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<ul><li>Mumbai-based tech startup Inscripts has launched the Say Namaste <keyword id="9002873" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="video-conferencing-app">video conferencing app</keyword>.</li><li>The app is India’s alternative to popular video conferencing app Zoom.</li><li>The Say <keyword id="9370429" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="namaste-app">Namaste app</keyword> allows up to 50 participants to join a video conference.</li></ul>The Coronavirus pandemic has changed the way people communicate and led to the rise of video conferencing apps. Zoom has emerged as one of the most popular video conferencing apps, however, it has had its fair share of privacy and security issues. Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a recent <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/pm-modi-speech-highlights-during-cii-anniversary/articleshow/76149631.cms">speech</a> stressed on the importance of an ‘Atma Nirbhar Bharat’ or self-reliant India. The PM’s call to go ‘vocal for local’ has led to increased demand for home-grown apps. A Mumbai-based tech startup Inscripts has developed its own video conferencing app, named as ‘Say Namaste’. The app has pitched itself as India’s alternative to Zoom video conferencing app. Say Namaste was first launched as a web-only application in April and the Android and iOS app were launched earlier this month. According to <a href="https://www.crunchbase.com/apptopia_app/2c40db4b-e06d-4f11-b154-4666f2230613">Apptopia</a>, its monthly downloads stand at 52,645. Inscripts was founded by Anuj Garg, who is currently the CEO of the startup. The company was founded in 2009 by Anuj Garg and Anant Garg. The funding details are not public. Also read: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/apps/news/checkout-the-top-10-popular-chinese-apps-in-india-in-2020/slidelist/76253572.cms">These are the top 10 popular Chinese apps in India in 2020</a> What is Say Namaste? Say Namaste is a video conferencing app and is similar to other existing apps. It allows up to 50 participants to join a video call and can also be used to have one-on-one conversations. Say Namaste supports screen sharing via a computer, allows users to make audio calls or text with individual participants during a group call. It also allows users to share audio and video files, presentations and images during a video call. How to use Say Namaste <div type="image" title="Say Namaste" msid="76277708" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Say Namaste app on Android&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> <ul><li>Say Namaste can be used on the <a href="https://www.saynamaste.in/">website</a>, <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.inscripts.namaste&amp;hl=en_US">Android phones</a> or <a href="https://apps.apple.com/in/app/say-namaste-video-conferencing/id1508559464">iOS devices</a>.</li><li>Open the website or the Say Namaste app.</li><li>If you want to create a meeting, click on ‘Create new meeting’.</li><li>You can then share the meeting ID and code with your friends.</li><li>If you want to join an existing meeting, click on ‘Join existing meeting’.</li><li>Now, enter the meeting ID and code and click on ‘Join Meeting’.</li></ul>SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/zooms-end-to-end-call-encryption-service-is-only-for-paid-users/articleshow/76177992.cms">Zoom's end-to-end call encryption service is only for paid users</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/sports/news/a-soccer-team-in-denmark-brought-thousands-of-fans-into-their-stadium-through-zoom-and-people-cant-decide-if-its-clever-innovation-or-something-out-of-black-mirror/articleshow/76081655.cms">A soccer team in Denmark brought thousands of fans into their stadium through Zoom and people can't decide if it's clever innovation or something out of 'Black Mirror'</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/zoom-is-a-goldmine-for-playing-pranks-here-are-the-best-ways-to-mess-with-your-friends-and-coworkers-/articleshow/76079912.cms">Zoom is a goldmine for playing pranks. Here are the best ways to mess with your friends and coworkers.</a>

Say Namaste⁠ — a Mumbai startup is pitching itself as a challenger to Zoom

<ul><li>The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) issued an advisory in April 2020 calling Zoom unsafe.</li><li>Zoom India Head, <keyword id="9465901" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="sameer-raje">Sameer Raje</keyword>, tells Business Insider that the MHA’s advisory is factually incorrect.</li><li>He explains that Zoom is currently in conversation with the MHA and is hoping for a positive outcome soon.</li></ul>The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) released an advisory note on the video-conferencing application Zoom not being safe. Sameer Raje, Head of India at Zoom, told Business Insider that the discussions are progressing quite well. “We expect the MHA to give some positive feedback very soon. We’re at advanced stages of discussion so it should change,” said Raje, explaining that 9-year-old company is sharing any and all prerequisite information that the ministry may need. US-based Zoom has been heavily scrutinised since its popularity boomed in a matter of three weeks from just 10 million participants a day to over 300 million from March to April when news of the coronavirus pandemic broke. The advisory is factually incorrect, says Zoom The <a href="https://pib.gov.in/PressReleaseIframePage.aspx?PRID=1615008">MHA</a> asserted that Zoom should not be used by government officers for official use based on an earlier advisory from Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In). “Zoom is a not a safe platform and advisory of CERT-In on the same dated 6 February 2020 30 and March 2020 may kindly be referred,” said the ministry in its note. However, Raje points out that CERT-In never actually said that Zoom isn’t safe — it pointed out that Zoom has certain vulnerabilities, as is its responsibility for all applications that are currently in use in India. “Unfortunately, due to the misinformation out there, the MHA released its advisory which is factually incorrect. It is based on the CERT-In advisory citing that Zoom is unsafe to use, but CERT-In never said that,” he explained. India's nodal cybersecurity agency may not have said that Zoom is unsafe but it did point out that there are <a href="https://www.cert-in.org.in/s2cMainServlet?pageid=PUBVLNOTES02&amp;VLCODE=CIAD-2020-0011">multiple vulnerabilities on the platform</a>, which could allow an attacker to gain elevated privileges or obtain sensitive information on the targeted system. “If you look at their advisory, nowhere does it say that Zoom is not safe for users. It says that please be secure, upgrade your applications, these are the vulnerabilities reported and these are the fixes,” said Raje. Zoom is working with MHA to change the narrative To Zoom’s credit — since the MHA’s advisory and the multiple incidents of ‘Zoom Bombing’ — it has introduced a number of measures to make the platform more secure like hiding meeting IDs and making it mandatory for schools to set meeting passwords. Earlier this month, Zoom announced that it will begin beta testing free end-to-end encryption for both free and paid users in July. However, there is a catch. End-to-end encryption only works if a person connects to a call using the Zoom client. As a communications platform, Zoom also allows the audio conferring lines to come in — and that’s where the encryption pattern changes, according to Raje. This means that since the call is no longer restricted to the Zoom platform, encryption at that end is not during the app’s purview. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/us-based-zoom-left-stunned-to-see-itself-in-list-of-flagged-chinese-apps/articleshow/76469726.cms">US-based Zoom app left stunned to see itself in list of flagged Chinese apps</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/apps/news/made-in-india-app-say-namaste-video-conferencing-app-to-take-on-zoom/articleshow/76277547.cms">Say Namaste⁠ — a Mumbai startup is pitching itself as a challenger to Zoom</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/how-to/how-to-ensure-privacy-and-security-while-using-zoom/articleshow/75192771.cms">How to ensure privacy and security while using Zoom</a>

INTERVIEW: Zoom's India head believes he will able to convince the Home Ministry that the app is safe

At the second edition of the <keyword id="6355629" type="CITY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Google">Google</keyword> for India event today Google announced that the company’s new messaging app, <keyword id="3368879" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="google-allo">Google Allo</keyword> will support Hindi language by the end of the year. "A preview of the Google Assistant will be launched in Hindi by the end of 2016 inside the brand new Allo messaging app. The Google Assistant lets users have a conversation with Google, which can help them get things done," Amit Fulay, Group Product Manager for Allo said in a statement. It’s only been a week that Google launched its new smart messaging app, Google Allo for <keyword id="6355645" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="android">Android</keyword> and iOS platforms. The messaging app is already gaining popularity for features like predictive smart responses powered by artificial intelligence and a fully integrated Google Assistant. 
 
Also Read: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/Cool-Google-Allo-features-includes-AI-Google-Assistant/articleshow/54480292.cms">9 Super Cool Features of Google Allo</a> 
 For Indian users, Google Allo already enables smart replies in Hinglish which is essentially a mix of Hindi and English. The messaging app has over 200 stickers created by independent artists that are relevant to Indian users. Google has also made sure that the messaging app has all key features of Google, apart from smart responses with AI, customers can experience the Google Assistant for the first time on the messaging app which is similar to ‘Siri’ in <keyword id="6354427" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Apple">Apple</keyword>. From ‘search’ to ‘maps’ Google has integrated all its products in its new messaging app and it is already seen as a big competition to market leader WhatsApp. "Our goal has not just been to help more Indians get online -- but also to help Indians create the online experience they want; one that serves their needs and enables them to have an impact on the entire world. So we have been thinking about how to build products and services for this wave of new users -- products that work for any level of connectivity, in local Indian languages, and across the devices that are most frequently used in India," Caesar Sengupta, Vice-President, Product Management at Google said. 
 India is also the first country to download Allo and Google says the app is fully secure as all messages are encrypted. By making Assistant available in <keyword id="3694347" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="hindi-google">Hindi Google</keyword> may up their popularity as a one stop messaging app and is likely to gain many users old and new.

From Allo to Namaste: Google Allo will support Hindi by end of 2016

<ul><li>Meta-owned WhatsApp is reportedly working on a new feature called 'admin review.'</li><li>According to <keyword id="3961385" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="wabetainfo" source="Orion">WABetaInfo</keyword>, when the feature is enabled, group members will be able to report specific messages to the group admin.</li><li>According to the report, the new option will be available within the group settings section in the future.</li></ul><keyword id="12161" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="san-francisco" source="Orion">San Francisco</keyword>, Meta-owned WhatsApp is reportedly working on a new feature called 'admin review' on <keyword id="6355645" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="android" source="Orion">Android</keyword>, which will provide group admins with tools to help them better moderate their groups. According to WABetaInfo, when the feature is enabled, group members will be able to report specific messages to the group admin. If an admin believes that a message is inappropriate or violates the rules of the group, it may choose to delete it for everyone in the group when a member reports it. According to the report, the new option will be available within the group settings section in the future. Moreover, the report mentioned that the reported messages will only be visible to group admins within a new section of the app, located within group info. The ability to report messages to group admins is in the works and will be available to beta testers in a future app update, the report said. Meanwhile, WhatsApp is reportedly rolling out a new 'side-by-side' feature on Android tablets for some beta testers. This feature will allow users to switch between conversations without losing track of their ongoing chats, providing more control over the WhatsApp interface on their Android tablets. Users can also disable the side-by-side view by toggling the option available within -- <keyword id="17346509" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="whatsapp-settings-" source="Orion">WhatsApp Settings &gt;</keyword> Chats. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/what-are-vishing-scams-that-start-with-a-namaste-and-end-with-monetary-losses/articleshow/99762900.cms">What are ‘vishing scams’ that start with a Namaste and end with monetary losses</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/sony-wh-ch720n-headphones-review-featherweight-comfort-and-impressive-sound/articleshow/99911412.cms">Sony WH-CH720N headphones review: Featherweight comfort and impressive sound</a>

WhatsApp working on new feature 'admin review' on Android

Bollywood superstar <keyword id="1671" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Shah-Rukh-Khan" source="Orion">Shah Rukh Khan</keyword>, whose latest film "<keyword id="12756474" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="pathaan" source="Orion">Pathaan</keyword>" is creating new records since its release last week, greeted scores of admirers outside his Bandra home last night. Several screaming fans waited for the actor with several clicking pictures and recording videos from their smartphones. Dressed in all-black and a bandana, Shah Rukh on Sunday made an appearance on the balcony of his sea-facing bungalow 'Mannat', one of the landmarks of Mumbai. On early Monday morning, the 57-year-old actor shared a video of the crowded street with a bus and a few cars stuck amid the sea of fans on his official Twitter account. "Mehmaan Nawaazi Pathaan ke ghar par... Thank u all my Mehmaans for making my Sunday so full of love. Grateful. Happy. Loved," he captioned the post, referring to a popular dialogue from "Pathaan". Shah Rukh waved, blew kisses, greeted fans with a 'namaste' and a 'salaam'. He also spread his arms in his signature pose and performed the hook step of "Jhoome Jo Pathaan", the title song of his recent release, in front of the hundreds of people waiting to catch a glimpse of their favourite star. Later, the actor also requested fans to not climb on the bus. "Pathaan", which is Shah Rukh's first big screen release as a lead in over four years, continued its record-breaking run at the box office as it collected Rs 429 crore gross worldwide in four days, said production banner Yash Raj Films (YRF) on Sunday. Directed by Siddharth Anand, the film follows the titular spy (Shah Rukh) who comes out of exile to thwart the diabolical plans of the terrorist group Outfit X, led by Jim (John Abraham), from launching an attack on India. Also starring Deepika Padukone, "Pathaan" released on January 25. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/everything-to-know-about-gleeden-the-extra-marital-dating-app-where-20-users-are-indians/articleshow/97318722.cms">Everything to know about Gleeden, the extra-marital dating app where 20% users are Indians</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/entertainment/news/rajinikanth-issues-public-notice-on-infringement-of-rights-warns-legal-action/articleshow/97414909.cms">Rajinikanth issues public notice on infringement of rights, warns legal action</a>

Grateful, happy, loved: SRK greets fans post Pathaan success

<ul><li>India recently began its third phase of vaccination, allowing people above the age of 18 to get the vaccine.</li><li>The people can now use the government’s WhatsApp COVID helpdesk to find their nearest vaccination centre.</li><li>Registration and appointment will have to be booked through the CoWIN platform.</li></ul>India recently began its third phase of vaccination, opening up access to COVID-19 vaccinations to people above the age of eighteen. The government’s CoWIN platform allows users to <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/covid-19-vaccine-how-to-register-yourself-on-cowin-and-aarogya-setu-apps-if-you-are-18-plus/articleshow/82242963.cms">register</a> for the vaccine and book appointments right from their home. The government had last year <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/indian-govt-launches-mygov-coronavirus-helpdesk-on-whatsapp-to-educate-citizens/articleshow/74727460.cms">introduced</a> the MyGov Coronavirus helpdesk chatbot on WhatsApp to help people find information about COVID-19 pandemic. Now, it has added a new feature that will allow people to easily find the nearest vaccination centre. <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="74727460" title="Indian Govt launches MyGov Coronavirus helpdesk on WhatsApp to educate citizens" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div> How to use MyGov Corona helpdesk to find nearest vaccination center <div type="image" title="MyGov Corona Helpdesk" msid="82402421" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;MyGov Corona Helpdesk&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> <ul><li>Save the helpdesk number – +91 9013151515 on your phone or click on this <a href="https://api.whatsapp.com/send/?phone=919013151515&amp;text=Hi">link</a>.</li><li>Now, open the chat and send ‘Hi’ or ‘Namaste’.</li><li>You will get a message with multiple options and you can reply as per the information you need.</li><li>For COVID-19 vaccination centres, send ‘1’ and then again send ‘1’.</li><li>Now, enter the pin code where you are looking for a vaccination centre.</li><li>You will get a reply with information about the nearest vaccination centres, available slots and eligible persons.</li></ul>You can now register on the CoWIN platform or enter another pin code to find the available vaccination centres. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/apps/news/a-covid-19-sms-malware-is-targeting-users-in-india-as-they-look-for-alternatives-to-cowin-for-vaccine-registration/articleshow/82388898.cms">A COVID-19 SMS malware is targeting users in India as they look for alternatives to CoWIN for vaccine registration</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/apps/news/coders-are-coming-up-with-new-ways-to-check-for-covid-19-vaccination-slots-on-cowin/articleshow/82383284.cms">Indian coders are working around the CoWIN app to help people bag the elusive vaccine slots</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/sports/news/ipl-2021-suspended-by-bcci-as-several-players-test-covid-positive/articleshow/82384544.cms">IPL suspended as more players contract COVID-19 ⁠— BCCI bites the bullet mid-way through the season</a>

How to find COVID-19 vaccine centre near me from whatsapp

Google video conferencing app Meet has begun receiving <keyword id="9376865" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="ai-noise-cancellation">AI noise cancellation</keyword> feature update to help attendees reduce the background noise significantly. The feature was originally announced in April with a couple of other features but it is only starting to roll. Google has been working on the feature for around a year and a half, using thousands of its own meetings to train its AI model, reports VentureBeat. Serge Lachapelle, G Suite's director of product management, revealed that the noise-cancelling feature can also filter out other background distractions such as dogs barking, kids crying, and applause. The noise cancellation feature uses a machine learning model that is capable of understanding the difference between noise and speech. To filter out background noise, users voice is sent from the device to a Google data centre, which is where it goes through the machine learning model. Once the processing is completed, it gets re-encrypted and sent back to the <keyword id="4237083" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="google-meet">Google Meet</keyword> call. The feature is expected to become widely available for G Suite enterprise customers by the end of this month. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/google-meet-premium-video-conferencing-app-is-now-free-for-everyone/articleshow/75463380.cms">Google Meet premium video conferencing app is now free for everyone</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/jiomeet-video-conferencing-app-will-take-on-google-meets-and-zoom/articleshow/75476376.cms">JioMeet video conferencing app will take on Google Meets and Zoom</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/apps/news/made-in-india-app-say-namaste-video-conferencing-app-to-take-on-zoom/articleshow/76277547.cms">Say Namaste⁠ — a Mumbai startup is pitching itself as a challenger to Zoom</a>

Google Meet adds AI noise cancellation feature to reduce background noise

<ul><li><keyword id="4237083" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="google-meet">Google Meet</keyword> will soon let users customise their backgrounds, a feature that is already present in Zoom. </li><li>It will also let users view up to 49 participants at once, from the existing limit of 16. </li><li>Google also announced a slew of other features that are in its roadmap, including hand raising, meeting attendance, Q&amp;A sessions and more. </li></ul>Google Meet is set to add several new features that will help improve the user experience, including the ability to see up to 49 participants at once. These new features are aimed at making the work from home experience better, the company said on its official <a href="https://cloud.google.com/blog/products/g-suite/introducing-some-new-meet-features">blog</a>. Google had made its premium Google Meet video calling service free earlier this year to compete with Zoom. Since making its premium features available to all users for free, Google has been expanding its feature-set with new updates. In its latest update, Google Meet has increased the number participants you can view during a call. “Users will soon be able to view up to 49 participants at once on their screen, up from the current limit of 16 participants,” said the company. <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="76637319" title="Microsoft Teams will soon allow you to view up to 49 participants on a single screen" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div> Google Meet will also let users customize their backgrounds or just blur them to make their meetings look more professional. Users will be able to choose between preset or upload custom images. In addition to this, Google Meet also has the following features in its roadmap: <div type="image" title="Google Meet new features" msid="76640370" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Upcoming features in Google Meet&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> <ul><li>Hand raising – participants will be able to “raise their hands” whenever they have a question or something to say. </li><li>Meeting attendance – hosts will get finer control over meetings and will be able to see who attended and who did not. </li><li>Breakout rooms – emulating the office atmosphere, this feature will allow large meetings to be split into smaller groups, have parallel discussions and regroup once their discussions are over. </li><li>Q&amp;A sessions – the audience will be able to ask questions without disrupting the conversation. </li><li>Polls – hosts will be able to engage their audience with real-time polling. </li><li>Additional moderator controls – hosts and moderators will be able to control who is on mute, who can present their screens and more.</li></ul>Joining meetings without tapping anywhere To help maintain social distancing and keep surface touches to the minimum, users will soon be allowed to join meetings without tapping on the screen. Google is working on ‘Hey Google’ voice control for Google Meet hardware, like the Asus starter kit, the Logitech Tap range or Acer’s Chromebase. Users will be able to join or end meetings with simple voice commands. Microsoft and Google are upping the ante against Zoom In a bid to recoup the momentum lost to Zoom, which has nearly 300 million daily active participants, both Microsoft and Google have been working on adding new features to their video conferencing apps. Microsoft Teams has more than <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/enterprise/news/microsoft-teams-now-has-75-million-daily-active-users-adding-31-million-in-just-over-a-month/articleshow/75461791.cms">75 million active users</a> while Google Meet has over <a href="https://www.blog.google/products/meet/bringing-google-meet-to-more-people/">100 million active users</a>. Microsoft Teams, too, like Google Meet, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/meet-49-people-at-once-on-single-screen-via-microsoft-teams-soon/articleshow/76637319.cms">will soon allow</a> viewing 49 participants at once. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/apps/news/made-in-india-app-say-namaste-video-conferencing-app-to-take-on-zoom/articleshow/76277547.cms">Say Namaste⁠ — a Mumbai startup is pitching itself as a challenger to Zoom</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/apps/zooms-india-head-sameer-raje-believes-he-will-able-to-convince-the-home-ministry-that-the-app-is-safe/articleshow/76636946.cms">INTERVIEW: Zoom's India head believes he will able to convince the Home Ministry that the app is safe</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/how-to/how-to-ensure-privacy-and-security-while-using-zoom/articleshow/75192771.cms">How to ensure privacy and security while using Zoom</a>

Google Meet adds Zoom-like features – fun backgrounds, view more participants and soon, raise hands to ask questions

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div></div></div><ul class="summary-list"><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/coming-out">Coming out</a> is a nerve-wracking, intimidating experience made difficult for those in the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/lgbtq">LGBTQ+</a> community who are unsure how their friends and family will react.</li><li>A recent study from <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/tinder">Tinder</a> found that the LGBTQ community is more likely to come out online before formally coming out to friends or family.</li><li>Results of the survey mirror the increasing popularity <a href="https://www.dailydot.com/irl/coming-out-online/">coming out on the internet</a>&#xa0;in <a href="https://www.wired.com/story/youtube-coming-out-videos/">YouTube videos</a>, Instagram photos, blog posts, and <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-out/lgbtq-out-social-media-nowhere-else-n809796">online communities</a>.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/?hprecirc-bullet">Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.</a></li></ul>Members of the LGBTQ+ community are more likely to first come out online before formally coming out to friends and family members, according to a recent study.The research study, conducted by dating app Tinder, found that 1 in 5 LGBTQ+ people are coming out online, whether that's in a video on YouTube or a post on Twitter. Ahead of Pride Month in June, Tinder surveyed 1,000 members of the LGBTQ community who use the dating app and asked them about their experiences coming out, being out, and having queer relationships.Read more: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/presidential-nominees-on-lgbt-rights-2019-3">The Democratic presidential candidates will have a debate about LGBTQ rights. Here's what all 15 have said about the issues.</a>The results of the study show just how integral of a role social media plays for those in the LGBTQ+ community. While coming out in person can be nerve-wracking when you're unsure how friends and family will react, coming out online offers <a href="https://www.dailydot.com/irl/coming-out-online/">a place to trial-run the conversation</a>.For Gen Z, <a href="https://www.advocate.com/youth/2018/7/06/study-says-only-two-thirds-gen-z-straight">a generation that identifies more as LGBTQ+</a> than any other previous age group, social media can be a way to spread word of an LGBTQ+ identity and avoid having to have that scary coming out conversation <a href="https://www.huffpost.com/entry/coming-out-again-and-agai_b_10118904">over and over again</a>. An overwhelming amount of Gen Z respondents in Tinder's survery - 75% - came out on an online platform or closed group first before coming out to their friends or family.&#xa0;Across social media, coming out announcements have become a form of art for the internet-reliant generation. As <a href="https://www.wired.com/story/youtube-coming-out-videos/">Wired's Justice Namaste wrote in 2018</a>, the coming out video "has shifted from simple, personal testimonials to also produced videos that are created for the consumption of an online audience."&#xa0;"While coming out on the Internet can be daunting in its own right, as it's highly public, some LGBTQ folks feel a sense of community and support when sharing their stories on a larger scale," Namaste wrote. "Conversations about coming out that once may have taken place at the meeting of a Gay-Straight Alliance, an LGBT center or a gay bar are now taking place shared with followers and Facebook friends."&#xa0;The influx of ways to share personal stories online offers a safe space for prominent figures and LGBTQ community members alike. YouTube stars like <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eh7WRYXVh9M">Ingrid Nilsen</a> and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WYodBfRxKWI">Connor Franta</a>, as well as celebrities like <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OJwJnoB9EKw">Tom Daley</a>, have come out in videos that have accrued millions of page views.&#xa0;But the variety of social media offerings means that LGBTQ-identifying individuals have an opportunity to come out in varying levels of visibility and modes of creative self-expression. Platforms that don't require real names and pictures, like Tumblr and Reddit, provide ways to anonymously share. Meanwhile, posts on public platforms like Instagram or Facebook are the equivalent of making an announcement in the public square that gets the word out there.But it's possible that in the future, coming out won't have to be such a big deal. The same Tinder survey found that 1 in 3 LGBTQ+ adults never formally came out, partly due to normalization and reduced stigma of LGBTQ+ identities.<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/intelligence/stories-slide-deck?IR=T&amp;itm_source=businessinsider&amp;itm_medium=ctgr_bii&amp;itm_term=ctgr_leadgen&amp;itm_content=socialmedia&amp;itm_campaign=stories-slide-deck"></a><div></div> <div class="margin-top"> <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-secure-your-data-profiles-online-accounts-hacks-2019-5">9 simple ways to protect your data that don't take much time, but could have huge security benefits</a></h3> <div> </div> </div>

1 in 5 LGBTQ+ people come out on the internet first, study finds

New Delhi, June 14 (IANS) Twitter is currently testing disappearing tweets feature 'Fleets' in India and to be honest, the original Snapchat tool (called Stories) that has been copied by both Facebook (Stories) and WhatsApp (Status) may disturb the fabric of the micro-blogging platform. Twitter should not lose its distinct flavour as a fantastic roll-down platform, simple yet effective tool for debates, hold meaningful conversations and help people make a social impact with their powerful dialogues. For civil right crusaders, journalists, social activists and more such souls who aim to connect with people on burning societal issues, it has always been a tool to appraise powers-that-be of what is going on around them, and respond to world leaders who treat it as a "typewriter". Twitter is no Snapchat, Instagram, WhatsApp or Facebook but a broad public forum, with troll armies aiming to disrupt the conversations, and the algorithms reining in, blocking or removing bots and fake accounts. Twitter also serves no ads (except promoted tweets which are few and far between). For those who are apolitical, this is a beautiful platform to connect people of similar mind-set. For those who are political, it is a bullfight arena. This is what makes Twitter, Twitter. According to Prabhu Ram, Head-Industry Intelligence Group, CyberMedia Research (CMR), while Twitter says Fleets make it easier for people to share their thoughts, it is more like a derivative and lacks a specific purpose and use case. "The business model for Twitter already provides its users with the ability to deliver snappy, byte-sized updates, perspectives and commentaries on their lives, and just about everything," Ram told IANS. He emphasised that what Fleets has done is to offer users with the ability to DM more, and in doing so, "pushing DMs that actually need the immediate attention of users". Twitter has a larger duty to serve and should rather focus on not letting influential people post rubbish, hateful and racist content on its platform. Like tweets, Fleets that disappear after 24 hours and have no retweets, likes or public comments, are based primarily on text, but people can include videos, GIFs or photos in them. A Twitter user responded to Kayvon Beykpour who is Product Lead at Twitter with a Namaste: "This is one app that's the perfect balance of visuals and words as is. Please don't ruin it. Twitter doesn't need more visual features; build on your strength and don't blindly imitate". "Don't be a copycat. You are perfect exactly as you are," commented another. Advertisers and brands, however, will like this feature to send direct messages to the users. "Brands would love this as a way to showcase their offerings, and would drive uptick in ad revenues. The DM is similar to Instagram and a bit jarring though can be improved to be more intuitive in how to respond to the fleets," said Neil Shah, VP Research at Counterpoint. Does India really need a new mode of conversation within Twitter in Fleets? Or, is it more important to have the "edit" feature? (Nishant Arora can be reached at nishant.a@ians.in) --IANS na/rs/

Why Twitter must have an 'edit' button, not copycat 'Fleets'

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="365825" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Lizzo">Lizzo</keyword> slammed body-shamers criticizing her weight and workout habits in a new <keyword id="6762469" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="TikTok">TikTok</keyword> video. </li><li>The clip featured the "Juice" singer riding an exercise bike, doing jumping jacks, and jumping rope, while explaining to body-shamers in a voiceover that she's not interested in their criticisms. </li><li>"So I've been working out consistently for the past five years, and it may come as a surprise to some of y'all that I'm not working out to have your ideal body type," Lizzo said. </li><li>"I'm working out to have my ideal body type. And you know what type that is? None of your f---ing business," she continued. </li><li>Lizzo concluded the TikTok by saying, "So next time you want to come to somebody and judge them, whether they drink kale smoothies or eat McDonald's... how about you look at your own f---ing self?" </li></ul>Lizzo slammed body-shamers and opened up about her workout habits in a new TikTok video posted Tuesday. The "Juice" singer, who has been famously outspoken about the issues she faces as a plus-sized Black woman in the <keyword id="4578" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="entertainment">entertainment</keyword> industry, didn't hold back in the nearly one-minute clip. "So I've been working out consistently for the past five years, and it may come as a surprise to some of y'all that I'm not working out to have your ideal body type," Lizzo said in the video."I'm working out to have my ideal body type. And you know what type that is? None of your f---ing business," she continued. "Because I am beautiful, I am strong, I do my job, and I stay on my job." "So next time you want to come to somebody and judge them, whether they drink kale smoothies or eat McDonald's, or work out, or not work out, how about you look at your own f---ing self?" the "Juice" singer said. Lizzo concluded the TikTok by telling followers, "Health is not just determined by what you look like on the outside. Health is also what happens on the inside. And a lot of y'all need to do a f---ing cleanse for your insides. Namaste, have a great day." This isn't the first time the singer has spoken out about her experiences as a plus-sized Black woman on social media.On Saturday, Lizzo <a href="https://www.insider.com/lizzo-calls-out-people-who-use-name-as-insult-tiktok-video-2020-6">shared a response to people on TikTok who comment her name under videos of plus-sized girls and women</a>. "To the people who be putting my name in the comments, thank you," she <a href="https://www.insider.com/lizzo-calls-out-people-who-use-name-as-insult-tiktok-video-2020-6">said</a>. "Because you know what? If every time you see a big girl on this app loving herself, and putting herself out there, and being confident and loving her body, you think of me, or you think she looks like me — b----, that is a compliment." And in March, Lizzo <a href="https://www.insider.com/lizzo-tiktok-removing-videos-bikinis-bathing-suits-2020-3">criticized TikTok for removing her videos in swimsuits while leaving up similar videos of skinnier women</a>. "Tiktok keeps taking down my videos with me in my bathing suits but allows other videos with girls in bathing suits," the singer wrote in the video. "I wonder why? Tiktok... we need to talk."<ul class="read-more-links"><li>Read more:</li><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/lizzo-calls-out-people-who-use-name-as-insult-tiktok-video-2020-6">Lizzo had the best response to people using her name to make fun of someone's size on TikTok: 'B----, that is a compliment'</a></li><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/lizzo-fat-shaming-diddy-instagram-live-2020-4">Lizzo fans are calling out Diddy for fat shaming after he shut down the 'Juice' singer's twerking during an Instagram live</a></li><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/lizzo-tiktok-removing-videos-bikinis-bathing-suits-2020-3">Lizzo calls out TikTok for removing her videos in bathing suits while letting other women share posts in bikinis: 'I wonder why'</a></li><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/how-to-work-out-like-lizzo-home-without-gym-equipment-2020-5">Lizzo's high-intensity home workouts involve a ton of cardio, core, and strength-training. Here are her top moves.</a></li></ul>

Lizzo slams body-shamers in new workout video: 'I'm not working out to have your ideal body type'

<ul><li>In our latest interview series, we talk to brands to understand how they are coping with the new normal and their strategies towards navigating these difficult times.</li><li><keyword id="5030059" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Mayur-Hola">Mayur Hola</keyword>, Head of Global Brand, <keyword id="2808667" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="OYO">OYO</keyword> Hotels &amp; Homes voiced his optimism about the future with us as he told us all that OYO will be doing to make things safer for all its stakeholders.</li></ul> The world is slowly opening up, trying to get back to a normal routine. With cities opening up, so are businesses. Travel has been an industry that has impacted massively. With people stuck at homes, many travel-related businesses came to a complete standstill. However, with flights slowly opening up, people are still cautious. People are still only travelling if there is an absolute necessity. We are probably still some time away from people getting comfortable with travelling for leisure, things are definitely moving in that direction. In an attempt to understand how things have been for an organization which has its core businesses closely wired with the travel industry, we caught up with Mayur Hola, Head of Global Brand, OYO recently. And we are glad we did because he gave us just the right dose of optimism that we need during these bleak times. Hola not only told us how the organization has been coping all this while but also shared some really quirky learnings from the <keyword id="91743" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="lockdown">lockdown</keyword> experience. Edited excerpts: Q) The world as we knew it has perhaps changed forever. The post-Covid world will be very different, and so will be the consumer’s expectations from different brands that have been a part of their lives. As a brand, how are you prepping up to meet these uncertain expectations of the future? The world isn’t in a great place right now (figuratively). But it’s not all bad. I’ll try and inject a few mg of optimism here. Women leaders are managing their countries brilliantly. The world needs more of them. Doctors (and the entire healthcare system) are helping hundreds of thousands of people make a full recovery. Millions of people are speaking up for issues that matter and not sitting on the fence. There are countless sensitive and caring souls willing to help each other and our fellow creatures in the real world. Billions of dollars are being donated. Amongst it all, SpaceX has sent a manned space flight to the International Space Centre. People are people and while the worst amongst us get seen and noticed, it is the best within all of us that will bring the world back to being the imperfect little rock we know and love. The same is true for brands. We do the right things to support our universe and sooner than later they come back to support us. We’ve been helping our hotel partners reopen and sanitise their spaces. We are informing our customers about the efforts we are making together to welcome them back and keep them safe. And today many are returning to us. Q) How have the past few months been for the brand? Since hospitality has been one of the worse affected, what is your expectation from the rest of the year? We’ve been set free! Free from office, from 9 to 5, from conference rooms and belts and creased trousers, from blow dried hair and appropriate attire. We can live in PJs, work from wherever! So we will actually see more domestic tourism coming our way than ever before. However we aren’t a tourism-dependent hospitality brand. We get a huge number of same city and business travel bookings. We’re seeing a lot of our pre-lockdown booking patterns make an encouraging comeback and are fairly positive in the long term. We might see a lot of work calls being made from hilltops and beaches later in the year, but that’s a whole other matter. Q) How did you, as an organization, deal with this dynamic situation? How did you ensure you kept the morale of your teams high? Being optimistic and helpful gets one past a lot of the doomsday theories. When you focus on hosting those who need to quarantine, on feeding the hungry and contributing monetarily and in all ways possible for you including housing Lucy the beagle and her doctor father (they were pushed out by their society, we helped), then keeping morale high is not a challenge. Our job was to stay open, help and communicate with those who needed help so they knew where to come. We did that. Q) As a marketer, what have your key learnings from this experience been so far? In no particular order, here are some learnings that may or may not help market stuff. 1. Mahabharat over Netflix. 2. Ludo over PS4. 3. Daru over dawa. 4. Motiyon waaley masks over motiyon waaley daant. 5. Binge wash over binge watch. 6. Namaste over shake it baby. 7. Sonu Sood over Akshay Kumar. 8. Ghar ki daal over bahar ki murgi. 9. Air India over hot air. 10. Kirana store over app store. Q) How difficult was it to figure out your communication strategy during these adverse times, considering it is easy for consumers to misread <keyword id="6354839" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="marketing">marketing</keyword> communications as opportunistic? Difficulty is relative. Here’s what was easy. Working together became super easy, as everyone realised that we need to help each other. Deciding to be empathetic and sensitive was easy. Making sure that all our acts and our communication about those acts, was designed to be helpful and not tactical. All this was easy. Q) Going forward, what is your marketing strategy going to be for the next few months, which from where we are now, is still shrouded with uncertainty? Do you think, marketing as we know it, will also change in the post-Covid world? Will your priorities as a marketer change? As a country we need to get back to work, get the economy going, get life back on track. This is what we know and it is what we will do. Every single brand’s strategy has to be to support that. So as folks go about reviving life and business, we will scrub our spaces and protect them. ‘Sanitised Stays’ is our strategy to build consumer trust and meet their expectations. We’ll focus our efforts to deliver this on-ground and convey the same via all channels and mediums to our partners and guests. This will include some key partnerships which we’ll announce soon. We will play our part in helping India reopen. Finally, the world will find a way to recover, we just will. I don’t know if that is visionary. But it is the vision OYO has.

As folks go about reviving life and business, we will scrub our spaces and protect them: Mayur Hola, OYO Hotels & Homes

<ul><li><keyword id="54572" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="PepsiCo">PepsiCo</keyword> India said within 30 years of our establishment in India, PepsiCo India has grown exponentially to emerge as one of the largest Food and Beverage company in the country.</li><li>On account of such a tremendous growth, PepsiCo India has committed to invest over $2.1 billion in the country over a five-year period ending in 2022. </li><li>"While there have been some short-term head winds due to Covid, we at PepsiCo are extremely optimistic about the future and are committed to provide consumers the right portfolio of products across food and <keyword id="23943" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="beverages">beverages</keyword>," they said.</li></ul> In an interview with IANS, Vishal Kaul, Vice President &amp; Business Head, Beverages, PepsiCo India and Dilen Gandhi, Senior Director and Category Head of Foods, PepsiCo India said within 30 years of our establishment in India, PepsiCo India has grown exponentially to emerge as one of the largest Food and Beverage company in the country. On account of such a tremendous growth, PepsiCo India has committed to invest over $2.1 billion in the country over a five-year period ending in 2022. "'As people adjust to the enew normal', in-home consumption is witnessing a significant uptake. We are witnessing a jump in both penetration and frequency of our food and beverage categories. There is a growing demand for our larger packs as in-home occasions of togetherness have increased manifold. While the consumers are looking at in-home experiences and seeking convenience, they are also looking at value," they said. "While there have been some short-term head winds due to Covid, we at PepsiCo are extremely optimistic about the future and are committed to provide consumers the right portfolio of products across food and beverages," they said. "Even in the COVID environment, our categories are seeing robust demand and growth across most channels," they added. Q: How is PepsiCo India responding with its business models to the Covid-19 situation? A: The COVID-19 has led to a complete paradigm shift as everything around us has changed- consumer behavior, retail landscape, competitive environment. Very early on, we realized there was no playbook to tackle the COVID challenge and the situation would continue to change. So, we had to arm ourselves with taking quick decisions while not having all the relevant information. To help us navigate the crisis, we established 6 guiding principles: Being People Centric, Being Consumer Centric, Being Customer Centric, Being Community Stewards, Being Agile and Being Prudent. These were the lens through which we saw every decision and we empowered our teams for agile decision making. At a time when stepping out for even essentials was fraught with risks, making our product conveniently available for our retailers and consumers was a key focus area. Hyper-local delivery emerged as a solution and we invested in emergent channels like Ecommerce for both B2C and B2B. We partnered with Amazon, Big Basket, Grofers, Swiggy and Dunzo to ensure uninterrupted availability of our food and beverage products to consumers across locations with safe delivery-on demand for all our consumers. For B2B, we further strengthened our existing Distributor model with the EB2B model, where we partnered with Udaan and Big Basket to help small and medium businesses. This partnership ensured our product portfolio was easily made available to retailers, so that they can cater to demand in the market. Q: How does PepsiCo view the big jump in consumption of snacks and beverages at home? A: PepsiCo India has always kept a pulse on consumer trends and continued to develop its portfolio in line with what consumers want. As people adjust to the enew normal', in-home consumption is witnessing a significant uptake. We are witnessing a jump in both penetration and frequency of our food and beverage categories. There is a growing demand for our larger packs as in-home occasions of togetherness have increased manifold. While the consumers are looking at in home experiences and seeking convenience, they are also looking at value. In order to serve the consumer better and rapidly adapt to their changing requirements we have introduced a 1.25-liter PET pack in our beverage portfolio at a very affordable price of Rs 50 which will enable the stay-at- home times even more special for our consumers. We have also introduced various combo packs for our food portfolio creating and further driving in-home consumption.Q: What are the investment plans for PepsiCo in India? A: Within 30 years of our establishment in India, PepsiCo India has grown exponentially to emerge as the largest Food and Beverage company in the country. On account of such a tremendous growth, PepsiCo India has committed to invest over $2.1 billion in the country over a five-year period ending in 2022. This commitment is a part of our previously disclosed commitment to invest $5.5 billion in India and includes our plan to double our manufacturing capabilities locally in the next five years, to cater to the ever-increasing demand of our products among the consumers. In recent years, we have announced an investment of Rs 514 Crores in a new foods facility in Uttar Pradesh which will provide 1,500 direct/indirect jobs. We have also invested in increasing capacity at our existing foods plants in West Bengal and Maharashtra and have additionally proposed to set up a greenfield project in Assam. Q: What is the production capacity for the PepsiCo products, and has it reached pre-Covid levels? A: We have resumed operations/ manufacturing across foods and beverages in the best manner possible, ensuring that all guidelines regarding safety of our employees are strictly adhered to. In the current environment and limited workforce across shifts, we are trying to ensure that we can meet the demand and operate at an optimal level to cater to our consumers with their favorite snacks and beverages. Nonetheless, we remain committed towards our employees and our consumers and see an uptake in both supply and demand in both categories. Q: What has been the response to the Covid situation? A: As brands look at engaging with consumers, the first and foremost part is that the current situation requires brands to provide consumers with a seamless and safe buying experience. That apart, this is also a unique opportunity to build an even more authentic relationship with the consumers by listening to them and providing the functional and emotional comfort. While there have been new ways of ensuring consumers had 24X7 accessibility of our products in a safe and hygienic manner, Brands across the PepsiCo India portfolio have also initiated interesting campaigns rooted into insights that we mined through the real time social listening we do at PepsiCo For consumers, safety comes first, and they are now refraining from going to crowded places and prefer low exposure. Hence, we partnered with SWIGGY and Dunzo to provide our products across food and beverages at their doorsteps, 24X7. We also saw that with low touch format being the new trend, there was a need to work with our partners to find low or no touch solutions for dispensing water. After extensive research and trials, we were able to finalize the Aquafina Low touch dispenser model as a product that we could roll out now given it meets key criteria including safety of consumer,practicality as well as economies of scale. We also evolved in the way we communicated to our consumers with messaging that were more relevant in current times. For example, <keyword id="44672" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Pepsi">Pepsi</keyword> identified that while social distancing was the new normal, however a lot of consumers were either not aware of it or were not following it fully. Salaam and Namaste, which were deeply rooted into Indian culture are actually the best forms of contactless greetings, which was the need of the hour during the COVID times. In an endeavor to make these contactless Indian greetings a part of pop culture, Pepsi introduced a digital forward campaign that aimed at inspiring the world that greeting each other with salaam/namaste is a perfect way to ensure social distancing and yet maintain connections responsibly. It encouraged behavioral change through adherence to social distancing norms in an entertaining manner. The campaign broke all past records in India and made a meaningful impact to the consumers' lives. On the other hand, LAY'S, started a special initiative for the many unsung heroes of India - farmers, truck drivers, retailers, etc. e who continue to bring joy to millions even in these challenging times. The brand partnered with Smile Foundation to provide hygiene kits to over 40,000 families of such unsung heroes. These hygiene kits contain masks and sanitizers, to support these champions as they continue to work hard even in these unprecedented times. As part of the initiative LAY'S has also collaborated with leading Indian brands like Airtel, ICICI Bank, Parachute, Dunzo, Big Basket, JK Type, Vistara, Grofers and together have thanked millions of these unsung heroes. We also had other brands from our portfolio like Mountain Dew, Quaker, Tropicana etc do similar contextual campaigns and the response from the consumers has been overwhelming.Q: What have been the sustainability initiatives of PepsiCo? A: In its role as a responsible social citizen, PepsiCo India has taken several initiatives to contribute to the nation's ongoing efforts to combat the COVID-19 outbreak. As part of its #GiveMealsGiveHope global programme, PepsiCo India provided over 10 million meals to the underprivileged and marginalized families impacted by the COVID-19 outbreak across India. The meals were distributed in partnership with Akshaya Patra Foundation, Smile Foundation &amp; CII Foundation, across the country. The company also extended support to the healthcare and diagnostic facilities by providing over 35,000 COVID-19 testing kits to government labs, supplementing their efforts to combat the pandemic. Furthermore, the COVID 19 crisis has impacted the restaurants and the workers significantly. It is forecasted that 4 out of 10 restaurants would shut down. Pepsi initiated a campaign #PepsiSaveOurResturants, an inclusive program where every time you order food and add a beverage to your order and it can be any beverage -- Pepsi or any other beverage, Pepsi will give that many meals to the restaurant workers who have served us. Pepsi partnered with NRAI and Swiggy to bring this campaign to life. The campaign has got great response as it has provided many consumers an avenue to support the restaurant workers who have always served them. Q: What are the changing consumer patterns expected due to Covid? A: The COVID-19 challenge is making both consumers and brands face a new reality. Consumer behavior and pattern is emerging and evolving at a fast pace. Some of the key insights that are emerging are as follows: #Mobile is the new TV: Consumers, customers, employees and our ecosystem partners have leap frogged towards leveraging digital solutions and the mobile is at the epicenter of all this. Be it work from home, communication to consumers, taking orders from customers or Ecom, consumers are practically dependent on their mobiles. They are consuming content online, buying online and even engaging with extended family and finds online. Therefore, it's important to jump shift this capability and work with the ecosystem partners to strengthen this muscle. #Value in Table Stakes: While value has always been important for consumers, going forward it would become even more crucial. The brands/companies who can re-engineer their business models to deliver this via an advantaged model, would succeed in the long term. #Hope Trust and Fun: We believe consumers would be looking at 3 emotional benefits and brands that can provide the same authentically, would be the ones that consumers would choose - The first is Hope. Hope is tied very closely to empathy. Brands need to be empathic and craft messages which are reassuring and relatable to consumers in these unprecedented times. - The second is Trust. Now more than ever, consumers need to see brands walk the talk in everything they do e whether it is the core product promise or leading a cause to support communities. -The third is Fun. Today, consumers are working twice as hard, donning multiple hats and with sources of entertainment and recreation limited, a brand that can that can present an opportunity for consumers to express themselves in a fun manner will be able to build deeper connects with the consumers The situation would continue to evolve and it is important we continuously have our ear to the ground and we keep sharpening the strategy basis consumer needs. Q: What are the initiatives to bolster the retail network by PepsiCo? A: The pandemic has given rise to a enew-normal' world and we at PepsiCo India have maintained a close look out on the evolving consumer behavior pattern to be better prepared for the future. We take cognizance of the fact that we need to cater to different audiences, be it consumers, partners, distributors through different channels. For the consumers, demand for online deliveries has soared since the start of the stay-at-home order. Thereby, it was almost imperative for businesses to enhance their Direct to Customer (D2C) channels like Swiggy, Dunzo to ensure we have exclusive e-stores and a mechanism to cater to our consumers at their doorstep 24/7. By tapping the 'Daily Grocery' on Dunzo's app, customers can visit the LAY'S E-store and get these products delivered within an hour of ordering. The initiative has currently been launched as a pilot in <keyword id="6354321" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Bengaluru">Bengaluru</keyword> and will eventually expand to 4 more cities across Mumbai, Gurugram, Delhi, and Jaipur. For the beverage category, we have tied up with Swiggy stores where we ensure availability of our products to the consumer on demand and delivery within 2 hours. On the other hand, Aquafina has tied up with a micro delivery platform OwO is for expanding reach into "At -home" consumption of packaged water. From a consumer perspective, our research has shown that consumers prefer dealing with apps such as OwO as they find it convenient. For the retailers and wholesalers, an interesting emerging channel is the EB2B model, under which PepsiCo India has entered into deep partnership with Udaan and Big Basket to help small and medium businesses. They should always have access to our product portfolio to ensure that they always meet demand. On the other hand, we remain committed to the distributors and ensure that we grow them and grow with them. Q: How does PepsiCo view the recent agriculture reforms including the flexibility to farmers to sell their products? A: Let's talk briefly about our collaborative programme and how that is focused on working closely with the farmers and based on years of trust and relationship. At PepsiCo India, we are guided by eWinning with Purpose' - our fundamental belief that the success of the company is inextricably linked to the sustainability of the world around. Agriculture is at the heart of PepsiCo India, and the companies relationship with farmers in India goes back 30 years. PepsiCo was the first company to introduce own researched processed grade varieties in India in late 90's. At present, PepsiCo is largest processed grade potato buyer in India. To fulfill its chip grade potato demand locally, PepsiCo developed largest collaborative farming for potato in India spread across 13 states working involving over 24,000 farmers. The potatoes are then processed in 3 manufacturing plants which employ close to 2,000 direct and indirect employees. The retention rate of farmers being part of the collaborative farming program is as high as 98 per cent. All the potato used in Lay's and Uncle Chipps is sourced from farmers in India e in fact, PepsiCo is the largest buyer of chip grade potato in the country today. Q: What are your views on the outlook for consumer sentiment? Is it an essential versus discretionary choice? A: India consumption story has just started and according to industry reports, India will be the 3rd largest consumption market by 2025. While there have been some short-term head winds due to Covid, we at PepsiCo are extremely optimistic about the future and are committed to provide consumers the right portfolio of products across food and beverages. Even in the COVID environment, our categories are seeing robust demand and growth across most channels. Our robust and balanced portfolio across "Fun for You" products like Pepsi, Lays Dew, Kurkure or "Better For You" products like Lipton, Pepsi Black or "Good For You" products like Quaker, Tropicana and Gatorade are getting greater acceptance from consumers. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/corporates/news/after-google-pwc-india-declares-a-company-wide-holiday-for-its-employees-this-friday-offers-time-off-for-a-well-deserved-break/articleshow/77125627.cms">After Google, PwC India declares a company-wide holiday for its employees this Friday – offers time off for a 'well-deserved' break</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/thelife/personalities/news/mukesh-ambani-is-now-the-fifth-richest-person-in-the-world-according-to-forbes/articleshow/77105843.cms">Mukesh Ambani is now the fifth richest person in the world, according to Forbes</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/corporates/news/tcs-infosys-hcl-tech-dont-want-h1b-ban-but-are-pocketing-savings-while-it-lasts/articleshow/77120776.cms">The H1-B visa ban is not what Indian IT firms want⁠— but they are pocketing some savings while it last</a>

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