Look around, and pretty much every website worth its salt is designed beautifully. There are so many exceptional tools that can bring amazing design within reach of almost any website owner. Many e-commerce storefronts lose sight of the fact that while they are out to sell products, user experience is just as important in the buying process. Frankly, many sites are severely lacking when it comes to design. Cumbersome navigation, large images that load slowly and a lack of call-to-action buttons are some of the biggest design flaws we see on a regular basis.

Publication : Forbes

Date : December 26, 2019

The share of vertical platforms (startups engaged in the retail of goods of the particular market) is likely to go up by around 10 per cent between 2019 and 2022 in the online retail market in terms of the gross merchandise value (GMV). Sectors particularly pharma, furniture, groceries, baby care, beauty and personal care are some of the key markets where startups have a strong play vis-a-vis horizontal platforms, according to a report. India’s horizontal marketplaces include Amazon, Flipkart, Snapdeal, ShopClues etc. Nykaa, FirstCry, Grofers, PepperFry are some of the leading platforms in their respective markets.

Publication : Financial Express 

Date : December 26, 2019

The Indian ecommerce industry is worth billions of dollars and has the potential for exponential growth, but there are some obstacles ahead. This growth has been facilitated by established players like Flipkart and Amazon, an internet user base of nearly $500 million, a horde of consumers comfortable with the concept of online shopping, and lastly, enabling policies from the government. In 2020, the sector is likely to see challenges in policy even as it marches ahead to explore newer categories and ways to increase the appeal of online shopping.

Publication: Yourstory

Date: December 24, 2019

Seeking early action on its proposal to remove the ‘lesser duty rule’ that would allow harsher duties against dumped and subsidised imports, the Commerce Ministry has decided to pursue the matter with the Department of Revenue. “Early action needs to be taken on doing away with the lesser duty rule so that higher anti-dumping and countervailing duties can be imposed on cheap imports hurting domestic producers. The Commerce Ministry is taking up the matter with the Revenue Department so that the final notification is expedited,” a government official told BusinessLine.

Publication: The Hindu Business Line

Date: December 24, 2019

Entrepreneurship can be a tough and long journey for many people. While some get lucky and succeed the first time, a few others may never see success. However, through their journey, most successful entrepreneurs feel entrepreneurship is a continuous learning process. This year, YourStory Founder and CEO Shradha Sharma conducted a series of high-impact interviews, where entrepreneurs and industry leaders stressed on a few things. While it is a great time to be an entrepreneur in India, it is also important to learn from your mistake and move forward.

Publication: Yourstory

Date: December 23, 2019

Ecommerce companies and startups are stepping up hiring by 50-100% from India’s leading engineering colleges and B-schools this placement season as they seek candidates who are quick to learn new-age tech skills such as Big Data and Internet of Things and adapt to fast-paced business environments. Udaan, Droom, Flipkart, Amazon, Toppr, Testbook and NoBroker are among those hiring aggressively from campuses across multiple functions including operations, human resources, finance, business development and so on.

Publication: The Economic Times

Date: December 26, 2019

Bucking the economic slowdown led by tepid consumer sentiment across consumer goods, retail, and other industry sectors, the Indian consumer Internet industry grew 38 percent, exiting 2019 at $76 billion and is set to exceed $100 billion in 2020. Consumers, who chose to cut down on overall and discretionary spend, loosened their purse-strings only during big sale days that dotted the year, from the Republic Day sale in January right up to the annual blockbuster Diwali sale, which saw e-tailers rake in a record $3 billion in the first 6 days of the festive sale month with high-ticket categories.

Publication: The Hindu Business Line

Date: December 27, 2019

A plethora of regulatory changes covering startups is in the works to reduce time spent on tax compliance by them to less than one hour a month along with easier incorporation processes and boosting the availability of global and domestic capital. The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) is in talks with the ministries of finance and corporate affairs, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) and the Reserve Bank (RBI) over the new measures.

Publication: The Economic Times

Date: December 27, 2019