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<ul><li><keyword id="6357341" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="deutsche-bank">Deutsche Bank</keyword>’s chief investment officer Christian Nolting has noted some of the major issues that individuals, businesses and governments will have to face in 2021 and beyond. </li><li>While many of us have been wishing for a return of life to the <keyword id="9311631" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="pre-covid">pre-COVID</keyword> era, Nolting states that it will not happen. </li><li>The way forward, he says, is by adopting a strategic, long-term approach instead of reactionary measures. </li></ul>The <keyword id="8931884" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Covid-pandemic">COVID pandemic</keyword> has had a massive impact on everyone’s lives this year. Most of us have been wishing for a speedy return to the pre-COVID lifestyle. But that will not happen, according to Deutsche Bank’s global chief investment officer Christian Nolting. According to Nolting, COVID has had a long-term impact on everyone, from individuals to businesses as well as governments. Instead of a reactionary approach, Nolting says that these changes require a strategic, long-term approach. “If you see this not just as a short-term recovery issue, but also as a response to structural changes around economic and investment relationships – the “tectonic plates” on our cover – an investment response needs to be not just tactical, but also strategic,” Nolting said in Deutsche Bank’s annual outlook report for 2021. The report identifies how the post-COVID world will have an impact on individuals, business, political and global world order. Impact 1: No return to the pre-COVID life <keyword id="1754604" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="coronavirus">Coronavirus</keyword> lockdowns around the world have forced workers to work from home, leading to widespread digitization of workflows wherever possible. However, essential works and those without digital access have had to go out and work. This has undone the gains made to reduce inequality across economies. Factors like unemployment support, healthcare provisions and digitalization have increased the role of the state. Impact 2: Businesses must continue the process of reinvention The pandemic has amplified the role of technology in the modern economy. From digital economy to communications, ecommerce and delivery services, and healthcare, technology has been adopted across sectors to bring businesses back online. The increased focus on technology has necessitated the need for continued focus on cybersecurity as well as bringing advanced tech like artificial intelligence in the mainstream. Impact 3: Governments must contain the long-term effects too Governments across the world will have to figure out the best monetary policies to deal with the issues thrown up by divergence, demographics, debt, and digitalization. “Escalating fiscal deficits have exacerbated an existing trend for debt levels to increase. Markets currently don't appear that concerned about such borrowing – but don't take this relaxed approach for granted,” Nolting added. Impact 4: The new world order Many Asian economies have beaten the coronavirus blues to register growth at a time when many developed countries have reported contractions. While this has not immediately thrown up a new world leader, the rise of Asia continues. The report notes that developed markets – especially in the Eurozone – have a lot to prove in 2021. It adds that the US economy’s flexible nature will support its recovery, but the Eurozone’s outlook “appears to be problematic”. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/3-trend-reversals-that-will-define-the-market-in-early-2021-according-to-a-stock-chief-at-the-worlds-largest-asset-manager/articleshow/79826360.cms">3 trend reversals that will define the market in early 2021, according to a stock chief at the world's largest asset manager</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/stock-market-crash-expert-predicts-sell-off-2021-mark-yusko-2020-12">A hedge fund chief who oversees $2 billion breaks down why we’re in for a 61% stock-market crash over the next 18-24 months — and shares 3 types of companies he’s shorting right now</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/warren-buffett-advised-graduates-to-read-learn-to-express-themselves-and-find-a-job-they-love-in-a-virtual-address-on-saturday-here-are-the-11-best-quotes-/articleshow/79816444.cms">Warren Buffett advised graduates to read, learn to express themselves, and find a job they love in a virtual address on Saturday. Here are the 11 best quotes.</a>

‘Pre-COVID life won’t be back in 2021’, says Deutsche Bank’s CIO⁠ — he also says Asia will continue to rise

<keyword id="34984" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="airline" source="Orion">Airline</keyword> major <keyword id="6354706" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="IndiGo" source="Orion">IndiGo</keyword> is bullish on the upcoming festive season as well as capacity augmentation to potentially reach <keyword id="9311631" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="pre-covid" source="Orion">pre-Covid</keyword> traffic levels by December 2021. Besides, the airline believes that economic rebound, weaning impact of Covid 2.0 and accelerated vaccination drive will further complement the traffic growth. According to <keyword id="7255265" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="ronojoy-dutta" source="Orion">Ronojoy Dutta</keyword>, Wholetime Director and CEO of <keyword id="3658" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="india" source="Orion">India</keyword>'s largest airline in terms of market share said: "My hopes for the festive season are very bullish and I think we will have a very good holiday season." Traditionally, the festive season in India ushers in higher air traffic growth. This year it will commence from October and last till mid-November. "I project by December we will be back to pre-Covid levels domestically." "As of now we are still way below pre-Covid numbers. In pre-Covid times, we used to do about 1,500 departures a day. Though it has recovered to 1,100 now, we are still below the pre-Coid level." In terms of capacity utilisation norms, Dutta said the company is in touch with the Centre to get 100 per cent domestic capacity soon. "I think, we will get 100 per cent soon and even the permission to re-start international operations." "By July of next year we should have recovered to pre-Covid levels internationally as well." At present, the Centre has allowed airlines to deploy limited domestic operational capacity up to 85 per cent. Furthermore, he said that pent-up demand has now become more sustained and predictable which is expect to drive growth. "Last year there were no flights for a period, as a result there was a huge pent up demand, but that's slowly petered out." "Now, I don't think this is pent up demand, but a gradual increase in demand." On the pandemic's progression, Dutta cited the current conditions are stable but cautioned against an element of uncertainty surrounding new variants. "If you look around the world, this Delta variant has clearly created a havoc in many countries. In someways, we are ahead of everyone else because we were hit first. So the havoc that they are seeing in other countries, we already experienced that in May. So to some extent, I think it is behind us." "For now things look reasonably stable." Currently, the company has a fleet of over 270 aircraft. It operates around 1,100 flights per day connecting 70 domestic and 24 international destinations. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/indices-move-higher-on-positive-global-cues-bajaj-finserv-coal-india-tata-motors-lead-the-gains/articleshow/86448105.cms">Indices move higher on positive global cues; Bajaj Finserv, Coal India, Tata Motors lead the gains</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/oyo-may-file-for-1-billion-ipo-next-week/articleshow/86448073.cms">OYO may file for $1 billion IPO next week</a>

IndiGo bullish on festive season, may see demand reach pre-COVID levels in December

The Coronavirus pandemic which started last year has taken a heavy toll on the <keyword id="53257" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="working-mothers">working mothers</keyword> in <keyword id="3658" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="India">India</keyword> with significant reduction in their average sleep time and more than two-fold jump in time taken to care for elderly in the family, a nationwide survey showed on Friday. Working <keyword id="28603" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="mothers">mothers</keyword> in the country are now sleeping for only 5.50 hours per day as compared to 6.50 hours every day on average in <keyword id="9311631" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="pre-covid">pre-Covid</keyword> era (before 2020), a reduction of about 17 per cent. They are now spending 01.50 hours more taking care of the elderly/others in the family than in pre-Covid times, according to a survey carried out by market research agency Market Xcel Data Matrix covering 1,200 working mothers across the country. The pandemic has also altered working mothers' routine and lifestyle -- their time of exercise and entertainment has also been reduced significantly. Juggling between various responsibilities, they are struggling hard to finish their office work and are spending 08.55 hours to finish office work as compared to 06.50 hours earlier. Their household work has also gone up with the absence of housemaids in many cases. Moreover, the working mothers are spending more time on their children's education now, with the absence of proper guidance in schools. Around 30 per cent women reported more household chores since the pandemic started and about 26 per cent said there were more childcare responsibilities. As many as 30 per cent women also reported mental health issues since 2020 while another 26 per cent said they were having some kind of physical health issues. "The present pandemic situation has had a ripple effect on everybody's life. The working mothers have especially been impacted who are burdened and stressed working round the clock fulfilling professional responsibilities and household duties," said Ashwani Arora, Senior Vice President, Market Xcel Data Matrix, in a statement on the Friday. "Multitasking and playing many roles simultaneously is gradually becoming hectic. Working mothers have to compromise with their exercise and sleep. Managing office and home school (of kids) at the same time at the same pace is definitely not easy and we need to give some extra care for the caregivers," Arora added. For the survey, 1,200 working mothers, aged between 25-45 were surveyed in 17 states across the country. SEE ALSO <a target="_blank" class="c-link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/esper-an-android-based-development-platform-raises-30-million-as-pandemic-accelerates-adoption-of-intelligent-devices/articleshow/82822560.cms">Esper, an Android-based development platform, raises $30 million as pandemic accelerates adoption of intelligent devices</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/the-number-of-working-women-in-india-has-been-steadily-declining-heres-why/articleshow/82823052.cms">The number of working women in India has been steadily declining, here’s why</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/apps/news/indian-government-asks-whatsapp-to-scrap-its-privacy-policy-calls-it-unfair-and-discriminatory/articleshow/82796725.cms">Indian government threatens legal action against WhatsApp’s new privacy policy – WhatsApp refuses to back down</a>

Working mothers getting less sleep as the pandemic takes a toll, says survey

New Delhi, Jul 1 () India's fuel sales in June reached 88 per cent of the pre-COVID-19 levels as easing of lockdown restrictions is reviving economic activities, the government said on Wednesday. "The sales of petroleum products in India, the world's third-biggest oil consuming nation, had in April fallen to the lowest since 2007, due to the nationwide lockdown, necessitated to prevent the spread of COVID-19 pandemic," an official statement said. Demand, however, began to revive in May and in June reached 88 per cent of pre-COVID levels, it said. "India's overall petroleum products consumption, which had nosedived in last week of March and April this year, is now steadily getting to its pre-lockdown levels in June, as emanating from the PSUs' (IOC, BPCL, and HPCL) sales figures," it said. At 11.8 million tonnes of consumption, fuel demand in June was 88 per cent of 13.4 million tonnes consumption in June 2019. Petrol consumption of 2 million tonnes in June was 85 per cent of last year's levels, while diesel at 5.5 million tonnes was 82 per cent of normal levels during this month. "With the timely arrival of monsoon and pick-up in agricultural activities during Kharif season, there was marked acceleration in diesel consumption and gained 96 per cent on April volumes of 2.8 million tonnes," the statement said. Demand for LPG fuel continues to rise, with robust growth of 16.6 per cent in June over last year. ATF consumption registered 4-times volume increase from April levels. "Demand of industrial fuels such as sulphur, petcoke, and naphtha reached to levels of 89.3 per cent, 118 per cent and 120.2 per cent respectively, while marine fuels reached to a level of 138.5 per cent vis-a-vis corresponding period last year," it said. Similarly, with the restart of major road construction projects, bitumen consumption has registered a solid growth of 32 per cent in June. The crude oil throughput of state-owned refineries has already crossed 85 per cent as on date, from as low as of 55 per cent in the beginning of April. "Overall the consumption of all petroleum products has significantly increased from April level of 49 per cent (of normal) to 88 per cent level in June," the statement said. April's fuel consumption was 6.6 million tonnes as compared to 13.4 million tonnes a year back. ANZ ABM

Fuel demand gradually returning to pre-COVID levels: Govt

<ul><li>Total TV viewership has shown consistent growth in the last 12 weeks. Advertising volumes are slowly getting back to normal.</li><li>Growth in current week vs pre-Covid period is seen across both Primetime (3%) and Non-Primetime(44%).</li><li>Overall smartphone usage is slightly lower than pre-COVID levels. The drop in the recent weeks is on account of time on banned apps getting reduced.</li></ul> In what will come as a relief for Television broadcasters and the advertising segment in general, the latest BARC &amp; Nielsen reveals that ad volumes on Television during the <keyword id="388105" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="unlock">unlock</keyword> phase has now surpassed pre-Covid volumes by about 12%. The report revealed that the inventory of the top 10 advertisers increased by 34% in the unlock period as compared to the pre-Covid period. Meanwhile, this year's Independence Day event garnered 4.6 billion viewing minutes, which was the highest viewership in the last 2 years. Interestingly, it was higher than all the previous PM addresses during COVID. These findings are part of the eleventh edition of the report on ‘Crisis Consumption on TV and Smartphones’ jointly released by <keyword id="2801660" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="BARC-India">BARC India</keyword> and Nielsen Media. With GECs back with fresh content, their share grew back to pre-Covid levels. <div type="image" title="GEC share" msid="77786110" hostid="261"></div> There has also been a consistent increase in advertiser count in July and August. <div type="image" title="Advertiser count" msid="77786161" hostid="261"></div> While FMCG is still the biggest spender, the contribution of e-commerce and education is also steadily on the rise. <div type="image" title="Category inventory" msid="77786221" hostid="261"></div> Here are some other key highlights of the report: <ul><li>Total TV viewership has shown consistent growth in the last 12 weeks – Current week Daily Average Reach is 7% higher and Average, Daily Time Spent is 13% higher than pre-COVID period. </li><li>Growth in current week vs pre-Covid period is seen across both Primetime (3%) and Non-Primetime(44%) and also across HSM and South markets. </li><li>Overall smartphone usage is slightly lower than pre-COVID levels. The drop in the recent weeks is on account of time on banned apps getting reduced.</li><li>On TV, share of different genre is more or less back to pre-COVID levels – Original programming bringing back the GEC genre both in HSM and South Markets; News and Movies see a growth in Primetime.</li><li>On Smartphones - revival seen in shopping (surpasses Pre-COVID levels in recent weeks), Education and Video Conferencing continues to grow - almost 1 in 5 people accessing them, Overall time spent on Video Streaming returns to pre-COVID levels.</li><li>Independence Day event garnered 4.6 BN viewing minutes – highest viewership in last 2 years – also higher than all the previous PM addresses during COVID.</li><li>Live Telecast of Ayodhya Bhoomi Pujan garnered 7.3 BN viewing minutes.</li><li>On Content viewed on Smartphones - Sushant Singh starrer “DilBechara” tops Movie Charts in Week 1 of release, followed by action thriller “Khuda Hafiz”, “Mastram” continues to top the Original Series charts, followed by “Bandish Bandits”, “Dangerous” &amp; “Aarya”, Share of time spent on Syndicated series on OTT increases as new programming resumes.</li><li>AD Volumes in Unlock period surpassed Pre-Covid Volumes by ~12% - Top 10 Advertiser inventory increased by 34% in Unlock period compared to Pre COVID period.</li></ul>

Ad volumes on television during the unlock period has surpassed pre-Covid volumes by 12%: BARC & Nielsen report

New Delhi, Jun 16 () India's fuel demand has reached 80-85 per cent of pre-Covid levels in the first half of June but return to 5 per cent growth trajectory may take up to two years, Oil Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and industry leaders said on Tuesday. Fuel sales in the world's third biggest oil consuming nation had fallen to their lowest in 2007 as the government imposed a nationwide lockdown to prevent the spread of coronavirus. The demand, which had fallen by as much as 70 per cent, has since recovered after lockdown restrictions were eased beginning early May. "When compared with June 2019, petroleum product demand during the first fortnight of June rose to 80-85 per cent of pre-Covid levels," Pradhan said at a webinar. Fuel consumption at 14.65 million tonnes in May was 47.4 per cent higher than April but 23.3 per cent lower than a year earlier. Diesel - the most consumed fuel - was down about 29.4 per cent in May while petrol sales fell 35.3 per cent. During June 1 to 15, diesel demand has further recovered. At 2.67 million tonnes, it was 15 per cent lower than a year back, industry data showed. Petrol sales at 930,000 tonnes were 18 per cent lower than last year. ATF, whose sales slumped to almost nil as airlines suspended operations, was 73 per cent lower in the first half of June than a year back. LPG sales were up 7 per cent at 960,000 tonnes. Speaking at the webinar, Sanjiv Singh, Chairman of Indian Oil Corp (IOC) - the nation's largest fuel retailer, said the return of growth trajectory in fuel demand will take 2 years. Prior to fuel sales losing momentum in 2019-20 fiscal (April 2019 to March 2020) due to sluggish economic activity, demand had grown at 4-5 per cent. Fuel demand in 2019-20 was almost flat at 213.7 million tonnes. Fuel demand had grown by 3.4 per cent in 2018-19 to 213.2 million tonnes while it had risen by 5.96 per cent in 2017-18 to 206.2 million tonnes. Singh comment implied that return to the trajectory of 4-5 per cent growth in fuel demand annually will take up to 2 years. ANZ MKJ

India's fuel demand reaches 80-85% of pre-COVID levels

Mumbai, Jun 17 () India's largest private sector lender HDFC Bank on Wednesday said its consumer finance loans are growing and the amount disbursed has got back to the pre-Covid levels of Rs 1,000 crore a month. The city-headquartered lender's country head for consumer finance Parag Rao said changes in lifestyle due to aspects like lockdowns and work from home has created additional demand for items such as television sets, laptops, Wi-Fi routers and even vacuum cleaners, which the bank is funding at present. It can be noted that driving consumption demand in the economy has been one of the toughest challenges which policymakers are grappling with, and economists have expressed concerns about the same. Acknowledging that a part of the traction being witnessed by the bank is pent-up demand, Rao said there is a "set of consumer appliances where demand is going up". In April, the consumer finance business had fallen by 80-85 per cent and recovered to the March levels in May, even though the non-lockdown conditions prevailed for only ten days. Rao, who also heads the credit card and payments verticals, said traditional high ticket expenditures in categories like air tickets and hotel bookings is not present as the services continue to be shut and it will take time for the same to jump back to the old levels. From an expenditure perspective, shares of small value transactions have gone up as a share of the overall pie, Rao said. As against 8-9 per cent earlier, the small value spends of up to Rs 500 generally made for daily errands now account for nearly a fourth of the overall card spending on the reduced denominator, Rao said. "People are pulling out their cards for more number of occasions and hence, activity on cards has gone up," he said. The upcoming fintech players are competitors but not disruptors, he asserted, adding that emergence of newer players helps broaden the market opportunity. "The yeoman's job which this competition is doing is I think it is expanding the market," he said. He said HDFC Bank is a full service bank offering an entire suite of products, including payments and deemed to suggest sustainability is important for the lender. "Sustainable market leadership is not just about throwing cashbacks or having the best customer experience. It involves all of it but also means that in your business model you value sustainability," he said. AA MKJ

Consumer loans disbursement back to pre-Covid level: HDFC Bank

<ul><li>The year 2020 has been one of turbulence and disruption that will have a far-reaching impact on consumer behaviour.</li><li><keyword id="1530230" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Markand-Adhikari">Markand Adhikari</keyword>, Chairman and Managing Director, <keyword id="3517320" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="sab-group">SAB Group</keyword> writes how the year drawing to a close will change the <keyword id="6354777" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Media">media</keyword> and entertainment industry.</li></ul>The year that is drawing to a close has changed the world forever. For each of us, life is going to be marked in two periods - ‘<keyword id="9311631" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="pre-covid">pre-COVID</keyword>’ era and ‘post-COVID’ era. After the Spanish Flu of 1918, the world had forgotten pandemics and when one broke out, we were not prepared at all. As lockdowns and mobility restrictions came into force to counter the spread of the virus, various sectors were forced to hastily work out their business continuity plans. The only solace was that the <keyword id="50691" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Digital">digital</keyword> connectivity had matured enough in recent years to keep life going amid shutdown. Thus, many sectors could figure out ways to ensure continuity. Remote learning and continued education is one example. The other is, of course, the entertainment and media sector, which, like any other business, has also faced unprecedented turbulence in 2020. COVID-19 Impact on Media and Entertainment Industry Television channels, as utility service, had to go on, and their viewership witnessed a spike, as people were largely confined to their homes and the TV set (or the mobile phone screen) was their only point of contact with the outside world, and thus the only source of news as well as diversion. The consumption of content, thus, increased greatly. Unfortunately, this did not result in a similar increase in revenue. This is ironic. With the overall economy taking a hit, there were wage cuts and job losses, reducing the overall purchasing power of consumers. As a result, their spending was restricted to the most essential items alone which means that at least during the period of the extended lockdown, from April to early July, there was no point in any marketing activities, including advertising. Thus, while viewership increased, content consumption increased, for entertainment and media industry expenses increased, but its revenues hit rock bottom. As the lockdown was gradually lifted, restrictions were eased and life began to limp back to normality in July, the revenue streams started picking up again – though very slowly. Further, with the onset of the festive season, general entertainment channels reached pre-COVID levels in terms of revenue, but most niche channels have not yet reached the same point. However, one big exception has been the news segment: for obvious reasons, news channels have benefitted from the lockdown because more and more people turned to them more and more often for updates on the coronavirus and lockdown measures. Post COVID-19 Media and Entertainment Industry As the world adjusts to a new normal, consumer behaviour is rapidly evolving. There is ever-increasing demand for at-home digital media like OTT platforms which are now expanding to new demographics and locations. This will continue to magnify post-COVID. Further, even once the crisis subsides; it would take some time for consumers to adopt external consumptions models again. Therefore, technological advancements would play a pivotal role in bringing outdoor entertainment directly to consumers at their home. The future is digital. We will not just see the addition of new users but also increasing the retainership of existing digital consumers. Online gaming consumption and demand for OTT originals is only going to increase as technological advances greatly aid them. The best part is that their model is subscription-driven and not dependent upon advertisers. Though television is very much here to stay, OTT is going to gain a lot of traction in the mid-term. Further, the dependency of M&amp;E companies on technology will likely increase to leverage cost-efficiency and create revenue enhancement opportunities. As monetisation and revenue in terms of ad-spend, continues to grapple, profit protection and cash management with greater technology integration will gain strategic significance for M&amp;E companies. The industry is likely to remain focused on sustenance at current levels along with a renewed emphasis on flexibility which would accelerate the move to a variable cost model and reduced fixed costs. While the long-term implications of COVID-19 are yet to emerge, the above mentioned developments will likely come into focus in the M&amp;E industry as the post-COVID reality becomes clearer. Summing Up! If we take a long-term view, COVID-19 has put the world behind by at least two to three years, and returning to the normal will take as much time. Moreover, it may not be normal as earlier, but a ‘new normal’. A year is a long time, and many fears and many habits have become a part of us, and it will be difficult to dislodge them for long. Many people may continue taking precautions even after successful administration of the vaccine, which will further impact consumer decisions and behaviour.

The Media and Entertainment industry post Covid-19: The best and worst of times

New Delhi, <keyword id="6354706" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="IndiGo">IndiGo</keyword> on Wednesday said it has reached 70% of its pre-COVID capacity and is operating 1,000 daily international and <keyword id="6391001" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="domestic-flights">domestic flights</keyword>. India resumed domestic passenger flights on May 25 after a gap of two months due to the coronavirus-triggered lockdown. At the time of resumption, the government had allowed airlines to operate not more than 33% of their pre-COVID domestic flights. In the subsequent months, this limit was gradually increased and it currently stands at 70%. Ronojoy Dutta, Chief Executive Officer, IndiGo said, "We are currently operating at around 70% of our pre-COVID capacity and we hope that the growth will continue into 2021." "From zero domestic and <keyword id="426378" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="international-operations">international operations</keyword> to now operating 1,000 scheduled <keyword id="148415" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="commercial-flights">commercial flights</keyword> daily, we have indeed come a long way since we resumed operations post the lockdown," he said in a statement. Earlier in June, Dutta had told in an interview that IndiGo was aiming to operate 70% of its pre-COVID flights by the end of this year. Currently, the budget carrier is operating 100-130 scheduled flights from three key metro cities -- Delhi, Bengaluru and Hyderabad. IndiGo, India's largest airline, operated around 1,500 daily flights before the pandemic hit. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/corporates/news/burger-king-grey-market-premium-and-heres-what-brokerages-say-about-the-ipo-opening-tomorrow/articleshow/79508730.cms?upcache=2">Burger King India IPO opens today — brokerages recommend ‘subscribe’ on attractive valuations</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/top-stocks-to-watch-dr-reddys-lab-reliance-power-hero-moto-eicher-motors-tvs-motor-phoenix-mills-coal-india-and-others/articleshow/79521982.cms">Top stocks to watch — Dr Reddy’s Lab, Reliance Power, Hero Moto, Eicher Motors, TVS Motor, Phoenix Mills, Coal India, and others</a>

IndiGo reaches 70%  of its pre-COVID capacity, operating 1,000 daily flights

<ul><li>According to <keyword id="218117" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Naukri-com">Naukri.com</keyword>’s JobSpeak Index, <keyword id="6357342" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Hiring">hiring</keyword> activity saw a 5% month-on-month increase in July, but is still 47% lower than what it was in July 2019. </li><li>The demand for freshers seemed to be the worst hit as entry-level <keyword id="11018" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Jobs">jobs</keyword> saw a 51% year-on-year decline.</li><li>Here’s how each sector registered hiring activity in July 2020. </li></ul>When the coronavirus pandemic began, a cloud of uncertainty spread around the world, and as businesses began getting impacted, hiring froze, and job cuts began. Now, six months into the pandemic, the economy is a slow path to recovery, and so is the hiring spree. However, the numbers are still far from hitting pre-COVID levels, which means companies continue to remain cautious. According to Naukri.com’s JobSpeak Index, hiring activity saw a 5% month-on-month increase in July, but is still 47% lower than what it was in July 2019. However, the demand for freshers seemed to be the worst hit as entry-level jobs saw a 51% year-on-year decline. “July marks marginal recovery in month-on-month hiring activities. Industries such as Recruitment /Employment, Media/Entertainment, and Construction/Engineering bounce back with positive signs in hiring month-on-month as lockdown restrictions are eased further. It is interesting to see emerging cities leading the way in job market recovery versus metros which are declining by more than 50%.,” said Pawan Goyal, Chief Business Officer, Naukri.com in a statement. Interestingly, the education sector, which saw an uptick in hiring throughout the lockdown phase, saw a fall in hiring on a monthly basis in July. According to the survey, here’s how the different sectors fared Naukri.com’s JobSpeak Index: Hiring Activity <table style="border-width: initial; border-style: none; width: 468pt; table-layout: fixed;"></colgroup><tbody><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Sector </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;">Monthly Increase/Decrease </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;">Recruitment /Employment </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;">37% </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;">Media/Entertainment </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;">36% </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;">Construction/Engineering </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;">27% </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;">BFSI </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;">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;">Auto </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;">14% </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;">Telecom </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;">13% </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;">IT-Hardware </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;">9% </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;">Education </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;">-22% </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;">Hospitality </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;">-5% </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 </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;">-2% </td></tr></tbody></table> SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/amazon-entry-in-food-delivery-will-be-a-speed-bump-on-zomato-and-swiggy-race-to-profitability-says-report/articleshow/77503666.cms">Amazon’s entry in food delivery is a speed bump on Zomato and Swiggy’s race to profitability, says report</a>

Hiring is on a slow rise in India, but the numbers are nowhere close to pre-COVID levels

<ul><li>Since the start of Unlock, <keyword id="6368349" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Online-Furniture">online furniture</keyword> selling platform <keyword id="864887" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Pepperfry">Pepperfry</keyword> has witnessed good recovery, so much so that it surpassed its pre-Covid sales volumes by around 50-60% in October.</li><li>We caught up with <keyword id="707187" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Kashyap-Vadapalli">Kashyap Vadapalli</keyword>, Chief Marketing Officer &amp; Business Head, Pepperfry to understand how the brand navigated the few months of lockdown and adapted to the new world order, and the factors that helped them come out of this adverse situation relatively unscathed.</li></ul>This has been an exceptionally difficult year for businesses across the globe. However, this has also been a year that has tested their resilience and how they reacted to the crisis has set the course for the rest of the year, and probably the next few years too. This became the time when a company’s ability to be agile and adapt to changing times was tested and the companies that were able to do that are already seeing results, getting back on track their growth story. While a lot of sectors were seriously impacted due to the lockdown, there were a few that got tailwinds due to the lockdown. One such segment is the <keyword id="10326510" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="online-furniture-industry">online furniture industry</keyword>. The pandemic has led to an increase in digital adaption across the country, making people who weren’t really shopping online come on board. The category also got a boost as with people staying at home, there was a need to furnish homes with suitable furnitures to make their houses suitable for working from home. Even students attending classes from home need proper furnishing to make the experience comfortable and it has led to more and more people spending on buying furniture online. Therefore it is not surprising that Pepperfry has been witnessing a steady increase in demand and growth since May. In fact, in October, Pepperfry surpassed its pre-Covid sales volumes, and that too by 50-60%. We recently caught up with Kashyap Vadapalli, Chief Marketing Officer &amp; Business Head, Pepperfry to understand how the brand navigated the few months of lockdown and adapted to the new world order, and the factors that helped them come out of this adverse situation relatively unscathed. Excerpts: Q) While the first half of the year was challenging, things have slowly started looking up. How have things been for brand Pepperfry? While the first half was challenging for individuals and businesses alike, we’ve witnessed a swift recovery in our business and a favorable consumer sentiment in the second half. In order to cater to the evolving scenario, we innovated and executed with great agility to cater to discerning consumers by launching new features, new pricing strategy and UI/UX changes among others. This overhaul along with the consumer’s growing inclination towards creating a home environment that is conducive to the evolved home has helped in a steady bounce back. We clocked 40% of pre-lockdown sales in May, 70% in June, 85% in July to a complete recovery at 100% of pre-lockdown volumes, in August. The remarkable interest towards the category has helped is surpassing our pre-COVID sales volumes by 50-60% in October. As the pandemic accelerated the shift in consumer behavior from offline to online, the online furniture category saw ~50% increase in interest, in comparison to last year. The increasing behavior shift has resulted in Pepperfry’s online business soaring to 120% of pre-lockdown levels by August/September. Furthermore, our first-time-buyers (FTB) business grew at a faster rate than repeat buyers in Tier-2 cities. Overall, Our FTB business contribution increased ~500bps for Tier-2 cities and beyond. As the leader in the category, which is known for its distinguished offerings, we introduced the ‘Buy on Phone’ program to smoothen this transition of offline to online for our consumers. The program allows customers or potentials to interact with Pepperfry’s sales consultants and seek guidance around the furniture buying process via phone and video chat. Q) With more and more people working from home, the demand for <keyword id="10326511" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="home-improvement-products">home improvement products</keyword> understandably went up. What kind of growth have you seen and how are you further strengthening your offering in the segment while also innovating to make people's work from home regimes a little better? As the lockdown progressed, most companies and educational organizations instituted a work from home policy, even extending it for several months until safety concerns are minimized. This new awareness of the work-from-home and study-from-home format, as a somewhat permanent lifestyle, has motivated consumers to view furniture as a required, long-term investment that will support and smoothen this transition. Undoubtedly, this has led to an unprecedented rise in demand for home-office furniture. Pepperfry’s home-office category, specifically study tables and ergonomic office chairs grew by 250% and 400% respectively in August 2020, in comparison to pre-lockdown levels. Currently, this category contributes about ~25% to the overall sales volume, a segment which earlier accounted for about 10% of total sales, prior to the lockdown. Furthermore, consumers are actively investing behind products that are lightweight and kinetic as well as flexible furniture that is easily movable, reconfigured and provide the flexibility to adapt to the situation. Apart from work, consumers are generally spending the bulk of their day at home. This has led to a consciousness and a need for a home-environment that not only enhances work productivity but also one that supports leisure and family-oriented activities. Therefore, the demand for hero products such as beds, mattresses, dining tables, wardrobes as well as furnishings such as wall décor, lights &amp; lamps have seen a rise in demand. Compact and space-saving products like bean bags have also grown reasonably well compared to pre-COVID numbers. Through such small additions and changes, consumers are definitely seeing value in making their homes more aesthetic and conducive to mental and physical well-being. In order to continue catering to the diversified home-office needs of our discerning customers, we have collaborated with B2B furniture players to address this strong demand. Q) How did you make sure that the pandemic did not have a huge impact on the brand? The announcement of the lockdown led to a temporary suspension of business operations - delivery and assembly of products, operations at Studios, et al.However, we made a conscious decision of keeping our website active, allowing customers to easily surf, view, research and purchase products. This led to an increase in engagement rate by 40-50% in the time spent by consumers on the site and page depth i.e. the number of pages a consumer visits when they are in a particular session. As we resumed operations with the easing of the regulations, we faced a few challenges regarding logistics and delivery. However, on the back of our robust big-box logistics and supply chain model, we were one of the first e-commerce businesses dealing with non-essential categories to re-initiate large item deliveries within the country and clear the backlog promptly after the announcement of unlock. Additionally, considering how furniture is a big-ticket category, which requires doorstep delivery and assembly, we ensured that all our functions were executed with absolute safety precautions in place. At our warehouses and Studios, we adopted preventive measures like daily tracking of employee health as well as monitoring the temperature of visitors, ensuring complete training on hygiene, use of sanitizers at regular intervals and disinfecting the complete space and product post-delivery. From marketing perspective, we quickly adopted a communication strategy that helped us in maintaining relevancy among consumers. We halted all sales and discount related messaging and turned towards addressing the current challenges through tips like how to maintain furniture, DIY décor ideas, safe ways to rearrange your furniture and so on. We witnessed an increase in consumer engagement, through these themes.Additionally, in line with our brand personality of being pioneering, intelligent and conscious we looked at content that helped the audience get up to date with the latest in lifestyle choices with a focus on home through a series of expert interactions. We used interesting formats such as quizzes and trivia to keep the curiosity alive and to achieve high engagement levels. Q) Did you cut down on your marketing budget during the pandemic? What does your budget allocation look like for the rest of the year and the upcoming fiscal? During lockdown, taking cognizance of the increasing amount of time consumers were spending on digital and social media platforms, we diverted our marketing spends towards these mediums. However, during the festive season, we adopted a more diversified approach. Typically, our marketing spends are divided by a 70:30 ratio wherein the larger share of the budget is allocated to digital. But for this festive season, we decided to divide the budget equally between traditional and digital mediums. Q) As a marketer, what are your key focus areas going to be, going ahead? The focus in marketing would be maintaining high scores and leadership in brand metrics like TOM (top of mind) and preference. It would be to continue increasing the conversion rates on the site by driving quality traffic. Additionally, using AI/ML to sharp target audiences to improve ROI along with conversions, would continue to be important. We will also be looking to underline the differentiated and curated catalog on Pepperfry to the discerning customer, which will help us gain share in the premium segment of the market. Q) What were your key learnings from the past few months? Key learnings from the past few months include – to always be active from a brand messaging perspective. While consumers may not be buying actively, maintaining communications will help when the demand builds back. Be empathetic to the consumers concerns, do not indulge in hard-sell, try and empower the consumer with knowledge and information in tough times and they will turn to you when the times are good. Q) Are people now coming back to <keyword id="3437283" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="studio-pepperfry">Studio Pepperfry</keyword>? Do you have plans of further expanding your retail presence and going deeper into the country? During the initial days of the unlock phase, we leveraged our social media platforms to communicate the preventive measures undertaken at the Studios. This helped us in building trust and confidence among customers. We are witnessing a great revival in footfalls, with the Studios already contributing to c.30% of the overall business (which was at 38% pre-COVID). Given that these Studios act as key consumer touchpoints for the brand and considering how these have bounced back swiftly post the lockdown, we will continue with our aim to build the largest omni-channel network in the country. Currently, we have 60 experiential centres in 20 cities across the country, out of these 18 are owned and operated by franchisees and the remnant are owned and operated by Pepperfry. Given the growing interest of consumers from Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities, we are planning to expand our Studio presence in these markets with the help of our unique and highly successful FOFO (franchise-owned &amp; franchise-operated) model. We aim to open at least 20 more FOFO Studios in Tier 2 and 3 cities by March 2021. Q) Where will the next phase of growth for Pepperfry come from? There is a huge headroom for growth in the conventional urban markets, where penetration of online furniture is still in the low single digits. Additionally we see a lot of Tier II and Tier III markets taking to online furniture shopping as they find designs and styles on Pepperfry that they do not find in their markets. I see this phenomenon contributing to the next phase of growth for us. <a name="_GoBack"></a>

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