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<div type="image" title="Indians are getting fancy, and they don&amp;#39;t mind paying a little extra if it means quality and luxury. Most consumer brands are witnessing an uptick in their premium product segment" msid="115018213" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Indians are getting fancy, and they don&amp;#39;t mind paying a little extra if it means quality and luxury. Most consumer brands are witnessing an uptick in their premium product segment&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> It's time to move over from plain, vanilla budget basics! Indians are no longer looking for “best purchases and value buys under Rs 1,000”—at least not as much as before. <keyword id="19895063" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="india" source="keywords">India</keyword>'s getting fancy, and how! From gold-flaked chocolates to swanky SUVs that look like they’re wheeled straight out of a Bollywood blockbuster, Indian companies are rapidly jazzing up their product lines, even faster than you can say the word "premiumization." But what does this mean for Indian companies and consumers? What is this jazz about premiumization all about? Is it just urban India that’s riding this wave, or has rural India also joined the bandwagon? We decode for you. <h2>What's premium, really?</h2>Imagine you’re eating Pav Bhaji at a roadside thela. Later during the day, you decide to dine out at a fancy, upmarket cafe, only to find Pav Bhaji Fondue on the menu. Same same, but much more expensive—often 5 to 10 times higher—for a little more hygiene and some better ambience! Think of premium products as this fondue. They are a notch up your regular, daily-use products soaps or shampoos, and even cars, all packaged luxuriously, offering just about the right touch of quality. The main differentiator, though, would be the price range. <h2>Driving home premium wellness</h2>A recent report by Nielsen suggests that over 70% of urban Indians are okay with paying a premium for their products. And companies are cashing in on this sentiment like never before. This explains why 58% of new products launched so far this year have been in the premium+ segment, as opposed to just 38% of new launches in regular, traditional trade. Take cars, for instance. Indians are no longer vying for a good old <keyword id="19950117" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="maruti" source="keywords">Maruti</keyword> 800 or <keyword id="20400567" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="alto" source="keywords">Alto</keyword>, traditionally known for their healthy mileage, but are rather happy investing in more swanky features that come along with high-end cars. In October 2024, India’s largest car manufacturer, <keyword id="19909974" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="maruti-suzuki" source="keywords">Maruti Suzuki</keyword>, sold 65,948 units of its compact cars like Swift, WagonR, Dzire, and more. Compared to the year-ago period, which saw sales of 80,662 units, this was an 18% dip. But take a look at their SUV (sport utility vehicle) sales for the same period. Cars like Brezza, Ertiga, and Grand Vitara sold about 70,644 units, a 19% uptick from the sales made in October 2023, i.e. 59,147 units. Simply put, when it comes to cars, Indians are saying the bigger, the better! The same is true for India's second biggest automobile manufacturer, Hyundai. Its SUV lineup made up a staggering 68.2% of the firm's total sales made for October 2024. What's more, SUV demand remained largely consistent across urban and rural markets. <h2>Consumers are inching up</h2>FMCG (fast-moving consumer goods) are also riding the premiumization wave, with Indians prioritizing their health and wellness and not bothered about dishing out a few extra bucks for the same! You’ll find no dearth of words like organic, vegan, gluten-free, and sugar-free, peppered generously over every product you’ll see today, be it soaps, juices, or more. No wonder then, sales from premium segments in 2024 make up around 27% of all FMCG sales and even contribute a massive 42% to the sector’s value growth in India. Nielsen report further adds that luxury brands that position themselves at twice the price of their category’s average are even witnessing stellar growth. In fact, for most FMCG brands like Tata Consumer Products, <keyword id="20002610" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="hindustan-unilever" source="keywords">Hindustan Unilever</keyword> (HUL), Dabur, and Nestle, it is this premium segment that is growing much faster than their regular ones. And it's not just about daily-use products; Indians are also taking their celebrations a step over. Spirits manufacturer <keyword id="20125704" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="radico-khaitan" source="keywords">Radico Khaitan</keyword> highlighted that for the first half of 2024, their prestige &amp; above segment made for 88.4% of its net sales value. In the same period, the regular popular segment accounted for just 9.1% of their net sales. From Hindustan Unilever, which saw its premium products grow 30% over the last quarter, to <keyword id="20521971" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="kingfisher" source="keywords">Kingfisher</keyword> beer's parent company, <keyword id="20124009" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="united-breweries" source="keywords">United Breweries</keyword>, whose premium product sales volume jumped by 27% during the quarter as opposed to just a 5% rise in overall volumes, everyone is seemingly taking their lifestyle a notch above. Per the Nielsen report, in 2024, a typical global consumer spends about $13.7k per year. This is set to grow by around 2.4% to $14k as early as next year. Even a report by Goldman Sachs also highlighted a similar trend, noting that India’s affluent class, or those earning over $10,000 (Rs 8,42,694.97), is set to reach 100 million in the next 3 years. And where will this consumer spend? On premium products! <h2>Online shopping shifts from mass to class</h2>Amazon’s Great Indian Shopping Festival, which was live between September 27 and October 29 this year, saw 140 crore customers, more than 85% of whom came from non-metro Indian cities. On the site, there was a 400% spike in sales in premium sales across categories like watches, fragrances, handbags, jewelry, and more. Rival <keyword id="19896939" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="flipkart" source="keywords">Flipkart</keyword> noted a similar trend, recording 1.8x growth in premium beauty and personal care products during the first half of this year. <h2>Dialing in premiumness</h2>The Indian smartphone ecosystem has always been dominated by basic phones, or those entry- and mid-range phones that are priced between Rs 10,000 and Rs 6,000. But that has changed in recent times, with premium smartphones (i.e., those priced over Rs 60,000) registering 20%+ growth in 2024. During the first quarter of this year, sales of mass phones (priced between Rs 10,000 and 20,000) reached 44%, compared to 51% in the year-ago period. But it's all sunny and shiny in the mid-premium (priced between Rs 40,000 and Rs 60,000) and super-premium segments (priced above Rs 60,000). Sales growth has burgeoned by as much as 27% and 86% in these categories, respectively. As India continues its march toward becoming the world's third-largest economy by 2027, the premium party is just getting started. Industry experts predict that premium segments will grow faster than you can say "sustainable organic handcrafted artisanal batch of coffee." So the next time you see someone dropping serious rupees on a fancy bottle of black water that also somehow plays music and tracks their hydration (yes, that's a thing), remember: This is just the trailer. Picture abhi baaki hai, mere dost! Do you have a topic in mind you'd want a simpler explanation for, or insights or experiences to share on personal finance and more? Contact us at businessinsider@timesinternet.in.

Simply Put: From Dal to Dolce—India is loving its luxury life

<ul><li><keyword id="6354742" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Flipkart">Flipkart</keyword> has made a strategic investment in USPL – the fashion house which has brands like <keyword id="6354486" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="virat-kohli">Virat Kohli</keyword>'s Wrogn and <keyword id="210696" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Kriti-Sanon">Kriti Sanon</keyword>'s Ms Taken.</li><li>Founded in 2012 by Anjana Reddy, USPL has over 750 offline retail outlets in 100 cities across India.</li><li>The latest investment comes after Flipkart had earlier bought stakes in Aditya Birla Fashion Retail and Arvind Fashions.</li></ul>Indian e-commerce giant Flipkart has made a strategic investment in USPL – the fashion house which has brands like Virat Kohli's Wrogn and Kriti Sanon's Ms Taken. The series F funding round for USPL will see Flipkart help strengthen the online strategy of the company. “This investment will help USPL and the Flipkart Group find deeper synergies as we continue on our commitment to grow an ecosystem of partnerships that deliver value for consumers and brands,” said Kalyan Krishnamurthy, CEO, Flipkart Group. Founded in 2012 by Anjana Reddy, USPL has over 750 offline retail outlets in 100 cities across India. “Post pandemic recovery has been great for us and we are at 80% of pre-COVID sales. During the time when the world is moving towards omni-channel retailing, we can significantly strengthen our online strategy by working with Flipkart and Myntra, the two prominent players in the Indian online fashion space,” said Reddy in a statement. Flipkart’s rapid investment strategy Meanwhile, at Flipkart, the e-commerce giant has been strengthening its position in the fashion e-retail space by investing in major companies. Here are the investments made by Flipkart recently <table style="border-width: initial; border-style: none; width: 468pt; table-layout: fixed;"></colgroup><tbody><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Company </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Investment by Flipkart </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Aditya Birla Fashion Retail Limited </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">₹1,500 crore </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Arvind Fashions </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">₹260 crore </td></tr></tbody></table> Flipkart had also recently <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/ecommerce/news/flipkart-acquires-gaming-startup-mech-mocha-as-it-looks-to-tap-the-social-gaming-space-for-more-consumers/articleshow/79014466.cms">acquired social gaming platform MechMocha</a> to boost its gaming strategy and bring about new customer additions. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/mitron-tv-secures-its-third-funding-since-its-launch-six-months-ago-as-it-builds-on-its-atmanirbhar-strategy/articleshow/79056915.cms">Mitron TV secures its third funding since its launch six months ago as it builds on its Atmanirbhar strategy</a>

Flipkart makes its third fashion investment in five months — bets on USPL that houses brands like Virat Kohli's Wrogn and Kriti Sanon's Ms Taken

<ul><li>The three-year old <keyword id="8391587" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="scapic">Scapic</keyword> is a cloud-based platform which offers creation and publishing of Augmented Reality (AR) and 3D content.</li><li>Scapic’s team will join <keyword id="6354742" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Flipkart">Flipkart</keyword> and will help the e-commerce giant build deeper camera experiences, virtual storefronts and bring new opportunities for brand advertising on its platform.</li><li>Flipkart’s acquisition of Scapic joins its long list of recent acquisitions and investments as the company scales up operations while competition rises from the likes of Amazon and JioMart.</li></ul>Indian e-commerce giant Flipkart continues with its acquisition spree. The company has picked up a 100% stake in Augmented Reality company Scapic. The three-year old Scapic is a cloud-based platform that offers creation and publishing of Augmented Reality (AR) and 3D content. The company has clients across e-commerce and marketing. The startup had also recently won in the Industry 4.0 – AR category, during the National Startup Awards 2020. Founded by Sai Krishna V K &amp; Ajay P V, the Bengaluru-based company had earlier raised funding from Axilor, Speciale Invest, and Newfort Capital. “Today, we buy more online than we ever have, and it has only accelerated this year. Customers now require better visuals than ever before. Scapic is building visual technology that brings products to life using Augmented Reality and 3D. Advancements by the Scapic team in the field of AI, Computer Vision and AR have made this change possible,” said the founders in a statement. With the acquisition, Scapic’s team will join Flipkart and will help the e-commerce giant build deeper camera experiences, virtual storefronts and bring new opportunities for brand advertising on its platform. “As we make investments that focus on developing and nurturing the retail ecosystem, we are also committed to making our platform easier to navigate and richer for consumers in terms of content and experience. I welcome the Scapic team to Flipkart as we continue our efforts to provide deeper value to our customers,” said Flipkart CEO Kalyan Krishnamurthy in a statement. Flipkart’s acquisition of Scapic joins its long list of recent acquisitions and investments as the company scales up operations while competition rises from the likes of Amazon and JioMart. Flipkart is also doubling down on user experience on the platform. With its acquisition of social gaming startup <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/ecommerce/news/flipkart-acquires-gaming-startup-mech-mocha-as-it-looks-to-tap-the-social-gaming-space-for-more-consumers/articleshow/79014466.cms">Mech Mocha</a> recently, the e-commerce platform was looking at ways to develop new and innovative formats to engage with users on its platform. Flipkart is on an investment spree <table style="border-width: initial; border-style: none; width: 468pt; table-layout: fixed;"></colgroup><tbody><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Acquisitions by Flipkart </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Investment by Flipkart </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Mech Mocha </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Aditya Birla Fashion Retail Limited- ₹1,500 crore </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Walmart’s B2B business </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Arvind Fashions - ₹260 crore </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;"> </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">USPL - undisclosed amount </td></tr></tbody></table> SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/makemytrip-shares-soar-as-covid-vaccine-progress-from-moderna-and-pfizer-spark-optimism-of-faster-travel-recovery/articleshow/79255315.cms">MakeMyTrip shares soar as COVID vaccine progress from Moderna and Pfizer spark optimism of faster travel recovery</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/ecommerce/news/flipkart-invests-in-uspl-fashion-house-that-has-brands-like-virat-kohli-wrogn-and-kriti-sanon-ms-taken/articleshow/79058747.cms">Flipkart makes its third fashion investment in five months — bets on USPL that houses brands like Virat Kohli's Wrogn and Kriti Sanon's Ms Taken</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/ecommerce/news/flipkart-acquires-gaming-startup-mech-mocha-as-it-looks-to-tap-the-social-gaming-space-for-more-consumers/articleshow/79014466.cms">Flipkart acquires gaming startup Mech Mocha as it looks to tap the social gaming space for more consumers</a>

Flipkart makes yet another acquisition – buys 100% stake in Augmented Reality startup Scapic

<ul><li>CCI has reportedly raided top domestic sellers on <keyword id="18635" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="amazon" source="Orion">Amazon</keyword> and Walmart-owned <keyword id="6354742" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="flipkart" source="Orion">Flipkart</keyword> on Thursday morning.</li><li>The raids were in line with the accusation of competition law violations, according to media reports.</li><li>The raids were carried out in New Delhi and Bengaluru.</li></ul>The Competition Commission of India (CCI) has reportedly raided top domestic sellers on Amazon and Walmart-owned Flipkart on Thursday morning. The raids were in line with the accusation of competition law violations, a report by Reuters citing multiple sources revealed. The report noted that offices of both <keyword id="2682122" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="cloudtail" source="Orion">Cloudtail</keyword> and <keyword id="6094771" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="appario" source="Orion">Appario</keyword> — the top sellers on Amazon where the US-based ecommerce giant also holds indirect equity stake — were raided. The details of Flipkart sellers haven’t been released yet. One of the sources also told Reuters that the raids were carried out in New Delhi and Bengaluru. The raids were in relation to an investigation antitrust watchdog CCI ordered in January 2020. Business Insider has reached out to Amazon and Flipkart seeking more details. Indian retailers and associations have time and again accused ecommerce giants — Amazon and Flipkart — of favouring certain large sellers over others. The Indian foreign direct investment (FDI) guidelines prohibit foreign-funded companies from giving preferential treatment to any sellers or selling their own products on these platforms. The sellers, including the Confederation of All India traders (CAIT), has also accused Amazon and Flipkart of carrying out deep discounting, predatory pricing and other practices that create an unlevel playing field for the small sellers. The organisation has also reached out to multiple agencies and government departments highlighting the issue. SEE ALSO <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/ola-may-be-rushing-into-electric-cars-when-scooters-continue-to-underperform/articleshow/91141264.cms">Is Ola hurrying into its electric car dream?</a> <a class="tout-title-link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/thelife/personalities/news/the-rise-and-fall-of-zuck-from-the-third-richest-person-in-the-world-to-eighteenth-zuckerbergs-fall-reflects-that-of-facebooks/articleshow/91147088.cms">The rise and fall of Zuck: From the third richest person in the world to 18th, Zuckerberg’s fall reflects that of Facebook’s</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/corporates/news/lic-ipo-policyholders-and-employees-need-to-know-these-terms-and-conditions-to-apply-for-ipo/articleshow/91142300.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink">LIC IPO: If you are a policyholder, this is how much discount you get</a>

Indian antitrust watchdog reportedly raids Amazon, Flipkart’s biggest sellers

<ul><li><keyword id="7321744" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Flipkart-co-founder-Binny-Bansal">Flipkart co-founder Binny Bansal</keyword> cashed out a part of his shares by selling them to investment firm Tiger Global. </li><li>With this, Tiger Global increases its stake in <keyword id="6354742" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Flipkart">Flipkart</keyword>.</li><li>Meanwhile, Bansal has been actively investing in Indian startups.</li></ul>Flipkart’s co-founder <keyword id="6364080" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="binny-bansal">Binny Bansal</keyword> sold another tranche of his shares in Flipkart to Tiger Global for over $14 million, according to filings sourced by paper.vc. However, the report also says that given Flipkart’s subsidiary company Phonepe’s growth, the company’s valuation could have risen. It means Bansal’s buyout could be worth $25 million. His stake in the company will be as a little as 3%, after the deal. Flipkart was also in the news recently as its board gave approval for its employees to cash out stock options for over $100 million. Employees could liquidate 10% of their stock options in the company. In June 2019, rumours were rife that <keyword id="80487" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="walmart">Walmart</keyword> is looking to exit from Flipkart as the latter heads for an IPO in the US. It was then that Bansal had sold some of his shares. Bansal, who had exited from all operational roles in the company over allegations of personal misconduct, sold a part of his shares for $76.4 million, according to filings sourced by paper.vc. During the sale of Flipkart to Walmart in 2018, Bansal made as much as $159 million by selling over 1.1 million shares. Cashing out for investments Since his Flipkart exit, Bansal turned into a full-time investor. In January this year, Binny Bansal had closed the first round of $32 million for his VC fund called ‘021 Capital’ which he formed with Sailesh Tulshan, his financial adviser. The former Flipkart Group CEO also raised a round from Premji Foundation and is also backed by former Flipkart employees. Since then, he has made personal bets like in Masaba Gupta’s fashion label, insurtech startup Acko and legal startup Spotdraft amongst others.

Binny Bansal sells his shares in Flipkart for the third time since Walmart’s entry

<ul><li>American online retail firm <keyword id="6357395" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="eBay">eBay</keyword> has bought a 5.5% stake in <keyword id="4225623" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Paytm-Mall">Paytm Mall</keyword>. </li><li>Vijay Shekhar Sharma owned Paytm Mall hopes to turn profitable in the next two years. </li><li>However, this isn’t eBay first bet on Indian e-commerce, its previous two – <keyword id="541988" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="SnapDeal">Snapdeal</keyword> and <keyword id="6354742" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Flipkart">Flipkart</keyword> – failed to work out for the company.</li></ul>American e-commerce giant eBay has <a href="https://www.livemint.com/companies/news/ebay-logs-into-paytm-mall-with-5-5-stake-eyes-pie-of-online-retail-1563420493902.html">bought</a> a 5.5% stake in Paytm Mall, Vijay Shekhar Sharma’s new e-commerce vertical. While the details of the transaction remain undisclosed, <a href="https://yourstory.com/2019/07/paytm-mall-funding-ebay-ecommerce-india-vijay-shekhar-sharma">reports</a> say that the American firm is pumping in about $170 million into Paytm Mall at a valuation of $3 billion. Paytm Mall, the e-commerce subsidiary of One97 communications which owns Paytm, aims to turn profitable in the next two years. The company said that it reduced its monthly spends by ₹400 million, is targeting an EBITDA breakeven by 2021-22. EBIDTA is earnings before interest, depreciation, tax and amortization. The company ended the last financial year with a Gross Merchandising Value (GMV) of ₹130 billion and is now aiming for ₹170 billion GMV by 2022. However, what’s interesting is eBay’s India growth trajectory. It had entered the Indian market in 2004, much before e-commerce really took off in the country. However, it has struggled to gain ground. eBay’s first invested in Indian e-commerce was in <a href="https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/ebay-takes-61-million-hit-snapdeal-writes-investment-76169">Snapdeal</a> which resulted in a $61 million loss. After the disappointment, eBay moved to the Indian e-commerce success story Flipkart, where eBay sold its India operations to Flipkart in 2017. However, within a year, Flipkart shut down the operations of eBay. When the Indian retail unicorn was acquired by global giant Walmart, eBay sold its stake in Flipkart for $1.1 billion.

eBay is trying to get third-time lucky with Paytm Mall after burning hands with Flipkart and Snapdeal

<ul><li><keyword id="18635" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Amazon">Amazon</keyword>, <keyword id="6354742" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Flipkart">Flipkart</keyword> have filed their respective pleas and the matter is likely to be heard this week.</li><li>Lobby groups and Indian traders have accused the e-commerce giants of business malpractices and policy violations.</li><li>A report published earlier this year had highlighted that only two sellers made about one-third sales on Amazon.</li></ul>Walmart-owned homegrown e-commerce giant Flipkart and rival Amazon have separately challenged Competition Commission of India’s (CCI) decision to launch an antitrust investigation into their business practices. Notably, the companies have denied any wrong doings in their respective appeals. The antitrust investigation would look into the alleged policy violations and anti-competitive behaviours by both Amazon and Flipkart. Flipkart filed its appeal on June 16 in the Karnataka High Court. Details of Amazon’s appeal are not out yet. The development was first <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/india/walmarts-flipkart-challenges-india-court-order-antitrust-probe-sources-2021-06-17/?utm_source=Twitter&amp;utm_medium=Social">reported</a> by Reuters citing sources it did not name. The publication has further revealed that both the matters will be heard by a two-judge panel this week. "Irreparable injury will be caused to the appellant if the investigation was to continue pending the present appeal," Flipkart reportedly said in its appeal and urged the court to quash the initial CCI order for the investigation. Amazon, too, mounted similar challenges. Meanwhile, sources aware of the development told the publication that CCI planned to speed up the investigation on big tech players this week. The competition watchdog also plans, as per the report, to demand information from Flipkart and Amazon, based on the accusations raised on their business models. Several lobby groups like the Confederation of all India Traders (CAIT), All India Online Vendors Association (AIOVA) have accused these e-commerce giants of eating into their business with predatory policies, deep discounting and business malpractices. The associations have also called them out for violating Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) policy, Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) and devoiding the government of taxes. Another <a href="https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/amazon-india-operation/">report </a>published in February 2021 had highlighted similar violations on the part of Amazon. The report noted that two sellers — Cloudtail and Appario — in which Amazon had indirect stakes made up around 35% of the platform’s revenue through sales in 2019. Overall, just 35 sellers on Amazon accounted for roughly two-thirds of all sales. This indicated a violation of Press Note 2 of FDI policies that bars e-commerce companies from giving preferential treatments to certain sellers. India’s federal financial crime-fighting agency Enforcement Directorate (ED) was also considering taking a look into these allegations after the Reuters’ report was published in February. In January 2021, ED along with the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and ED were directed by the Department of Promotions of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) to take “necessary actions” against Amazon and Flipkart for flouting FDI and FEMA rules. The DPIIT’s direction of January 2021 was an aftermath of the protest and issues highlighted by CAIT. The association has also written to Piyush Goyal, the union minister of industry and commerce, seeking stricter actions against Amazon and Flipkart, “which are hell bent in monopolising e-commerce and retail trade with their unethical business practices”. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/browserstack-has-become-the-most-valued-vc-backed-saas-company-to-enter-the-indian-unicorn-club/articleshow/83599403.cms">BrowserStack’s unicorn status further strengthens India’s SaaS club</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/education/news/cbse-evaluation-criteria-for-class-12-results-announced-results-to-be-declared-on-june-31/articleshow/83598782.cms">CBSE announces 30:30:40 formula as the evaluation criteria for class 12, results to be declared on July 31</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/apps/news/battlegrounds-mobile-india-download-link-early-access-registration/articleshow/83597180.cms">Battlegrounds Mobile India beta now available, early access rolling out – download and registration links here</a>

As Flipkart and Amazon try to quash India's antitrust investigation, trader lobbies accuse them of 'monopolising e-commerce'

<keyword id="6354742" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Flipkart" source="Orion">Flipkart</keyword> co-founder <keyword id="225032" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Sachin-Bansal" source="Orion">Sachin Bansal</keyword> has moved the Madras High Court challenging a show cause notice (SCN) dated July 1 this year issued by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), which held that he and another individual were personally responsible for the alleged violation of FDI policy involving a staggering amount of approximately ₹23,000 crore. Justice R Mahadevan, before whom the writ petition from Bansal came up for hearing on Friday, pulled up the authorities for the delay of 12 years in issuing the notice and adjourned the matter by three weeks, after directing the ED and its officials to file the counters. The petition sought to quash the notice as illegal and arbitrary, insofar as he is concerned. The interim prayer is to stay its operation. The SCN was issued on the basis of a complaint filed by the Deputy Director of Enforcement in Bengaluru, for instituting adjudication proceedings under Sec.16 of the Foreign Exchange Maintenance Act (FEMA) against the petitioner, another co-founder Binny Bansal of the e-commerce giant, Accel, Tiger Global, Subrata Mitra (nominee director of Accel) and Lee Fixel (nominee director of Tiger Global) on the alleged contravention of the various provisions of the FEMA. The notice was issued pursuant to an alleged non-compliance with a condition prescribed vide the Consolidated Foreign Direct Investment Policy of 2010 dated April 1, 2010 in respect of issuance of shares of certain Flipkart group companies to foreign investors during 2009-14. According to Bansal, he ceased to have any association with Flipkart and its group of companies, pursuant to his unanticipated exit following the acquisition of Flipkart by Wal-mart International Holding, Inc. on August 17, 2018. Among other things, he contended that issuance of the SCN was arbitrary, unreasonable and patently a perverse one, as it was issued after 12 years. The complaint followed an investigation by the Directorate of Enforcement in New Delhi, which commenced in 2012, i.e. 9 years ago. He had proactively participated and cooperated in the investigation undertaken by the ED. Given the substantial lapse of time following the inquiry, the petitioner has conducted himself under the bonafide belief that after due study of the materials obtained during the course of the probe, the ED had concluded that no action was warranted in the matter. And, he had effected bonafide transfers to third parties in the intervening period and had completely exited from the Flipkart group in August 2018. However, to the utter shock and dismay, the ED issued the notices, he contended. Specifically, there is no statutory period prescribed under FEMA within which the authorities concerned were required to file the complaint for initiating the adjudication proceedings. In the absence of any period of limitation under the statute, it has been settled by the <keyword id="6354977" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="supreme-court" source="Orion">Supreme Court</keyword> in various judgments that the Constitution requires every authority, including the ED, to exercise its power to file a complaint within a reasonable time, failing which the actions taken by the statutory authority will be amenable to the writ jurisdiction of constitutional courts, petitioner said. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/news/mukesh-ambanis-reliance-acquires-majority-stake-in-strand-life-sciences-for-393-crore-/articleshow/85900998.cms">Mukesh Ambani's Reliance acquires majority stake in Strand Life Sciences for ₹393 crore</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/investment/news/doge-meme-nft-increases-55-times-in-value-to-220-billion/articleshow/85899796.cms">Doge meme NFT's value flies from $4 million to $220 million overnight after getting split into 17 billion pieces</a>

Flipkart's Sachin Bansal  moves Madras High Court challenging ED notice

<ul><li><keyword id="11494632" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="commerceiq">CommerceIQ</keyword> has raised $60 million in Series C round, led by Insight Partner.</li><li>It plans to use this funding to expand its team in <keyword id="3658" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="India">India</keyword> and crack more M&amp;As.</li><li>The tech platform currently has 2200 customers including Kellogg’s and Colgate-Palmolive.</li></ul>CommerceIQ, a tech platform that helps businesses make entry into e-commerce, has closed its Series C round at a $60 million. The round was led by Shopify-backer Insight Partner, along with participation from Trinity Ventures, Shasta Ventures, and Madrona Venture Group. The California and Bengaluru-based e-commerce management platform helps 2200 consumer brands -- like Kellogg’s, Nestle, Colgate-Palmolive and more -- manage their e-commerce operations. Though many of its clients do have their own marketplaces and direct-to-customer (D2C) operations, they only account for a minor portion of their sales. Therefore, CommerceIQ solely focuses on helping them with sales through established third-party e-commerce platforms like <keyword id="18635" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Amazon">Amazon</keyword>, Walmart, Shopify and more, which can bring them better results. It ties and automates multiple functions like sales, advertising, supply chain operations, and also drives large scale automations across the e-commerce operation. Indirect e-commerce sales take on D2C approach “Most e-commerce happens through indirect commerce [third-party e-commerce platform]. You never go to Colgate.com or Huggies.com or places like that to buy toothpaste or a diaper. You are essentially going to Amazon.com, Walmart.com or in India’s case <keyword id="6354742" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Flipkart">Flipkart</keyword>.com. About 85% of the total e-commerce in the US happens through indirect, only 15% happens on direct platform," Guru <keyword id="1175" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Hariharan">Hariharan</keyword>, chief executive officer (CEO) of CommerceIQ told Business Insider. He further explained that CommerceIQ’s clients use it as a data store for all the necessary data points across sales, marketing, supply chain and more. The company also applies its machine learning algorithms to figure out the trends, apt pricing and anomalies in terms of the business. “We are essentially a machine that plugs into the Amazon and Walmart machine, and drives the growth of these brands on these platforms,” Hariharan added. The company earns its revenue by renting out its softwares to its customers. It also claims that its software helps its clientele get a 40% boost in their e-commerce sales and 20% higher profits. Hariharan believes that the growth of D2C, which gained momentum over the last year, is going to be capped compared to indirect e-commerce competitors. Where does India come into play for CommerceIQ? CommerceIQ was founded in 2012 and has raised about $100 million to date across three funding rounds. It had raised $12 million in Series B and $8.5 million in Series A in 2014. Majority of CommerceIQ’s operations currently lie in the North American continent, however, it is looking to expand into European as well as Asian markets with the latest fundraise. It is also currently working on some pilot projects in India and plans to launch a holistic operation in the country by 2022, Prasoon Kumar, CommerceIQ’s vice president of engineering and head of India operations, told Business Insider. All these algorithms and softwares are built in CommerceIQ’s development centre in Bengaluru, <keyword id="6354780" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Karnataka">Karnataka</keyword> in India. The centre has a workforce of around 110 people who look into engineering, analytics, data science, machine learning and more. The Bengaluru office also handles product, customer operations and support. A part of the funding will also be used to double its workforce in the Bengaluru office in the next 18 months. “India is a key and strategic centre for us. We are going long in our investments in India,” Hariharan added. Besides this, it is also planning to expand its go-to-market by both organic and inorganic means. It will look into setting up operations across international markets in order to boost its sales. On the other hand, it is planning mergers and acquisitions (M&amp;As) to expand its product offerings as well as value for customers. Talking about CommerceIQ’s integration with its sales process, Surabh Pokhriyal, worldwide director of global digital commerce at Colgate-Palmolive, said automation of its indirect sales has helped the company move forward from manual processes and streamline its e-commerce operations, driving market share and profitability. SEE MORE: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/ecommerce/news/flipkart-and-amazon-may-not-be-able-to-do-flash-sales/articleshow/83737670.cms">Amazon, Flipkart and other e-commerce platforms may not be able to do flash sales any more, if Indian government has its way</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/after-assam-up-law-commission-proposes-population-control/articleshow/83706798.cms">India’s most populous state is about to take some stringent measures to control population</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/cryptocurrency/news/el-salvadors-bitcoin-experiment-is-gaining-momentum-even-if-the-world-bank-doesnt-want-to-lend-its-support/slidelist/83634654.cms">Here’s how El Salvador’s Bitcoin experiment is playing out so far — the good, the bad and the ugly</a>

E-commerce management platform CommerceIQ raises $60 million, looks to launch India operations by 2022

<ul><li>Walmart-owned <keyword id="6354742" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Flipkart">Flipkart</keyword> had applied for a license to run <keyword id="8221653" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Flipkart-Farmermart">Flipkart FarmerMart</keyword> – a food retail entity that would sell agricultural produce of Indian farmers online.</li><li>The company had applied for the license when 100% FDI in food retail was allowed. </li><li>However, since then the government’s guidelines for food retail have changed. </li></ul>Walmart-owned Flipkart had applied for a license to run Flipkart FarmerMart – a food retail entity that would sell agricultural produce of Indian farmers online. However, the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (<keyword id="7281036" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="dpiit">DPIIT</keyword>) has rejected the application saying that the Flipkart FarmerMart would flout the regulatory guidelines. However, Flipkart intends to reapply for the license. “At Flipkart, we believe that technology &amp; innovation driven marketplace can add significant value to our country’s farmers and food processing sector by bringing value chain efficiency &amp; transparency. This will further aid in boosting farmers’ income &amp; transform Indian agriculture. We are evaluating the department’s response and intend to re-apply as we look to continue making a significant impact on small businesses and communities in India.” said a Flipkart spokesperson. According to the government, any e-commerce platform with foreign direct investment can simply be the platform for the third party sellers to reach out to buyers, but it cannot sell inventory of its own. <a href="https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/india-business/govt-rejects-flipkarts-plan-to-enter-food-retail/articleshow/76126956.cms">TOI r</a>eported that the Flipkart FarmerMart’s memorandum of association would not allow it to enter food retail. “In line with the government of India’s FDI (foreign direct investment) policy, which allows 100% FDI in food retail for food produced and manufactured in India, Flipkart is applying for appropriate licences from the government,” Flipkart Group CEO Kalyan Krishnamurthy had said in <a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/services/retail/flipkart-to-start-selling-food-through-farmermart/articleshow/71606817.cms?from=mdr">October 2019</a>. However, since then the government has changed the guidelines, which put Flipkart’s new venture in danger. Flipkart had announced its entry into fresh produce last year when it began piloting the same in Bengaluru and Hyderabad. The development comes just days after Flipkart’s rival Amazon has announced its entry in food delivery in India. 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 SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/bharatpe-laid-off-several-employees-after-announcing-salary-hikes-in-april/articleshow/76128348.cms">BharatPe laid off several employees after announcing salary hikes in April</a> <a href="http://businessinsider.in/business/corporates/news/infosys-reportedly-plans-to-reduce-the-number-of-managers-the-ceo-and-coo-got-over-25-salary-raise-in-fy20/articleshow/76127600.cms">Infosys reportedly plans to reduce the number of managers— the CEO and COO got over 25% salary raise in FY20</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/corporates/news/hindustan-unilever-limited-ceo-sanjiv-mehta-says-the-product-inventory-range-will-be-smaller-and-simpler-hereon/articleshow/76128468.cms">HUL CEO says the product inventory range will be smaller and simpler hereon⁠— analysts believe others may have the same plan</a>

You Searched For "flipkart third investment" and got 10 results

Simply Put: From Dal to Dolce—India is loving its luxury life

Ira Alok Puranik

Flipkart makes its third fashion investment in five months — bets on USPL that houses brands like Virat Kohli's Wrogn and Kriti Sanon's Ms Taken

Sanchita Dash

Flipkart makes yet another acquisition – buys 100% stake in Augmented Reality startup Scapic

Sanchita Dash

Indian antitrust watchdog reportedly raids Amazon, Flipkart’s biggest sellers

Kritti Bhalla

Binny Bansal sells his shares in Flipkart for the third time since Walmart’s entry

Sanchita Dash

eBay is trying to get third-time lucky with Paytm Mall after burning hands with Flipkart and Snapdeal

Sanchita Dash

As Flipkart and Amazon try to quash India's antitrust investigation, trader lobbies accuse them of 'monopolising e-commerce'

Kritti Bhalla

Flipkart's Sachin Bansal moves Madras High Court challenging ED notice

PTI

E-commerce management platform CommerceIQ raises $60 million, looks to launch India operations by 2022

Kritti Bhalla

Flipkart will try again for a ‘Made in India’ tag to be able to sell farm produce

Sanchita Dash

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