Category: e-commerce

  • Housing unveils its new symbol of Optimism

    Housing unveils its new symbol of Optimism

    MUMBAI:  Housing.com, an online real estate platform today unveiled its new and refreshing brand identity with a new logo along with a revamped website and technologically superior mobile application.  It will enhance consumer experience and will set a new benchmark for the online real estate market.

     

    Summed up in two words ‘Look Up’, Housing’s new futuristic logo looks like an upward arrow, with sharp outer edges that direct towards the future, while the softer edges symbolize a nurturing shelter. The ‘Look Up’ symbol is elegantly embedded into the letter ‘H’ of the Housing logotype. These shared characteristics successfully unite to form the brandmark.

                   

    In its new avatar, Housing’s new vibrant colour palette in the new logo and wordmark is based on four key brand colours that make life look brighter and embody the spirit of optimism. Christened as Housing Pink, Yellow, Purple and Green, the new brand colours play a key role in the new identity, personifying Housing as optimistic, game-changing and uncompromising.

     

    To launch Housing’s new brand identity, the company partnered with Moving Brands, a global creative company – considered to be among the best independent creative outfits working with the world’s best brands. Over the last 12 months, their London studio worked tirelessly with the Housing team to ideate and develop the new brand identity that reflects Housing’s global vision.

     

    Commenting on the new brand identity, Housing CEO and co-founder Rahul Yadav said that its aim and belief is to innovate and use technology to make things simpler, quicker and clearer.

     

    “We don’t stop at success, we strive to improve, explore and ask ourselves ‘what next?’ so we can set new benchmarks, change the game and make every customer experience 10X. In short, we Out See, Out Think and Out Do for our customers so that they can look up to us and to a better life. Our new identity is a reflection of this belief system. Life is better when you Look Up.”

     

    According to Housing CMO Pratik Seal the company wants to make its consumer’s journey a memorable, enjoyable and an unforgettable experience. “When a consumer decides to buy, sell, rent or invest; facts, figures, product and logic play an important part. But the real story is an emotional one. Finding a home not just impact consumer’s life but also lives of those around him; this isn’t boring stuff, this is the stuff of life. ‘Look up’ is the essence of our optimistic Vision.”

     

    Housing came at a time when consumer was dealing with too many challenges while buying or renting a house. It was with the objective of helping consumers overcome these hurdles, that Housing created a revolutionary map-based platform with 100 per cent verified listings and real photos. The company’s vision is to help the world to live with ambition and aspiration for a better life by changing everything to do with real estate.

  • Vu Tech launches TVs via Flipkart; eyes Rs 300 crore sale

    Vu Tech launches TVs via Flipkart; eyes Rs 300 crore sale

    MUMBAI: Vu Tech has joined hands with Flipkart to launch 15 new smart TVs in India. These will be exclusively available via the e-commerce website.

     

    The TVs are priced from Rs 9,000 to Rs 9,00,000. All the products will be available from March 2015, which incidentally will also see the knockout stage of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015, which is currently being played in Australia and New Zealand.

     

    Covering almost all sizes, Vu’s range of TVs come between 19-inches and 85-inches. Televisions up to 55-inches will be sold exclusively via Flipkart, whereas larger panels will be sold directly through traditional retail outlets.

     

    Vu’s personal TV segment has five models- 19-inches, 24-inches, 28-inches 32-inches and 40-inches in the price range of Rs 9,000 to Rs 29,000. The 24-inches and 40-inches variants offer Full HD resolution while the rest offer 720p HD.

     

    The affordable luxury TV range has four size options – 42-inches, 50-inches, 55-inches and 65-inches and offer Full HD resolutions. These are in price bracket of Rs 32,000 to Rs 1,60,000. 

     

    Vu is also 4K technology at affordable prices. According to the company, it is providing a blend of curved, 4K, 3D and large screen panels at prices, which are 40 per cent less than competitors. The Hi-Fi 4K UHD TVs come in six sizes- 42-inches, 48-inches, 50-inches, 55-inches, 65-inches and 85-inches and are priced from Rs 42,000 to Rs 9 lakhs. The 42-inches and 48-inches version offer 4K resolution while the rest offer 4K 3D. The 65-inches version is curved TV.

     

    “Years ago, Vu entered the television market with a limited range of products available in stores. Today, Vu is launching vast range of television sizes and configurations to compete with the likes of Sony, Samsung and LG, and these new TVs are available to the public for purchase online,” said Vu Technologies CEO and design head Devita Saraf.

     

    “Electronics good today are playing a major role in driving the e-commerce industry. Consumers online are not just looking for high-tech features, they are also going by brand repute and innovation in technology. They want all these features at a good price point along with effective after sales service,” said Flipkart vice president – retail Amitesh Jha.

     

    The entire Hi-Fi 4K range is Android powered. The company expects to reach a revenue of Rs 300 crores by the next fiscal.

  • Snapdeal acquires Exclusively to create India’s first online luxury mall

    Snapdeal acquires Exclusively to create India’s first online luxury mall

    NEW DELHI: Online marketplace, Snapdeal.com has acquired Exclusively.com (formerly Exclusively.in) – the online destination for premium and luxury fashion. With this acquisition, Snapdeal looks to further strengthen its fashion business and reaching $2 billion in GMV in the fashion category this year.

     

    Luxury products and services is a $14 billion market in India, growing at 30 per cent YoY, according to a recent KPMG-ASSOCHAM report. More than 70 per cent consumers want to shop for luxury products in India rather than abroad.

     

    Snapdeal co-founder and CEO Kunal Bahl said, “Snapdeal has always operated ahead of the curve in the e-commerce space, especially when it comes to category leadership. We have witnessed a surge in the demand from consumers across the country for premium and luxury products, however, given that access to luxury brands is severely limited in our country, we have brought Exclusively into our family to provide our 40 million+ users the access to widest range of aspirational, high end products and services.”

     

    Under this partnership, Exclusively will complement Snapdeal’s existing ecosystem and will provide a consolidated offering for the luxury and lifestyle shopper, making it India’s first online luxury mall.

     

    Luxury and premium fashion brands from across the world can now open stores in Exclusively’s online luxury mall. Exclusively will continue to function as an independent site and all aspects of Exclusively’s online shopping experience will remain intact, with new collection and service augmentations in the pipeline.

     

    With its nationwide reach, robust technology platform and deep consumer insights, Snapdeal will help Exclusively scale up and expand its current business and reach.

     

    Exclusively co-founder Sunjay Guleria and Mohini Boparai-Guleria said, “Exclusively has built and grown a cache of leading premium Indian designers, brands and boutiques. The partnership with Snapdeal comes at the right time. With increased awareness and growing disposable incomes, premium and luxury consumption in India is seeing a significant upward trend. With the geographical limitations of the brick-and-mortar model, we strongly believe that the luxury and premium segments can only be grown by sharing access with the consumer.  With Exclusively’s fashion experience and Snapdeal’s scale of operations, we look forward to not just servicing large metros, but also the aspirational demand in smaller towns across India.”

  • Tiger Global infuses $100 million funding in ShopClues

    Tiger Global infuses $100 million funding in ShopClues

    MUMBAI: Online retailer ShopClues.com has raised over $100 million in a fresh round of funding led by global institutional investors Tiger Global as well as its existing investors Helion Venture Partners and Nexus Venture Partners.

     

    ShopClues CEO and co-founder Sanjay Sethi said that the company has bought 100,000 sellers and 10 million products online until now and plans are afoot to bring 10 million sellers and one billion products on the online domain in the next three years.

     

    “We will continue to build technologies and services to enable and empower retailers to participate in the e-commerce revolution that is happening in India. ShopClues levels the playing fields for SMBs to compete with other organized retailers both in the online and offline space,” added Sethi.

     

    Tiger Global partner Lee Fixel said, “ShopClues has emerged as the leading marketplace of choice for the millions of small and local businesses seeking to reach mass consumers in India’s tier 2 and tier 3 cities. Sanjay, Radhika and the team have done a great job aggregating the country’s largest online catalog of regional and local brands and we are excited to partner with ShopClues as it expands its offerings.”

     

    ShopClues co-founder Radhika Ghai Aggarwal feels that in Tiger Global, it has found a strategic partner who showed confidence in its capability to operate the country’s largest marketplace for the masses. Be it the million of small merchants wanting to sell online or the vast pool of shoppers in tier 2-3 towns looking for access to the products and categories that they never had before.

     

    “The fact that another ace investor has been added to our list of institutional investors is a strong endorsement of our team, strategy and business performance,” she added.

     

    ShopClues was founded in 2011 as India’s first fully managed marketplace, when all other players were inventory led models. Currently, ShopClues does 1.5 million transactions per month with 70 per cent of them coming from tier 2 and 3 cities and the platform empowers over 1 lakh SMBs which is the largest community of sellers in India in the online space.

     

    Unlike other marketplaces, which tend to focus on mobile, electronics, computers and branded fashion, ShopClues focuses on unstructured categories, which contributes to two-third of its revenues.

  • Zomato enters US with Urbanspoon acquisition

    Zomato enters US with Urbanspoon acquisition

    MUMBAI: Zomato, the restaurant search app, has acquired US-based food portal Urbanspoon for an undisclosed amount in an all-cash deal. The acquisition marks Zomato’s entry into the United States.

    This also establishes Zomato’s presence in Australia and Canada, while adding to its already dominant position in United Kingdom and New Zealand. After the acquisition, Zomato will be present in 22 countries across the world. Its restaurant coverage will increase from about 300k restaurants to more than 1 million restaurants across the globe. Zomato’s traffic will more than double from about 35 million visits per month to more than 80 million visits per month, probably making it the largest restaurant search company in the world.

    Zomato founder and CEO Deepinder Goyal said, “Our US entry has been on the cards for a while now, and we’re delighted to be doing so by welcoming Urbanspoon into Zomato. They have a strong presence in the US and the UK, and they also dominate restaurant search in Australia and Canada. Urbanspoon has a huge following, and is home to legions of people who are as passionate about food as we are. We will soon be integrating the two products to bring the best of both products to our users in the United States as well as the rest of the world.”

    The teams will be working closely over the coming months to integrate Urbanspoon into Zomato. In due course of time, all Urbanspoon traffic will move to Zomato.com, and all Urbanspoon app users will be able to use the Zomato app. This acquisition also has a lot to offer to restaurant businesses. Zomato’s hyperlocal advertising model, combined with Zomato for business app suite, will allow restaurant businesses to reach out to, connect with, and engage customers like never before.

    “Zomato has experienced phenomenal growth in recent years, and our customer bases complement each other’s perfectly,” said Urbanspoon CEO Keela Robison. “Zomato’s significant investments in people and technology will bring Urbanspoon customers, restaurant owners, and food bloggers a number of new capabilities and features. We’re excited to combine our strengths to accelerate growth.”

    This is Zomato’s sixth acquisition in the past six months, and the biggest one. Zomato has recently acquired local dominant restaurant search players in New Zealand, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia and Italy.

     

  • Jabong.com integrates fashion with technology, sets up Jabong Labs

    Jabong.com integrates fashion with technology, sets up Jabong Labs

    MUMBAI: Jabong.com, an online fashion destination, is stepping into the Silicon Valley of India with its new establishment – Jabong Labs.

    Jabong’s sole focus since its inception has been fashion and in order to provide fashion with convenience, Jabong is setting up its very own research and development center – Jabong Labs, which will provide customer experience adept with the latest scientific know-how. The goal is to marry the best of consumer experience that comes with buying and experiencing fashion with the state of art technology on the official website and mobile application.

    On the occasion of the launch of the new office at Bengaluru, Jabong.com HR head Ashu Malhotra said: “In order to further enhance customer experience, we are establishing a new office in Bengaluru singularly focused on making online shopping more transparent and user friendly. This technology lab will be used to further improve our backend systems with a focus on meeting long term IT goals for the organisation. The new office will include a talent pool of software engineers and techies with extraordinary IT skills who will further contribute to make us market leaders in the online shopping business.”

    With the advent of m-commerce and extensive internet penetration within our nation, Jabong has recognised the alarming need to improve and constantly innovate for better technology.

     

    Jabong has in place a strong leadership team that brings strong and relevant industry experience, along with a board of advisers, who are veterans in ecommerce product and technology.

     

    Jabong Technology Labs is one such platform that enables innovation and faster implementation of newer features.

     

  • www.goibibo.com becomes the first Indian OTA to partner with Google Flight Search

    www.goibibo.com becomes the first Indian OTA to partner with Google Flight Search

    MUMBAI: www.goibibo.com, one of India’s top three online travel aggregators has become the first Indian portal to partner with Google for its Flight Search feature. The association reinforces Goibibo’s core value proposition of offering the FASTEST and most TRUSTED booking experience and will enable the portal to reach out with its services to a wider base of users.

     

    “Goibibo.com is the first OTA in India to partner with Google for Flight Search .This is in line with our philosophy and core differentiation of delivering the fastest booking experience to our travellers”, said Ashish Kashyap, Founder & CEO of ibiboGroup (ibibo owns Goibibo.com and redbus.in).

     

    Venkat Chandramoleshwar, Partnerships Manager, Travel, said: “Goibibo has grown in the past five years to become a leading online travel aggregator in India, and we are delighted they are joining the Google Flight Search family. Travellers can now easily find and compare the best flights on Flight Search and can book their flights on Goibibo, one of the blue partner book buttons featured on Google.“

     

    On using Google Flight Search in India, travellers are offered the option to book the best flights available directly on the airline site or via Goibibo.com. The association, therefore, benefits the customers by allowing them to quickly find, compare and book flights from their mobile device, tablet or desktop in the most seamless way.

     

    It is also a shot in the arm for Goibibo because not only does this validate its position as the quickest way to make travel bookings but also allows for greater penetration into the Indian online travel market, further bolstering its leadership position. Being the first Indian OTA to partner with Google Flight Search demonstrates the company’s commitment to enhancing the convenience of its customers through continued technological innovations and collaborations with other industry leaders. 

  • Gizmobaba ventures into offline retail

    Gizmobaba ventures into offline retail

    MUMBAI: Gizmobaba.com, a portal for all wacky gizmos recently launched their first physical store in Mumbai in reaction to customers seeking for physical demo of products.

    Gizmobaba founder Alok Chawla stated, “This is the first step into offline retail; we will further expand after evaluating the customers’ response.” He further added, “We believe, in India, people love to go to the store and get a feel of the product, see how it functions and if it really does look good. Additionally, a physical store allows greater reach especially among people who are not comfortable with an online payment or return options. ”

    Talking about the further expansions of the offline stores, Chawla said, “We are soon coming up with SIS retail formats and we are targeting multi-brand gadgets stores / departmental stores inside which we can set up Gizmobaba’s mini stores. We see a huge potential in hybrid model of business. On one hand online dimension of the business helps us reach out to infinite customers however offline will complement the online as it enforces the value of the brand in the minds of our customers, and buyers will trust the brand more if they see it offline as well as online. Therefore, we look for franchise out the offline stores as well.”

    The company plans to roll out five to eight more outlets in 2015. Also, they expect to have an equal number of franchises ‘Shop in Shop’ outlets across the nation.  Gizmobaba ensures a perfect customer experience at their offline store. Before a customer buys any product they witness a complete demonstration of the product given by the tech experts available at the store. They have installed a screen showing videos and demos of their product.

  • Brand Factory offers ‘Biggest Clearance Sale’ this New Year

    Brand Factory offers ‘Biggest Clearance Sale’ this New Year

    MUMBAI: New Year is here and it’s time to revamp your wardrobe. Dawn the new and stylish look as Brand Factory announces ‘Biggest Clearance Sale’ starting from 2 January to 2 February 2015. The discounts are available across Ladies, Men’s and Kids wear. The “Biggest Clearance Sale” offers the lowest prices on more than 100 brands spread across the entire collection.

     

    Now you can buy top brands at rock bottom prices as more than 100 brands are participating in this incredible sale. Brands like Lee Cooper, Bare Denim, Buffalo, Rangmanch, Shrishti, RIG, UMM, Pink & Blue and many more, are a part of this marvelous offer. You name it, Brand Factory has it all.

     

    New Year is all about new beginnings. So why not begin the glorious year with some Retail Therapy at Brand Factory. ‘Biggest Clearance Sale’ is happening at all Brand Factory stores across India in Ahmedabad, Thiruvananthapuram, Bangalore, Kolkata, Pune, Bhubaneswar, Chennai, Mumbai, Mangalore, Kanpur, Gwalior, Asansol and Hubli. Your favorite brand which you been eyeing for a while now and thought it might be just out of your league has just come closer. Brand Factory makes it possible for you to own it and flaunt it.

     

    The entire merchandise starts at an unbelievable price of Rs 99/-

     

    Speaking on the same, Roch D’souza, Marketing Head, Brand Factory says “We are India’s largest fashion discount destination and we offer discounts on all 365 days a year, on a host of national and international brands. Now, while the retailers are offering discounts, we indeed give our customers remarkable value based deals. With the ‘Biggest Clearance Sale’, we have offered our patrons hefty discounts and have topped it up with the sweetener of rock bottom prices on most of the top brands.”
    The New Year celebration is still on at Brand Factory. So what are you waiting for? Rush to the nearest Brand Factory store and avail awesome discount deals!

  • Snapdeal enters into strategic tie-up with Hungama

    Snapdeal enters into strategic tie-up with Hungama

    MUMBAI: Hungama.com has entered into a strategic partnership with Snapdeal.com to offer digital entertainment content to its shoppers. The tie-up between the brands will begin with an offer wherein shoppers on Snapdeal’s mobile app will get access to Hungama’s premium PRO service free for a period of nine weeks.

     

    Hungama PRO, which is a paid premium subscription service, offers users HD quality music videos with the lyrics of songs, and can be accessed offline without any internet charges. It is also an ad-free app, which further makes for a hassle-free experience. The mobile app is available for download from the Google Play Store and the iOS App Store. Post the initial nine weeks, the service will later be made available to the users at a price of Rs 120 per month.

     

    Both have been focusing on expanding their leadership position by tapping into developing tier II markets. The recent update that brought transliteration features to Hungama’s android app, made it one of the first India apps to be available in five languages viz. English, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu and Punjabi – an ideal service for Snapdeal’s user base that is spread across 5000 plus cities and towns in India.

     

    Snapdeal and Hungama are also working on creating more offerings for their users, which will see entertainment options bundled with shopping purchases and are likely to be rolled-out in stages over the next one year. According to a recent IAMAI report, that pegged India’s Internet population at 300 million by December 2014, entertainment and shopping were among the highest drivers of internet usage on mobile phones – a market that the companies aim to tap into jointly. 

     

    Speaking on partnering with Snapdeal, Hungama.com CEO Siddhartha Roy said, “With music and shopping being among the primary drivers of mobile internet consumption, our tie-up aims to offer users an enhanced value proposition. 2015 is likely to be a vital year for brands to out to middle Bharat, and tie-ups like this will help our brands to attract a larger share of the consumer’s mind space.”

     

    “We at Snapdeal are focusing hugely on making sure our customers get a great shopping experience on our app. The partnership with Hungama brings shopping and music together, both are a way of life for Indian consumers. We want to encourage the growing love of apps by providing customers with what they love most – high quality uninterrupted music and awesome deals on the go,” commented Snapdeal marketing SVP Sandeep Komaravelly.