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SaaS platform for online stores <keyword id="1249046" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="dukaan" source="Orion">Dukaan</keyword> has laid off nearly 30 per cent of its workforce, or around 60 employees - its second layoff in about six months. Inc42 reported that the latest layoffs impacted employees in the sales team and accounts. According to the report, the retail tech platform "shifted its focus to helping D2C brands scale up and this was the reason for the layoffs". In 2021, Dukaan raised $12.4 Mn in its pre-Series A round led by 640 <keyword id="16813517" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="oxford-ventures" source="Orion">Oxford Ventures</keyword>. It also raised $6 million in a seed round from <keyword id="366603" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="matrix-partners-india" source="Orion">Matrix Partners India</keyword> and Lightspeed India Partners. In the same year, Dukaan partnered with homegrown hyperlocal delivery platform Dunzo and e-commerce aggregation platform Shiprocket to integrate delivery into the platform for a seamless retail experience. Founded in 2020 by <keyword id="12033809" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="suumit-shah" source="Orion">Suumit Shah</keyword> and <keyword id="2201253" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="subhash-choudhary" source="Orion">Subhash Choudhary</keyword>, Dukaan is a comprehensive platform that provides end-to-end solutions ranging from inventory management, promotions, sales, payment and delivery for sellers across the country. In September last year, Dukaan partnered ShareChat and Moj to enable the merchants on its platform to collaborate with creators present on ShareChat and Moj to promote their products through video and live content. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/rare-vulture-species-sighted-at-dudhwa-national-park/articleshow/98691284.cms">Rare vulture species sighted at Dudhwa National Park</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/news/once-again-lemon-prices-soar-to-200-per-kilo/articleshow/98691510.cms">Once again, lemon prices soar to ₹200 per kilo</a>

Retail tech platform Dukaan lays off 30% of its workforce; second layoff in 6 months

E-commerce startup <keyword id="1249046" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="dukaan" source="Orion">Dukaan</keyword> has replaced 90 per cent of its customer support team with an artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot, founder and CEO Suumit <keyword id="1858" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="shah" source="Orion">Shah</keyword> informed on Tuesday. Attributing the decision to prioritising profitability, he said customer support costs reduced by 85 per cent while resolution time went down from over two hours to three minutes. "We had to lay off 90 per cent of our support team because of this AI chatbot. Tough? Yes. Necessary? Absolutely," Shah tweeted. Several Twitter users criticised the tweet, deeming it insensitive. "Given the state of economy, startups are prioritising "profitability" over striving to become "unicorns", and so are we," Shah added. He explained in detail about Lina, the AI assistant which he claimed, replaces generic and delayed responses, as well as limited availability of resources and poor communication. After 12 tweets, Shah said that the company is hiring for multiple roles. When asked by a Twitter user about the assistance provided to the laid off staff, he asked them to look out for his LinkedIn post, reiterating that it was a tough decision. "As expected, 'someone' will get offended on behalf of 'someone else', so I had this reply ready: Assistance ke bare mein jab Linkedin pe post karunga tab dekh lena mere dost, yahaan Twitter pe log "profitability" dekhte hai "sympathy" nahi", Shah tweeted. "Laying off is never a pleasant experience, why is the need to proclaim and be proud about it," a Twitter user wrote. The announcement comes after Union Minister of State for Electronics and IT Rajeev Chandrasekhar deemed any concerns about AI threatening jobs as "nonsense". SEE ALSO:<a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/mobile/news/oppo-reno-10-pro-plus-vs-oneplus-11-mobile-comparison-of-price-and-features/slidelist/101664468.cms" target="_blank"></a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/mobile/news/oppo-reno-10-pro-plus-vs-oneplus-11-mobile-comparison-of-price-and-features/slidelist/101664468.cms" target="_blank">Oppo Reno 10 Pro Plus vs OnePlus 11 – Which flagship phone wins the battle</a><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/as-north-indian-states-battle-severe-monsoon-parts-of-maharashtra-see-water-shortage/slidelist/101660130.cms" target="_blank"></a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/as-north-indian-states-battle-severe-monsoon-parts-of-maharashtra-see-water-shortage/slidelist/101660130.cms" target="_blank">As North Indian states battle severe monsoon, parts of Maharashtra see water shortage</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/mobile/news/samsung-galaxy-z-fold-5-z-flip-5-galaxy-watch-series-6-and-more-set-to-launch-july-end/articleshow/101538049.cms">Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5, Z Flip 5, Galaxy Watch Series 6 and more set to launch July-end</a>

Dukaan lays off 90% staff for AI bot, attributes decision to focus on profitability

New Delhi, May 1 () People turned to Google to search for ration dukaan (grocery store), how to homeschool kids and even, best trading platforms - with these terms seeing a huge spike in the January-March - as people seek ideas on how they can stay productive indoors amid the coronavirus outbreak. According to data released by Google, "near me" searches have seen a massive uptick, especially queries like "pharmacy near me" (58 per cent rise), "grocery delivery near me" (550 per cent) and "ration dukaan" (300 per cent). It added that unlike 2019 when queries like 'best headset' or best mattress' were popular, 2020 was all about 'best movies' (35 per cent rise) and 'Best trading platforms' (45 per cent jump). With a majority of users being homebound, there has also been high growth in queries like 'learn online', 'teach online, and 'at-home learning'. In fact, 1 out of every 2 consumers is seeking personalised information from brands by searching for queries like 'how to homeschool kids' and 'how to WFH' (work from home), the data showed. Interestingly, queries in the health category have recently pivoted toward 'immunity' (500 per cent rise). Searches for vitamin C, which grew by 40 per cent in 2019, have surged by over 150 per cent in recent weeks, as have queries for herbs with medicinal properties like giloy (380 per cent rise) and Ayurvedic home remedies like Kadha (90 per cent rise). People are also searching for terms like 'how to pay electric bill online" (180 per cent rise), 'electricity bill check' (80 per cent rise), 'overnight mutual funds' (411 per cent rise) and 'mutual funds to invest now' (249 per cent rise), showing consumers are now relying on online resources to take care of their long- and short-term financial goals. "As people are jolted out of their routines and forced to re-evaluate decisions that previously required little to no thought, we see dramatic shifts in how people search and what they care about. The report provides early insights on how people's needs and behaviours might evolve as they seek to regain a sense of balance," Sapna Chadha, Senior Country Marketing Director, Google India and Southeast Asia at Google said. She added that while some of these trends are likely to be temporary, they may begin to see the value of sticking with them even after the pandemic is over as people are forced to adopt new behaviours. SR SHWSHW

Searches zoom for ration dukaan, how to homeschool kids amid COVID-19

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Suumit Shah, the CEO of the e-commerce platform Dukaan, laid off 90% of his support staff, replacing them with an AI chatbot. </li><li>He shared on Twitter that the new chatbot reduced customer support costs by 85%.</li></ul>The CEO of an e-commerce platform is getting absolutely roasted online for posting a Twitter thread saying the company laid off 90% of its customer support staff after an AI chatbot outperformed them.Suumit Shah, the 31-year-old CEO of Duukan, a Bengaluru-based company that helps businesses <a href="https://techcrunch.com/2021/09/05/dukaan-raises-11-million-to-help-merchants-in-india-set-up-online-stores/#:~:text=Dukaan%2C%20a%20one%2Dyear%2D,in%20the%20South%20Asian%20market" target="_blank" rel="noopener">set up their online storefronts</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/suumitshah/status/1678460567000850450" target="_blank" rel="noopener">first shared the news on a Twitter thread</a> on 11 July."We had to layoff 90% of our support team because of this AI chatbot. Tough? Yes. Necessary? Absolutely," Shah wrote in a thread that's been viewed over 1.5 million times since being posted. In the thread, Shah wrote that an AI chatbot took less than two minutes to respond to customer queries, while his human support staff took over two hours.Replacing most of his customer support team with a chatbot reduced customer support costs by around 85%, he wrote.Shah told Insider the layoffs occurred in September 2022 and resulted in Duukan — which currently employs 60 people — letting go of 23 of the 26 members of its customer support team. In a conversation on Wednesday, Shah said his "monthly budget" for customer support is now $100. Insider could not independently verify these figures.But Twitter and Reddit users aren't buying the explanation. As of press time, more than 600 Twitter users had quoted his tweet, with the vast majority being critical of Shah and Duukan.Twitter user @adityarao310, whose tweet had accumulated more likes than Shah's own, <a href="https://twitter.com/adityarao310/status/1678602855996071938" target="_blank" rel="noopener">posted:</a> "Make no mistake. The support team was laid off here because business is failing and funding is dry. Not because of AI."Another user, @samikshagoel20, shared Shah's tweet, writing: <a href="https://twitter.com/samikshagoel20/status/1678653534601101312" target="_blank" rel="noopener">"How not to announce layoffs."</a>Meanwhile, Reddit user u/kakapoopoopeepeeshir <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/technology/comments/14wmgor/dukaan_lays_off_90_of_support_staff_after/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">commented in a thread on Tuesday:</a> "I'm terrified of the future where we will never speak to a human again in customer support which means we will never get a problem solved, you'll just be passed around between bots."Responding to the online backlash, Shah told Insider that he regretted kicking off a conversation about layoffs on Twitter but was adamant that his point still stands. "AI is taking our jobs," he said."Over time, everybody will start doing this. It's not just us. Maybe I'm just too straightforward to have put it on Twitter," Shah added.Dukaan is far from the first company to announce lay-offs as a result of AI, a trend which is likely to continue, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/jobs-lost-in-may-because-of-ai-report-2023-6" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according to a May report</a> by human resources firm Challenger, Gray, and Christmas.In May, Insider reported on another set of layoffs that sparked similar outrage when the US National Eating Disorder Association laid off its entire helpline staff and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/eating-disorders-nonprofit-reportedly-fired-humans-offer-ai-chatbot-2023-5" target="_blank" rel="noopener">replaced them with a chatbot</a>. Soon after, the chatbot was disabled for <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/eating-disorder-helpline-disables-tessa-chatbot-harmful-responses-2023-5" target="_blank" rel="noopener">giving out harmful information</a> on eating disorders.

An e-commerce CEO is getting absolutely roasted online for laying off 90% of his support staff, after an AI chatbot outperformed them

<ul><li>Founded in 2007, <keyword id="6354742" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Flipkart">Flipkart</keyword> has been a Singapore-registered entity since 2011 and is today owned by US retail giant Walmart. </li><li>The US retail giant owns a 77% stake in Flipkart, which it acquired in 2018 for a whopping $16 billion. </li><li>However, Flipkart wants to stress on the ‘home grown’ part as competition from <keyword id="18635" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Amazon">Amazon</keyword> grows.</li></ul>The competition is India’s e-commerce space is hotter than ever before. Amazon, Flipkart, and now, Reliance are fighting each other tooth and nail for the multi-billion dollar online retail pie in India. Flipkart’s Big Billion Days <keyword id="6371194" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="sale">Sale</keyword> kicking off today will be the 2nd mega sale for online shoppers this year after Amazon’s Prime Day. But burning cash through discounts isn’t enough to sustain the business, and all the players know that. Brand differentiation will be key. With that in mind, Flipkart is going for the ‘home grown’ tag. “We have very less focus on what the competition is doing but instead we focus on what customers are looking for. We take pride in every single thing we have done, it’s a local playbook, it’s not an adaptive playbook from somewhere else. Everything that we do our team brings us together, it’s not something that has happened in the US,” Flipkart’s Chief Corporate Affairs Officer Rajneesh Kumar told Business Insider in an interview. The fact is that Flipkart, founded in 2007, has been a Singapore-registered entity since 2011 and is today owned by US retail giant Walmart. The US retail giant owns a 77% stake in Flipkart, which it acquired in 2018 for a whopping $16 billion. Flipkart’s visionary founders Sachin Bansal and Binny Bansal, have now both left the organization, even though Binny continues to hold stake in the e-commerce company. This is not the first time. The company in multiple<a href="https://www.livemint.com/companies/news/with-an-eye-on-next-200-mn-internet-users-flipkart-introduces-hindi-interface-1567510409958.html"> interviews</a> has stressed upon being a ‘home-grown company’. And Flipkart isn’t shy of turning to Walmart when it’s needed. When talking about how Flipkart has a huge focus on the grocery segment, Kumar said, “We have a huge backing of our parent company which is best in grocery. Walmart’s business is 60-70% in food, so whenever Flipkart seeks the help, we can get the best practices.” However, Kumar is quick to add that, “Walmart really wants to ensure that the Flipkart DNA of entrepreneurial ability sustains. We call it the soft hug.” Amazon too calls itself ‘India’s Apni Dukaan’ Amazon founder Jeff Bezos had famously said, “Amazon is India’s apni dukaan’. Bezos’ gesture acknowledged India’s huge internet market where e-commerce still hasn’t seen its full potential, According to <a href="https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/india-business/amazon-india-gross-sales-to-hit-32bn-in-4-yrs-report/articleshow/70883574.cms">reports</a>, Amazon expects to have a 35% market share in India by 2023, with the Indian market making up for 4% of its total global sales. The number of online shoppers in India is expected to grow exponentially and both Amazon and Flipkart do not want the ‘outsider’ image to hamper their prospects. Ashwin Raghunath contributed to this article.

Flipkart wants to be an ‘Indian’ company even though Walmart owns it

India's <keyword id="252144" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="fuel-demand" source="Orion">fuel demand</keyword> fell in the first half of March after posting record growth in the previous month, preliminary industry data showed on Thursday. Fuel sales soared to the highest levels in February on the back of robust demand from the agriculture sector as well as transport picking up after the winter lull. March saw the seasonal slowdown kicking in with a rise in temperatures. <keyword id="3146552" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="petrol-sales" source="Orion">Petrol sales</keyword> decreased by 1.4 per cent to 1.22 million tonnes in the first half of March when compared with the same period of last year. Sales fell 0.5 per cent month-on-month, the data showed. Diesel, the most consumed fuel in the country, saw demand slip 10.2 per cent to 3.18 million tonnes from March 1 to 15 when compared with 3.54 million tonnes of sales in the same period a year back. Month-on-month the demand was down 4.6 per cent. During the first half of February, petrol consumption had jumped by almost 18 per cent year-on-year while <keyword id="998651" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="diesel-sales" source="Orion">diesel sales</keyword> were up nearly 25 per cent. The consumption of petrol in the first half of March was 16.4 per cent more than the Covid-marred first half of March 2021 and almost 23 per cent more than in the same period of 2020. Diesel consumption was up 11.5 per cent over the first half of March 2021 and 20.2 per cent higher than in 2020. While cold conditions slowed truck movements in January, the onset of spring revived demand in February. With the continued opening of the aviation sector, India's overall passenger traffic at airports inched closer to pre-Covid levels. Reflecting the trend, jet fuel (ATF) demand jumped 19.2 per cent to 2,94,900 tonnes during the first half of March when compared to the same period last year. It was 35.6 per cent higher than in March 2021 but 8.2 per cent lower than in March 2020. Month-on-month sales were almost flat. Sources said while domestic air travel is back to pre-Covid levels, international traffic is lagging because of continued restrictions in some countries. India's recovery has continued to gain momentum in recent months but has been accompanied by elevated inflation. This slowed the momentum a bit. The country's oil demand had been rising steadily since the easing of COVID-19 restrictions. Cooking gas LPG sales fell 9.7 per cent year-on-year to 1.18 million tonnes from March 1-15. LPG consumption was 7.1 per cent higher than in March 2021 and 3.6 per cent more than in March 2020. Month-on-month, the demand dropped 15.10 when compared to 1.39 million tonnes of LPG consumption during February 1-15, the data showed. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/news/once-again-lemon-prices-soar-to-200-per-kilo/articleshow/98691510.cms">Once again, lemon prices soar to ₹200 per kilo</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/news/retail-tech-platform-dukaan-lays-off-30-of-its-workforce-second-layoff-in-6-months/articleshow/98692209.cms">Retail tech platform Dukaan lays off 30% of its workforce; second layoff in 6 months</a>

Petrol, diesel sales drop in first half of March after hitting record high in February

<ul class="summary-list"><li>22% of US workers say they worry technology will replace their jobs — an increase from 2021, Gallup says.</li><li>Workers with concerns tend to be young, college-educated, and make under $100k a year.</li></ul>Some American workers are becoming increasingly worried that technology may be coming for their jobs, a new poll suggests.In August, <a target="_blank" href="https://news.gallup.com/poll/510551/workers-fear-technology-making-jobs-obsolete.aspx?utm_source=alert&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_content=morelink&amp;utm_campaign=syndication">Gallup conducted 1,014 phone interviews with US workers over the age of 18 across different levels of employment</a> to understand the concerns they have about their jobs.<a target="_blank" href="https://news.gallup.com/file/poll/510566/20230906WorkerWorries.pdf">Out of the 1,014 workers interviewed</a>, 22% of them say they worry technology will make their jobs obsolete — a fear that went up seven percentage points from when the survey was conducted in 2021, Gallup's researchers found.And when considering just college-educated workers, the rise in worry is even sharper: from 8% who were worried in 2021 to a whopping 20% who are worried today, the poll says.The fact that more college-educated workers are worried about losing their jobs to technology may, in part, be thanks to the rise of powerful artificial intelligence tools like <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/everything-you-need-to-know-about-chat-gpt-2023-1">OpenAI's ChatGPT</a> — the conversational AI-chatbot that can perform job tasks like <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/marketing-industry-using-ai-save-time-money-boost-productivity-study-2023-6">writing marketing copy</a> and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/chatgpt-amazon-employees-use-ai-chatbot-software-coding-customer-questions-2023-1">developing code</a>. The rapid development of generative AI technology, the Gallup researchers say, "may be changing the stereotype of what computers can do in the workplace.""Amid such change, it's understandable that US workers, particularly those with college degrees, are more worried about what technology could mean for their careers," the Gallup researchers said in commentary accompanying the poll.But it's not just employees with bachelor's degrees who feel this way. Younger workers of all education levels between the ages of 18 to 34 were also found to be more concerned with losing their jobs to technology compared to older workers over the age of 35 within the poll's two-year time frame. The same goes for workers who earn less than $100,000 a year compared to those with an annual salary of $100,000 or more.Even though more workers may now "be looking over their shoulders" at AI and other technological developments, replacement by robots is not their main employment concern. The survey incicated 31% of respondents worry they could <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/google-facebook-cut-perks-employee-benefits-tech-workers-wont-quit-2023-5">lose their benefits</a>, like healthcare and paid vacation days, in the future, and 24% of respondents say they're scared about seeing <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tech-workers-willing-pay-decrease-high-salaries-remote-layoffs-survey-2023-6">a reduction in their wages</a>, followed by <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/layoffs-sweeping-the-us-these-are-the-companies-making-cuts-2023">layoffs</a> and a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/labor-shortage-small-businesses-cutting-opening-hours-losing-revenues-employment-2021-10">cut in operating hours for businesses</a>.Gallup's findings on worker attitudes toward technology come as experts and tech leaders alike have reignited a debate around whether AI can really replace employees ever since ChatGPT came out last November. While a Goldman Sachs study from March found that <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/generative-ai-chatpgt-300-million-full-time-jobs-goldman-sachs-2023-3">generative AI tools could affect 300 million full-time jobs worldwide,</a> some experts previously told Insider that AI will simply help <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-use-chatgpt-at-work-job-save-time-ai-2023-2">workers save time</a> and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/chatgpt-jobs-at-risk-replacement-artificial-intelligence-ai-labor-trends-2023-02">be more productive</a>.There are signs that AI may already be taking over some of the workforce. A recent report from Challenger, Gray, and Christmas, a career transitioning firm, found that <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/jobs-lost-in-may-because-of-ai-report-2023-6">almost 4,000 people who were laid off in May lost their jobs because of AI</a>.Emily Hanley, a freelance copywriter, said that <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/lost-job-chatgpt-made-me-obsolete-copywriter-2023-7">the number of assignments she usually gets may have dwindled</a> because clients are turning to ChatGPT to do their writing for free. Matías S. Zavia, a writer and translator, said he was laid off from his job at Gizmodo en Español, the tech blog's Spanish site, after <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ai-chatgpt-jobs-replaced-by-tech-translator-2023-9#:~:text=A%20writer%20and%20translator%20says,a%20memo%20shared%20with%20Insider.">his former employer started using AI to translate the site's articles from English to Spanish.</a>Suumit Shah, the CEO of the e-commerce platform Dukaan, even said <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ai-chatbot-ceo-laid-off-staff-human-support-2023-7#:~:text=Suumit%20Shah%2C%20the%20CEO%20of,them%20with%20an%20AI%20chatbot.">he laid off 90% of his support staff in July because he replaced them with an AI chatbot</a>, a move he claimed reduced his company's customer support costs by 85%.Researchers at Gallup didn't immediately respond to Insider's request for comment before publication.

One out of 5 college-educated workers say they're worried about losing their jobs to tech — a big increase over 2021's poll

<ul><li>The Reliance Industries AGM saw chairman <keyword id="3820" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Mukesh-Ambani">Mukesh Ambani</keyword> announce multiple plans across e-commerce, cloud and content. </li><li>In all three categories, <keyword id="18635" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Amazon">Amazon</keyword> has been ramping up its operations in India. </li><li>This will put Ambani and Bezos in direct competition, as both try to garner a bigger market share in India – one of the fastest growing internet economies in the world.</li></ul>It’s a fight for the finish in India’s internet industry and the two competitors are the world’s richest company Amazon and India’s richest conglomerate Reliance Industries. Brewing the fight are two masterminds – <keyword id="191583" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Jeff-Bezos">Jeff Bezos</keyword> and Mukesh Ambani – both of whom want a piece of the large pie that can arise from engaging India’s 500 million internet users. Globally, Amazon has managed to thwart every competitor – traditional or new in every other market. But, Bezos who calls Amazon “India’s apni dukaan” (India’s own shop), might not have it so easy. Indian billionaire Ambani is leaving no stone unturned to claim the Indian internet space. Amazon’s customer acquisition strategy runs across three verticals – e-commerce for the fast growing number of online shoppers, cloud for business owners and content platform for entertainment and video. And now, Jio has fired a salvo in every vertical that Amazon operates in. At the annual general meeting of Reliance Industries, Ambani demonstrated how he wants to take over each one of Amazon’s segments. Shopping for India’s internet users Ambani has interesting ammunition. For one, he has over 340 million customers for his telecom service. Added to that, he is planning to get more...around 500 million by providing fixed broadband service at every nook and corner of the country. Reliance Retail which is expected to launch its e-commerce offering by October, also showed a sneak peak into what they have in store for shoppers. Reliance's fibre customers will offer an immersive shopping experience using mixed reality (augmented reality and virtual reality combined). Ambani’s children Isha and Akash also demonstrated a shopping experience with Jio’s augmented reality advancements, where a 3D hologram of the user will help the shopper try on different colours of the garment. This is not good news for Amazon which holds 30% of the Indian e-commerce market, and has plans to grow. Amazon too has been experimenting with virtual reality. During the Prime Day sale, Amazon had set up virtual reality experience zones for consumers. But looks like Reliance will lure its existing fibre customers into its own shopping zones. Ambani also said that Reliance will offer end-to-end digital stack to "enable and empower" small merchants. Today, Amazon too launched The Amazon Marketplace Appstore in India, a platform created for sellers to discover trusted third-party applications that can help them automate, grow and manage their business. Building businesses on cloud One of Amazon’s biggest businesses is its Amazon Web Service finds clients with the bigwigs of the tech industry in the country who use its cloud services to build their businesses. AWS has also partnered with Wipro to set up co-innovation centres in India. Ambani has entered this business too. He joined hands with Microsoft. Satya Nadella made a surprise cameo at the AGM via video feed to announce Jio’s partnership with Microsoft Azure. “Jio will build new custom solutions on Microsoft Azure for large enterprises who have already benefited from our technology platforms. Companies will also have easy and affordable access to best-in-class technologies like data analytics, AI, cognitive services, blockchain, IoT and edge computing to accelerate India’s digital transformation and enable grassroots innovation,” said Microsoft. Prime vs Jio, Indian OTT’s new war Amazon’s content platform Prime Video launched in 2016 and has since then stirred up the OTT competition in India, moving up against Netflix, Hotstar among others. Prime Video has seen multiple original web content series from India like Made in Heaven, Inside Edge which have become big hits. And now, Jio has a strong strategy to disrupt the OTT space in India. Jio Fibre services will come bundled with ‘most-premium OTT applications’. Not only that, premium subscribers of Reliance Fibre will also be able to watch movies on the very same day they release in theatres, taking away Amazon Prime’s sweet spot. It is known to bring movies to its platform within a few weeks of release. See Also: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/highlights-of-mukesh-ambani-speech-at-reliance-industries-agm/articleshow/70638299.cms">Mukesh Ambani's speech at the Reliance Industries AGM had ten big takeaways</a>

Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Jio is taking on Jeff Bezos’ Amazon in e-commerce, cloud, and content

<ul><li>Connecting with consumers and other stakeholders requires building multiple bridges, and experience tells us that the strongest bridges are those that resonate on an emotional level.</li><li><keyword id="10027641" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="kaushal-satam">Kaushal Satam</keyword>, SVP, Airline Partnerships, Product, Loyalty &amp; Operations at <keyword id="8329814" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="InterMiles">InterMiles</keyword> writes about a few things that can help brands build an affinity for themselves in the minds of consumers.</li></ul>Brand loyalty is a paradox in itself – it is infinitely complex, yet seemingly simple. There are multiple factors and innumerable moving pieces at play when it comes to driving a simple goal: consideration for one brand over another, even when the value proposition is equal. Connecting with consumers and other stakeholders requires building multiple bridges, and experience tells us that the strongest bridges are those that resonate on an emotional level. Driven by emotional chords, brand loyalty is maintained outside of the product value through the gravitational pull of <keyword id="92066" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Empathy">empathy</keyword>. <keyword id="2946259" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="challenging-times">Challenging times</keyword> call for a double dose of empathy and compassion towards evolved consumer needs. The consumer and their immediate needs, as well as other stakeholders and partners in the ecosystem, must be at the center of all business decisions; understanding them is the first step to earning and retaining their trust. Content is key Content is a powerful tool. Empathetic brand content, communicated sensitively during times of crisis, evokes and inspires. It is, hence, more likely to be shared, draws greater engagement and can even spark a change of thought or belief amongst local communities. A recent report by Think with Google stated that in the last one year, 39% of millennials felt that an online YouTube video helped change their perspective while 45% agreed that a YouTuber has inspired them to make a personal change in their life. These findings amplify how generations today are proactively seeking out content that prompts change, as opposed to passively consuming content. Through challenging times, consumers naturally seek out and engage with content that sends across positive messaging and resonates with them, in a particular environment &amp; context. Among FMCG brands, P&amp;G leads with an excellent example; the brand has repeatedly demonstrated how simply empathizing with customers, followed by practical solutions, can speak louder than endorsements glorifying brand features. Their 'Share the Load' campaign targeting the unequal division of household chores, especially relevant during the lockdown, has become a point of discussion in households, youth-communities and workplaces E-commerce major Amazon India’s ‘Aapki Apni Dukaan’ and ‘Apno ka Saath’ are other key examples of successful communication campaigns that have not only acknowledged but also addressed the importance of having a dependable vendor to meet the needs of India’s aspiring entrepreneurs. The campaigns not only reassure the viewer but also empathize with common grievances faced by them. Leveraging genuine emotions, these campaigns have been successful in driving long-lasting fulfilling relationships. Pragmatically innovating At times, the core business takes a backseat, while immediate needs are catered to and communicated. Travel was one of the sectors most affected by the pandemic – especially during the initial months, however brands like South African Tourism used this opportunity to guide consumers with campaigns that said ‘Don’t travel now, so you can travel later’ and ‘Sacrifice now, celebrate later’. The travel industry has evolved to look beyond instantaneous profits, and has taken small steps to instill confidence and build trust. For example, lodges and hotels now provide flexible bookings – allowing trips to be postponed even up to a year – along with low cost cancellations. Hotels now give consumers the option of having their rooms to be completely disinfected one day before their stay, without letting anyone else use the room in the interim. There are also additional visual representations of health and sanitization measures. Many destination brands have also been offering free virtual tours, to engage and inspire – be it a walk around The Louvre in Paris, real-time guided safaris in South Africa’s Kruger National Park, or 360-degree views of the ruins of Inca settlements in Machu Picchu. This displays brand commitment to consumers and society, as well as the drive to provide meaningful solutions for company growth. Getting it right with customer-centricity Consumers show an active interest in content that is reflective of their own personal values and belief system. For a brand to be able to strike the right chord with their consumers, they need to form strong foundations by continually investing time and effort in getting to know their consumers. Brands must explore diverse areas of consumer personas to gain an understanding of habits, influences, emotions, and behaviours. These findings can be leveraged to construct a solid narrative that offers value, is relevant and insightful enough to evoke an emotion and prompt change. Big gestures are non-mandatory; simple, timely and consistent methods of displaying care and concern establishes long-term trust and affinity. It could be as simple as offering free-of-cost contact-less deliveries during t he lockdown, loyalty points for staying safe at home during the pandemic, or sharing a relevant message of hope and harmony amongst consumers. The entire ecosystem matters Brand values and sensitivity must expand past the consumer base to encompass other stakeholders in the ecosystem as well. Partnerships and associations forged during challenging times help brands meet the needs of all employees, vendors and associates – right across the supply chain. Amidst stringent lockdowns, Marico partnered with Zomato and Swiggy for straight-to-home delivery of their products and all essential food items under the Marico portfolio. This ensured jobs for delivery persons at a time when restaurants were shut, while also bringing convenience to the customers’ doorstep. To help the food industry, Zomato recently made takeaway services available at zero commission to its restaurant partners, while also foregoing the payment gateway charges they incur on all takeaway orders. There is strength in togetherness and immense power in empathy. It is what makes leaders and brands stand out from the herd.

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Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Jio is taking on Jeff Bezos’ Amazon in e-commerce, cloud, and content

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Embracing empathy: The key to driving brand loyalty

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