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Category: iWorld

  • Indian mobile shopping purchases on the rise: MasterCard survey

    Indian mobile shopping purchases on the rise: MasterCard survey

    MUMBAI: Purchasing patterns in the country are seeing a change. While visits to the kirana store continue, online purchases made through mobile phones in India have grown by more than 100 per cent over the past two years. This indicates a steep upward trend in e-commerce propelled by expediency, reveals the MasterCard Online Shopping Survey 2014, which covered 14 countries across Asia Pacific.

     

    China continues to lead the chart among mobile shoppers with 70.1 per cent of the respondents polled having used the device to make online purchases. India (62.9 per cent) and Taiwan (62.6 per cent) follow next with Thailand (58.8 per cent) and Indonesia (54.9 per cent) rounding off the top five.

     

    Some of the key takeaways of the report:

    -India ranks second with 81.2 per cent of respondents accessing the internet for online shopping while China leads with 86.6 per cent.

     

    -95 per cent of Indian respondents with a mobile phone have access to the internet through it (up by 20.2 points since 2012)

     

    -The number of Indian respondents, who have made at least one purchase in the last three months, has increased from 70.9 per cent in 2012 to 94 per cent in 2014.

     

    -The major factors impacting online purchases include the security of payment facility (86.8 per cent) followed by the price or monetary value of items (86.6 per cent) and convenient payment methods (86.2 per cent)

     

    MasterCard South Asia area head Vikas Varma said, “Digital payment solutions like mobile banking apps and digital wallets will go a long way to further enrich the purchasing experience for the evolving consumer. The survey shows that there is a strong need to provide not only secure, but also convenient payments solutions as consumers move to a more digital and sophisticated lifestyle.”

     

    Furthermore, in India the top three reasons for driving smart phone shopping were the ability to shop on the go (47.7 per cent), the growing availability of apps that makes it easier to shop (45.3 per cent) and convenience (38.1 per cent). Mobile phones/mobile gadget apps topped the list of items purchased through smartphones (28.8 per cent), followed by tickets for cinema and movie theatres (26.7 per cent) and clothing/fashion accessories (24 per cent).

     

    For online transactions, the most common payment methods used are debit cards and cash. New mobile technologies are also gaining traction among consumers in the region, with mobile banking apps having the highest awareness-familiarity levels (38.3 per cent) followed by in-app shopping (28.7 per cent) and digital wallets (24.4 per cent).

  • Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment unveils multiple mobile games

    Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment unveils multiple mobile games

    MUMBAI: Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment has unveiled its slate of upcoming mobile game releases, showcasing diverse free-to-play and premium gaming experiences and leveraging some of the world’s most powerful franchises, including Batman, DC Comics, Mortal Kombat, the Lego brand and Game of Thrones.

     

    “Our mobile business has been a key priority for the company, and we are utilizing our incredibly talented internal development teams to create games with marquee franchises. We’ve seen tremendous growth with our mobile business and expect to increase our market share by applying our best in class development, publishing and brand marketing to this impressive slate of games,” said Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment EVP and general manager David Haddad.

     

    The following are five new games under development with Warner Bros.’ wholly-owned development studios:

     

    • Mortal Kombat X, NetherRealm Studios: The game blends fighting and card collection for a whole new way to experience Mortal Kombat on mobile platforms. Featuring cinematic gameplay and visceral Fatalities, play as legendary and all-new fighters created for Mortal Kombat X. Players who also own a forthcoming console or PC version of the game will have the ability to unlock content in the mobile game and vice versa.

     

    • Batman: Arkham Underworld, Turbine: Rule Gotham City! Build your hideout, then recruit and train an army of henchmen to do your bidding. Command iconic super-villains from the Batman: Arkham universe, including the Riddler, Harley Quinn and Killer Croc, to become Gotham City’s next criminal kingpin. Sign up for beta at www.arkhamunderworld.com.

     

    • Lego Batman: Beyond Gotham, TT Games: The Caped Crusader joins forces with the super heroes of the DC Comics universe in this premium game and blasts off to outer space to stop the evil Brainiac from destroying Earth. Now the greatest super heroes and the most cunning villains must unite and stop Brainiac before it’s too late.

     

    • DC Comics Legends, WB Games San Francisco: Gamers will grow their collection of legendary DC Comics super heroes and villains, customizing super teams with the right heroes for each encounter in this mobile RPG.

     

    • Game of Thrones, Turbine: Conquer Westeros in an epic combat strategy game based on the hit television series from HBO. Prove the wit of your spies and the might of your forces on the battlefield as you extend your dominance across the seven Kingdoms. Join an alliance, rise to power, and then try to take the Iron Throne if you dare!

     

    “In just four years, we have launched 25 games with more than 150 million installs worldwide across diverse fighting, strategy, puzzle and action adventure genres, and we will focus our business on a strong games-as-a-service model in 2015. Our line-up of strong titles will deliver deep player engagement, as well as innovation like console game connectivity with games including Mortal Kombat X and Batman: Arkham Underworld,” said Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment senior vice president, mobile, social and emerging platforms Greg Ballard. 

     

    This line-up of forthcoming games is accompanied by two titles launched earlier in 2015: WWE Immortals, which has achieved more than seven million installs since going live on15 January, and The Lego Movie Videogame for mobile devices, which delivered one of WBIE’s highest grossing launch weeks ever for a Lego mobile game.

  • Regal Entertainment Group partners with MovieTickets.com

    Regal Entertainment Group partners with MovieTickets.com

    MUMBAI: MovieTickets.com has entered into an agreement with US based motion picture exhibitor Regal Entertainment Group. Through the deal, MovieTickets.com will offer its ticketing solutions across all 572 Regal Cinemas theaters with 7,356 screens, including its three main brands: Regal Cinemas, Edwards Theatres, and United Artists Theatres.

     

    “Our new relationship with Regal, the largest theatre circuit in the United States, establishes MovieTickets.com as the leader in the advance movie ticketing category, based on both screen count and number of movie theatre chains served. The addition of over 7,300 screens significantly boosts our footprint in the domestic marketplace and magnifies the opportunities for us on a much broader scale,” said MovieTickets.com CEO Joel Cohen.

     

    “Regal is excited about our relationship with MovieTickets.com. Our partnership with MovieTickets.com means greater access to the magic of movie-going at Regal and added convenience for our customers,” added Regal Entertainment Group CIO Dave Doyle.

     

    In a joint statement, MovieTickets.com co-founders and co-chairmen Shari Redstone and Mitchell Rubenstein said, “We could not be prouder to join forces with a leading exhibitor of Regal’s caliber and offer moviegoers around the nation unparalleled ticketing choices and services. As the founders of MovieTickets.com, it’s especially meaningful to see us take a leadership position with such a significant addition.”

     

    MovieTickets.com will begin deployment of its service across Regal Cinemas, Edwards Theatres and United Artists Theatres today, with the roll-out continuing through the end of this month. With the addition of these theaters, MovieTickets.com will be providing advance movie ticketing to over 28,000 screens worldwide, becoming the largest online advance movie ticketing platform in the world.

  • This holi celebrate your own colour with ‘Lakme School of Style’ at #fame

    This holi celebrate your own colour with ‘Lakme School of Style’ at #fame

    MUMBAI: It’s time to run riot. It’s the festival of colours – Holi – so very loved by all of us. India loves colour and simply loves to play with it. Yet, why is it then that when it comes to the very colour of skin we become shy or ashamed or want to make it glow differently?

     

    This Holi, #fame and the Lakmé School Of Style urge every Indian to celebrate their colour with an open heart and with a splash of delight. Your own colour is as beautiful and unique. Laced with beautiful poetry the #fame video titled Celebrate Your Colours is vivid and touching and brings out one’s own self as you watch it because “baat ye hai ki hum Hindustani hoti hi hain rangeen… jo pyaar hamein rangon se hai who kisi aur ko kahan?”

     

    A strong statement on the beloved festival of us all and delivered with an intent, this #fame Lakme School Of Style video underlines the value of equality, liberty, freedom and rejoiceness. “Gore rang se badhta nahin kisi ka maan, Haisiyat banti hai mehnat se… Aur mehnat ko toh rang dikhta hi nahin”

     

    Yes, love all, colour all, love thyself.  #fame Lakme School Of Style on https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vbJM3mGwCu8 will rip open your heart and make you think, revel and feel the colours of life. So, this Holi kholo apne mann ko… manao jashn apne khud ke rang ka.

  • StarsportsIndia tops the chart for week three on Twitter Brand Index

    StarsportsIndia tops the chart for week three on Twitter Brand Index

    MUMBAI: The third edition of Twitter Brand Index, which lists the five most interacted brands during Cricket world Cup 2015 on the basis of Re-Tweets, Favourites and Replies. The Twitter Brand Index recognises across all brands that are talking about cricket on the platform during the given week.

     

    @StarsportsIndia: The official broadcaster of ICC World Cup Star Sports has been leading the conversation on #CWC15 this week with their popular videos series that started with the India vs Pakistan match. Each Indian victory has meant a new video.

     

    The latest came out right after India won their match against the UAE. Using the now viral hashtag #MaukaMauka the ads have managed to capture the imagination of the Indian cricket fan.

     

    Alongside the thematic campaign Star Sports continues to connect fans over its hashtag #WontGiveItBack – People can tweet to the handle with the hashtag and get the schedule of the matches in the cup.

     

    https://twitter.com/StarSportsIndia/status/571623967896649729

     

    @Lays_India: Lays climbed the charts this week by exciting cricket fans on Twitter with the hashtags – #LaysKePlays and #TicketKaGame. Both represent a contest and the winners of each are promised opportunity to watch the finals of the #CWC15 live in Australia. This week, @Lay_India asked people to tweet with the hasthtag #TicketKaGame to reveal what the contest was going to be. The more the tweets, the faster the reveal. #LaysKePlays asked users to Reply to the handle with creative uses of Cricket lingo and make it relevant to Lays.

     

    https://twitter.com/Lays_India/status/570111683961552896

     

    @HDFCLIFE: @HDFCLife also took up the contest route with their #MyTeamMyPride contest. Users were asked questions and people stood to win shopping vouchers. Needless to say the hashtag was able to bring the proud Indian Cricket Fan together to fight for some goodies.

     

    https://twitter.com/HDFCLIFE/status/571574574078279681

     

    @AltoK10: Alto K 10 is one of the many auto brands trying to connect with its audience during #CWC15. With a creative spin on their brand tagline ‘Chase Life’ Alto has engaged the Indian cricket fan under its #Chase campaigns across the hashtags #ChaseCricket and #ChaseMaster. They ran a popular #SorrySIr contest where they invited people to Tweet them with funny ideas for ways to skip college/office on match days. Using topical caricatures, contests and celebrating the team’s victory with fans – Alto K 10 got people to send them their selfies in blue to show support to the team – #Chasefie.

     

    https://twitter.com/AltoK10/status/570964142179221504

     

    @DairyMilkIn: Contests seem to be the flavour of the season. @DairyMilk got people to join in on the contest #FansOfJoy where they were asked to send in their #FansOfJoy pics to a phone number and grab their moment of fame in leading dailies. Apart from this there was a quiz where people stood to win Cadbury Dairy Milk hampers.

     

    https://twitter.com/DairyMilkIn/status/570550069365121024

  • 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.

  • YuppTV announces launch of Aastha channel

    YuppTV announces launch of Aastha channel

    MUMBAI: To meet the demand for spiritual and devotional viewers of the country YuppTV on 3 March announces the launch of spiritual – cultural channel Aastha TV to showcase Indian spirituality for the Asian Indian community spread across the globe. The channel will be available worldwide with the exception of the USA, UK and Canada.

     

    Owned by Vedic Broadcasting Limited (VBL), Aastha TV telecasts religious discourses by saints and gurus; socio-cultural ceremonies and religious events, devotional music, programs based on pilgrimages, traditional festivals, meditation techniques, Astrology, Yoga, Ayurveda and educational programs based on ancient Vedic sciences.

     

    Announcing the launch, YuppTV CEO Uday Reddy said, “We are pleased to take Aastha TV to YuppTV customers across the world in keeping with our commitment to offering some of the most diverse content to viewers. As a channel that provides individuals across ages the perfect platform to connect with a culture and spirituality that is their own and which they adore, we believe our viewers will both appreciate and benefit from the launch of Aastha TV.”

     

    Vedic Broadcasting Limited CEO Pramod Joshi stated, “We are delighted to announce the launch of Aastha TV on YuppTV platform. Aastha has been at the forefront in providing content which fulfils the spiritual needs of the Asian Indian community spread across the globe. They can now benefit from the channel’s offerings through multiple internet enabled devices. Our association gives Aastha a wider global reach and will help people living away to connect to their homeland.”

  • Sistema Shyam TeleServices to launch innovative services

    Sistema Shyam TeleServices to launch innovative services

    KOLKATA: Sistema Shyam TeleServices Ltd (SSTL), the telecom services provider under the MTS brand, aims to launch innovative services early this year for smart phones. It is looking at launching devices, which can act as chargers as well as wireless internet for the smart phone users.

    Also, the data-led brand, had witnessed upwards of around 100 per cent increase in online marketing spent in the calendar year 2014 as compared to that last year 2013.

    “SSTL is looking at launching devices which can act as a charger as well as wireless internet for the smart phone users. Test phase is on,” said MTS India head of marketing and communications Gaurav Kackar.

    On the online marketing spent, without quantifying the budget Kackar, explained that if in the corresponding period the company spent Rs 100, around 20 per cent was dedicated for online advertisement spent and last year, it was increased to around 50 per cent. “We have almost doubled our share on online marketing spend,” he said.

    Also, the Facebook page of MTS brand has more than two million fans, he said.

    MTS expects surge in data traffic. “SSTL expects strong data growth over its networks,” he said.

    The company foresees exceptional data growth onto its networks. The Indian unit of Russia’s Sistema JSFC that operates under the MTS brand operates in nine out of 22 telecom circles in India.

    MTS, mainly a prepaid data services, has made its mark too when it comes to post paid services. “In the last three months, post paid growth has almost doubled,” he said.

    The company has, of late, shifted its focus to data-centric services such as video streaming.

    Postpaid consumers pay Rs 999 instead of Rs 1,499 for the MTS MBlaze Ultra Wi-Fi dongle. Additionally they can also opt for 40GB data pack at Rs 999, among various other offers, concluded Kackar.

  • Nokia unveils predictive marketing solution for telecom operators at Barcelona

    Nokia unveils predictive marketing solution for telecom operators at Barcelona

    NEW DELHI: Nokia has launched a predictive marketing solution that allows telecom operators to tap data to offer smarter services, boost revenues and improve customer loyalty.

     

    Addressing the Mobile World Congress (MWC 2015) in Barcelona, Nokia president and CEO Rajeev Suri said, “We see technology evolving to a point where almost all people and billions and billions of devices – 50 billion or more by 2025 – are connected, where software holds all those connections together, where analytics bring meaning, and where automation brings simplicity and efficiency.”

     

    The predictive marketing solution leverages Nokia Networks’ Customer Experience Management and the Mobile Marketing Suite from mapping and location HERE. It features a contextual element to data and the opportunity to set up personalized offers for services tailored to customer needs, said Nokia.

     

    In addition to predictive marketing, Nokia will show how the telecom cloud can help operators keep pace with the Internet world; how ultra-dense networks can ensure performance and meet capacity demands; explain how the latest application of location information can improve driving safety; and how to connect and manage the Internet of Things.

  • Reliance Games & Dreamworks to launch ‘Real Steel’ mobile game in March

    Reliance Games & Dreamworks to launch ‘Real Steel’ mobile game in March

    MUMBAI: Reliance Games will be launching Real Steel Champions to mobile devices in March 2015. Based on the popular movie title franchise and the latest in a series of hit Real Steel games from Reliance and Dreamworks SKG, this is the first game that lets users build robots and then battle with them.

     

    Featuring 10 new arenas, Real Steel Champions lets users create a nearly unlimited combination of robots from both exclusive and legendary robot parts, including fan favorites Atom, Zeus, Noisy Boy, Midas and Metro.

     

    One can choose from iconic Heads, monstrous Torsos and power-packed Hands and Legs to customize and build their very own steel supremacy.

     

    Real Steel Champions comes packed with a new tournament mode, which includes 20 fights with four ruthless bosses, each prepped to go the distance. Players can perfect their jabs, crosses, feints and haymakers across 30 challenges, 90 Time Attack fights and practice their glove game in unlimited Free Sparing mode.