms are likely to garner the advertiser’s attention across categories which will eventually lead to a significant upsurge in the digital ad revenue. Though, the consumer might still be a little skeptical about spending, the arrival of festivals and the announcement of IPL are likely to change their mindset for the better. We are excited to witness the trends unfold and see the new normal for the advertising industry that will lend an engaging experience to the customers through wit, humour and emotions,” said Sreekumar. Murthy is hoping that print will also see an increase in advertisers’ volume this festive season. “Digital and Print will definitely see an influx during the festive period, and OTT will be the new arena that will see more brands coming in. Also, TV will witness a spike due to IPL being held at the same time.” Khemka pointed out that brands will not go too big on media spendings as they have become cautious of what they are spending on. He said, “Due to the pandemic, TV &amp; Digital will be the biggest gainers. They will grow at the expense of the other mediums. There is cautious optimism with brands. Given the state wise lockdown is affecting sentiment, brands will be cautious before they commit big monies on media.” Auto industry, e-commerce and other virtual brands to lead the growth Experts opined that auto will see a boom because consumers are now avoiding public transport. Other categories that popped up in our discussion were EduTech, E-commerce and OTT. “Auto is likely to bounce back because people are looking for private transportation. E-commerce, EduTech, telecommunications will all bounce back first because data consumption has gone up but the market has been pretty depressed for them also. So hopefully that will pick up. FMCG demand is quite stable, one category that continued to advertise despite the lockdown because they were under the essential category, they will be steady. Once the feel-good factor starts, entertainment will start coming back. Film, digital and TV production starts, they will come back. Real estate will continue seeing a slump unless there is a big economic pick-up. So overall, it will be a mixed bag,” said Bhasin. Murthy also shared her optimism about spends from the auto and IT industry. “Auto has already begun seeing this trend as personal mobility is a higher need in the COVID and post-COVID era. Seeking a digitally enhanced and technologically superior experience across business verticals, IT is an area that showcases an enormous potential, too. Additionally, OTT platforms are also slated to bounce back with all their diverse content.” Consumers to continue being wary about their spendings With the economic downturn and uncertainty still looming around, consumer sentiment might suffer this festive season. Sharing what consumers are likely to spend on, Khemka said, “Given the pandemic I think the consumer has now become more rational. They are spending more on technology, equipment, health &amp; immunity boosters on one hand. However, they have also become cautious on discretionary expenses that can wait for some more time given the tough economic scenario. Also, the list of essentials and non-essentials is being redefined. Murthy said that the trends so far have only indicated that consumer sentiment is improving, which is more likely to continue growing during festive. “According to our OMG study, an average daily time spent across OTT platforms is over 95 minutes. Besides, online video and social media have emerged as the top entertainment mediums among Indians, allowing for a great scope of ad spend to be incorporated. It’s definitely an optimistic picture,” said Murthy.

A lot of hope rests on the festive season this year, but will it bring cheer?

<ul><li>With COVID, brands have shifted their marketing monnies to <keyword id="169310" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="digital-advertising">digital advertising</keyword>. </li><li><keyword id="160350" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Sanjay-Mehta">Sanjay Mehta</keyword>, Joint CEO, <keyword id="3129634" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Mirum">Mirum</keyword> writes why digital advertising will deliver you even better results this year.</li></ul>While digital advertising has been attractive and has been growing in terms of total marketing spends year after year, in particular this year in the COVID-hit world, digital advertising will deliver you even better results. Why so? Read on…. At the outset, let’s look at it from the consumer’s point of view. The kinds of words and sentences we have seen people use are some of the following – “For me just a couple of jeans and few T-shirts have been enough for all of these last 5 – 6 months.” Someone else has said, “ yes I have had a small salary cut but even my expenses have dramatically gone down, so in fact I have more savings in my account:” And more, “I used to spend a lot of money going out to eat or for my entertainment and such stuff, most of which have stopped in the last few months and so I find myself having good money in my bank even though I’ve been sitting at home”. These are the kind of messaging that you often hear from the people who have been largely working from home for the last 5 – 6 months. Yes there is boredom, yes there is a lot of frustration and yes, there is also an eagerness to get back to somewhat of the kind of life that everybody lived in the pre-COVID world. One way to “seem” like you are back in the pre-Covid times, is to shop as if you were! But with nowhere to go really, no big parties or weddings or such occasions, there is a sense of guilt in justifying unnecessary shopping. So we are at the point where the consumer WANTS to return to some pre-Covid normalcy, retail therapy will get her there, to an extent, but justifying that kind of shopping at a time, when there are no occasions for the same, becomes a challenge! This is where the alibi of the festive occasion comes in! Right from Raksha Bandhan and Ganesh Chaturthi onwards, India gets into 3 – 4 months of festivals, one after the other, every few weeks, including the biggest of them all which is Diwali. Traditionally these festivals have been a reason or an excuse to shop because you are going to meet a lot of people your friends, family, relatives and you are also vacationing etc. A lot of that lifestyle might not happen this year, you might not be able to visit many people’s home just yet, you might not be vacationing but the consumer with a pent-up demand and a sense of frustration at having been stuck at home, will find enough reason in the <keyword id="36208" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="festive-season">festive season</keyword> to justify a high amount of shopping, definitely much higher than the averages of last few months. The festival is just the right excuse. This is as far as the consumer is concerned. Now let us have a look from the brand’s point of view and the organisation’s point of view. Most of the brands have been subdued in their business over the last 5 -6 months. Thanks to COVID, initially there was a complete lockdown and factories were closed, the retail stores were closed and there was no sale. Slowly but surely, small amount of sales started happening, initially it was just eCommerce and then the stores started opening up, maybe for a limited number of hours and few days of the week, and of course, the factories also started resuming operations, in different parts of the country. Transportation and logistics also resumed. But the consumer demand did not really go up that much, so while the stores have been open, while the factories produced products, the sales had not had picked up that much and was still a trickle of the typical volumes that they usually see. All brands have therefore been eager to get back to selling more, eager to compensate for the last few months in terms of getting back to desired volumes of sale. Festive season and Diwali provide just the right antidote for them as well. Combined with the earlier mentioned pent-up demand of the consumers and their eagerness to shop now with the festive season as just the right alibi to do so, the opportunity of a sudden sharp increase of demand in most categories, is bound to happen. In such a scenario it is the brands who are able to make the most of this increased demand, who will be the winners! So here is a classic case wherein, on one side we will have an eager customer wanting to shop and finding the festive times as just the right alibi to do so, and on the other hand, the aggressive brands who are willing to go and grab the biggest market share of this pent-up demand. All brands will not have the same fortunes, as it will be the braver brands, the more aggressive brands who will make the most of the opportunity, and get the largest market share. So if you want to be amongst the winning brands who will grab the best of the market share in this festive season, what should you be doing? Well marketing is always the way to acquire the largest market share but in particular what kind of marketing should you be doing? Especially in a year where your fortunes could have been hit due to 4 -5 months of extremely low sales? Whether you are a marketeer or a CFO or a CEO, you key objective would be to spend money which can deliver the best ROI. It may not be the best year to experiment and splurge into large brand building budgets on television and print simply because of the fact that the lack of measurability around that does not give you the liberty to splurge and just hope that it will convert. On the other hand Digital Advertising is just perfect for this festive season. On the one hand we have seen significantly increased online time spends by the consumer, thanks to being at home watching a lot of OTT, following a lot of websites, ordering online, all of this behaviour have sharply seen an upward move. So on one side the consumer is spending a lot more time on Internet screens and on the other hand, digital advertising also provides extremely good measurability so that you can plan the spends in keeping with the returns that you get in terms of conversions. Due to these reasons digital advertising should make for the most potent weapon for a marketeer, especially in this festive season of the COVID year. The recommendation then, would be to be aggressively prepared with a good digital advertising budget but aimed in a very focused manner to achieving ROI, to having measurable impact from your spends on actual sales, and keep spending more to the extent you see the ROI maintain. If you are able to do so, you should be able to achieve excellent impact for your money spent and be one of the highest beneficiaries is terms of getting the best market share coming out of the pent-up demand of the consumer. While physical stores have opened to a fair extent, not everybody is comfortable to go and spend time in the malls and the crowded stores just yet. The COVID cases in India have particularly not slowed down, and in fact they continue to rise. So the pent-up demand of the consumer is far more likely to be met through online shopping rather than walking into physical stores. So ensure that you have a strong online sales set up in place. So this festive season get ready with a healthy ammunition of budgets for your digital advertising efforts, and if done well, you should see fantastic results and great ROI as well.

Digital advertising will deliver mega results for brands this festive season

<ul><li>Amazon’s Great Indian Festival is the longest this year as the brand hasn't set an end date yet and the sale is likely to go on for a month. </li><li>This year’s sale has already broken some of the records set last year. </li><li>Manish Tiwary, Vice President, Amazon India shares with us some of the trends that the e-commerce giant has seen so far, how the platform is working towards improving overall consumer experience, marketing strategy and much more. </li></ul>Consumer sentiment seems to have picked up during Navratri after seeing a muted affair during Raksha Bandhan and Ganesh Chaturthi. E-commerce firms Amazon, Flipkart, Myntra, and Snapdeal together sold goods worth $3.1 billion in the first 4.5 days of the first festival season sale, revealed management consultancy Redseer. This growth trajectory of e-commerce platforms in India testifies how customers are increasingly recognising the importance of comfort shopping within closed doors, and after seeing their businesses take a plunge in the first three months of the lockdown, more and more sellers are coming online with the increasing adoption of e-commerce platforms. Similarly, Amazon India has also been seeing a year of firsts in its ongoing Great Indian Festival and is breaking last year’s records already. So far, the platform has recorded the highest number of first time shoppers, saw a 50% increase in new sellers and witnessed the strongest-ever start for SMBs. 91% of its first-time shoppers were from smaller cities who browsed the app in local Indian languages like Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada. Total iPhones sold on Amazon in one day were more than the total iPhones sold in the entire festive sale period of last year. The sale has also helped Amazon accelerate growth across its portfolio. Over 1 lakh customers bought Amazon devices, Echo and Fire TV devices. Kindle sales were around 2.5X higher than the first day of the sale last year. Manish Tiwary, Vice President, Amazon India calls this year’s Great Indian Festival ‘Bharat’s biggest celebration on Amazon ever’ as Tier II and III towns take the forefront. He further told us some of the trends that the e-commerce giant has seen so far, how the platform is working towards improving overall consumer experience, challenges of breaking the clutter in the e-commerce landscape, marketing strategy, and most demanded products on the platform. 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 Great Indian Festival is relevant to consumers? These are unprecedented times and COVID-19 has impacted the sense of normalcy for everyone. This Great Indian Festival, our focus remains on providing reliability to customers, ensuring safety of employees and helping sellers as they get back on their feet. These include more than 6,50,000 sellers &amp; SMBs including artisans, women entrepreneurs, emerging Indian brands and local store owners from programs like Karigar, Saheli, Launchpad and Local Shops. At the same time, we want to help customers find everything they need – from the latest mobile phone to groceries and get them delivered safely to their homes. Our campaign with the ‘Khushiyon Ka Darwaza’ symbolizes the joy Amazon’s Great Indian Festival brings in the lives of this entire ecosystem of customers, sellers, delivery associates, brand partners and more. Q. What are some of the exclusive deals you have on the platform to woo consumers? This festive season, lakhs of Small &amp; Medium Businesses (SMBs) are offering unique selection to customers helping them rebuild and accelerate their business in tough times. Over 4 crore products from Small &amp; Medium Businesses (SMBs); products from over 20,000 local shops across 100 cities will be available during the Great Indian Festival. Customers across the country will have the opportunity to shop for unique products from thousands of Amazon sellers under various programs such as Local Shops, Amazon Launchpad, Amazon Saheli, and Amazon Karigar and enjoy deals/offers extended by lakhs of small businesses. This year witnessed the strongest ever start for SMBs with record sales; over 5,000 sellers clock sales worth INR 1MM (10 lakh) in SMB pre-festive lead up &amp; first 48 hours of the Great Indian Festival. With over 1.1 Lakh sellers receiving orders, we are humbled how sellers, brands and ecosystem partners nationwide have come together during these unprecedented times to spread joy across the country. Q. What are some of the other trends you are expecting to see this festive? At this moment in time, our focus is to ensure our customers get all that they need safely and that we are able to strongly help our small business partners with their business revival to manage through these challenging times. Customers recognize that ecommerce is the safest way for them to get what they need, and sellers know that e-commerce is the best way for them to serve their customers as their footfalls have been impacted. We are seeing a 50% increase in new seller registrations vs pre COVID19. The sellers on Amazon.in have been receiving orders for consumer electronics, study from home essentials, kitchen &amp; home appliances, smart devices, laptops, mobile phones, phone accessories, personal grooming products, apparel and more besides groceries and other essential products. 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? As a customer-obsessed company, we remain focused on ways to serve the customers in the country everywhere and fulfil all their needs. Our focus remains on what is best for our sellers &amp; customers. This Great Indian Festival is all about them. Q. How are you working towards improving the overall consumer experience? Tier II &amp; III towns see a significant number of customers shop on Amazon.in, with many being first time customers. To address customer needs and enable millions of customers from India to discover the joy, convenience and benefits of online shopping, ahead of the festive season, they can shop in one of the six languages of their choice including English, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada. In fact, the largest number of new customers shopped for the first time on Amazon.in; 91% of new customers came from smaller cities as customers experienced the Great Indian Festival in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada. Q. Do you anticipate people to buy more, considering a lot of people might have pushed buying things for the festive season? With over 1.1 Lakh sellers receiving orders, 66% sellers, 91% of new customers, and 66% of new Prime sign-ups from small towns; shopping in 5 Indian languages; and orders from over 98.4% of India’s pin-codes in just 48 hours, this Great Indian Festival is truly Bharat’s biggest celebration on Amazon ever. During the first 48 hours, top sold categories were Smartphones, Large Appliances and Consumer Electronics with leading brands OnePlus, Samsung, Apple and Xiaomi making record sales. New products received a rousing response; popular new products were OnePlus 8T, Samsung M31 Prime Edition, OnePlus Nord (Gray Ash), Xbox Series S, Maggi 2 minute Desi Cheesy Masala, Samsung 6.5 kg fully automatic washing machine, new collection from BIBA &amp; Max among over 1,100 new launches Customers shopped for everything big and small <ul><li>Smartphones remained popular among customers: iPhone 11, Redmi Note Series, Redmi 9A, OnePlus 8T, OnePlus Nord and Samsung M31 Prime Edition were among the popular smartphones on Amazon.in; Total iPhones sold on Amazon.in in one day were more than the total iPhones sold in entire festive sale period of last year</li><li>Popular appliances were fully automatic top &amp; front load washing machines, direct cool refrigerators, air conditioners, microwave ovens and dishwashers</li><li>Top-selling electronics were laptops, headphones, tablets, cameras and smartwatches. Customers also loved selection across security cameras and drones. Asus, Lenovo &amp; HP were leading laptop brands; Samsung &amp; Apple leading tablets, and TP Link &amp; Netgear were leading in networking products</li><li>TVs with Alexa OnePlus 43”, OnePlus 32” and Samsung 32” popular this season</li><li>Smart bulbs and bedsheets in Home, water purifiers and mixer grinders in Kitchen</li><li>Women’s kurtis, sarees, casual tops, t-shirts and athleisure popular in Apparel</li><li>Suitcases, luggage sets and gold jewellery popular this season</li><li>More customers are looking at gaming as a hobby – gaming consoles popular during GIF </li><li>In health &amp; hygiene categories, Savlon disinfectant Sprays, Whisper sanitary pads, Chyawanprash, Dettol &amp; Dove bathing soaps see a spike</li><li>Within grocery, products with dry fruits, spreads &amp; cooking supplies were popular</li><li>Vaseline &amp; Ponds Body lotions, Dove &amp; Wow shampoos, Lakme Kajal were popular beauty products</li><li>For pet parents, Pedigree Adult Dog Food and Whiskas dry cat food were among the popular products </li><li>Baby products such as diapers &amp; skincare products like Himalaya baby lotion &amp; Pampers anti rash diapers were widely sought after </li><li>The Nerf rival blasters - a new launch in India was among the most sought after newly launched toys</li><li>Treadmills in fitness essentials, grills, fertilizer and soil in Garden &amp; Outdoors, Car care in Tools &amp; Equipment also popular in the country</li></ul>Amazon Devices <ul><li>Customers loved Alexa – Prime Early Access during the Great Indian Festival was the single biggest day of sale for Echo devices on Amazon.in</li><li>Customers loved the new Fire TV Stick and Fire TV Stick Lite; streaming media player category sold nearly 2x units vs. the first day of GIF last year</li><li>Over 1 lakh customers bought Amazon devices, Echo and Fire TV devices</li><li>The Echo Dot (3rd Gen) and the All New Fire TV Stick were among the top 10 products sold on Amazon.in </li><li>Kindle sales were more than 2.5X vs. first day of the sale last year</li></ul>

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