While online commerce continues to grow at an exponential pace, the offline channel remains a key business driver for several B2C industries such as retail. A lot of e-commerce firms are opening brick and mortar stores to cater to Indian consumers who still prefer to touch and feel the product before purchasing it. These differentiators are now making top online brands adopt a more integrated omnichannel approach to retail. Myntra and Urban Ladder have already launched branded brick-and-mortar outlets in key geographies, with more online retailers expected to follow the trend in coming months.

Publication: Financial Express (Online)

Date : April 29, 2019

Amazon Pay, the digital payments arm of e-commerce major Amazon, is now foraying into peer-to-peer transactions through Unified Payments Interface, the real-time inter-bank settlement mechanism. Amazon went live on UPI with Axis Bank in February this year. Now with peer-to-peer payments, the company intends to offer the entire suite of payment products to its UPI users.

Publication: The Economic Times (Online)

Date : April 29,  2019

Bringing out the gender disparity in the Indian startup ecosystem, a new report has found that women represent about 22% of the workforce employed by Indian startups. The report by Trifecta Capital titled ‘Human Capital In The New Economy – Benchmarks And Best Practices 2019’ has surveyed 45 companies representing 49,161 employees. Brands such as Innoviti, Quikr and Big Basket participated in the survey.

Publication: Inc42 (Online)

Date :  27 April, 2019

Cane furniture has been part of Indian household for years as it was available locally and provided the perfect seating that is light-weight enough to be carried to different places as per need. Traditionally cane furniture was made in limited designs that included low stools and simple tables.

Publication: The Times of India (Online)

Date : April 26, 2019

Amazon.com Inc. confirmed on Thursday what has been a slowly evolving financial picture. It is now a company that is more profitable than it has been in years, but the supercharged growth is gone. Investors knew this change was happening, but it’s still odd to see it in black and white. Amazon said Thursday that its rate of revenue growth in the first quarter was 17 percent, the slowest rate since an awful patch for the company four years ago.

Publication:  ET Retail (Online)

Date: April 26, 2019

What does it take to sell clothes, mobile phones, furniture, bikes, cars and all else to millennial customers? Engaging them with the right experience say brand custodians at Fab India, Royal Enfield, Pepperfry, One Plus, RedMi and many others. Over the past year and more, several brands have experimented with their retail outlets or opened up new ones to serve up a range of experiences—café, wellness centres, children’s playrooms, reading corners and what have you—apart from their core offering. The brand promise, they say, is increasingly about values and emotional connections as much as it is about a product or a service to meet a need.

Publication: Business Standard (Online)

Date: April 25, 2019

Unique, citizen centric, long term and economic driver are few words to describe many successful startups in India. Some of the Indian startups are already challenging various companies overseas. For example, Zomato and Swiggy changed the way we order food, while Ola is taking on Uber. Then there is Paytm which initially came as a payment app and now helps you shop, make investments and buy from app.

Publication: Zee News (Online)

Date: April 25, 2019

If not in the current profession, you would be? I would be a writer/storyteller. It is my keen interest in understanding people, cultures, and communication that brought me to marketing as a profession in the first place. So, if I was not to be a brand-marketer then I’d still stay true to my passions of understanding people/places/cultures and then communicating about them – which would make me a writer/storyteller or an academic maybe.

Publication: Business World (Online)

Date: April 25, 2019

About 65% of Kolkata and 58% of Bangalore households involve the entire family when selecting furniture and décor for their homes compared to an all-India average of 45%, according to the latest findings of Godrej’s Interio Index. These figures contrast sharply with responses from Hyderabad (55%) and Chandigarh (48%) which reveal women have the final word on home interiors. The research also highlights cities where the men of the house retain the power of veto; for instance, nearly a third of Mumbai households (31%) and Ahmadabad (30%) believe men are the ultimate decision-makers.

Publication: Brand Equity (Online)

Date: April 23, 2019

The Indian arm of Amazon Business, the e-commerce behemoth’s marketplace arm that sells to small and medium enterprises, has doubled product selection, while sales have grown 200% every year since launch, a top executive said on Tuesday.

Publication: The Economic Times (Online)

Date: April 24, 2019

Wall clocks, lamps, a bunch of crockery and flower bouquets pretty much sum up typical wedding gifts that couples get stuck with. Perhaps that’s why, youngsters tying the knot are increasingly opting for a gift registry – a wishlist of gifts they curate and share with friends and guests invited for the celebrations.  Online furniture marketplace Pepperfry also recently announced a registry option on their website, albeit not limited to weddings.

Publication: The Economic Times (Online)

Date: April 23, 2019

In a recent article in the Washington Post, Mark Zuckerberg, founder and chief executive of Facebook, said there is a need for regulating the internet while preserving what is good about it. One of the areas he identifies that require new rules is on privacy and data portability. He makes a case for a globally harmonised framework by taking the EU General Data Protection Regulation 2016 (GDPR), considered one of the most stringent in the world, as the basis.

Publication: CNBC TV18 (Online)

Date: April 22, 2019

An ideal bookshelf design would be the one that is both aesthetically pleasing and is unobstructive. Small apartments and single rooms need bookshelves that do not reduce the miniscule floor space available; and a beautiful bookshelf does not necessarily mean it will save you space. Displaying books is a beautiful way to enhance a room’s decor and it also believed to encourage the healthy habit of reading consistently.

Publication: The Times of India (Online)

Date: April 22, 2019

In a bid to accelerate conversions at its Lifestyle stores, Landmark Group is relying heavily on in-store tech. Think self-checkout kiosks, mobile POS and virtual trial rooms. The Rs 4,000-crore brand is also adopting an omnichannel approach to scale up the business. Its same store sales growth (SSSG) was flat last fiscal, although the CAGR of SSSG is in the region of 7 to 8%.

Publication: Financial Express (Online)

Date: April 22, 2019

Walmart-owned Flipkart, the homegrown e- commerce giant that is locked in a fierce battle with US-based rival Amazon for supremacy in the domestic market, said the imminent entry of a third player – Reliance Industries – is not a worry as it would expand the market further and benefit all stakeholders.

Publication: The Economic Times (Online)

Date: April 22, 2019

The Indian startup ecosystem has grown tremendously over the past year, if you look at indicators such as new startups, funding and the number of investors in the country. According to data released by StartupBlink, India moved up to 17th position in 2018 from 37th spot last year in the Startup Ecosystem Ranking for 2019. India ranks 17 globally among 100 countries, based on the strength of its startup ecosystem, according to StartupBlink, which tracks startup ecosystems on a number of parameters.

Publication: INC42 (Online)

Date: April 20, 2019

The ecommerce market in India is expected to reach $200 billion by 2026. As the market continues to grow, India’s ecommerce players are faced with a myriad of challenges. With retail tech giants cashing in on the market growth, ecommerce companies in India are adapting their business models in an effort to win over Indian consumers. The sector has witnessed tremendous growth, with online shoppers forecast to reach 220 million by 2025 – however there is still a desire for in-person human interaction. Retailers with omni-channel strategies retain an average of 89 percent of their customers, according to Teleperformance DIBS. Retailers failing to direct adequate emphasis on customer experience will struggle with retention.

Publication: Business World (Online)

Date: April ...

The Venture capital firm Sequoia Capital, after two months of announcing its startup accelerator and incubation programme Surge, has released the list of 17 startups selected in the first cohort, of which eight are based out of India. As part of the programme, the Surge will pick up 10–20 early stage startups twice a year and invest $1.5 Mn (INR 10.6 Cr) in each of them at the start or very early stage of the programme.

Publication: INC42 (Online)

Date: April 19, 2019

Inside the Fabindia Experience Centre in New Delhi’s Lajpat Nagar, a café, an interior design studio, retail space and a play centre for kids come together like pieces of a puzzle. I am reminded of a massive Muji store in Plaza Singapura, Singapore. The Japanese brand has a sprawling space that houses various categories of products, a nutrition-centric café and a design studio. IKEA’s meatballs at the eatery inside its stores are almost legendary.

Publication: Business Standard (Online)

Date: April 19, 2019

Ikea, the Swedish home furnishing retailer, has come up with ‘A Better World Starts at Home’ campaign, while launching climate-friendly products.

Publication: The Hindu Business Line (Online)

Date:  April 16, 2019

For a family of 4 to 6, a wall mounted table would be insufficient. Hence, a large table that seats 6 people and can reduce to half its size when not required would be perfect.

Publication: Times of India (Online)

Date: April 17, 2019

IKEA India has reiterated its commitment to the environment with ‘A Better World Starts at Home’ campaign which aims at inspiring and enabling people to reduce carbon footprint by using more climate-friendly products as well as encouraging a more climate-friendly life at home.

Publication: The Hans India (Online)

Date:  April 17, 2019

Gone are the days when you had to buy the same old, shoddy and overpriced furniture for your local dealer. With many online furniture retailers like Urban Ladder coming up, you can find a wide variety of appealing and innovative furniture online at best prices and folding dining tables available at Urban Ladder are a great example of this.

Publication: Newswire (Online)

Date: April 15, 2019

Swedish furniture giant is looking to lease its home decor range if early consumer testing goes well.

Publication: Architectural Digest (Online)

Date: April 13, 2019

Portals like Urban Ladder, Bantia Furniture, Fab India have a prolific range of products. However, it is advisable to consider online shopping for furniture after you are done with searching for furniture at the local stores, as you can get a wide variety here at a reasonable price.

Publication: Telangana Today (Online)

Date: April 13, 2019

Just like flip phones turned into smartphones, and personal computers turned into tablets, technological intervention over the past 10 years has rendered several industries just about unrecognizable. However, the widespread disruption and transformation have only been for the better, as human life has become simpler and much more convenient since 2009. The startup industry, which is scaling fast in India, has been the prime disruptor in India’s business landscape. Innovative startups have established their leadership across industries, transforming services and day to day activities. The following is an account of the industries that have transitioned through technology over the past 10 years.

Publication: Entrepreneur (Online)

Date: April 10, 2019

A modern option for a modern home, this cane swing modernize the traditional aesthetics without compromising on its hand -crafted appeal.

Publication: Times of India (Online)

Date: April 9, 2019

Ikea of Sweden AB claims its Billy Bookcase is sold somewhere in the world every five seconds. But this iconic product is not on the bestselling list in India, where more mundane items such as mattresses and cutlery are the most popular at its sole Indian store in Hyderabad.

Publication: Live Mint (Online)

Date: April 9, 2019

Today’s consumer expects a seamless omnichannel shopping experience in store, online and through new avenues such as mobile, in-app or even smart TV purchases. At the same time, retailers need to collect, analyse and keep data secure. This pressure to keep ahead of customer expectations is driving retailers to deploy innovative IT practices faster than ever. Recently, enterprise cloud computing firm Nutanix announced the retail findings of its Enterprise Cloud Index Report, measuring retailers’ plans for adopting private, hybrid and public clouds.

Publication:  Financial Express (Online)

Date: April 8, 2019

Ugadi is celebrated with great pomp and splendour in the states of Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Telangana and Karnataka and marks the beginning of New year. For 2019, Ugadi falls on Saturday, April 6, 2019 and is also known as ‘Chaitra Suddha Padhyam’. The festival of Ugadi celebrates the arrival of spring and marks the birth of a new era so it is a great opportunity to redecorate your home.

Publication:  Times of India (Online)

Date: April 6, 2019

Eight-year old online retailer of furniture and home products, Pepperfry, has been one of the market leaders in its segment in India. And now, one of its longtime investors believes the company may be ready for an IPO in two years. In an exclusive interview with Business Insider, Pankaj Makkar, Managing Director, Bertelsmann India Investments, who invested in Pepperfry in 2014, said that they are in no hurry to exit from the startup as it’s doing really well.

Publication: Business Insider  (Online)

Date: April 5, 2019

Swedish furniture major IKEA, which has recently opened its 400,000 sq. ft. debut outlet in India, features a 1,000-seater restaurant, the brand’s largest in the over 400 stores it has globally. So, why does a furniture giant–and an immensely successful one at that–have restaurants? The idea behind offering food options was that once you feed customers, they stay for longer.

Publication: Food Service India 

Date: April 5, 2019

Driven by a young demographic profile, mobile revolution, growing internet penetration in tier-II and tier-III towns and a multitude of other factors, the country’s e-commerce market has attracted large investments, resulting in an exponential growth of the sector.

Publication: Entrepreneur India (Online)

Date: April 4, 2019

Ikea’s move towards supporting a more circular economy comes as many young consumers say they want to minimise their impact on the environment.

Publication: Business Standard (Online)

Date: April 3, 2019

Pepperfry pioneered the omnichannel model in the home and furniture industry in 2014 through the launch of its first Studio in Mumbai.

Publication: MoneyControl (Online)

Date: April 3, 2019

Be it kitchen cabinets, or a dish stand; there are plenty of ways to beautify every object that your kitchen has.

Publication: The Times of India (Online)

Date: April 2, 2019

“Anything which increases the degree of excitement in the furniture category will benefit everybody in the category, and definitely the largest players.” says Pepperfry CEO Ambareesh Murthy.

Publication: The Economic Times (Online)

Date: April 2, 2019

For a family of 4 to 6, a wall mounted table would be insufficient. This large table by Urban Ladder that seats 6 people and can reduce to half its size when not required would be perfect.

Publication: The Times of India (Online)

Date: April 1, 2019

In 2016 Indian furniture company Urban Ladder’s advertisement for the post of a ‘senior mattress tester’.

Publication:  The Economic Times (Online)

Date: April 1, 2019