MUMBAI: If you are Amazon, you have to do something different, something amazing, something out of the box, right? Which is what Amazon India has done.
In a heartfelt endeavor to enhance the experience of attendees at the 2025 Mahakumbh Mela, Amazon India is stepping beyond conventional boundaries with its innovative “dibbon se badhkar” (More than just boxes) initiative.
Amazon India director growth & marketing (CMO) Pragya Sharma emphasised that true innovation lies not just in creating new products, but in transforming lives by seizing meaningful opportunities.
In collaboration with the Mahakumbh Mela authorities, the ecommerce giant has repurposed its iconic cardboard boxes into portable beds. These thoughtfully-designed beds are providing a much-needed oasis of comfort for tired attendees at vital locations including the lost and found center, the Kumbh hospital, and for the Kumbh police. The beds serve as a sanctuary, offering respite to those navigating long festival days and nights.
“Our initiative goes beyond conventional thinking; we’re transforming the very boxes we use into a solution that brings comfort and convenience,” said Sharma. “This is a testament to our collective commitment to serving communities with care and thoughtfulness.”
This innovative idea aligns seamlessly with Amazon’s mission to enrich daily lives. As hundreds of millions gather in Prayagraj for this monumental event, the “dibbon se badhkar” initiative stands as a small yet significant step towards delivering much-needed care and comfort.
MUMBAI: There’s no better place to understand the dynamics of e-commerce and D2C brands than Flipkart – which is now part of Walmart. Siddhartha Juneja spent two years – of which a part of it was during the pandemic – between July 2020 to July 2022 at the e-commerce giant.
That experience will prove invaluable following his appointment as director of e-commerce at Nivea India recently. Prior to his recent appointment, he spent a couple of years and seven months as head- omnichannel at Mondelez International between July 2022 and January 2025.
He spent four years and some months each at Kellogg India (March 2016-July 2020; marketing manager, category head and channel head – e-commerce & D2C) and General Mills (October 2011-Februrary 2016; area sales manager Mumbai and brand manager).
Two years of experience with Wipro Consumer Care (May 2009 and October 2011) saw him his sharpening his understanding of the dynamics of FMCG sales and distribution .
Juneja holds a BTech degree and a post-graduation in marketing and operations. He lists business management, brand management and marketing as his top three skills.
He will have to put all three to use at Nivea India as he puts in his all to build online commerce for the company.
MUMBAI: Indian ecommerce giant Flipkart -owned by US retail major Walmart – has a new minority shareholder. India’s monopolies and fair trade watchdog, the Competition Commission of India, on 26 November, gave the green signal to Alphabet’s subsidiary Shoreline International Holdings LLC to acquire a stake in it. Shoreline International Holdings is a wholly-owned offshoot of Alphabet, Google’s parent company. It is a holding firm and does not own or operate any Google products or services.
“The proposed transaction comprises an investment through subscription of shares of Flipkart Pvt Ltd (Target) by Shoreline International Holdings LLC (acquirer) and an arrangement between an affiliate of the acquirer and the target’s subsidiary for the provision of certain services,” the regulator said in a release.
Flipkart mainly offers wholesale cash and carry operations and runs marketplace-based e-commerce platforms to facilitate trade between customers and sellers in India.
In 2023, Flipkart had started a funding round of close to a billion Us dollars which included $350 million from Google and around $600 million from Walmart. The agreement with Google also included, according to reports, access to its cloud services which would allow it expand its digtal infrastructure further. With that its valuation had risen to $36 billion and it said it would use the money to expand into quick commerce and other fintech ventures.
85 per cent owned by Walmart, Flipkart will probably move towards an IPO in the not-too-distant future, as it is something which the Binny Bansal and Sachin Bansal-founded firm has been thinking about for sometime.
Mumbai: Nippon Paint India (Decorative) announces its entry into the e-commerce market with Amazon, Flipkart, and JioMart. The brand has recently made available a wide range of over 8,000 decorative paint products for purchase on these platforms, marking a significant milestone in the company’s digital transformation journey.
As a prominent player in the paint industry, Nippon Paint is dedicated to enhancing the accessibility of its products for customers throughout India. With this strategic move into e-commerce, customers will now be able to easily purchase Nippon Paint products on these leading online retailer platforms in just a few clicks. The online product range encompasses over 600 shades of interior/exterior, wood and metal paints, primers/undercoats, paint sprayers, multipurpose lubricants, and craft supplies.
Efficient logistics will be pivotal in influencing the cost-effectiveness and customer satisfaction of these online products. Nippon’s partnership with dependable shipping options ensures that customers can receive their products directly and conveniently. To safeguard against leakage, wall paints are dispatched in specially designed packaging that safeguards the product throughout the delivery process. By fostering robust partnerships with e-commerce collaborators, Nippon Paint aims to deliver customer orders across India within a one-day delivery window.
Nippon Paint has continuously attracted the interest of Indian consumers seeking to elevate their homes and lifestyles through innovative technology and paint products that are useful and practical. This includes Aircare VG, Matex EZ wash, Weatherbond Pro, and Sumo Xtra Dust shield. The brand is looking forward to reaching out to a new generation of consumers with the introduction of its products on e-commerce platforms.
Having recently forayed into the 12,500 crores ‘Beyond Paint’ category, Nippon Paint has also made its DIY range from the segment available on online platforms.
Nippon Paint India (Decorative Division) president Mahesh Anand said, “We are thrilled to bring our high-quality products to Amazon, Flipkart, and JioMart customers. Through our collaboration with these platforms, customers can anticipate a consistent standard of excellence in both quality and customer service, aligning with the renowned reputation of Nippon Paint. Our extensive paint colour palette is seamlessly integrated into Amazon’s paint finder tool, empowering customers to effortlessly select the perfect hues for their homes.”
Mumbai: Interactive Avenues, the digital arm of IPG Mediabrands India has secured the e-commerce mandate for TTK Healthcare, a diversified conglomerate with a wide range of healthcare and FMCG products. The account was won by the agency following a multi-agency pitch process and will be handled from their Chennai office.
Interactive Avenues will be responsible for elevating TTK Healthcare’s e-commerce presence and increasing sales across key marketplaces and quick commerce platforms. Their mandate includes e-commerce strategy, content creation, media activation, catalogue management, and more.
Commenting on the association, TTK Healthcare DGM – digital marketing & ecommerce Arjun Siva said, “We are delighted to appoint Interactive Avenues as our ecommerce agency. We’re confident their proven digital expertise will help us drive growth and efficiencies across ecommerce platforms, especially for our brands Skore & MsChief in the sexual pleasure category and Eva, our personal enhancement brand.”
Interactive Avenues EVP south Aparna Tadikonda added, “TTK Healthcare has significantly contributed to the advancement of India’s FMCG & healthcare ecosystem for over 6 decades, and is also a pioneer of the condom industry in India. We are thrilled to be working with them. We will focus on delivering a seamless customer journey and driving digital growth powered by our proprietary data-driven frameworks and tools.”
Mumbai: Brands on the network of eCommerce enabler GoKwik have saved up to Rs 130 Cr in losses from return to origin orders (RTO) in 2023 so far.
According to data released by GoKwik, direct-to-customer (D2C) brands on its network benefited from its interventions to arrest RTO occurrences. Brands saved over 16 lac orders from being returned to origin. As a result, they also saved over Rs 24 Cr in reverse logistics costs owing to orders being returned while in transit.
“We are constantly building deep-rooted intelligence & interventions that will help brands cater to the cash-on-delivery-loving shoppers while also mitigating RTO losses smartly. Our solutions are constantly committed to solving deep-rooted problems of the eCommerce industry at the source while also ensuring we contribute to becoming the eCommerce gateway of India. By seeing success stories of merchants, we are rest assured that we are heading in the right direction” said GoKwik co-founder and CEO Chirag Taneja.
RTO or return to origin is when undelivered orders are returned before delivery causing a major setback to operations for e-commerce brands as they add to logistics costs, inventory blockage, loss of true conversions and leaking profitability.
The chances of RTO are significantly higher in cash-on-delivery (COD) orders than in prepaid orders. GoKwik offers a range of solutions backed by data and analytics that can predict customer behaviour and help sellers prevent RTOs while ensuring expansive COD serviceability across regions.
Through GoKwik-led interventions, brands also had over 16 lac products readily available to be shipped which would have otherwise been in transit for 20-30 days leading to inventory blockage and damage, data released by GoKwik shows.
Fashion brands saved around Rs 15 Cr, electronics brands around Rs 61.7 Cr, beauty brands around Rs 2.75Cr, and footwear brands around Rs 5.5Cr in inventory blockage owing to GoKwik interventions. Moreover, among these categories, electronics saw the highest reduction in COD RTOs with 28 per cent. Fashion brands recorded an 11 per cent drop in COD RTOs, footwear recorded a 16.6 per cent drop, and beauty and personal care saw 10 per cent.
Around 40 per cent of the brands in the GoKwik network continued to increase their COD share by 16 per cent and reduced COD RTO by up to 18 per cent.
Homegrown consumer electronics brand boAt saw up to a 32 per cent drop in RTO rate and a four times increase in COD gross merchandise value with the help of GoKwik’s interventions. Footwear brand Attitudist also recorded a 15 per cent reduction in RTOs with these interventions. Boult Audio further brought down RTOs by 40 per cent and Fireboltt by 30 per cent respectively.
Many other brands including Swiss Beauty, The Man Company, Neeman’s, Wallmantra, and Lenskart were able to expand their COD serviceability pan India while containing RTO rate.
GoKwik’s smart suite of solutions helps brands start COD, expand COD, reduce return to origin and contain return to origin depending on the stage of COD serviceability their brand is in. GoKwik is committed to solving these problems at the source by risk-based interventions such as adding extra layers to order completion to avoid RTO, behavioural analysis of the shoppers, risk profiling and placing pre-order interventions such as COD captcha, COD confirmation prompts, prepaid discounts and more.
Mumbai: Nykaa Fashion has signed Janhvi Kapoor as its brand ambassador. While Kapoor has already been associated with the brand since 2018, she’ll now serve as the brand ambassador for Nykaa Fashion. The brand has also launched a 20-second ad film featuring the actress.
In an endeavour to have Janhvi’s influence and popularity now transcend to the world of fashion, the brand has deepened its relationship with the artist, who will be seen in fresh new avatars as she expresses her unbridled love for all things fashion. Nykaa Beauty and Nykaa Fashion meticulously cater to the needs of a discerning customer who’s looking for highly curated offerings and appreciates having elevated options to choose from.
In the earnest demeanour of someone who spends plenty of time on the two apps of Nykaa, Janhvi’s excitement over spotting a few of her favourite products is palpable in this campaign film, “One Nykaa Two Apps: Two Apps, Double The Fun.” Celebrating fashion on fleek, the film opens with Kapoor instantly spotting her favourite beauty and fashion picks and declaring that true fans never just use one app because with Nykaa Beauty and Nykaa Fashion, the curations, the offerings, the fun, and the love multiplies.
Nykaa Fashion CEO and Nykaa co-founder Adwaita Nayar said, “Janhvi is a true, modern style icon who has already established her flair in the beauty game with Nykaa. She brings great relatability and influence to the table, and we cannot think of anyone more apt to represent the spirit of our fashion offering. I’m excited to further strengthen our association with Janhvi and together build brand love for Nykaa Fashion.”
On her association with the brand, Janhvi Kapoor said, “My relationship with Nykaa is truly special, not just professionally but also personally. As one of their millions of consumers, I have always felt empowered by the choices offered by the brand. I am a huge fashion enthusiast and am super excited to partner with Nykaa Fashion to bring its elegantly curated offerings across homegrown and international brands under the spotlight for you to discover and enjoy!”
Mumbai: Flipkart has announced its first-ever live commerce event for two-wheelers to be held on 18 October at 5 p.m. on the Flipkart mobile app. The one-of-its-kind industry event in the country will be hosted by Rannvijay Singha of MTV Roadies fame and auto influencer Rachit Hirani and will showcase a range of electric and petrol two-wheelers from top brands to millions of consumers across the country and enable them to make a purchase in real time.
Customers can go to the Flipkart app and select bikes and cars from the category segment to join ‘The Auto Hour Live’ event. As part of the live commerce event, Flipkart will make available a range of two-wheelers from brands including Ampere, Bounce, BGauss, and Hero, where the hosts will showcase their features and talk about the evolving two-wheeler space. The event will also mark the launch of the Hero XTreme 160R Stealth 2.0, in one of the first virtual launches of a two-wheeler in the country.
The live commerce event is significant as customers prepare to celebrate Dhanteras and Diwali, and is an auspicious time to make new purchases, particularly vehicles.
Speaking of this unique initiative, Flipkart senior director of two-wheelers, automobiles & electronics Rakesh Krishnan Flipkart said, “The Indian two-wheeler industry is at the cusp of a revolution with e-commerce offering new avenues to millions of customers to own a two-wheeler in a seamless and affordable manner. Through our Live Commerce event, a one-of-its-kind activity, we aim to showcase the best of petrol and electric vehicles to our customers and allow them to book their favourite vehicles in real time. Customers will also be able to make use of our industry-best affordability constructs to make their purchase affordable across top cities.”
Mumbai: Meesho recorded 87.6 lakh orders on the first day of its festive season event, ‘Mega Blockbuster Sale.’ This is the highest number of orders recorded by the company on a single day. It reached 80 per cent from day one of the previous year’s sale.
On the first day of the ‘Mega Blockbuster Sale,’ tier two, three, and four cities accounted for 85 per cent of orders from Meesho. Reaffirming its continued commitment to underserved users with different needs around selection and affordability, the company saw consumers from deep corners of the country, such as Jamnagar, Alappuzha, Chhindwara, Davengere, Hassan, Gopalganj, Guwahati, Siwan, Thanjavur, and Ambikapur.
With a wide assortment of Rs 6.5 crore active product listings at the lowest prices, the sale exemplifies Meesho’s mission towards democratising e-commerce for everyone.
Fashion, beauty, personal care, home, kitchen, and electronic accessories were the top-selling categories on day one, while consumers bought everything from sarees to analogue watches, jewellery sets, mobile cases/covers, bluetooth headphones, choppers, and peelers in record volumes to fulfil their festive shopping aspirations.
Meesho’s industry-first initiatives like zero commission and zero penalty have been instrumental in getting India’s small businesses online. The first day of the Meesho ‘Mega Blockbuster Sale’ saw a 360 per cent increase in seller participation from the previous year, with nearly 75 per cent coming from tier two markets and beyond. Ahead of the festive season, Meesho created a robust training programme on its supplier learning hub and is educating sellers on everything from demand forecasting to order volume management.
Meesho chief experience officer of business Utkrishta Kumar said, “The ‘Mega Blockbuster Sale’ has started on a high trajectory with a very strong response on day one. This performance is a reflection of the unmatched value sellers and consumers get on our platform and a validation of our relentless efforts towards democratising internet commerce. We are humbled to have had a far-reaching impact in the deepest corners of the country, with 85 per cent of orders and 75 per cent of sellers coming from tier two or higher cities. We will continue to fuel the discoverability of hyperlocal businesses and products, empower MSMEs, and further boost accessibility and affordability for our heterogenous base of consumers.”
New Delhi: Myntra has rolled out ‘Big Fashion Festival’ campaign for the upcoming festive season. The mega marketing campaign features Bollywood celebrities Ranbir Kapoor and Kiara Advani.
Poised to leverage Myntra’s position as India’s fashion expert, the campaign will be amplified across television, digital and social media platforms.
The campaign, with a tagline, “Myntra big fashion festival. India’s biggest fashion dhamaka. Don’t waste time,” aptly communicates the scale of the event, positioning it as the go-to destination for every fashion need this festive season, while also apprising shoppers of Myntra’s value offerings as part of the mega event.
The concept of the campaign is to take a dig at celeb culture and bring out the bigness of the event, where even the biggest celebs can’t help themselves but to get in on the action, without wasting any time. It is an event so big that everything else seems smaller, including the celebs themselves!
In this new marketing campaign, Kiara appeals as a fashion trendsetter and Ranbir’s cool demeanor are poised to accelerate conversations around Myntra’s apparel segments. They will play a pivotal role in connecting one of India’s leading fashion, beauty and lifestyle platforms with millions of new and existing fashion-forward consumers.
The 30-second ad film is currently live across multiple leading TV channels, social and digital platforms. The campaign aims to amplify recall for Myntra, which is already synonymous with fashion, beauty and lifestyle, during the upcoming festive shopping period.
As a part of Myntra’s multi-channel activation, among the most popular and most loved national celebrities, fashion and lifestyle influencers will form an important network of proponents for Myntra’s Big Fashion Festival (BFF). They will engage with a very large fan base across the country and highlight Myntra’s proposition of biggest brands, styles, products and offers to reach every part of the country and demography, with the central message of the campaign that urges shoppers to look nowhere but Myntra for all their festive fashion needs.
Speaking about his association with Myntra, Ranbir Kapoor said, “I am excited to be part of Myntra’s festive campaign this year. Fashion plays an important role during festivities and it’s that time of the year when we all refresh our wardrobes. Unarguably, Myntra’s wide collection of styles during the Big Fashion Festival will make customers swoon over.”
Speaking about her festive campaign, Kiara Advani said, “My festive campaign with Myntra this year is all about the excitement we share while getting ready to shop during the festive period. My association with Myntra , over the last two years, has made me connect with the youth of the country through my love for fashion.”
Sharing his thoughts on the launch of the campaign, Myntra CEO Nandita Sinha said, “The Big Fashion Festival brings families and loved ones together, with fashion playing a pivotal role in the festivities. This year’s marketing campaign is to highlight the magnanimity of the Big Fashion Festival, showcasing that no reason is bigger for the attention of people across the nation, not even the much-loved celebrities, than this event itself for the festivity. With this campaign, we aim to penetrate our reach to every nook and corner of the country and strike a chord with the fanbase of much beloved superstars Ranbir Kapoor and Kiara Advani.
