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<ul><li>Reliance Jio and Airtel have reported an increase in subscribers in July 2023.</li><li>Cash-strapped Vi has once again reported a decline in subscribers during the month.</li><li>There has been a significant increase in active subscribers of Airtel and Jio.</li></ul> Reliance Jio and Airtel have once gained subscribers at the cost of Vi in July 2023, continuing the ongoing trend. The troubled telco, which is the only private operator to have not rolled out 5G services in the country, lost 1.32 million subscribers in July 2023 according to data from Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI). During this period, Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Jio has emerged as the biggest winner, gaining 3.9 million subscribers. Airtel on the other hand gained 1.52 million subscribers. State-owned BSNL also reported a decline of 1.41 million subscribers. With this, Jio’s subscriber base has increased to 442.49 million subscribers, followed by Airtel with 375.24 million subscribers. Vi is a distant third with 228.33 million subscribers. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Highest monthly addition in subscribers" comment="subhead" text="Highest monthly addition in subscribers">Highest monthly addition in subscribers</cmsannotation> The total mobile subscribers increased by 2.7 million users in July 2023, the highest monthly increase since May 2022. This has also resulted in an increase in active subscribers to 1046.41 million users in July 2023. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Jio continues to lead the industry" comment="subhead" text="Jio continues to lead the industry">Jio continues to lead the industry</cmsannotation> Jio has further strengthened its lead against Airtel and Vi with an increase of 3.9 million subscribers in July 2023. With this, the company’s total subscriber base has increased from 438.58 million to 442.49 million users. While Airtel has reported an increase of 1.52 million subscribers, its total subscriber base is still significantly behind Jio at 375.24 million. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Tariff hike unlikely before the 2024 elections" comment="subhead" text="Tariff hike unlikely before the 2024 elections">Tariff hike unlikely before the 2024 elections</cmsannotation> In good news for users, Kotak has predicted that a tariff hike is unlikely before the 2024 general elections. The competition among telcos has increased, making a tariff hike a difficult proposition. In July 2023, mobile number portability (MNP) requests surged to 11.8 million. This indicates increased competition among telcos to gain subscribers. “MNP requests stayed elevated at 11.8 mn, indicating intense competition to gain subs, with tariff hikes unlikely until after the 2024 general elections, in our view,” Kotak said in its report. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Interest in 5G to further decrease Vi’s subscribers" comment="subhead" text="Interest in 5G to further decrease Vi’s subscribers">Interest in 5G to further decrease Vi’s subscribers</cmsannotation> As Vi is the only major telco yet to roll out 5G services, the telco is expected to further lose subscribers in the coming months as users port out to Jio and Airtel to experience faster speeds. “Expect MNP requests to stay elevated partly due to Vi users porting out to experience 5G on Airtel and Jio,” said Jefferies in its report. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/jsw-infra-ipo-allotment-how-to-check-allotment-gmp-listing-date-and-more/articleshow/104033135.cms">JSW Infra IPO allotment – how to check allotment, GMP, listing date and more</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/mobile/news/pixel-8-launch-on-oct-4-from-camera-to-design-specifications-what-we-know-so-far/articleshow/103924696.cms">Pixel 8 launch on Oct 4 – From camera to design specifications, what we know so far</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/telecom/news/jioairfiber-launched-in-metros-plans-and-benefits-versus-the-airtel-xstream-airfiber/articleshow/103804858.cms">JioAirFiber launched in metros – plans and benefits versus the Airtel Xstream AirFiber</a>

Jio pips Airtel to gain more subscribers but Vi continues to bleed

<ul><li><keyword id="144117" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="aadhaar" source="Orion">Aadhaar</keyword> facilitated the Government of India in extending support to over 900 million beneficiaries, totaling $400 billion. </li><li>The elimination of fraudulent or duplicate IDs through the use of Aadhaar has resulted in an estimated government savings of approximately $34 billion. </li><li><keyword id="11907269" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="digilocker" source="Orion">DigiLocker</keyword> has broadened its document coverage, and includes banking, financial services, and education, through collaborations with private sector entities. </li></ul>The use of <keyword id="6358921" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="upi" source="Orion">UPI</keyword> has gone beyond metros. Around 70% of UPI's current users hail from beyond Tier-1 cities. Also, more than 80% of new users emerge from locations in Tier-2 cities and beyond, according to the ‘Impact of DPI on the Indian Internet Economy’ report by Redseer Strategy Consultants. With a user base exceeding 350 million, UPI stands out as an incredibly successful digital asset, revolutionising India's transaction landscape. Currently, approximately 45% of all transactions within the country occur digitally, with UPI commanding a significant share of 52%, surpassing 10 billion monthly transactions. The convenience associated with UPI <keyword id="6359540" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="payments" source="Orion">payments</keyword> has spurred the development of an expansive network of merchants, the digitalization of operations, and a noteworthy shift in consumer preferences. Aadhaar, the game changer Aadhaar's seamless digital ID verification has significantly enhanced governance effectiveness, leading to substantial cost savings for the government. By reinforcing the direct benefit transfer framework and policies, Aadhaar facilitated the Government of India in extending support to over 900 million beneficiaries, totaling $400 billion in cash and in-kind benefits across 313 schemes. The elimination of fraudulent or duplicate IDs resulted in an estimated government savings of approximately $34 billion. “Additionally, Aadhaar-based eKYC procedures streamlined processes such as bank account openings, issuance of credit cards, and filing of income tax returns, digitising various facets of government-citizen interactions,” says the report. Digilocker and FastTag gain users as they mature The success of Aadhaar, eKYC, and UPI have paved the way for various other Digital Public Infrastructures (DPIs) and the evolution of India Stack. Among these, platforms like DigiLocker and FasTag have matured considerably and amassed substantial user bases. The ongoing expansion of these initiatives has led to the development of innovative products and applications, exploring new use cases. For instance, DigiLocker facilitates KYC/ID verification and dynamic linking of insurance and health records, while FasTag enables parking fee payments using its balance, among other functionalities. The government has amplified the DigiLocker framework through DigiLocker 2.0, aiming to streamline the Know-Your-Customer (KYC) process across various financial and alternative services. This initiative revolves around centralising the process, eliminating redundant procedures at different touchpoints. “Embracing an enterprise-level approach for MSMEs, trusts, and other entities will enable companies to alter documents, changes of which will be reflected in personal DigiLocker accounts achieving high interoperability,” says the report. Furthermore, DigiLocker has broadened its document coverage, and includes banking, financial services, and education, through collaborations with private sector entities.

Eight in ten new UPI users are coming from Bharat

<ul><li>Today is the third day to subscribe to footwear retailer <keyword id="6356415" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="metro" source="Orion">Metro</keyword> Brands.</li><li>The issue has received bidding for 50% of the shares up for sale.</li><li>The Rakesh Jhunjhunwala-backed company is looking to raise ₹1,367 crore.</li></ul>The initial public offering (IPO) of Rakesh Jhunjhunwala-backed Metro Brands has been subscribed 50% on the first two days of issue. The company’s shares will open for subscription today, December 14, for the last time. <table style="border-width: initial; border-style: none; table-layout: fixed; width: 468pt;"></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;">Category </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;">Subscription (Times) </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;">Qualified Institutional Buyers (QIB) </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;">0.16 </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;">Non Institutional Investors (NII) </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;">0.17 </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;">Retail Investors </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;">0.87 </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;">Total </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;">0.52 </td></tr></tbody></table> Metro Brand — which is one of the largest Indian footwear specialty retailers in India — has set the price band of its shares at ₹485 to ₹500. The lot size has been set at 30 shares, costing ₹15,000 at upper price issue. Retail investors can buy upto 390 shares, 13 lots, for ₹1.95 lakh. The grey market premium (GMP), premium at which investors are comfortable buying the shares before it gets listed on a stock exchange, was at ₹34 on December 13. The company intends to raise ₹1,367 crore through this public issue, nearly ₹5 will be raised through fresh issue and the remaining ₹1,072 crore will be raised through offer for sale. The allotment status of Metro Brands’ IPO will be<a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/metro-brands-ipo-opens-today-and-here-are-all-the-important-details-you-need-to-know/articleshow/88194908.cms"> announced on December 17</a> and the company is likely to list on the stock exchange on December 22. Metro Brands started in 1955 as a footwear specialty retailer in India. It operates 586 stores across 134 cities spread across 29 states and union territories in India. Some of Metro’s brands include Mochi, Walkway, Davinchi and J. Fontini, as well as certain third-party brands such as Crocs, Skechers, Clarks, Florsheim, and Fitflop. SEE ALSO <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/after-giving-up-on-90-minute-delivery-five-years-ago-due-to-lack-of-profitability-grofers-is-now-chasing-10-minute-delivery/articleshow/88253221.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink">After giving up on 90-minute delivery five years ago due to lack of profitability, Grofers is now chasing 10-minute delivery</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/telecom/news/ussd-mobile-banking-charges-trai-vs-airtel-vodafone-idea/articleshow/88249773.cms">TRAI’s push to make mobile banking services via USSD free faces stiff opposition from Airtel, Vodafone Idea</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/shares-of-tega-industries-list-at-753-while-the-shares-were-allotted-at-453-per-share/articleshow/88249181.cms">Tega Industries meets its GMP of ₹300 and lists at 66% premium</a>

Today is the last day to subscribe to Metro Brands’ IPO — issue subscribed 50%

<ul><li>The <keyword id="14841109" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="jioairfiber" source="Orion">JioAirFiber</keyword> service has been launched in eight cities across India.</li><li>The JioAirFiber, which uses 5G technology is priced starting at ₹599 per month.</li><li>We look at JioAirFiber’s plans, benefits and compare it with <keyword id="18056949" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="airtel-xstream-airfiber" source="Orion">Airtel Xstream AirFiber</keyword>.</li></ul> Billionaire Mukesh Ambani-led <keyword id="6354504" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="reliance-jio" source="Orion">Reliance Jio</keyword> has launched the JioAirFiber, its latest offering in the country. The company has introduced several plans for the service, offering additional benefits with the plans. The JioAirFiber was announced at the company’s annual general meeting (AGM) last month and has finally been launched across eight cities. This will take on <keyword id="15491" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="airtel" source="Orion">Airtel</keyword>’s Xstream AirFiber that was launched recently. For those unaware, JioAirFiber uses 5G technology to offer broadband services. This includes the installation of an outdoor unit on your rooftop and a wireless router. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="JioAirFiber Plans" comment="subhead" text="JioAirFiber Plans"><keyword id="18844453" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="JioAirFiber-plans" source="Orion">JioAirFiber Plans</keyword></cmsannotation> JioAirFiber has been priced starting at ₹599 and goes up to ₹3,999 per month. In addition to the internet, the plans come with benefits such as access to over 550 digital channels and 14 OTT apps. The company’s premium plans also come with Netflix, Amazon Prime and JioCinema Prime subscription. The JioAirFiber connection comes with a 4K set top box and a WiFi router. <table style="border-width: initial; border-style: none;" class="redcator-table-advance"></colgroup><tbody><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.6260872500000001pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.6260872500000001pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.6260872500000001pt;vertical-align:bottom;background-color:#000000;padding:0pt 5pt 0pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Price </td><td style="border-bottom:solid #000000 0.6260872500000001pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.6260872500000001pt;vertical-align:bottom;background-color:#000000;padding:0pt 5pt 0pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Speed </td><td style="border-right:solid #000000 0.6260872500000001pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.6260872500000001pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.6260872500000001pt;vertical-align:bottom;background-color:#000000;padding:0pt 5pt 0pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">OTT </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.6260872500000001pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.6260872500000001pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.6260872500000001pt;vertical-align:bottom;background-color:#d9d9d9;padding:0pt 5pt 0pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">₹599 </td><td style="border-bottom:solid #000000 0.6260872500000001pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.6260872500000001pt;vertical-align:bottom;background-color:#d9d9d9;padding:0pt 5pt 0pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">30 Mbps </td><td style="border-right:solid #000000 0.6260872500000001pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.6260872500000001pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.6260872500000001pt;vertical-align:bottom;background-color:#d9d9d9;padding:0pt 5pt 0pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">14 apps </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.6260872500000001pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.6260872500000001pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.6260872500000001pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:0pt 5pt 0pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">₹899 </td><td style="border-bottom:solid #000000 0.6260872500000001pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.6260872500000001pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:0pt 5pt 0pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">100 Mbps </td><td style="border-right:solid #000000 0.6260872500000001pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.6260872500000001pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.6260872500000001pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:0pt 5pt 0pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">14 apps </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.6260872500000001pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.6260872500000001pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.6260872500000001pt;vertical-align:bottom;background-color:#d9d9d9;padding:0pt 5pt 0pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">₹1,199 </td><td style="border-bottom:solid #000000 0.6260872500000001pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.6260872500000001pt;vertical-align:bottom;background-color:#d9d9d9;padding:0pt 5pt 0pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">100 Mbps </td><td style="border-right:solid #000000 0.6260872500000001pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.6260872500000001pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.6260872500000001pt;vertical-align:bottom;background-color:#d9d9d9;padding:0pt 5pt 0pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">14 apps + Premium apps </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.6260872500000001pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.6260872500000001pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.6260872500000001pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:0pt 5pt 0pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">₹1,499 </td><td style="border-bottom:solid #000000 0.6260872500000001pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.6260872500000001pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:0pt 5pt 0pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">300 Mbps </td><td style="border-right:solid #000000 0.6260872500000001pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.6260872500000001pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.6260872500000001pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:0pt 5pt 0pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">14 apps + Premium apps </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.6260872500000001pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.6260872500000001pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.6260872500000001pt;vertical-align:bottom;background-color:#d9d9d9;padding:0pt 5pt 0pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">₹2,499 </td><td style="border-bottom:solid #000000 0.6260872500000001pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.6260872500000001pt;vertical-align:bottom;background-color:#d9d9d9;padding:0pt 5pt 0pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">500 Mbps </td><td style="border-right:solid #000000 0.6260872500000001pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.6260872500000001pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.6260872500000001pt;vertical-align:bottom;background-color:#d9d9d9;padding:0pt 5pt 0pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">14 apps + Premium apps </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.6260872500000001pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.6260872500000001pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.6260872500000001pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:0pt 5pt 0pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">₹3,999 </td><td style="border-bottom:solid #000000 0.6260872500000001pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.6260872500000001pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:0pt 5pt 0pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">1,000 Mbps </td><td style="border-right:solid #000000 0.6260872500000001pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.6260872500000001pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.6260872500000001pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:0pt 5pt 0pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">14 apps + Premium apps </td></tr></tbody><tbody></tbody><tbody></tbody></table> As mentioned above, the premium apps include Netflix, Amazon Prime and JioCinema Prime. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="JioAirFiber availability" comment="subhead" text="JioAirFiber availability">JioAirFiber availability</cmsannotation> The JioAirFiber is currently available in eight cities: <ul><li>Ahmedabad</li><li>Bengaluru</li><li>Chennai</li><li>Delhi</li><li>Hyderabad</li><li>Kolkata</li><li>Mumbai</li><li>Pune</li></ul><cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Jio AirFiber vs Airtel Xstream AirFiber" comment="subhead" text="Jio AirFiber vs Airtel Xstream AirFiber">Jio AirFiber vs <keyword id="8052861" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="airtel-xstream" source="Orion">Airtel Xstream</keyword> AirFiber</cmsannotation> Unlike Jio, Airtel has only introduced a single plan at the moment. The company has introduced a six-month plan that is priced at ₹799 per month. On top of this, users will have to pay an additional ₹2,500 security. The Airtel Xstream AirFiber plan offers speeds of up to 100 Mbps. It competes with Jio’s ₹899 plan. The Airtel plan is currently available in Delhi and Mumbai. Unlike Jio’s plans, the Airtel Xstream AirFiber does not come with access to OTT apps or digital channels. If you are looking for a 100 Mbps plan without any subscriptions, you can go with Airtel’s plan, which is slightly cheaper. However, Jio’s plans offer better benefits and allow you to change your speeds based on your needs. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/new-google-bard-allows-you-to-search-gmail-work-docs-and-more/articleshow/103800570.cms">Bard gets access to Google Apps – You can now search your Gmail or Docs for information</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/mobile/news/samsung-galaxy-z-fold-5-review-price-and-features/articleshow/103760937.cms">Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 review – The foldable segment’s bar raised</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/mobile/news/iphone-14-iphone-13-get-a-price-cut-how-to-own-one-with-an-additional-discount/articleshow/103693944.cms">iPhone 14, iPhone 13 get a price cut – How to buy one with an additional discount</a>

JioAirFiber launched in metros – plans and benefits versus the Airtel Xstream AirFiber

<ul><li>Social commerce platform Meesho has announced the dates of its flagship Mega Blockbuster Sale. It will be held from September 23-27, 2022.</li><li>With the festive sale, Meesho expects to add more small-medium businesses onto its platform.</li></ul>Social commerce platform <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/thelife/personalities/news/meet-indias-real-gully-boy-vidit-aatrey-of-meesho-is-taking-the-entrepreneurial-dream-deep-inside-bharat/articleshow/93702491.cms">Meesho on Monday</a> announced the dates for its flagship Mega Blockbuster Sale – it will be held for five days from September 23 to September 27, 2022. As it gears up for its festive sale, Meesho is expecting to see a four-fold jump in small businesses participation in the festive sale compared to last year. Currently, Meesho has added over 7 lakh sellers and about 6.5 crore active product listings across 30 categories. “We are working with lakhs of sellers across the country, many of whom will be selling online for the first time this festive season. We are focused on building a platform that enables high growth and margins for MSMEs, giving them the confidence to digitize their business and succeed on Meesho,” said Utkrishta Kumar, CXO, Business at Meesho. On an average, these sellers have seen their business grow by 82% within two years of their being added on Meesho. The platform is also training its sellers ahead of the festive season to manage demand forecasting and order volume management. “We will continue to fuel the discoverability of small businesses, making quality products at the lowest prices accessible to customers from the deepest regions of the country,” said Kumar. Last year, Meesho’s 5-day annual sale saw about 60% of orders coming from tier 4+ regions. The home-grown e-commerce platform has also added more regional languages to attract users and sellers from beyond metro cities. It now has Bengali, Telugu, Marathi, Tamil, Gujarati, Kannada, Malayalam and Odia on its platform. In a short span of time, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/thelife/personalities/news/meet-indias-real-gully-boy-vidit-aatrey-of-meesho-is-taking-the-entrepreneurial-dream-deep-inside-bharat/articleshow/93702491.cms">Meesho</a> has gathered 120 million <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/thelife/personalities/news/meet-indias-real-gully-boy-vidit-aatrey-of-meesho-is-taking-the-entrepreneurial-dream-deep-inside-bharat/articleshow/93702491.cms">monthly active users </a>(MAUs) and is now targeting the next billion Indians. To further spread the word about its flagship sale, Meesho has partnered with celebrities such as Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone, Rohit Sharma, Rashmika Mandanna, Kapil Sharma, Trisha Krishnan, Karthi Sivakumar, Ram Charan and Sourav Ganguly.

Meesho expects 4X jump in small business participation this festive season

<ul><li>Snapdeal added 6 million new buyers on its platform during the pandemic.</li><li>Its recent 5-day sale kicked-off on October 16 and ended on October 20. </li><li>Rajnish Wahi, Senior Vice President, Snapdeal tells us some of the trends the platform saw during its pre-Diwali sale, its plan to go deeper into Bharat and USPs that helped it stand out in the clutter of online sales. </li></ul>Indian consumers have always been value-conscious, who take pride in their haggling skills and with the pandemic, buyers are expecting greater value for their spends. Therefore, e-commerce player Snapdeal’s sale, which took place between October 16 to 20, focused on offering ‘Kum Mein Dum Diwali,’ i.e., value deals for lesser money. According to Snapdeal, less than 5% percent of retail is online and during this on-going <keyword id="36208" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="festive-season">festive season</keyword>, the platform’s aim is to bring more users online and give them strong reasons to switch. Snapdeal observed that consumers weren’t willing to buy premium brands this year and wanted to access the online platforms in their regional language. So, as other e-commerce platforms offered premium brands at a discounted price, Snapdeal wanted to make online shopping more inclusive for buyers across India. It focused more on non-metro cities, which is a market with potential 400 million users and shipped orders to rural places like Palasner in Maharashtra, Abdasa in Gujarat, Kalsi in Uttarakhand, Chitkul in Himachal among many others. Ahead of the sale, Snapdeal added 1300 new pin codes to go deeper into Bharat, areas which were previously unserviceable or where users were compelled to travel to nearby towns to collect their orders. It also updated its user interface by adding eight languages including Hindi, Tamil, Kannada, Telugu, Malayalam, Gujarati, Punjabi, and Marathi. As a result, 70% of its orders were received by sellers located beyond the top 5 metropolitan areas of the country and 90% of its orders were placed from non-metro cities. We caught up with Rajnish Wahi, Senior Vice President, Snapdeal to further understand some of trends that the platform saw during its sale. 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 sale is relevant to consumers? Snapdeal is sharply focused on catering to the value-conscious consumers, who see e-commerce as the connecting link between their aspirations, access and affordability. Our theme for this year’s festive sale - “Kum Mein Dum Diwali '' clearly communicates our core message - your shopping rupee has more value this year. As part of our sale preparations, we had conducted a survey of nearly 1.25 Lakh users and one of the key insights was user unwillingness to pay for brand premiums this year and instead focus on the functional value of their purchases. Based on these inputs, the festive assortment was expanded in a focused manner by on-boarding additional sellers for popular products like kitchen appliances, kitchenware, bed linen, apparel, footwear and fashion accessories like watches, wallets, etc. Shaping our sale offers around the clearly-stated expectations of our customers and conveying the same unambiguously through our festive promotions and digital marketing is the sum and substance of our festive communication. Q. This year is different. People have been observed to be judicious in spending. How has the consumer sentiment improved? While 2020 has been a volatile year, we see that there are many tailwinds that are propelling our business. The pandemic has resulted in redistribution of demand between offline and online channels, with online gaining share due to its inherent advantages of reach, convenience, large assortment and safety of buying from home. It has also accelerated the familiarity and acceptance of e-commerce amongst new buyers. With the pandemic, consumers have become more price conscious and are likely to opt for lesser-priced products, while not compromising on their quality expectations. Given all of this, we have seen two sets of buyers come on Snapdeal - one which is trading up to a better assortment and one that is trading down and opting for better functional value instead of big brands. In fact, we have added 6 million new buyers on our platform in the pandemic. We are witnessing the return of enthusiasm for festivities and it is also apparent that online channels will be a preferred medium for a larger number of buyers this year. But it will also be different this year, as more people will be price conscious and will look to spend on quality products that suit their price sensibilities. In a way, Snapdeal’s “Kum Me Dum” focus is about “offering more choices at price points better than last year”, especially for popular categories like home &amp; fashion, which has been made possible by year-long focus on expanding our value selection. 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? Snapdeal is synonymous with value e-commerce. While others in the industry are now starting to build a value segment, we at Snapdeal have been focused on “only value” for the last three years. While other platforms are making efforts to sell branded items at discounted prices, these are still not affordable for a majority of the buyers in the country. On the other hand, we are focussed on bringing the depth and diversity of India's bazaars &amp; markets to the doorsteps of our users. On Snapdeal, buyers find endless varieties of regional and local brands that not only serve their needs, but also offer immense value at affordable prices. The result of our “Kum Mein Dum” Diwali sale bears testimony to this - more than 80% of Snapdeal’s Diwali shoppers chose to buy regional &amp; local brands on Snapdeal. The strong growth of lesser-known brands relative to national/international brands has been because of two key reasons: increased choice and a substantial price difference. Our value-focused positioning runs consistently through our selection and communication and is one the reasons why 90% of our orders flow from non-metros cities and towns across the country. Q. What are some of the other trends you are expecting to see this festive? Our first sales results are out and are reflective of how close the lives of users revolve around their homes. The sale in the home products category has grown by 30% over last year and has become the largest category on Snapdeal this year, overtaking the fashion category, which has traditionally been the top-performer at Snapdeal. The growth in the home category is propelled by popular products like kitchen appliances, kitchenware, bed &amp; bath,decor,cleaning equipment, lighting and comforters &amp; blankets etc. This growth in the fitness category reflects the extra time that people have on their hands and also underscores heightened awareness about personal health &amp; fitness. This category has grown by 45% over last year led by gym essentials like tummy trimmers, push-up bars, wrist supports, fitness gloves, hand grip strengtheners etc. Users buying sports equipment like badminton racquets &amp; cricket sets and weighing machines are also strong consumer trends. While the fashion category has also grown from previous years in terms of shipped units, the growth is less than other higher-performing categories. In the fashion category, there is an increased spending on kidswear in the festive season. . Among popular picks in Snapdeal’s Diwali sale are men’s &amp; women’s grooming products, nutritional supplements, religious items (prayer books, temples accessories etc). With the deterioration of air quality in North India, the sale of N95 masks, air-purifier filters, anti-pollution skincare items, skin moisturisers, lip balms has also increased. Snapdeal also witnessed an increase in gifting via e-commerce early in this festive season. The range of festivals starting with Karva Chauth and followed by Dhanteras, Diwali, Bhaiya Dooj and Chhath Puja have become important gifting occasions for users in various parts of the country. While in the previous years, shoppers used e-commerce channels to buy and ship to families &amp; friends in other cities, this year many shoppers in metro cities are also sending gifts to people living in the same cities. This year gift cards have also been hugely popular among people to send to their friends and family, with a 3X surge in orders as compared to the festive sale last year. These included gift cards of travel, entertainment, food and retail brands which were upto 30% off. Q. How are you working towards improving the overall consumer experience? E-Commerce in India has grown beyond the first 100 Mn largely urban, English-speaking users. A market of potentially 400 Mn users is now emerging across India’s smaller non-metro cities. This is a very diverse cohort in terms of languages spoken, literacy levels, frequency of online purchases and familiarity with technology. A large part of Snapdeal’s existing user base and new users come from this cohort and all our focus and efforts are on building the right experience that our users want. That means we work tirelessly to give them a wide array of products to choose from, and at just the right prices they are looking to spend. We also make it easy in many other ways for users to buy on Snapdeal. This includes providing interfaces on our app &amp; m-site in eight Indian languages, so that they can browse through products &amp; transact in a language of their choice. We also enable conversation with our customer service agents in multiple Indian languages. Transaction and promotional messages all are available in many Indian languages. Some other ways, in which we support our users to buy is by helping them make well-informed choices through short 10-second product videos which are far more captivating and help buyers to make decisions faster than static pictures of the products concerned, easy 7-days return, no questions asked refunds policy. We are the only platform that provides uninterrupted access to cash-on-delivery option even during the turbulent early days of pandemic lockdowns. Q. Which are your strongest markets currently? How are you planning to strengthen your presence in other markets? We have a strong pan India presence. During the current sale and consistent with Snapdeal’s positioning, more than 90% of Snapdeal’s orders were placed from non-metro cities. Populous cities like Nagpur, Vijayawada, Surat, Bhopal, Chandigarh, Visakhapatnam, Ranchi, Patna, Guwahati and others continued to drive orders on Snapdeal, but smaller cities like Sagar (Madhya Pradesh), Raniganj &amp; Durgapur (West Bengal), Patiala &amp; Gurdaspur (Punjab), Anand, Bharuch, Una, (Gujarat), Miryalaguda (Andhra Pradesh) and Bhimavaram (Telangana) also clock impressive order volumes. With our recent network expansion, Snapdeal has also shipped orders to rural places like Palasner in Maharashtra, Abdasa in Gujarat, Kalsi in Uttarakhand, Chitkul in Himachal amidst many others. Q. What are your current MAUs? More than 70 million users visit Snapdeal every month to browse and buy from our vast catalogue of 220 million plus listings. Q. What kind of target have you set for this year's sale? Do you anticipate people to buy more, considering a lot of people might have pushed buying things for the festive season? What kind of numbers do you aim to reach this year? Less than five percent of retail is online, which is an incredibly small penetration number. In our view, Diwali or not, our job to bring more buying options for our users doesn’t change. Diwali does serve as a milestone to accelerate some of our related initiatives or build virtual infrastructure to connect the dots between demand and supply in our country. This year, ahead of the festive season, we on-boarded additional sellers of popular products like kitchen appliances, kitchenware, bed linen, apparel, footwear and fashion accessories like watches, wallets, etc., as indicated by our users in a survey. In the run-up to Diwali, Snapdeal also on-boarded 5000 manufacturer-sellers who sell products like water purifiers, choppers &amp; blenders, steel &amp; copper utensils, crockery items, bedsheets, quilts, geysers, etc directly from their manufacturing units. This year, we knew more and more people would be buying online and ahead of the sale, and expanded our network to add 1300 new pin codes to go deeper into areas which were previously unserviceable or where users were compelled to travel to nearby towns to collect their orders, reaching out to 50 million additional users. Today, we are India's leading value-focused marketplace with more than 500,000 registered sellers and we cover 27000 + pin code areas across the length and breadth of the country.

Why Snapdeal targeted non-metro cities and rural India during its pre-Diwali sale

<ul><li>56% of Bharat use UPI and 49% use mobile wallets multiple times a week.</li><li>27% of Bharat use paid video streaming services v/s 29% India.</li><li>1 in 5 Bharat users invests in cryptocurrency.</li><li>39% of Bharat uses <keyword id="6354632" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="social-media" source="Orion">social media</keyword> as their primary news consumption platform and prefers it over both print and TV combined.</li></ul><keyword id="3358959" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="sharechat" source="Orion">ShareChat</keyword> has released a report titled ‘Bharat - The Neo India’ in association with GroupM that studies the social media behavior, content preferences, spending choices of Bharat1 and India2 users. The report classifies users that prefer Indic language on social media as Bharat users and India users as the ones that prefer using English, across all the regions of India. Bharat users are spread across the country with nearly 40% present in metros and 53% in non-metros. The findings in the report are based on a primary survey by YouGov, conducted among 3,432 social media users across 17 Indian states and with inputs from Kantar on Indic language urban active internet users. The survey finds that Bharat users are as affluent and digitally savvy as India users. Bharat users are at par with India users when it comes to participating in online financial activities. In terms of choice of payment mode, Bharat users are adept at using UPI for online transactions and have a lead over India users in terms of net-banking and debit cards transactions online. Among Bharat users, 56% use UPI and 49% use mobile wallets multiple times a week. Breaking away from traditional means, Bharat users are investing in stocks, mutual funds, e-gold and even cryptocurrency. Bharat users are more engaged on social media as compared to India users. 29% of Bharat users post content daily at least once as compared to 22% of India users. Bharat chooses to stay updated via social media as 39% of Bharat uses it as their primary source of news consumption. Like India, the majority of Bharat users prefer streaming free videos over watching TV. Daily, 50% of Bharat users stream free video online and about 47% watch TV. Social media also emerged as one of the primary influences for making buying decisions for Bharat users. Bharat is increasingly shopping online with 46% buying gadgets online in 2021, followed by other categories like travel bookings, food, clothing and accessories, beauty and skincare are also popular. Unveiling the report, <keyword id="290700" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="ajit-varghese" source="Orion">Ajit Varghese</keyword>, Chief Commercial Officer of ShareChat, said, “Bharat users are taking social media by storm. It is interesting to note that the Language first users are at par with English language first users when it comes to digital presence, use of online transaction methods, and shopping habits. Bharat users also outrank when it comes to consuming news, food and beverages, health and fitness, and travel related categories online. Observing similar trends on our platforms, we at ShareChat are excited to be at the forefront of engaging with this audience that is spread across the country.” Commenting on the report, <keyword id="232445" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="prasanth-kumar" source="Orion">Prasanth Kumar</keyword>, CEO – GroupM South Asia said, “From the media planning aspect, Bharat is unique in many ways. This is mostly because all the cities that make Bharat are Indic language-heavy, fragmented and display their own sets of <keyword id="139079" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="consumer-behaviour" source="Orion">consumer behaviour</keyword> traits. This diversity in our country brings in its own challenges and opportunities. Brands and media planners looking to reach target audiences across the country should focus on a customized approach for this segment. With this report, we have put together planning guidelines that will give marketers a direction and a starting framework on how to plan and reach the Bharat user effectively.” Bharat v/s India - Other key findings: <ul><li>Bharat users are showing a propensity to pay for online content with 27% already using paid video streaming services daily</li><li>37% of Bharat users are listening to music, 36% are shopping, and 24% are ordering food online</li><li>In certain categories, Bharat users in specific regions drive higher engagement <ul><li>South: Gaming (39%), Food &amp; Drinks (32%) and Travel (22%)</li><li>West: Travel (22%)</li><li>North: Health and Fitness (29%)</li></ul></li><li>In terms of voice search, Bharat users are leading with 26%, as compared to 15% of Indian users.</li><li>21% of Bharat posts content 4-5 times a week compared to 17% of India</li><li>As per Kantar, there are over 341 million overall urban active internet users and 167 million urban active Indic internet users. The study suggests that urban active Indic internet users over-indexed on NCCS A (New Consumer Classification System) and higher education compared to overall urban active internet users</li><li>33% of the urban active Indic internet users are from NCCS A as compared to 30% among overall urban active internet users</li><li>39% of urban active Indic internet users consists of graduates/postgraduates as compared to 35% among overall urban active internet users</li></ul>

Bharat users are as affluent and digitally savvy as India users: ShareChat and GroupM report

<ul><li>India is on a mission, to connect Bharat digitally, and the next billion digital users will come from remote areas, that are less dense, characterized by a substantially lower per capita income.</li><li>Rohit Paranjpe, Founder &amp; CEO, SugarBox writes that if the world is serious about connecting the “Next Billion Users” in an affordable and reliable manner, we have to understand that it takes more than technological innovation or solving present challenges.</li><li>Instead, a fundamental disruption in the business model – breaking free of the No. of Users x ARPU game is vital, he writes. </li></ul><keyword id="4188340" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="digital-consumer">Digital Consumer</keyword>, that’s one umbrella all of us blend into easily. Actually, who doesn’t want to be connected to the digital universe, be it e-commerce, social media, curating our personalized content, being an influencer or for that matter streaming everything video and now audio – we love to survive on the digital planet. Now, as consumers across metros and all possible tier-cities, we openly display our love for staying connected, cherish our dirt-cheap data packs, have access to smartphones for every pocket, even sport portable hotspots – it begs the question on what’s the big deal in reaching the next Billion? Hang on to this thought. BRCK, Nairobi believes they must connect Africa to the Internet, to enhance livelihood. Latin America is cognizant of the fact that a huge number of their rural areas are still living without internet. Asia, rather India, is a living example of how startups understand the need for enabling better connectivity, across the country (not everyone can surf online, yet!). Now, let’s come back to the initial thought. If all these upcoming regions (yeah newly coined!), are explicitly speaking about the need for internet – then why aren’t organizations reaching out to them? I mean, isn’t that the first rule of business, rather marketing - to give your target audience what they need? Or better yet, what they crave!? So, what stops anyone from fulfilling the need-gap of the most crucial target audience on the planet – The <keyword id="3696655" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Next-Billion-Users">Next Billion Users</keyword> – a segment categorized for consumers who are getting online for the very first time. However, philanthropic in outlook, we often forget that “internet” is a limited resource (like every other resource worth its salt or byte) and providing internet access is an infrastructure business (very similar to building roads). Consequently, the state of internet today is representative of the economic viability of the geography. The “Next Billion Users” typically dwell in remote areas, that are less dense (so, lesser bang for the infrastructure buck), characterized by a substantially lower per capita income. They are unique users who are getting digitized on their phone, have never used desktops or laptops, and absolutely love content that could be localized for them or made available to them at a voice command! Imagine, we have deciphered so much about this consumer and yet can’t walk the last mile to connect with them? Economic Viability – yes, it all comes down to the cost of laying and running infrastructure, plus buying spectrum vs the Revenue that can be generated from No. of Users x Avg. Revenue per User (ARPU). As a result, a metropolitan city (with a much higher density and higher per capita income) will always be far more profitable for the Internet Service Providers (ISPs) than remote areas or sparsely populated villages which might not be sustainable for the foreseeable future (they say so, not me). The perspective is that if the world is serious about connecting the “Next Billion Users” in an affordable and reliable manner, we have to understand that it takes more than technological innovation or solving present challenges. Instead, a fundamental disruption in the business model – breaking free of the No. of Users x ARPU game is vital. Satellite, Laser, Balloons in the sky – everyone has been riding the tech bandwagon. It’ll be interesting to see who can actually make the numbers add up! Let me take you back to <keyword id="6355629" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="google">Google</keyword> Station - a high speed Public Wi-Fi service that the <keyword id="354776" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="search-giant">Search Giant</keyword> rolled out across Railway stations in India for starters and after great adoption metrics, replicated across other countries. Launched in 2015, Google discontinued the services in 2020 citing sustainability as the core issue. Over the course of the project, Google tried all aspects of monetization - from putting their ad monetization might behind it, to experimenting with a hybrid (Free for 30 mins, after which a user would have to purchase a data pack) model. But despite all the efforts, even Google - a company that has the best track record globally to monetize free to consumer services at scale, failed when it came to monetizing connectivity to the Next Billion. The takeaway here is simple - the initiative that Google undertook was brilliant; the user adoption and engagement stats were promising; but without a viable economic model, the project had to face a sad demise; and remain another byline in a long list of experiments. The key learning here is that to solve the problem of sustenance, there will need to be disruption on both sides of the coin - Technology enhancements that will help reduce cost of delivering connectivity to the Next Billion. But, at the same time, it would also require the ecosystem to collaborate to change the economic structures adopted in connecting this cohort of users and geographies. Innovation for better efficiency and hustle for better unit economics - that seems to be the only way to make affordable and reliable digital access for the next Billion a reality!

Connecting the dots for the next billion users – Is it a pipe dream, or isn’t it?

<ul><li>Marketers have been closely observing how the pandemic has turned the market upside down and altered the way consumers are communicating, sleeping, working, consuming content or making any purchase calls.</li><li>‘What next?’ is a question that has been on their minds for a while now and is commonly discussed in group meetings.</li><li>However, very few brands have been successful in closely listening to their consumers, making notes, evolving with the changing behaviour and finally tweaking their marketing strategies accordingly.</li><li>Rahul Jain, CBO &amp; Brand lead of <keyword id="2912767" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Hero-Electronix">Hero Electronix</keyword> shares why the company decided to completely discard traditional marketing approach and switch to newer forms of marketing during the on-going pandemic, new product launches, upcoming trends in the consumer tech industry and goals for this quarter.</li></ul>Hero Electronix, the electronics venture of the <keyword id="46577" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Hero-group">Hero Group</keyword>, has completely changed its <keyword id="489452" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="marketing-strategy">marketing strategy</keyword> due to the on-going pandemic. It has navigated through the past pandemic year by enhancing consumer shopping experiences online, pivoting its focus from traditional marketing vehicles to digital channels completely to increase its engagement with consumers and expand its reach in non-metro markets. Within digital, Hero Electronix has taken the content marketing route to build consumer trust and is also looking to tap into Instagram Reels now. Hero Electronix has also been focusing on expanding its presence in the market by acquiring new, emerging businesses in the consumer-technology sector. It acquired set-top box brand MyBox in 2015. A year later, it acquired Tessolve, semiconductor chip design company and in 2018 it further expanded its business by acquiring Zenatix, a company in the enterprise internet of things space. Rahul Jain, CBO &amp; Brand lead of Hero Electronix is now optimistic about seeing steady growth at an industrial level. He talks to Advertising and Media Insider about the company's rapid growth in e-commerce and building direct-to-consumer presence simultaneously, altering marketing strategy during testing times, increasing adoption of connected devices in our lives and more in this interview. Excerpts: <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Q. How did the second wave affect your brand? What are some of the challenges that you are facing?" text="Q. How did the second wave affect your brand? What are some of the challenges that you are facing?">Q. How did the second wave affect your brand? What are some of the challenges that you are facing?</cmsannotation> Amidst such uncertainty, it is difficult to predict the exact rate of growth or revival of the economy right now but I predict a positive rate of recovery as increasingly people rely on digital tools and technology to stay connected. In the consumer technology sector, I do foresee a wider adoption for connected devices in our daily lives as people increasingly work from home and businesses implement new solutions to safeguard their consumers. I am optimistic that in a year's time, the industry at large would have not only recovered but will continue to see a heightened demand for connected products and services. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Q. How has your communication changed during what is probably one of the worst calamities we've faced in recent times? What is your B2C communication all about?" text="Q. How has your communication changed during what is probably one of the worst calamities we've faced in recent times? What is your B2C communication all about?">Q. How has your communication changed during what is probably one of the worst calamities we've faced in recent times? What is your B2C communication all about?</cmsannotation> With the lockdown, we have focused more on innovation and re-strategizing our business priorities which is reflective in our communication as well. It's no longer enough to just keep channels of communication ongoing with consumers but also being relevant to their needs not only presents a big challenge but also an opportunity. The concept of one size fits all doesn't work anymore and neither does an inside out communication approach. It is evident that different consumer segments have different needs. Various members of the household from young ones to the elderly consume communication differently hence brand communication must be aligned to their needs. In order to tackle this challenge we tailored our communication approach to showcase real life use cases and benefits of our products across various life problems our consumers may be dealing with. For consumers working from home we communicated the benefits of our products for work from home use cases through our Qubo Video DoorBell which lets them view individuals waiting at the door without having to check on them in person. This also enables them to maintain social distancing and reduce their contact outside the safe confines of their homes. For business consumers we showcased use cases of our outdoor security camera and how it enables them to safeguard their shops/offices/clinics remotely to ensure business continuity for essential services. Overall our core focus has been to shift from conventional ATL/BTL activities to content based advertising. During a pandemic, consumers are shifting their focus to products and solutions which can safeguard their well being proactively rather than providing them with a sense of perceived benefit. It's extremely important for any brand to ensure that their brand communication mirrors their actions in actively helping or benefitting consumers to address their anxiety or concerns during a crisis such as this. One example of this was our partnership with Kareen Kapoor for Qubo Baby Cam. We leveraged her persona as a parenting influencer to communicate the salient benefits of our Baby Cam product to help parents alleviate their stress of managing household chores, work from home duties and taking care of their kids. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Q. How has your schedule changed as a CMO during the second wave? What are some of the new tasks that you are doing? Can you draw a comparison between last year's lockdown with this year's?" text="Q. How has your schedule changed as a CMO during the second wave? What are some of the new tasks that you are doing? Can you draw a comparison between last year's lockdown with this year's?">Q. How has your schedule changed as a CMO during the second wave? What are some of the new tasks that you are doing? Can you draw a comparison between last year's lockdown with this year's?</cmsannotation> Last year just like the entire consumer technology industry, we were taken aback by the sudden impact of the COVID induced lockdowns. All of us were trying to understand and grapple with the dynamic situation of the pandemic we were witnessing for the first time in our lives. As a CMO, the 2nd wave has been far more challenging and relentless than the first one both on a professional and personal front for me. If I were to look at my role between the 2 waves then the 2nd wave enabled us to step back and rethink our strategy even more. It also allowed us to connect with more of our customers to gauge the impact of our products and solutions in their daily lives. Some of them have even become our friends now. Talking to them has enabled us to understand and improve on many problem areas, bridging any communication gaps and using this feedback to improve our products and services on all fronts. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Q. As a company, how are you using your advertising tools to help out other people?" text="Q. As a company, how are you using your advertising tools to help out other people?">Q. As a company, how are you using your advertising tools to help out other people?</cmsannotation> During times like these, it's important for brands not only to reassess their communication strategy but also ensure that instead of it being centered around the brand it must serve a larger purpose of helping people deal with the uncertainty around them. Keeping the current situation and consumer sensitivities in mind, we decided to move away from traditional forms of advertising to a digital-first approach with a strong focus on content creators collaborations aimed at different consumer segments in order to build a more organic consumer engagement and drive top of the funnel engagement. We are tapping into our highly engaged base of 1000’s of consumers across India (metros and non metros) to drive product engagement, referrals and repeat purchase through CRM. Our presence on leading ecommerce platforms has also grown substantially which has allowed us to strengthen our relationships with consumers. Using marketing tools on ecommerce platforms, social media and content collaborations to educate consumers about our products and how it can enable them to lead productive and healthy lives has been a key area of focus for us to help people emerge from the pandemic in a resilient manner. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Q. What is your goal for this quarter? How have your goals changed due to the second wave?" text="Q. What is your goal for this quarter? How have your goals changed due to the second wave?">Q. What is your goal for this quarter? How have your goals changed due to the second wave?</cmsannotation> Our goal is to continue to focus on a consumer-centric approach to developing innovative newer products and solutions. I do foresee a wider adoption for connected devices in our daily lives as people increasingly work from home and businesses implement new solutions to safeguard their consumers and employees. I am optimistic that in a year's time the industry at large would have recovered to a great extent and consumers remain touch averse, the demand for products which enable them to minimise their touch points but also stay connected with it would sky rocket. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Q. How has your role as a marketer changed?" text="Q. How has your role as a marketer changed?">Q. How has your role as a marketer changed?</cmsannotation> Marketing as a domain is getting more democratic and efficient with wide access to individual talent nowadays. Gone are the days when brands would need to spend large sums of money to run big budget campaigns on traditional mediums without any visibility on ROI. As a marketer and as a category creator brand, we have embraced a more experiential approach in our communications thereby doing away with traditional or conventional approach to marketing. In terms of communication, there has been a paradigm shift from a product-centric approach to a content-centric approach hence the role of content marketing, influencer marketing and a trusted content creator is much more pivotal for brands to help address the trust deficit between them and their consumers. Within the digital domain, the big trend has been a shift from static content to video based content, especially short form videos which are more engaging vs long form videos. Hence, we are looking to tap more into these emerging forms of content such as Instagram reels which are able to capture more of the consumer attention without overbudening them with long form content. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Q. What are your areas of focus for now?" text="Q. What are your areas of focus for now?">Q. What are your areas of focus for now?</cmsannotation> Our focus is to expand our customer base across India, build brand awareness for a young brand like Qubo and launch more connected devices in the smart home space geared towards addressing various challenges faced by consumers in their daily lives. We were surprised to see that a majority of our products on ecommerce platforms are now being ordered by consumers across non metros. Tapping into this massive yet rising user base will be key for us this financial year. Additionally, we are also focusing on our direct to consumer business via our website as an alternative to ecommerce channels. We are also doubling down our focus on tapping into enterprise consumers such as system integrators and even architects to enable wide scale adoption for our products across new or existing real estate projects. The COVID-19 crisis has enabled Qubo to create more consumer-centric products to cater to such needs. Despite the lockdown, we developed a new feature called “Qubo COVID-Guard”. The feature uses artificial intelligence to detect if individuals are wearing a mask or not. We believe that new-age technologies like artificial intelligence which can help keep people safe post the lockdown. Innovation even during tough times is our company ethos. The pandemic has accelerated our innovation in-house, which will bode well for the business operations at large in the coming months. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Q. No communication or relevant/empathetic communication, which route should a brand take during difficult times like these?" text="Q. No communication or relevant/empathetic communication, which route should a brand take during difficult times like these?">Q. No communication or relevant/empathetic communication, which route should a brand take during difficult times like these?</cmsannotation> Getting marketing communications right through the relevant content, reaching the right audience at the right time is more important than ever and so is the ability to step in your customers shoes by having a deep understanding of their pain and trust points. These are key building blocks to build an engaged consumer base to create content that is relevant and that people want to engage with. Keeping this in mind as well as the context in today’s time, I believe relevant and empathetic communication is key to reaching audiences right now. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Q. As a leader, how are you trying to be there for your employees?" text="Q. As a leader, how are you trying to be there for your employees?">Q. As a leader, how are you trying to be there for your employees?</cmsannotation> Unlike the first wave the second wave was far more widespread and dangerous. Despite undertaking more precautions many in our team were impacted and unfortunately we lost a few talented team members to the virus. As a leader I have tried my best to be in touch and help all members in our team across all levels but honestly this was an extremely difficult phase to deal with. We shifted to a work from home model during the early days of the second wave and our first priority was to ensure the adequate mental and physical well being of our team members. In order to strike the right work life balance we undertook many new engagement driven projects to keep the morale of the teams high. Team members were also encouraged to take leaves sans any explanation and reach out to anyone in the leadership team for any help or assistance. Keeping all team members apprised of the evolving situation in our business was key to ensure that we tackled the pandemic with transparency which led to our team members innovate and come up with new ideas in order to tide over the challenges. Nonetheless, I must admit that it hasn't been an easy phase but thankfully almost all our employees have recovered and most importantly have been vaccinated.

Tapping into the massive yet rising user base across non-metro cities will be key for us this financial year: Rahul Jain, Hero Electronix

<ul><li>The Indian Minister of Railways, Piyush Goyal, tweeted a video of India’s first underwater water metro on Twitter. </li><li>Some Twitter users congratulated the Indian government while others wondered why the money couldn’t be spent on fixing the trains that already exist.</li><li>A few users also questioned the motive behind the move and wondered why the investment couldn’t be used to create more jobs or reduce poverty.</li></ul>India’s getting its very first <keyword id="4642229" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Underwater-metro">underwater metro</keyword> and while a few think it's a good move, others are mocking the government for launching new projects without solving existing problems. The Indian Minister of Railways, Piyush Goyal, created havoc on Twitter when he shared a video of the underwater metro that is under construction under the Hoogly river in Kolkata on Twitter. 
	<div type="twitter" handle="PiyushGoyal" handlename="Piyush Goyal" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1138670329847373824/PocIxjW-_normal.jpg" favoritecount="12362" retweetcount="2741" status="भारत की पहली अंडर वॉटर ट्रेन शीघ्र ही कोलकाता में हुगली नदी के नीचे चलना आरंभ होगी। उत्कृष्ट इंजीनियरिंग का उदाहरण… https://t.co/wc4EYA08UP" createdat="1565254929000" id="1159389322921041922"></div>



 Twitterati chimed in congratulating Goyal and commending the progress of the Indian Railways. But there were also reactions that the layman doesn’t want a fancy new metro service, but a metro service that’s clean and functional. One Twitter user sarcastically pointed out how it will be easier for passengers to escape from a train that’s falling into the river — they’ll simply catch the underwater metro instead. 
	<div type="twitter" handle="vijunik" handlename="Vijunik" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1136799598079430656/uKhgMfnR_normal.jpg" favoritecount="0" retweetcount="0" status="@PiyushGoyal Chalo bahut badhiya ho jayega ,jab apni koi train nadi vadi mein gireygi ,passengers vo paani ke neech… https://t.co/s7zH2SbeFl" createdat="1565263046000" id="1159423367746707457"></div>



 The other criticism of the underwater metro was how the Indian Railways should focus on fixing products on its older trains — like unclean bathrooms, lax safety standards and food quality — rather than trying to manage a new technology. 
	<div type="twitter" handle="KabitaSharma16" handlename="kabita sharma" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1131274553139744768/OijeKAQM_normal.jpg" favoritecount="13" retweetcount="1" status="@PiyushGoyal सर रेलवे की अभी भी हालत ज्यों की त्यों है। कृपया इस तस्वीर को देंखे और फिर बात करें। तस्वीर हावड़ा से… https://t.co/0oRcqFfEer" createdat="1565293131000" id="1159549551398670336"></div>


 Users also pointed out that the money used for the underwater metro, that is estimated to cost ₹60 crore, might have been better spent dealing with India’s burgeoning unemployment and poverty. 
	<div type="twitter" handle="tommy_bytes" handlename="Tommy!!" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1035260550371057664/q9M3tdK1_normal.jpg" favoritecount="0" retweetcount="0" status="@PiyushGoyal Yaha logo ki naukriya jaa rahi he aur inko train daudana he Pani ke neeche. Alag hi level ka Vikas he! 🙏" createdat="1565269795000" id="1159451675096047623"></div>



 
	<div type="twitter" handle="SandyMantri" handlename="SANDEEP MANTRI" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/837999926772584448/0mExMmYA_normal.jpg" favoritecount="0" retweetcount="0" status="@PiyushGoyal Are we going to get economic development through this. Or are jobs getting created. What are plans to… https://t.co/lEFxwFloPB" createdat="1565280558000" id="1159496816468979712"></div>



 Railing underwater The underwater metro is going to run along a 520 meter stretch of tunnels and is built 30 meters under the the riverbed. The total tunneling length is around 10.6 kilometers with the entire metro line constituting of 16.6 kilometers. While the underground tunnel is estimated to cost ₹60 crore, the entire East-West Metro Project has a total cost of ₹9,000 crore.

India's first underwater metro makes users wonder why normal trains can't be fixed

<ul><li>Prime Minister <keyword id="6354477" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="narendra-modi" source="Orion">Narendra Modi</keyword> launched the 5G services at the IMC 2022 conference.</li><li><keyword id="3658" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="india" source="Orion">India</keyword> is home to more than 500 million smartphone users and over 100 million users with 5G-ready smartphones.</li><li><keyword id="2003276" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="jio" source="Orion">Jio</keyword> promises 5G across India by December 2023.</li></ul>As India rolls out 5G with showcasing some early use cases with telcos setting some aggressive deadlines, millions of smartphone users will only enjoy the super-fast Internet in 2024 amid infrastructure limitations, limited use cases and low 5G handset penetration, industry experts said on Monday. India is home to more than 500 million smartphone users and over 100 million users with 5G-ready smartphones wish to upgrade to a 5G subscription in 2023, according to a latest Ericsson report. However, there are multiple challenges ahead for telecom service providers to meet the tough roll-out deadlines. "In theory, there are use cases out there which really warrant and demand 5G: enterprise solutions, private networks, IoT, logistics. But it could take a year or more for those applications to really take off," Prasanto K. Roy, a leading technology and public policy expert, told IANS. Telcos will focus on converting existing higher-ARPU (average revenue per user) individual customers to 5G, which really limits how much more they can charge for 5G especially in a competitive space. "I don't see 5G really bumping up ARPU overall in any significant way -- at least not in 2023," Roy said. In the top four metros, consumers should be able to experience 5G in early October (according to <keyword id="15491" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="airtel" source="Orion">Airtel</keyword>) to late October (according to Reliance Jio), with Airtel planning to take 5G to eight cities this month. There are no 5G roll out plans from Vodafone-Idea yet. "However, with tariffs still unclear, I do not know if current 4G customers will all be able to sample a limited trial, or will have to upgrade right away. Although Airtel (and possibly Jio) expects a revenue increase (from its current ARPU of Rs 183), I do not expect most customers to shell out much more for 5G," Roy noted. The Ericsson study, however, claimed that the Indian smartphone users are willing to pay a 45 per cent premium for a plan bundled with novel experiences, which could be a delight for Internet service providers ready with 5G. According to Neil Shah, Vice President of Research at Counterpoint, in terms of population coverage, for all operators, India should reach the current blanket 4G coverage by the end of 2024 , way sooner than the 4G or 3G era. "Jio is in a driver's seat with respect to its peers to likely achieve a pan India 5G network rollout over the next 15 months with no 2G, 3G and 4G baggage," Shah told IANS. Not only consumers but also enterprises and the public sector will be able to benefit from 5G over the period of next two years. "Airtel, on the other hand, also has been building a highly upgradeable network to easily reuse the same towers for both 4G and 5G. Most of its key circles should be able to experience 5G by mid-2024," Shah noted. According to smartphone players, 5G has the potential to bring together the entire ecosystem and online gaming, augmented/virtual reality (AR-VR) experience, along with content creation, will take centre-stage with the launch of 5G services. "With 5G being officially available now, we are looking forward to exploring the numerous opportunities it provides to us and will be directing our efforts into making this technology even more accessible to users," said Madhav Sheth, CEO realme India, VP, realme and President, realme International Business Group. According to Roy, infrastructure limitations and limited use cases and revenue also pose great challenges for telcos and smartphone players. "To really leverage 5G bandwidth and latency, towers are to be connected by fibre. Only a third of them are 'fiberised' so I would expect 5G service to be reserved for large cities until the fiber gets to twice that number of towers," he explained. Telcos have also struggled with adequate tower density even for 4G, but 5G needs a much higher tower density -- increasing upfront investment. "All this capex investment would also be limited by the telcos' high debt and stagnant ARPU (revenues), already stretched by spectrum fees and initial 5G investments," according to Roy. IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw expects telcos to invest Rs 2-3 lakh crore on 5G and 4G in the next two years for better voice quality and high-speed data. There are also 5G network equipment availability challenges, because of very strict supply chain reporting mandates for cybersecurity and related reasons since June 2021 (called the NSDTS directive). "This is slowing down approved telecom and IT equipment available for the telcos, or requiring them to apply for case by case exemptions," Roy told IANS. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/jio-will-launch-5g-for-the-entire-country-by-december-2023-mukesh-ambani/articleshow/94579338.cms">Jio will launch 5G for the entire country by December 2023: Mukesh Ambani</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/mobile/news/reliance-is-reportedly-planning-to-launch-jiophone-5g-launch-in-india-at-a-very-affordable-price/articleshow/94483655.cms">Specifications of JioPhone 5G with codename 'Ganga' leaked - check all details here</a>

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