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|In: Technology|Last Updated: | 0 Comments

Helpchat, the chat-based personal assistant app that helps you get more things done has recorded an overwhelming response to its ‘Festive Season Help’ feature. The service was introduced to assist Helpchat users in navigating through the many deals and discounts across online and offline retail channels during Dussehra and Diwali time. Helpchat processed more than 1 lakh consumer queries during this time.

Of all the request on the app, 60% were related to online shopping. 42% of the weekly request focused exclusively on the best e-commerce discounts and deals. The category that witnessed maximum traction is mobile phones wherein consumers posted several request regarding potential purchases via popular marketplaces such as Flipkart, Amazon and Snapdeal etc.

Ankur Singla, Founder and CEO, Helpchat said

We have received an exceptional response to our ‘Festive Season Help’ feature. It is exciting for us to see that in a short span of time, Helpchat has indeed become the default behavior of consumers. During the festival season, a very large number of users turned to our  platform for different kind of request, like from where to buy their Puja Samagri, the best deals on consumer electronics, top offline sales to the best location for a Ravan effigy in their cities. We are pleased to be the personal assistant of choice for the entire spectrum of our users’ needs.

About 50% of the request on Helpchat came from Tier 1 geographies like Delhi-NCR, Mumbai, Bangalore, Pune & Hyderabad. More than 80% of the users belonged to the age bracket of 25-35 years and almost 35% of them were female. Besides online shopping, the other areas that recorded maximum request during this festive season were offline sales [23%], apparel shopping [19%], help with choosing the best electronics and appliances [11%] & queries about local Puja shopping [5%].

About Helpchat

Helpchat [earlier called Akosha] launched it’s personal assistant chat app in January 2015 and raised Rs. 100 crores from Sequoia Capital in June 2015. It recently opened a Bangalore office to add more engineers and product people to its team. Be it anything, from recharging your phone to tech support, from travel booking to holiday guidance, from grocery to food ordering, from shopping assistance to finding deals & coupons, from finding gifts to suggesting the best electronic item, from doing a web check-in to getting your laundry done – Helpchat can get all of them done for you.

|In: Technology|Last Updated: | 0 Comments

The essence of Diwali lies in its spirit of generosity, which sees friends and relatives exchange gifts with those most important to them. And yet a festival that should be celebrated by all means nothing to those without the means to celebrate. The homeless and the orphaned, children who scrape by with no notion of anything but the hardships and hunger of life deserve to smile during Diwali.

Orphans afflicted with HIV are society’s most vulnerable members, alone and without a family to rely on. Fate has placed a cruel burden on these children, and Faasos is determined to help them bear it. Faasos fulfills the culinary desires of thousands of people every day, but we don’t believe that the luxury of a meal should be denied to anyone. That’s why this Diwali, Faasos will let anyone ask #AajKhaneMeinKyaHai.

Faasos is reviving the charitable spirit of the season with the introduction of a special Diwali coupon code – LIGHTUP. All a customer has to do is place their order using this code and Faasos will donate the entire order amount to The Desire Organization. An equivalent amount will also be contributed by InnoVen Capital, India’s first and largest Venture Debt provider which has also invested in Faasos. With the help of it’s customers, Faasos along with InnoVen Capital, plan to raise at least Rs. 5 Lakhs, enough to provide meals to 200 children for 30 days.

Revant Bhate, Head of Marketing, Faasos, said

‘AajKhaneMeinKyaHai’, is the core element of our business, and yet for so many people across our country, the question is not what, but if, they’ll be eating today. We’ve decided that we want to make a positive change this Diwali season, and focus all of our efforts on providing delicious meals to those who need them the most. In partnership with InnoVen, we’ve decided to donate the full cost of any meal order placed with our specially released coupon code to the Desire Organization, to live up to the true spirit of generosity that Diwali is built around.

So, brighten someone’s life this Diwali, and let the joy on their faces light up your holiday. Order on Faasos using the coupon code LIGHTUP.

[Image Source* – Faasos]

|In: India|Last Updated: | 0 Comments

In an effort to provide a comprehensive overview of the Indian Games industry, The National Association of Software and Services Companies [NASSCOM] have released a report titled the Indian Games Market Review at the NASSCOM Gaming Developer Conference 2015 taking place in Pune. The report aims to provide an overview of the Indian media & entertainment industry and digital landscape, showcasing the history and evolution of the Indian games industry, an assessment of the Indian games market from consumer spending and demographic insights into the Indian gamer.

Talking about the findings of the report, R Chandrashekhar, President, NASSCOM said

To provide a holistic picture of the growing gaming landscape in India, NASSCOM interviewed the key players to conducted an extensive survey of the Indian developer and service provider ecosystem. The report provides a road map to start-up’s, Indies and investors based on internet usage patterns, mobile smartphones and tablets, to digital media and mobile advertising.

According to the report, mobile gamers lead the market in India, with a Smartphone install base estimated at 200 million by the end of 2015 that is estimated to grow by 100 million each year thereafter.

  • Approximately 40 to 50 million people play games on their smartphones and feature phones, with an annual growth rate of 40% to 50%.
  • Mobile gaming revenues are currently estimated at $150 million across all revenue models.
  • Additionally, the console market size, is estimated to be around 3 – 4 million gamers, with 3 – 3.5 million of lifetime sales for all consoles including PlayStation 2 [2 million] and 100,000 units for PlayStation 4 and X-Box One combined.
  • The cyber cafe market is currently estimated at 3000 cafes in India with games, of which 1500 have 5 machines or more dedicated to games.

It’s estimated that there are 250,000 active PC/MMO players, with popular games including Counter strike, DOTA, League of Legends and World of Tanks.

On the content creation side, the report outlines a young industry that has changed dramatically in the last five years and now includes over 200 games development studios and service providers. The advent of self-publishing, investment and crowdfunding, has led to a new breed of agile indie developers, whose focus is on mobile and PC social games.

More than half of Indian Game Developers and Service Providers were established from 2012 onwards and the industry follows a lean structure, with 57% of companies having less than 10 employees and in 2014, 27% of all Indian Game Developers and Service Providers had revenues of above $1.6 million. The report further states that, 75% of Indian developers are focused on building games for the global gaming market. 96% of developers work on mobile games, with 61% of those building free-to-play games. Among studios, arcade games are the most popular genre, followed by puzzle and racing releases.

Currently most game developers and service providers in India are focused on the global market, with development, game art services and animation being the main sources of revenue. Approximately 9% generate revenue from the domestic market, while foreign games dominate the app store rankings. With recent developments such as Apple and Google lowering the minimum price for apps and in-app purchases in India, the report expects more Indian companies to turn their focus towards the Indian market in the future.

On the sidelines of the NASSCOM Gaming Developer Conference 2015, NASSCOM also announced the winners of the NGF Awards 2015, to evangelize the community in India and recognize their achievements in Game development and encourage the creation of IP. The Winners are:

To view the full Indian Games Market Review report visit NASSCOM report

About NASSCOM

NASSCOM is the premier trade body and the chamber of commerce of the IT-BPM industry in India. NASSCOM is a global trade body with more than 1800 members, which includes both Indian and multinational companies that have a presence in India. NASSCOM’s member and associate member companies are broadly in the business of software development, software services, software products, consulting services, BPM, e-commerce and web services, engineering services and animation and gaming. NASSCOM’s membership base constitutes over 95% of the industry revenues in India and employs about 3.5 million professionals.

|In: India|Last Updated: | 0 Comments

iQor, a global provider of customer contact solutions & product support services, has announced plans to invest $200 million in building an expanded, pan-India service network to deliver world-class end-to-end aftermarket services.

Currently the company, the largest aftermarket services provider in the world, operates depot repair/refurbishment services at state-of-the-art facilities in Manesar [Gurgaon], Mumbai, Kolkata and Bangalore, and company owned-company operated premium customer-branded walk-in centers and on-site services in 82 cities and 17 states. iQor also operates a 1,000-seat contact center in the Delhi National Capital Region [NCR].

Speaking about the expansion, Hartmut Liebel, iQor’s CEO said

India is the world’s fastest-growing major economy and is projected to be the second largest smartphone market by 2016. With infrastructure and staff already in place throughout the country, iQor is perfectly positioned to meet India’s increasing demands for skilled, immediate product support.

The expansion will create 20,000 new jobs in all of India’s 29 states. Part of the growth will come from the opening of two new repair depot hubs in Chennai and Hyderabad as well as new walk-in service centers along with on-site services for some of the world’s foremost manufacturers of smartphones, tablets, desktop computers, notebooks, digital players and consumer products.

iQor plans to nearly quadruple its network of convenient, brand-exclusive centers, which offer face-to-face product support and first- and second-line technical assistance, in the coming months. By the end of 2015 iQor will be increasing its footprint to 115 locations in 109 cities and 22 states.

Sanjay Vidyarthi, Managing Director-India said

All our global and domestic clients are expanding massively in India. They are all looking for one or two partners to deliver quality services across the country. With our exceptional end-to-end in-country capabilities, we intend to become their partner of choice.

About iQor

iQor provides business process outsourcing and product support services in 17 countries, with 32,000 employees. Their award-winning technology, logistics and analytics platforms enables them to measure, monitor and analyze brand interactions, improve business processes and find operational efficiencies that lead to superior outcomes for it’s partners across the customer and product life-cycles. For more information, please visit  www.iqor.com or follow @iQor at linkedin.com/company/iqor

|In: India|Last Updated: | 0 Comments

Hike messenger, one of India’s fastest growing Internet companies have announced appointment of Hemant Goyal as VP of Finance & Gautam Vohra as its General Counsel. Both Hemant and Gautam will be reporting to Kavin Bharti Mittal, Founder & CEO Hike Messenger

Hemant comes from Unilever Singapore, where he was Finance Director for Global Supply Chain. He has worked with Unilever for over 12 years in various roles and across geographies including India and Europe. Prior to Unilever, he was with Tata Motors.

The Company has also roped in Amazon India’s Principle Legal Counsel Gautam Vohra as it’s General Counsel. Gautam is one of the leading legal experts in technology and intellectual property matters and as General Counsel for Hike. He will focus on building the legal, compliance & policy functions as the company expands to the next level of growth in India and envision a global footprint.

On the appointments, Kavin Bharti Mittal said

With Hemant and Gaurav on board, we add a strong financial and legal foundation to our leadership team. Both Hemant and Gaurav bring incredible cross-domain experience in their respective fields and we are excited to have them on join us.

On joining Hike, Hemant Goyal said

I am delighted to join Hike and work with this exceptional team. I’m excited about the umpteen possibilities to be explored within Hike and I look forward to sharing my experiences and contributing to the future direction and growth of one of India’s fastest growing internet companies.

Gautam Vohra commented

I’m thrilled to be a part of the organization at a time when the company is well-positioned to tap new possibilities during this time of ever evolving mobile-first rather mobile only world. Look forward to contributing towards the accomplishing the mission of bringing India online.

Hemant and Gautam take charge at a time when Hike readies for the next phase of growth in India’s fast growing mobile internet market. The company has been growing at an exponential pace and also building it’s leadership team as it continues to innovate in the hyper competitive messaging space.

Hike messenger also recently strengthened their leadership positions by roping in Vidur Vyas as VP of Marketing and Sumit Mehra as Studio Head.

Hike’s Growth Story

  • Dec 2012 – Global launch
  • Feb 2013 – Messaging traffic grows 10X week on week
  • April 2013 – Hit the first 5M user milestone in just 4 months of its launch | Raised $7M from BSB
  • Feb 2014 – Hit the 15M user mark
  • April 2014 – Received $14M fresh funding from BSB
  • June 2014 – Crossed 20M user mark, launched first TVC
  • July 2014 – Hit #1 rank on App stores
  • August 2014 – Crossed 35M user mark, receives $65M fresh funding led by Tiger Global & BSB
  • November 2014 – Launches regional stickers on hike
  • January 2015 – Launched free Hike Calls
  • February 2015 – Launched Cricket Scores on hike
  • Aug 2015: Hike announces 20 billion messages per month and launched Hike News
  • Sep 2015: Launched Group Calling with upto 100 people

Additional information

You can download the app at – http://get.hike.in For more information, please visit the Hike Blog

|In: General|Last Updated: | 0 Comments

Panasonic unveiled its The Life Utsav – Home Makeover 2015 Offer which is a part of company’s festive consumer campaign Life Utsav. The consumer campaign was launched on 2nd Oct to mark the arrival of the auspicious festival season in the country and the customers can participate in the same by making a purchase of Panasonic products at any Panasonic Brand Stores across the country.

Under the 45 days long ‘The Life Utsav – Home Makeover 2015 Offer‘, Panasonic will announce 45 daily jackpots [Prizes of worth Rs 47 500/- each], 6 weekly Jackpot [each consisting of Honda Activa Scooter & Panasonic Products worth Rs. 21 000/-] & 1 Grand Bumper Jackpot [consisting of Honda Jazz & Panasonic Products worth Rs. 51 000/-].  Along with this, 101 customers also stand a chance to win 10 Grams Silver Coin daily. The offer is available till November 15th, 2015.

[Click on image to enlarge]

Speaking on the occasion, Manish Sharma, Managing Director, Panasonic India & South Asia said

As the spell of celebrations has just started, we at Panasonic India are delighted to introduce ‘Life Utsav – Home Makeover 2015 Offer’ across our Brandstore Network. These special offers will help Panasonic touch its consumer base across cities and build deeper inroads into the country. India being such a diverse market, to amplify the reach across the length and breadth of the country, the brand has developed a strong channel ecosystem, catering to the needs of the consumers across segments.

The ongoing campaign Life Utsav has some tempting offers so that consumers can shop without going heavy on their wallets. The campaign offers crazy deals and discounts to the consumers. Panasonic’s incredible bundle of offers can be availed on the purchase of Viera, Microwaves, Refrigerators and Washing Machines. Adding sheen to the festive spirit, the consumers have a chance to win assured gifts and extended warranties on their favorite products, from 25th Sept – 15th Nov, 2015

|In: Mobile|Last Updated: | 1 Comment

ZAGG Inc, a leading global mobile accessories company, today announced its launch in India. The company offers a broad range of products, from the industry-standard InvisibleShield screen protectors and mobile keyboards, to power management solutions, mobile audio & cases. ZAGG aims to be a brand that makes products consumers can rely on to make the most of their mobile lives.

The mobile accessory market in India is pegged at Rs.6000 crore and is expected to grow 25% in the current year, mirroring the growth of the smartphone market which is expected to maintain a double-digit growth rate over the next few years as people switch to smartphones and gradually upgrade to 4G smartphones as well. By 2017, IDC expects India to overtake the United States as the second largest smartphone market globally.

Zagg_Logo

Chris Ahern, Managing Director, ZAGG International said

Technology moves fast, and India’s smartphone growth is a prime example of that. At ZAGG, we create products that keep up with our customers to make their lives truly mobile. Be it our screen protection that can protect helicopter blades or Bluetooth-enabled tablet keyboards, join us as we continue to offer the best ways to enhance, energize, and elevate your mobile devices.

ZAGG has partnered with Brilyant, an IT and Consumer Electronics Distribution company, established in 2014, to enter India. Brilyant has a pan-India presence through its Strategic Partner Network, with a direct coverage of 18,000+ billing points and counters.

Suresh Reddy, CEO, Brilyant said

We’re proud to help ZAGG launch in India as the organization ventures into Asia. Our management team enjoys a long standing relationship with channel partners, retailers, resellers, and value added distributors across India and consequently, we have the ability to deliver ZAGG products across the length and breadth of the country in the most efficient manner.

Brilyant’s reach includes having ZAGG partner with Croma – India’s first large format specialist retail chain for consumer electronics and durables with successful expansion into Croma Zip stores, Croma Kiosks and latest online vertical. Croma’s focus on customer and brand satisfaction has seen the retailer earn “Most Admired Retailer” award seven years in a row from Indian Retail Forum.

Avijit Mitra, CEO, Croma said

We’re proud to have ZAGG partner with us. We offer our customers over 6000 products across eight categories in a world-class ambiance and our offerings are growing every day. For brands such as ZAGG that partner with us, Croma is India’s only fully integrated offline-online retailer that offers reach across the country.

ZAGG products include InvisibleShield, Keyboards, Cases, Power banks & Audio Accessories ranging in price from Rs.699/- to Rs.9,999/- and cover a broad spectrum of popular phones and tablets.

About ZAGG Inc

ZAGG Inc creates best-in-class accessories that protect and enhance mobile devices for consumers around the globe. The company offers a broad range of products, from the No. 1 selling industry-standard InvisibleShield screen protectors and mobile keyboards, to power management solutions, mobile audio and cases. ZAGG is the trusted brand that makes products consumers can rely on to make the most of their mobile lives. More information about the company and its brands, including iFrogz, is available at www.zagg.com or on Facebook & Twitter

About Brilyant

Brilyant is an IT & Consumer Electronics Distribution company, established in 2014. With a network across the country, Brilyant has a deep understanding of the Indian market; its management team enjoys a long standing relationship with channel partners, retailers, resellers & value added distributors across India.

[Image Source* – ZAGG Blog]

|In: India|Last Updated: | 0 Comments

Mindtree has partnered with MetricStream, the market leader in Governance, Risk & Compliance [GRC], to help simplify regulatory compliance for financial firms. Mindtree will leverage MetricStream’s Zaplet, a cloud-based open platform to build, deploy and manage a variety of GRC applications for financial firms globally. 

Mindtree’s expertise in the financial sector combined with MetricStream’s market leadership in the GRC domain will enable clients automate and manage regulatory processes from trade validations to tracking.

MindMetric

Together, the companies will co-develop a comprehensive trade-reporting framework to support multiple regulations such as the Dodd Frank Act, the European Market Infrastructure Regulation Markets in Financial Instruments Directive, and the upcoming Markets in Financial Investments Regulation. This will enable financial institutions to reduce operational risks and avoid penalties levied for inaccurate reporting.

Kamran Ozair, Executive Vice President & Head of Banking, Financial Services and Insurance, Mindtree, said

Increasing global commerce, digitization and fraud is putting tremendous compliance pressure on financial institutions. This partnership will allow us to provide robust compliance solutions and help clients simplify regulatory requirements and reduce associated expenses.

Rajesh Raman, VP of Zaplet, MetricStream said

In today’s environment, it has become imperative for financial institutions to have a robust compliance framework which enables them to operate efficiently and manage risks.  MetricStream’s cloud-based Zaplet GRC platform provides such a framework and enables our partners to build solutions to meet these critical needs. We are extremely excited about our partnership with Mindtree.

About MetricStream

MetricStream is the market leader in enterprise-wide Governance, Risk, Compliance [GRC] and Quality Management Solutions. MetricStream solutions are used by leading global corporations in diverse industries such as Financial Services, Healthcare, Life Sciences, Energy and Utilities, Food, Retail, CPG, Government, Hi-Tech and Manufacturing to manage their risk management programs, quality management processes, regulatory and industry-mandated compliance and other corporate governance initiatives. For more information please visit MetricStream