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<ul><li>Snapdeal’s user base has grown by 37% in the last 12 months on the back of its changing focus on ‘Bharat’, gamification, and enhanced user experience.</li><li>As per the audited financials for FY 2019-20, Snapdeal’s consolidated revenues grew by 73% – from ₹535.9 crore in FY 18 to ₹925.3 crore in FY19.</li><li>The e-commerce platform also witnessed a 52% increase in its order volumes this festive season, with 90% of its orders coming from non-metro users. </li></ul>Snapdeal has crossed 100 million app downloads on Google Play Store. The e-commerce platform witnessed this growth after changing its focus to ‘Bharat,’ enhancing user experience, and introducing engaging activities on its app. Snapdeal’s downloads have grown rapidly in the last 12 months – climbing from 73 million in October 2018 to crossing 100 million in October 2019, a gain of 37%. *in millions “The 100 million android app downloads are a reflection of our leadership and granular understanding of Bharat-focused e-commerce. We are delighted that our efforts to improve access, convenience and value for millions of users across India continues to grow and deepen the e-commerce market in India,” said a Snapdeal’s spokesperson. Snapdeal has made several additions including a continuous feed that is personalized for each user, allowing users to discover relevant products in an engaging way. In addition, the app features SD TV – which has thousands of short product videos highlighting the functionality and salient features of popular products. Snapdeal has also added a few engagement activities on its app. More than a million sessions of Spin the Wheel, Scratch Cards, Daily Visits Recorder, Timer-based challenges are unlocked every day on the <keyword id="4425196" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Snapdeal-App">Snapdeal app</keyword>. These gamification initiatives incentivize users in a variety of ways through instant rewards, special deals etc. Snapdeal also witnessed a hike its web traffic. In October 2019, the monthly traffic on Snapdeal crossed 240 million visits – recording an all-time high. As per audited financials for the FY 2019-20, Snapdeal’s consolidated revenues grew by 73% – from ₹535.9 crore in FY 18 to ₹925.3 crore in FY19. Simultaneously, it also reduced its loss by 71% – from ₹611 crore in FY 18 to ₹ 186 crore in FY 19. In the recently concluded Diwali season, Snapdeal saw growth not just in terms of traffic and app downloads but also witnessed 52% increase in order volumes this festive season, with 90% of its orders coming from non-metro users. Snapdeal’s growth in traffic and increase in volumes is also due to the deepening of its focus on value-priced merchandise. In the last two years, Snapdeal has added 60,000+ new seller partners, who have added over 50 Million new listings aimed at building a deep assortment of products relevant for value-savvy buyers. Snapdeal now has more than 500,000 registered sellers, who have more than 200 million listings on the marketplace.

Snapdeal crosses 100 million app downloads; user base grows by 37%

If you are an aspiring entrepreneur or a wantrepreneur equipped with a dream to create a billion-dollar business in India, one of the IITs is your best bet. 
 Unicorns are <keyword id="6362513" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Startups">startups</keyword> with more than a billion-dollar valuation and the IITs have produced 12 unicorns. 
 
Sage, a UK-based accounting, and payroll company stated this in a research and reinstated the belief that the premier institution is still numero uno for attaining success. 
 
In terms of countries that are home to the most number of unicorns, US tops the list with 144 unicorns, followed by China with 47. India grabbed the third spot with 10. 
 
<a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/what-should-indian-start-ups-hope-for-in-budget-2017/articleshow/56893271.cms">ALSO READ: What should Indian startups hope for in Budget 2017</a> 
 
In the study that lists universities that have produced the most unicorn founders, the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) bagged the fourth spot. 
 US-based <keyword id="101399" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Stanford-University">Stanford University</keyword> claimed the top rank with 51 unicorn founders, followed by <keyword id="97117" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Harvard-University">Harvard University</keyword> with 37. 
 The <keyword id="73593" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="University-of-California">University of California</keyword> came third with 18 unicorn founders and <keyword id="6354859" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="IIT">IIT</keyword> followed with 12 founders. 
 India is home to 10 unicorn companies from e-commerce giants <keyword id="6354742" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Flipkart">Flipkart</keyword>, <keyword id="541988" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="SnapDeal">Snapdeal</keyword> and ShopClues to cab aggregator Ola, restaurant aggregator Zomato, classified ads platform Quickr, digital payments company <keyword id="6357120" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="PayTM">Paytm</keyword>, mobile ad tech player InMobi, messaging app Hike and analytics company Mu Sigma. 
 Within the various IITs, it is Delhi that produced the maximum unicorn founders. <keyword id="6354867" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Sachin">Sachin</keyword> and <keyword id="6364080" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Binny-Bansal">Binny Bansal</keyword> of Flipkart, <keyword id="118292" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Sanjay-Sethi">Sanjay Sethi</keyword> of ShopClues, Zomato founders <keyword id="476451" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Deepinder-Goyal">Deepinder Goyal</keyword> and Pankaj Chaddah, Snapdeal's <keyword id="396598" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Rohit-Bansal">Rohit Bansal</keyword> and Quikr's <keyword id="1063538" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Pranay-Chulet">Pranay Chulet</keyword> and <keyword id="2124885" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Jiby-Thomas">Jiby Thomas</keyword> (now founder of <keyword id="4123624" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="webbutterjam-digital">Webbutterjam Digital</keyword>) are all products of <keyword id="57604" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="iit-delhi">IIT Delhi</keyword>. 
 
<a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/exclusive-what-moms-want-from-the-budget-2017/articleshow/56872243.cms">ALSO READ: Exclusive: What moms want from the Budget 2017</a> 
 Ola's founders <keyword id="1543567" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Bhavish-Aggarwal">Bhavish Aggarwal</keyword> and <keyword id="2412264" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Ankit-Bhati">Ankit Bhati</keyword> went to IIT Bombay. 
 Inmobi's founders Naveen Tiwari, Abhay Singhal and <keyword id="75744" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Amit-Gupta">Amit Gupta</keyword> studied at IIT Kanpur while their co-founder <keyword id="2682435" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Mohit-Saxena">Mohit Saxena</keyword> went to IIT Roorkee. 
 
<a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/take-a-tour-of-oyo-rooms-attractive-new-property-townhouse/articleshow/56781794.cms">ALSO READ: Take a tour of OYO's attractive new property: OYO Townhouse</a> 
 
According to the study, for over 60% of the founders all over the world, the current unicorn company was the only company they had ever built. However, indicating that experience literally pays, the research said those who founded more than one company have, on average, a 34.5% higher valuation than those who founded just one company ($4.29bn vs $5.88bn).

The IITs are the fourth largest producer of unicorn startups in
the world

In the past one year, India’s ecommerce giant <keyword id="541988" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="SnapDeal">Snapdeal</keyword> has <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/Sellers-on-Amazon-Flipkart-Snapdeal-cry-foul-over-rising-return-of-products-marketplaces-have-different-numbers/articleshow/51438343.cms">doubled the number of sellers</a> on its platform, and now boasts of more than three lakh associated sellers. It is now looking forward to meet its target of five lakh sellers by the year end. 
 
After it got a three-year investment of $200-million (Rs 1,320 crore) to strengthen the supply-chain capabilities, it has been very prompt in adding to its seller base. 
 
<a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/You-can-now-use-the-Snapdeal-app-to-book-tickets-and-order-food-online/articleshow/51340726.cms">Also read: You can now use the Snapdeal app to book tickets and order food online</a> 
 
There is a <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/Flipkart-vs-Snapdeal-E-commerce-giants-tremble-under-investors-pressure/articleshow/51581261.cms">race </a>going on amongst the country’s biggest online companies, which see them using outreach programmes, technology innovation for sellers and working capital assistance. 
 
"The cost of seller acquisition has come down by almost 50 per cent since last year. The new sellers onboarded are largely in the unstructured category of general merchandise or home and fashion," Vishal Chadha, senior VP of market development, told ET. 
 
As a benefit, the company expects as many as 10,000 sellers on its platform to post sales exceeding Rs 1 crore each. 
 
<a href="http://d152j5tfobgaot.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/yourstory_SnapdealSellerZone_InsideArticle.jpg">Image source</a>

Snapdeal doubles the number of sellers in one year

Two of India’s biggest <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=mobile+wallet&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">mobile wallet</a> companies have been throwing punches against each other on their respective blogs. It was <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=MobiKwik&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">MobiKwik</a> vs. <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Snapdeal&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Snapdeal</a>-owned <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=FreeCharge&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">FreeCharge</a> last Wednesday. 
 
It all started when <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=MobiKwik&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">MobiKwik</a> raised a stinker with the latest Nielsen Informate Mobile Insights Report concerning <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=mobile+wallet&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">mobile wallets</a> in India. The report places <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Paytm&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Paytm</a> as the most popular wallet in India, followed by <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=FreeCharge&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">FreeCharge</a> and <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=MobiKwik&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">MobiKwik</a>. 
 
In a blog post titled ‘<a href="https://blog.mobikwik.com/index.php/the-truth-behind-nielsen-mobile-insights/">the truth behind Nielsen Mobile Insights</a>’, Akash Gupta, the GM Marketing at <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=MobiKwik&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">MobiKwik</a> expressed his wrath against research firm Nielson, and how ‘they mock the ecosystem.’ 
 “We reached out to Nielsen to seek clarification. They said it was meant for internal use, but <keyword id="6377963" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="Freecharge">FreeCharge</keyword> and <keyword id="541988" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="SnapDeal">Snapdeal</keyword> were touting it for press and to aid their pending fund-raise”, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=MobiKwik&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">MobiKwik</a> co-founder <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Upasana+Taku&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Upasana Taku</a> told Business Insider. 
 
“It really pisses you off if somebody has actually not done the work but go around telling the world they are number #2. They also used it heavily in China where they are trying to raise funds from”, Taku added. 
 
<a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=MobiKwik&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">MobiKwik</a> also posted screenshots of e-mails from Nielsen. 
 
 
<a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=FreeCharge&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">FreeCharge</a> shot back with a stinging post, titled ‘<a href="https://blog.freecharge.in/2016/06/15/dont-shoot-the-messenger-when-the-message-stings/">Don’t shoot the messenger when the message stings!</a>’ 
 
<keyword id="143842" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="40" keywordseo="Mobikwik">MobiKwik</keyword>’s Allegations: 
· It was a paid research 
· ‘How can a SAMPLE SIZE OF 6000 be even statistically relevant!’ · A <keyword id="490792" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="80" keywordseo="Mobile-wallet">mobile wallet</keyword> is not just a recharge app 
 
FreeCharge’s Defense: 
· It was a syndicated report 
· ‘very robust sample size by any standard’ 
· FreeCharge Wallet app officially launched in September 
 
In a very short time, the size of India’s mobile wallet market has grown significantly. According to a study by research firm RNCOS, the Indian market size for mobile wallet is estimated to rise to Rs. 1,210 crores by 2019. 
 
Payments are turning out to be crucial for India’s <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=e-commerce&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">e-commerce</a> ecosystem. <keyword id="6354742" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Flipkart">Flipkart</keyword> is planning to invest Rs 670 crores to build its payments business, while <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Search&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Paytm</a> is pouring millions into its own. Last year, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Snapdeal&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Snapdeal</a> acquired <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=FreeCharge&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">FreeCharge</a> for $450 million and has not looked back ever since. 
 
This isn't the first time India's startups have had a verbal spat online. Hopefully, it's the last. 
 
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-o6jmPIDBE80/VMM6sM5e_PI/AAAAAAAAhjg/9iRZFIxDBk0/s1600/a.png">Image Source</a>

MobiKwik vs. FreeCharge: another war on blogs

In a bid to attract more and more customers, <keyword id="541988" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="SnapDeal">Snapdeal</keyword> has integrated with companies like <keyword id="6359128" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Redbus">Redbus</keyword>, Zomato and <keyword id="132652" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Cleartrip">Cleartrip</keyword> so that customers can directly use the mobile app to book bus tickets, flight tickets, hotel tickets and order food. 
 
While Cleartrip, Zomato and RedBus have got access to Snapdeal's huge user base, Snapdeal will be earning a commission for each booking for these companies made through its app. 
 
This can prove to be <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/Snapdeal-is-now-valued-over-6-billion-Thanks-to-200-mnfunding/articleshow/50992078.cms" target="_BLANK￿￿￿￿">financially beneficial for Snapdeal</a> since booking air tickets is a large gross merchandise value (GMV) category and food ordering is category that sees high frequency. 
 
"Horizontals are looking at monetising their user base with a focus on GMV and repeat use cases. As funding environment becomes tougher, growth in these metrics will stand out," a Snapdeal investor told ET on the condition of anonymity. 
 
It was last year that Snapdeal CEO Kunal Bahl had said that <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/Snapdeal-aims-to-overthrow-Flipkart-says-CEO-Kunal-Bahl/articleshow/48741092.cms" target="_BLANK￿￿￿￿">they would surpass archrival Flipkart</a> in terms of GMV by March 2016, declaring an open war in the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/Swords-are-drawn-Snapdeal-and-Flipkart-are-challenging-each-other-to-become-numero-uno/articleshow/48770391.cms" target="_BLANK￿￿￿￿">Indian e-commerce space</a>. 
 
GMV refers to the overall sales by merchants on an e-commerce platform, without factoring discounts. Out of these, the e-tailer gets 5 to 20% as margin on an average. 
 
It was only two months back that Snapdeal had tied up with <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/Now-buyProperty-on-Sale-from-Snapdeal/articleshow/50589572.cms" target="_BLANK￿￿￿￿">real estate developers</a> to launch real estate and financial services on its website, to boost the GMVs. 
 
Talking of user experience, Snapdeal is <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/Product-selfies-IMPS-refunds-and-much-more-this-is-how-Snapdeal-is-using-technology-to-improve-user-experience/articleshow/50768069.cms" target="_BLANK￿￿￿￿">heavily using technology</a> to improvise in that area, like having IMPS refunds and product selfies. 
 
<a href="http://s32.iamwire.com.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Snapdeal.jpg">Image source</a>

You can now use the Snapdeal app to book tickets and order food online

The Indian start-up wave has come down to a slower pace, as evident from the hiring trends of several start-ups. To name one, Flipkart has deferred the joining dates of recruits from <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/Students-of-IIM-A-are-helping-this-Gujarat-village-market-toilets-to-tribals-villagers/articleshow/51852988.cms">IIM-A</a>, proving that something is not right in the start-up arena. 
 
There was a time when everyone wanted to join start-ups via placements that were also very enthusiastic about hiring fresh talent. However, most start-ups have now started either <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/IIM-A-has-written-a-strongly-worded-letter-to-Flipkart-after-it-defers-joining-dates-of-recruits/articleshow/52430050.cms">withdrawing their job offers </a>or marking down the salaries offered in the first place. 
 
Also read: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/Read-the-Curt-email-IIM-A-sent-Flipkart-about-bad-hiring-policies/articleshow/52431557.cms">Read the Curt email IIM-A sent Flipkart about bad hiring policies</a> 
 
During the November-January placement season, start-up hiring had surged because these emerging businesses were competing to recruit the best talent; however, now the investors have tightened their money bags, hinting that these start-ups have to focus on profitability and paring costs rather than talent acquisition. 
 
Also read: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/Indian-B-schools-students/articleshow/52011295.cms">More than 90% students from Indian B-schools earn less than an average peon, study reveals</a> 
 
Two of India's most valuable internet companies, Ola and Snapdeal, didn’t even attend the campus placements session this academic year, which was shocking to many, given that a few months back, leading start-ups had partnered with <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/Vijay-Mallya-debt-fiasco-comes-to-some-good-use-for-Indian-business-schools/articleshow/51496588.cms">top engineering schools</a> for top slots at campus placements, asking them to be prioritised over global technology giants such as Google. 
 
"While one startup withdrew offers given to six students, a few others are saying they will come up with later joining dates as some businesses they had hired for are not doing well," said Ayush Lakhotia, placement coordinator at IIT Bombay. "There is a lot of suspicion and concern among students this time when it comes to startups," he added. 
 
Also read: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/B-school-students-are-believing-in-Indias-growth-story-and-taking-up-less-offers-overseas/articleshow/51454136.cms">B-school students are believing in India’s growth story and taking up less offers overseas</a> 
 
Other than delaying joining dates, start-ups have also started to 'correct' the salaries offered to students, notifying them of the same in the final offer letters. 
 
<a href="http://cdn3.benzinga.com/files/imagecache/1024x768xUP/images/story/2012/shutterstock_84623416.jpg">Image source</a>

Start-ups are low on cash, and talent acquisition is set to suffer a major deal because of this

<ul><li>A Redseer report says that e-commerce companies have hit a gross merchandise value or GMV of $1.8 billion in the first 3 days of their festive sales. </li><li>The Big Billion Days, Great Indian Festival sale, Snap-Diwali and others provide multiple offers and deals to consumers. </li><li>The e-commerce sector will now meet 80-100% of the forecasted target of $3.7 billion GMV from the sale time alone. </li></ul>It’s truly a festive season for Indian e-commerce players. A Redseer report says that e-retailers hit a gross merchandise value or GMV of $1.8 in the first 3 days of their sales. From Flipkart to Amazon to Snapdeal, every Indian e-commerce player is currently hosting their annual sales. The Big Billion Days, Great Indian Festival sale, Snap-Diwali and others provide multiple offers and deals across products to consumers. Redseer report further says that the e-commerce sector will meet 80-100% of the forecasted target of $3.7 billion GMV from their sales alone. “The first three days have been a strong success for e-tailers despite challenging macro environment, indicating that consumer sentiment on online shopping remains bullish. We expect the industry to continue to do well in the remaining days of the sales event and achieve 80-100% of the RedSeer forecasted numbers for the whole 6-day event,” said Anil Kumar, Founder and CEO, RedSeer Consulting. The mobile segment has led the sales, with 55% GMV coming from smartphones. Amazon said that OnePlus, Samsung and Apple crossed ₹750 crore in sales within 36 hours of the sale. In fact, OnePlus clocked in a record ₹500 crore revenue on the second day of Amazon Great Indian Festival. “We’re honoured by the overwhelming response received as this stands testament to the highest level of customer satisfaction and the strong trust in our brand. India is one of our most important markets and we will strive to ensure an unparalleled, superior experience for our users,”said Vikas Agarwal, General Manager, OnePlus India. This is gloom of an economic slowdown which has impacted the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/ecommerce/news/flipkart-and-amazon-sales-beat-slowdown-blues-to-lift-consumer-sentiment/articleshow/71384852.cms">consumer sentiment</a>. But the online sales seem to have altered it. Both Flipkart and Amazon managed to open up new markets as well. As much as 91% of Amazon’s new customers came from Tier 2 and 3 towns.Flipkart said that its number of transacting customers from Tier 2 and beyond doubled over last year’s sale on the first day.

Amazon, Flipkart, Snapdeal and others clock in $1.8 bn in revenue within 3 days of festive sales

There was a time when brick-and-mortar retail stores were in deep trouble, because of the newfound love that customers had developed for online shopping, or should we say the discounts offered online. However, with online sellers avoiding deep discounts to shore up their finances, customers seem to come back to the brick-and-mortar retail stores, bringing back their days of glory. 
 
Same-store sales were at their highest in four years in the last quarter of 2015, as people came looking for aggressive promotions and strong demand for fresh merchandise. 
 "The competition intensity has no doubt reduced vis-a-vis online," <keyword id="44949" type="CITY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Future-group">Future Group</keyword> CEO Kishore Biyani told ET. "This is just the beginning of their downfall since the ecommerce model of discounting was never there to stay." 
 While <keyword id="64373" type="CITY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Shoppers-Stop">Shoppers Stop</keyword> and <keyword id="1854044" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Future-Lifestyle">Future Lifestyle</keyword> recorded an 18% growth in Sep-Dec quarter, <keyword id="385207" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Lifestyle-International">Lifestyle International</keyword>, Arrow and Flying Machine grew at 12 to 15%, a two-year high for them. 
 In 2014, <keyword id="2246014" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="physical-stores">physical stores</keyword> reported subdued demand because of ecommerce players attracting consumers with their discounts and ease of shopping. However, for the festive season that went by, offline stores were better prepared, having offered aggressive promotion strategies. Talking of online retailers, this time, a limited number of brands had discounts running, because e-commerce players wanted to protect margins and turn profitable. The three biggest players in India, Amazon, <keyword id="6354742" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Flipkart">Flipkart</keyword> and <keyword id="541988" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="SnapDeal">Snapdeal</keyword>, had Rs 5,052 crore in FY15 as combined losses. 
 
Also, having hitting the buy button all these years, consumers also have come to understand that low online prices mean out-of-season merchandise or old stock from brands. 
 
However, this doesn’t mark the end of online shopping in India. For example, Amazon sold more goods in the end quarter than it did in all of 2014. The retail space has enough market for both online and offline products. 
 
<a href="https://d13yacurqjgara.cloudfront.net/users/97365/screenshots/1214137/come-in-were-open-sign.jpg">Image source</a>

Brick-and-mortar retail stores shine again as online sellers avoid heavy discounts

It’s a riot in India’s burgeoning <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Vijay+Shekhar+Sharma">smartphone</a> market. Chinese <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Vijay+Shekhar+Sharma">smartphone</a> brands have turned it on its head forever. A recent IDC study revealed the top 5 Indian cities make up approximately 60% of the online <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=smartphone+sales">smartphone sales</a>. <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Samsung">Samsung</a> came at the top in leading 30 Indian cities. More ‘value for money’ brands like <keyword id="71696" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Micromax">Micromax</keyword>, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Lenovo">Lenovo</a> and <keyword id="11148" type="CITY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Motorola">Motorola</keyword> followed. 
 While the numbers suggest the chaos is limited to the metros and tier I cities, tier II and III cities are expected to play a major role in the near future. At a time when the <keyword id="28168" type="TECHNOLOGY" weightage="80" keywordseo="Smartphone">smartphone</keyword> market is growing 18% YoY and constitutes 40% of the 250 million units shipped to India, the dusty road is where the market lies. 
 
Business Insider sat down with the India Heads of two big bad boys in this war - <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Coolpad">Coolpad</a> and <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=LeEco">LeEco</a> to understand where this battle’s headed, and if there will ever be peace. 
 
What’s Changed – Everything 
The Chinese influx started way back in 2015. They saw an opportunity in the affordable smartphone market. Cut to 2016, that’s gone for good. Now, they’re up against home-grown brands like Micromax and Lava. Basically what Micromax did to <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Nokia">Nokia</a> years ago? Marketing brands like <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Xiaomi">Xiaomi</a> have locked horns with the likes of <keyword id="13722" type="CITY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Lenovo">Lenovo</keyword> and Motorola. The former doesn’t even have a brand ambassador in India! 
 Newer Chinese brands like <keyword id="1731609" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Oppo">Oppo</keyword> and <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=LeEco">LeEco</a> are kicking serious ass too. They’re bringing in the money power of their rich Chinese dads, but considering ROI on investment, it’s very difficult to sustain their current models due to stiff competition. 
 Remember, back in the days <keyword id="35621" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="80" keywordseo="e-commerce">e-commerce</keyword> players were offering subsidies to host online sales. After 2016, only the manufacturer will have advantage as the Flipkarts, Snapdeals and Amazons of India will not offer too much in discounts, and this will reduce cost-efficiency in business models. 
 
There are two options now - go offline with huge marketing investment, or stay online with a cost-effective model. 
 “There will be challenges in manufacturing and marketing”, <keyword id="3093045" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="80" keywordseo="Syed-Tajuddin">Syed Tajuddin</keyword>, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Coolpad">Coolpad</a> India Head accepts. 
 
By the end of 2016, most marketing brands will find it difficult to sustain. They’ll burn most of their liquidity. That’s where direct manufacturers come into the picture with long term goals. They will have extreme control on their supply-chains. 
 
Online Vs. Offline Game 
As the numbers suggest, Indian metros and Tier I cities already have mass online penetration. Till now, most Chinese brands weren’t even interested to look beyond, but are now being forced to because of the tax complications state governments have set up. Entering the offline market also means being cowed down by heavy investment for retailers and distributors. 
 
“Offline will remain and prosper. The only thing that might happen is that the offline sales in Metros might slip a bit into online”, Syed agrees. 
 Offline brands like <keyword id="10591" type="CITY" weightage="80" keywordseo="Samsung">Samsung</keyword>, Lenovo and Micromax that still have a huge portion of the offline market, need to check inflation. You ask why? 
 
Because brands like Oppo have brought some of their Chinese distributors to India. These brands will give a tough time standing up to Indian brands, and it’s only a matter of time before Samsung feels some heat in its collar too. 
 
Rather than investing and promoting on the marketing front, brands like Micromax have to focus on improving their product’s value proposition. If you’ve noticed, Micromax hasn’t spent a fortune on advertising since the Sliver 5. 
 
Believe it or not, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=LeEco">LeEco</a> and Oppo are going into Tier II and Tier III cities, and holding small marketing campaigns there. Earlier the distributor drove sales, now it’s the brand. Indian brands are not able to cope up here. 
 
 “Just an online strategy will only help reach a certain consumer-base. We’re planning t have our own stores and offline distribution very soon. Half of our business in Feb came from the non-metros and non-Tier I cities”, Atul tells me. 
 
To reduce, or not to reduce – Price, that’s the question! 
In a day and age where the average life of a smartphone is down to less than a year in India, is there any chance of the price war cooling down anytime soon? 
 
“Around 30% customers, basically the young crowd will continue to focus on hardware vs. price. The high-end market will have an eye for aesthetics, and would prefer to have a look and feel”, Syed says. 
 “You have to be present offline to ensure you get the bigger consumer-base. We’ll launch into offline in the next 3-4 months”, <keyword id="350911" type="PERSON" weightage="80" keywordseo="Atul-Jain">Atul Jain</keyword>, India Head, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=LeEco">LeEco</a> says. 
 
If the hardware craze is limited to tier I and metros, does it matter if a phone is priced at Rs. 10k, Rs. 9,999 or Rs. 9,990? 
 
“It doesn’t matter. Price is just one component. The consumer decision is based on at least 6 factors like design, availability, battery and price. Consumers could be sensitive to pricing, and as manufacturers we’ve to take that into account”, Atul says. 
 
Do Flash Sales Work? 
 
Both <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Coolpad">Coolpad</a> and <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=LeEco">LeEco</a> agree flash sales can be used as a tool to drive initial volume. Brands with constraint in delivery in the first phase chose that model. By the time they catch up in terms of numbers, they open it for all. That was typically in a month or two. 
 
However, Indians are now wary of waiting. They have options. Micromax’s Yu brand previously did flash sales for over 3-4 months. Now their flash sales don’t last that long. 
 
Basically, two quarters on, there will be lesser flash sales. 
 
Increasing Market Share 
So how do you increase market share in a market overcrowded with fiery competition that’s baying for your blood? 
 
For one, the era of marketing is over. You have to significantly control costs. Supply chain will become the foremost focus, R&amp;D comes second. Ones you have R&amp;D, you can experiment, and the supply chain will help reduce cost. 
 
“We’re setting up a global R&amp;D centre in Bangalore that’ll work on software and screen technologies”, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=LeEco">LeEco</a> India Head says. 
 
In case you don’t live under a rock you must have noticed there are two segments for every ‘new’ smartphone brand, a regular model, with exceptional value proposition, and a flagship segment with high-end specs. 
 
“We’re coming up with a flagship soon. However, we’re very skeptical about marketing. Marketing gimmicks never work”, Syed says. 
 
Offline Prices 
Price and specs have been the biggest weapons for newer brands launching in India. The notion is that when you set up an offline distribution network, prices go up. That’s what happened with Samsung, and other brands too. However, if the prices are higher offline, it’s not fair to the consumer. 
 
“The distribution cost is what gets added when a product goes offline. That’s built into the overall costing”, Atul winks. 
 
Differentiation: 
So how do you create differentiation? It continues to be quality at affordable price. Atul let me in on a secret. They’re actually at a loss on a per device basis. 
 “We’re an ecosystem company unlike Samsung, <keyword id="6354427" type="CITY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Apple">Apple</keyword> or Oppo, and can sell the <keyword id="310615" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Le">Le</keyword> 1S at Rs. 10,999 even when the industry pegs the cost of production at Rs. 16k. We can ensure that pricing because of our large volume in China and India, and don’t believe in making profits from hardware”, Atul says. 
 
<a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=LeEco">LeEco</a> is perfectly fine with the loss. 
 
“For us phones are just screen, we have a 650 CDN networks of which 10 are in India. Nobody has that. It helps deliver content”, Atul says. 
 
The plan is <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=LeEco">LeEco</a> will churn content to earn that money back. Atul say that way the company can also monetize second hand phones. To conclude, they think they’ll win because they make it, and don’t just market it. 
 
“That’s the difference between us and marketing brands. We’ve been manufacturing in China for the last 24 years”, Syed boasts. 
 
Image credit: Indiatimes

The Future of India’s Smartphone Price War: LeEco and
Coolpad let us in on their trade secrets

<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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