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|In: Digital|Last Updated: | 0 Comments

Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd [Jio], the world’s fastest growing digital services company and Uber, the country’s preferred ride-sharing app, have announced a strategic partnership aimed at bringing the benefits of Jio Digital Life ecosystem to their users.

As part of the partnership, Jio and Uber will work together and explore various opportunities to progressively enrich and enhance the Digital Life experience of their users through complementary programmes.

JioMoney, the PPI wallet offered by Reliance Payment Solutions Ltd and Uber announced an agreement that will enable Uber riders to pay for their rides using JioMoney & thereby enhance the digital transaction ecosystem in India. Similarly, JioMoney users will soon be able to request and pay for Uber rides from within the JioMoney app. The partnership will give a major boost to cash-free payments in India and provide mobility options to millions of Jio users.

Uber will gradually rollout the JioMoney payment option for its users across the country. This integration provides a hassle-free payment experience to Uber riders and will be an added avenue for digital transactions for JioMoney’s rapidly growing user-base across India.

Anirban S Mukherjee, Business Head, JioMoney said

Jio aims to bring the benefits of evolving digital technologies to every Indian through an entire ecosystem that will allow Indians to live Digital Life to the fullest. JioMoney is an integral part of the Jio ecosystem and is fast emerging as a preferred option for digital transactions due to its ease of use, intuitive interface and growing acceptability. JioMoney’s integration with Uber will power the rapid migration of many more Uber transactions to the digital platform.

Madhu Kannan, Chief Business Officer, India and Emerging Markets for Uber said

We are delighted to partner with Reliance Jio to unlock synergies across two of the largest user bases in India. Digital payments have become part of our everyday lives and by integrating JioMoney as a payment option, our riders will have the ability to use a familiar and consistent payment experience. Through this strategic partnership we are looking to fast forward to digital solutions at scale for the Indian users.

To celebrate the association, JioMoney and Uber will offer exclusive incentives to every user paying for Uber rides through JioMoney. The users of JioMoney will enjoy the hassle free payment experience of JioMoney at multiple avenues along with attractive offers and coupons available through JioMoney app.

About JioMoney

JioMoney is a simple, smart and secure ‘one-app’ solution to everyday transactions on the go. It is much more than just a wallet. It empowers you to pay everywhere in a cash-free way. With JioMoney, users can do mobile and DTH recharges, make everyday payments at physical stores, send/receive money, pay insurance premiums, manage your finances, get great deals, and much more. For more information, please visit JioMoney.

|In: Technology|Last Updated: | 0 Comments

Zendesk announced the launch of a new office in Metro Manila providing capacity for over 200 people, creating a Customer Experience Hub for the APAC region. The APAC region is a key focus for Zendesk with paid customer accounts growing by over 35% year-over-year as of the end of 2016. The number of employees grew by over 50% during the same period.

Zendesk chose Manila as its regional customer experience hub because of the access to a local pool of highly skilled, technical talent with strong English language ability. The local employees provide highly technical support and are part of a global team enhancing customer experience around the clock.

Mikkel Svane, founder and CEO, Zendesk said

The launch of the new office in Manila shows our commitment to grow in what is an important market for us for both customer experience and sales. We are expanding into a space four times bigger than our previous location, with double the seats, in a unique and sustainable tower in Metro Manila. This investment also means we are able to contribute to local job creation.

Zendesk first opened its offices in Manila in 2014 with a small team focused on sales, support and pre-sales. Located in the heart of Southeast Asia, the Zendesk Manila office is now made up of a talented and skilled workforce that has expanded to five times the size since the initial launch.

The new office is located on the 30th floor of Bonifacio Global City in Net Park Building, a 48-story green and sustainable corporate tower in Metro Manila. It measures over 2,200 square meters and, with the increased capacity of the office, provides Zendesk’s Manila team the opportunity to continue to grow.

As part of the office opening, Zendesk also launched the Zendesk Neighbor Foundation in-region partnering with Hands on Manila, an umbrella organization that works to connect volunteers with a variety of nonprofit organizations.

Tiffany Apczynski, VP public policy and social impact, Zendesk said

CSR is a key part of Zendesk’s culture. The launch of the Manila chapter of the global Zendesk Neighbor Foundation continues our commitment to supporting the communities in which we operate. This year, the Zendesk Neighbor Foundation is planning to give approximately 4,000,000 PHP in grants in Manila, and the local team has committed to 1,000 volunteer hours to support local causes.

Modeled after Zendesk’s CSR program at its San Francisco headquarters, the Manila community volunteer hour commitments will focus on charities that promote workforce development and technical literacy, and improve education and professional development for underserved youth.

The new Asia Pacific headquarters joins four other Zendesk offices in the region: Zendesk’s Asia Pacific Development Centre based in Melbourne, the APAC commercial headquarters in Singapore, and a sales office in both Tokyo and Bengaluru.

About Zendesk

Zendesk builds software for better customer relationships. It empowers organizations to improve customer engagement and better understand their customers. More than 94,000 paid customer accounts in over 150 countries and territories use Zendesk products. Based in San Francisco, Zendesk has operations in the United States, Europe, Asia, Australia, and South America. For more information, please visit Zendesk

|In: Business|Last Updated: | 0 Comments

A new partnership to invest in health care services beyond conventional hospital services, has been launched by CDC Group Plc, the UK’s Development Finance Institution and Manipal Education and Medical Group

The two institutions, have come together to invest an initial Rs 500 crore in innovative opportunities  in India, Africa and elsewhere in South Asia, with aspirations  to invest even more in the future. 

The platform will target a wide range of out of hospital care services/companies, from those providing diagnostic services through to comprehensive home healthcare services. Companies in the molecular diagnostic space in India and infectious diseases investigations in Africa have been already identified for investment by the partnership.

The partnership’s primary focus will be on building scale through acquisitions and will back entrenched market players and strong management teams. The platform will support firms that are currently constrained to   grow beyond a certain level due to management and financial limitations. The CDC/MEMG platform will provide such companies access to professional management and creating value by being part of a broader network.

While this partnership will incubate and grow businesses in ‘Healthcare Beyond Hospitals‘, both MEMG & CDC will continue independently to pursue investing in the conventional hospital space in the targeted markets.

Welcoming the announcement, Dr Ranjan Pai said

While traditional hospitals will continue to deliver high end care and inpatient services, healthcare providers have realised the need to evolve  alternate  formats  which will complement hospital services and where care can be delivered in ‘Out of Hospital’ set ups and closer to patients’ homes. The companies we are looking to back will be heavily reliant on new technology to improve quality of service and access. High quality care, fair pricing and patient convenience – these are Manipal’s core principles and will drive our investment thesis. The potential of investments through this platform to create a strong development impact, is one of the primary drivers for his partnership with CDC.

Srini Nagarajan, CDC’s Head of South Asia said

CDC is committed to supporting the growth of the healthcare sector in India because of the jobs created and the innovations that can improve access and bring higher quality care for all patients.  We are elighted to be working with Manipal, a strong operational partner, who have pioneered healthcare delivery and education in India. We will provide long-term finance to the next generation of businesses that can help transform healthcare services beyond the hospital space.

|In: CleverTap|Last Updated: | 0 Comments

CleverTap, the leading platform for behavioural analytics and user engagement has announced the expansion of its leadership team with the appointment of Almitra Karnik as Head of Marketing & Global Growth. Almitra will oversee growth across CleverTap’s global markets, actively managing brand strategy, digital, content and partner marketing along with public and analyst relations efforts.

Almitra is a prominent member of the Silicon Valley startup community, having led product marketing at Twilio, and most recently building out Splunk’s global brand recognition. She brings experience in cross-market growth development, having also served as marketing manager for Fortune 500 companies like Cisco Systems and EMC Corporation.

Sunil Thomas, CEO of CleverTap said

We are at a very exciting phase in the CleverTap journey, with the potential for massive growth in the upcoming year. The app economy is extremely competitive today. With our rapid engineering innovations, we are positioned to become the go-to solution for mobile app engagement and analytics. We’re thrilled to have Almitra on board to lead our global marketing efforts.

Almitra Karnik added

I strongly believe user analytics and customer engagement should be the cornerstone of every user life-cycle strategy. The CleverTap platform recognises this market need and gives customers the best of both worlds as a single cohesive solution.  I am really excited to be on-board and look forward to driving our global growth strategy.

CleverTap plans to continue to expand globally, building off of its existing client presence in North and South America, Asia and Europe. With Almitra at the helm of its marketing efforts, the company is poised to continue its winning streak in 2017 and beyond.

About CleverTap

CleverTap is the next generation mobile engagement platform. It enables marketers to identify, engage and retain users and provides developers with unprecedented code-level access to build dynamic app experiences for user groups. CleverTap includes out-of-the-box prescriptive campaigns, omni-channel messaging, un-install data and the industry’s largest free messaging tier. To learn more about CleverTap please visit clevertap.com

|In: e-commerce|Last Updated: | 0 Comments

Global e-commerce selling and logistic platform provider Anchanto announced the appointment of Vishal Desai as Director of Marketing. The appointment is in line with the company’s plan to strengthen its leadership team and to further expand its services in Asia, strongly supported through marketing practices.

Commenting on the appointment, Vaibhav Dabhade, Founder & CEO, Anchanto said

It’s great to have Vishal on board as we are in the process of extending our product market reach. His rich experience and knowledge in commercial marketing globally will help us to leverage our scalable practice.

Vishal Desai, an Alliance Manchester Business School, UK alumnus, comes with over 11 years of experience in different marketing functions spanning key areas such as brand positioning, lead generation, Inbound and content marketing. Prior to his appointment at Anchanto, he was associated with RS Components, the global distributor of Electronic, Electrical & Industrial components in the UK. He also had a short stint at Indsutrybuying, one of the leading B2B e-commerce start-up based in India as Head of OEM marketing & Alliances.

As a Marketing Director, Vishal Desai will be responsible for expanding marketing team to streamline the marketing functions across 9 countries including Singapore, India, and others.

Commenting on the appointment, Vishal Desai said

I am excited to be working with an innovative company which has a unique and extensive product offering for multi-marketplace selling, warehouse management, cross-border fulfillment and order processing. It gives me much pleasure to be a part of this visionary team.

My experience at IndustryBuying.com has helped me to understand the dynamics of marketing in India and I have been able to closely observe the pain-points of many brands in managing the e-commerce Supply chain. These customer insights will be of value at Anchanto as it looks to significantly expand, especially in India.

The company, backed by some of the leading global investors such as TSE-listed Transcosmos inc. Japan and Innosight Ventures, recently launched in India. Within the first month of its launch, it has acquired four big customers, including Alibaba-backed Paytm in India, Lazada, Bluebell Group and DKSH. Anchanto provides an open and the only platform that brings all the supply chain providers, sellers and 3Pl players under one roof. The company is planning to launch a product to help entrepreneurs and merchants to sell their products in multiple online marketplaces across Asia.

About Anchanto

Anchanto SaaS Technology and integration with ecosystem players makes online selling and e-commerce logistics simple for everyone. Anchanto builds an e-commerce ecosystem, enabling and connecting key players across the globe. Anchanto was established on 17 June 2011 in Singapore with the vision ‘to give customers an enchanting experience’ through software platform and associated services.

In 2016, Anchanto deployed e-commerce warehouse management system in 9 countries in Asia. Anchanto also launched SelluSeller.com in India and Singapore which lets thousands of merchants list and manage their inventory across marketplaces. For more information, please visit Anchanto

|In: Marketing|Last Updated: | 0 Comments

Similar to conventional PR, online PR is all about influencing people and grabbing their attention rather than purchase placement for brand advertising. Generally speaking, whenever we hear about traditional PR for business we usually think of magazines, newspapers, radio and TV. Online PR on the other hand, targets the online environment as well as a wealth of other networks and platforms, social media included. The methodology has been greatly adapted in the last decade; marketing companies now use the influence of the internet to perform real-time analytics, influence people, stay updated with recent trends and break into the online social environment.

Greater influence online PR without spending a fortune on a marketing campaign

Why is online PR an affordable marketing strategy? First and foremost, because it can reach millions of people within seconds without spending a fortune on a campaign; bloggers may be compelled by a story, and if the impact is great they can share it on their site and pass it on to the masses (their readers). Twitter users, social media users (Google+, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and Reddit) are social platforms that welcome online PR. The greater and the most impactful the campaign, the better chances that advertised company has to thrive in the online environment.

Online PR has a direct and indirect outreach. From adding keywords and hashtags to the content to email marketing, the advertising techniques are various. Some are more efficient than others. However, it goes without saying that unlike traditional PR (door-to-door advertising, word-of-mouth, in-person advertising, billboards), online PR is a lot more efficient and economical. Every agency uses PR tactics differently. Some only adhere to online marketing whereas others make use of a hybrid approach (which includes both traditional and online PR).

Efficient but affordable online PR

One of the greatest benefits of online PR is that it is both efficient and affordable when done right. However, to succeed companies must assess their strategies prior to getting started in order to be able to make an informed decision and settle on a business approach that complements their goals. The best mix of strategies supports a smart execution. Blending blog marketing, press release and SEO optimization with offline PR tactics can prove to be extremely powerful too.

In your new online startup is centered on providing news to the people, the best tools in the online environment are wire services like PRWeb and PR Newswire; these two online platforms are excellent for boosting traffic and converting visitors into loyal customers. When a company receives enough online media coverage, the next step would be to make use of social bookmark services like del.icio.us and furl.net to archive the information. A blog section can also be a viable option because you can link to other sites and blogs in the online environment and encourage company news coverage.

Guidelines for a successful execution

For an online PR campaign to work, one must learn to listen. Businesses must be able to monitor what people say about their company, brand and product in the online environment. Who is in charge for driving conversions? As your business will advance on the web and your website will start increasing in rank, your company will become a solid foundation for proper online communication. However, for people to have an interest in whatever you’re marketing, they need to be chosen properly. This is where SEO comes in. When choosing online PR to market your business, proper optimization is a must.

An equally important tactic is to use social media tools. These can become a powerful broadcasting mechanism because they foster interaction in the online environment. Replying to comments, sharing articles on Facebook, answering to twitter followers and participating in forum discussions are additional techniques that must be included in your online PR strategy to make a company visible online.

Promoting a business is a lot easier than it used to be. Companies that want to make themselves known to the masses must be featured online as well. However, it’s not enough to have a website. One must be actively involved to generate leads, boost traffic and convert visitors into loyal customers. This is best achieved through online PR.

This is a guest article by Denny Averill & DataDial.net

|In: General|Last Updated: | 0 Comments

More than half of Indian employees anticipate that they will be up against a less comfortable retirement than their parents’ generation, according to the latest survey by global advisory, broking and solutions company Willis Towers Watson. The 2016 Global Benefits Attitudes Survey* found that while employees’ satisfaction with their financial situation in India has increased 9% since 2013, 56% of Indian employees still fear that they will be worse off than their parents in retirement.

When questioned about their current financial state, as many as 46% of employees express concerns and more than 1-in-3 stated that their financial problems negatively affect their lives. The study of over 2,000 employees in India found that almost 54% worry about their future financial state. A growing proportion of employees expect to work through their sixties to meet their financial obligations. All these factors pertaining to financial insecurities hinder performance of employees at the workplace.

The research found that 52% of employees think that they are less effective at their work due to financial problems. Among employees who have both short-term and long-term concerns, 75% admit to above average or high stress. In contrast, the same is true for less than 2-in-5 employees in the unworried group, employees who are not worried either about the short or long-term. Employees with both short- and long-term concerns are 1.5 times more likely to report poor health and twice as likely to leave for another job.

Kulin Patel, Director, Willis Towers Watson India said

The growing insecurities of employees around long-term financial stability demands the immediate attention of employers. Companies are beginning to take steps by making their employees’ financial well-being a core component of their overall well-being strategy and employee value proposition. Gradually, employers are understanding the link between their employees’ well-being and their performance and productivity at work and how this affects the organisation’s bottom line. Soon, they will realize that a holistic approach is needed to address these issues effectively.

According to the survey, 57% of Indian employees support the idea that their employer should have a role in encouraging them to save for retirement. However, 32% would be uncomfortable receiving targeted messages from their employer on these matters. Such complexity should be addressed with sensitivity.

As per the findings of Willis Towers Watson’s Staying@Work 2015/16 survey** : 46% of employers intend to offer a comprehensive suite of tools, seminars and education that cover budgeting, planned large purchases, debt reduction, wealth accumulation, protection/insurance and tax assistance/advisory by 2018.

The biggest growth in promoting financial well-being in India will be in the use of customized and targeted messages, where 50% of employers intend to do so over the next three years, on top of the 13% currently doing so. Employers should aim to help employees address their different issues, from short-to-medium-term savings, through to the traditional long-term retirement savings.

The survey results also suggest that 1-in-4 employees, when asked about their top priorities, prefer superior retirement or health benefits to pay & bonus and more than 2-in-5 would prefer some alternative to pay & bonus.

Kulin Patel, Director, Willis Towers Watson India further added

There is a need to boost engagement and productivity by re-configuring the benefit package offered by employers. Different employee segments may require a different mix of benefits that depend on their financial priorities at their given stage in life. For employers to move beyond their conventional role and intervene to support their employees, a one-size-fits-all approach cannot be adopted consistently across all organisations as a solution.

Survey Methodology

*Willis Towers Watson’s 2016 Global Benefits Attitudes Study [GBAS] surveyed over 30,000 non-governmental, private sector employees in 19 countries and collates rich information on health and retirement. This survey was fielded across the country for the period between June and August 2015, eliciting 2,003 responses. The employee research is complimented by the **Willis Towers Watson’s Staying@Work 2015/16 survey, which examines similar issues from an employer perspective. It covers 43 employers in India with nearly 390,000 employees.

About Willis Towers Watson

Willis Towers Watson is a leading global advisory, broking and solutions company that helps clients around the world turn risk into a path for growth. With roots dating to 1828, Willis Towers Watson has 39,000 employees in more than 120 countries. Their unique perspective allows us to see the critical intersections between talent, assets and ideas – the dynamic formula that drives business performance. For more information, please visit Willis Towers Watson

|In: Sellfie|Last Updated: | 0 Comments

Sellfie, a contextual commerce startup, part of Citrus Payments – India’s fastest growing fin-tech company has announced the launch of a disruptive platform  that enables individuals and small businesses to sell and collect payments on social networks and instant messengers using buy buttons, payment links and chat bots.

Contextual commerce is the next wave of commerce where consumers share and discover shoppable products and buy the things they find, at the moment of discovery. The advent of new technologies like mobile, apps and social media – have changed the way how merchants could accept and securely process customer payments. Merchants looking to offer customers leading-edge payment options are now looking at new ways to enable customers the ability to make purchases and payments wherever they happen to be online, not just on a merchant’s website through contextual commerce.

The app, called Sellfie, allows anyone to take a picture of an item, price it, choose shipping options and push a link to Twitter, Facebook, Instagram as well as other platforms like WhatsApp to sell and collect payments.

Amrish Rau, Managing Director Citrus Payments said

Even though Citrus has made it easier for businesses to collect payments seamlessly on web & mobile, it now wants to offer individuals and small businesses implement purchase opportunities into everyday activities and natural environments through contextual commerce.

Apart from enabling sellers to post and collect payments on multiple social networks using buy buttons and payment links, the app also lets sellers chat with buyers and complete the orders received from multiple channels all in one place. Further the app has a one click simple on-boarding process that enables anyone to start using Sellfie without any documentation.Addressing the need for both buyer and seller comfort, Sellfie is designed in a manner where sellers can collect payments anywhere by creating a unique payment link. Taking it a step further, Sellfie’s unique model of escrow payments or “Buyer Protection Guarantee” ensures that payments made by a buyer will be released into the seller’s account only when the buyer receives the product.

Commenting on the launch of Sellfie, Amrish Rau, Managing Director Citrus Payments added

Contextual Commerce is a new frontier for commerce that is growing rapidly. With Sellfie, we will be able to offer a complete commerce solution to help individuals and small businesses can sell on social networks and instant messengers.We are trying to provide an avenue to these sellers to setup their business online in 30 seconds with zero documentation.

Anish Achuthan, Business Head, Sellfie said

Sellfie provides a real time chat platform for sellers and buyers on social networks so that they can negotiate with each other. Sellfie will provide a platform to more than one million individuals and small business onto its platform in three years. We took our time bringing Sellfie into the market and have invested time and effort to ensure that from the user interface to the payment process, everything is simple, easy and organized – the idea is to help individuals capture the businesses within their niche with zero commissions.

With Sellfie, the possibility of creating an online store presence for pretty much anyone becomes an instant reality, revolutionizing Indian e-commerce by helping small and micro businesses set up business online in 30 seconds with an e-payment facility, a free website, integrated shipping and a host of other services, all through a single platform.

About Sellfie

Sellfie is a contextual commerce startup that offers an end to end platform that facilitates selling and collecting payments through buy buttons, payment links and chat bots.  Sellfie is part of Citrus Payments – India’s fastest growing financial technology company that provides payment gateway and wallet services to over 10,000+ merchants and 21 million users processing close to 3 Billion USD in annual transactions. Led by Amrish Rau and Jitendra Gupta, Citrus is known for introducing industry-first payment solutions such as 1-click checkout, wallet for cabs, consumer analytics, native mobile app payments etc. For more information, please visit Sellfie and Citrus Payments