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Tag: Kalyan Krishnamurthy

  • How Flipkart & Amazon enter the festive season

    How Flipkart & Amazon enter the festive season

    NEW DELHI: Amidst Covid2019 pandemic, India's biggest e-commerce platforms, Flipkart and Amazon, have tightened their belts in readiness for the festive fervour. Tensions are running high as the companies are looking to outperform each other in the battle of mega sales. Flipkart is set to begin the Big Billion Day sale from 16 October (Flipkart Plus customers will get access to deals 24 hours early), while Amazon will kickstart the Great Indian Festival from 17 October (Amazon Prime members will get access to deals 24 hours early). 

    For both e-tailers, Durga Puja to Diwali is like an extended banquet of consumer purchases.

    According to experts, online sales are expected to grow at their fastest pace this festive season. It is no secret that consumers, both in metros and non-metro cities, have shifted from physical retail to online modes of shopping as a result of the pandemic. The festive jamboree is expected to generate higher-order volume and value for e-commerce companies and help them multiply their retail sales following the negligible to zero growth in business during the lockdown.

    To leverage this promising event, Amazon and Flipkart have launched their marketing campaigns to rope in the masses. However, the advertising approach by both brands for the festive campaign is completely different. 

    Like the previous year, Flipkart’s strategy is massively celebrity-driven and focuses on essentials such as product and deals updates. These celebs include Virat Kohli, Amitabh Bachchan, Alia Bhat, Mahesh Babu, Sudeep. The etailer has roped in endorsers from the north and south regions to reach out to its audiences in these geographies. It has also roped in multiple influencers to amplify the sale and launched a teaser campaign to build excitement around the announcement of the sale.

    Flipkart group CEO Kalyan Krishnamurthy said, “The Big Billion Days stands for a celebration of brands, an assortment of collections never seen before, a spirit of festivity and joy, and a feeling of immense excitement as everyone embarks on their festive season preparations. This festive event continues to focus on Flipkart’s commitment to provide value for consumers, opportunities for growth for MSMEs and sellers, and employment generation through e-commerce. Through strong partnerships with brands and sellers we have tapped into the power of interconnected businesses and technology to bring consumers a wide range of products at great prices at their doorsteps this festive season.”    

    Read more news on Flipkart

    On the other hand, Amazon has also released ads in multiple languages to show how customers are eagerly waiting for the festive sale. The promos also tout Amazon as a one-stop-shop for all your festive fashion shopping from the comfort of home. The brand has stayed away from big celebrities and is focusing on how Amazon Great Indian Festival is a time for the family to shop together. It has also created multiple stores around the theme of Diwali, Durga Puja and IPL, to build a personalized shopping experience for customers. Amazon has also launched a wedding store for the upcoming nuptials season. The e-commerce platform has incorporated features like voice to quickly narrow users’ search for products, top deals, including Alexa-exclusive deals, or just ask Alexa on their Amazon Shopping app (Android only). 

    The brand is promoting its campaign through hashtags such as #NowHappinessHasNoBounds #HarPalFashionale on Instagram and Twitter. 

    Both e-commerce giants are keeping their social media feeds buzzing with updates on exclusive deals and offers. As per experts, Amazon has a rationalised budget distribution for the whole year, including non-festive periods, whereas Flipkart does seasonal advertising.

    Read more news on Amazon India

    This year Amazon and Flipkart have massively expanded their footprint. Flipkart has expanded its kirana onboarding program to include more than 50,000 kiranas, who will in turn make last-mile deliveries to consumers in more than 850 cities. On the other hand, over 20,000 offline retailers, kiranas, and local shops from local shops on Amazon programme are participating for the first time in the shopping festival.  

    Amazon India VP Manish Tiwary said, “This year’s ‘Great Indian Festival’ is an opportunity for our sellers and partners to reach millions of customers across the country. Our sellers are excited and expect this to help them in accelerating their business. For our customers, our aim is to help them find everything they need during the festive season and deliver it safely to them.”  

    If we look at the trends closely, the ‘Big Billion Days’ and ‘Great Indian Festival’ are not merely sale events but have become synonymous with the respective brand’s legacy. The sales of these two etailers have been growing year-on-year, especially during this period. 

    Now, consumers actually refresh their phones for weeks in anticipation for these seasonal sales to buy the products they have long-since added to their wishlists. This consistency by both e-tailers to hold mega sales over the last few years clearly depicts how the event has built a brand's legacy.

  • Binny Bansal steps down as Flipkart group CEO

    Binny Bansal steps down as Flipkart group CEO

    MUMBAI: Flipkart group CEO Binny Bansal has stepped down following an investigation into alleged "serious personal misconduct”, although he has denied the allegation.

    Walmart Inc, in a press statement, said, “His decision follows an independent investigation done on behalf of Flipkart and Walmart into an allegation of serious personal misconduct, He strongly denies the allegation. Nevertheless, we had a responsibility to ensure the investigation was deliberate and thorough."

    About the investigation, Walmart said that it did not find evidence to corroborate the complainant’s assertions against Bansal but it did reveal other lapses in judgement, particularly a lack of transparency, related to how he responded to the situation. "Because of this, we have accepted his decision to resign," the statement read.

    Kalyan Krishnamurthy will continue as the CEO of Flipkart, including Myntra and Jabong, confirmed Walmart. Ananth Narayanan will continue as the CEO of Myntra and Jabong and will report to Krishnamurthy.

  • Flipkart engulfs Sachin Bansal’s Billion into private label business

    Flipkart engulfs Sachin Bansal’s Billion into private label business

    MUMBAI: Flipkart has moved Billion, a private label brand founded by Sachin Bansal, into its overall private label business. Billion is a made in India project and is positioned as a reasonably priced brand tailored specifically with the Indian customers in mind.

    Billion was formed as a private label selling electronics, appliances and accessories by Sachin Bansal after he resigned from the post of Flipkart CEO in 2016. Before leaving Flipkart, Sachin was operating Billion as a brand separate from Flipkart’s private businesses.

    The brand is now a part of a portfolio of eight brands which are being managed by Flipkart vice president of private labels Adarsh Menon. The 50-member team of Billion will work in conjunction with the private labels team of the e-tailer, while Sachin Bansal remains at its helm.

    “The space that Billion has very successfully created and occupied for Indian consumers is the space of make in India and made in India. And that’s an extremely rich asset that the brand has. That can enable it to travel across multiple categories, which speaks volumes about how strong the brand is. What Billion will continue to do is identifying very India-specific customer requirements, and then working with our ecosystem partners to deliver that to Indian consumers?” said Menon as quoted by Livemint.

    Billion was Bansal’s big project after he left Flipkart. Sachin co-founded Flipkart with Binny Bansal. Sadly, he had to bid adieu to the company after he demanded stronger shareholder rights and better role in the operations of the resultant entity, which was opposed by Lee Fixel of Tiger Global Management, one of the major backers of Flipkart, and the company’s board. Following this, Sachin had to sell his entire stake in Flipkart, signing a non-compete clause with the company and had to leave the company. A year later, Binny Bansal himself was replaced by former Tiger Global Management executive Kalyan Krishnamurthy.

  • Salute heroes for women empowerment through HDFC

    Salute heroes for women empowerment through HDFC

    NEW DELHI:Cardholders from HDFC Bank can nominate their special hero who has been contributing towards the cause of women empowerment and stand a chance to win exciting prizes.

    This is part of a “#CelebrateHERoes” Priceless Surprises campaign by Mastercard in partnership with HDFC Bank in which Flipkart is the marquee retail partner. This is for the first time that Mastercard is inviting cardholders to give back to society through its collaboration with other partners.

    Mastercard Country Corporate Officer and Division President, South Asia Porush Singh said: “Women empowerment remains at the heart of Mastercard and with the launch of this campaign, we will further raise awareness and support the unsung heroes who are working towards this cause. Mastercard is excited to have partnered with HDFC Bank and Flipkart in celebrating this wonderful cause and rewarding our cardholders with Priceless Surprises.”

    “At HDFC Bank, we believe that by empowering women we can make a difference in the lives of an entire household and help create sustainable communities. This philosophy is embedded in a number of our businesses and projects that we undertake as a socially responsible corporate citizen. Through this campaign, which is closely aligned with our philosophy, we hope we can encourage even more people to be a part of this endeavor,” said Parag Rao, Country Head – Card Payment Products and Merchant Acquiring Services, HDFC Bank.

    Also speaking on the campaign, Flipkart Head- Category Design Kalyan Krishnamurthy said, “Flipkart has always believed in transforming commerce and adding value to customers in India through innovative modes of engagement. This initiative by Mastercard is a unique way to instill the thought of women empowerment and we are happy to partner with them and inspire millions of individuals who shop on Flipkart.

    As part of this initiative, Mastercard cardholders from HDFC Bank can submit nominations on impactful stories relating to a person or their hero making a meaningful difference to the lives of women in India.

    The participant who sends in the best nomination will stand a chance to win a grand prize of a free trip for two people to the United States of America and the nominee will get a grant of Rs 10 lakh. Seven more finalists will receive Flipkart vouchers of Rs 50,000 each. The gratification for the seven nominees will also expand to felicitate and recognize these leading heroes in everyday life through a reward of Rs 8 lakhs each to contribute to a cause of their choice.

    The campaign kicks off with the launch of a video showcasing actor-producer Anil Kapoor urging people to come forward and make that difference towards encouraging and supporting women in their own little ways. The video has been planned and created by McCann Erickson and produced by Sniper.

    Kapoor said, “I am excited to be part of this campaign. I am happy to celebrate the real heroes who make a difference in women’s lives for a better and empowered society. This is my chance to be part of Something Priceless.”

    Nominations can be sent on CelebrateHeroes@hdfcbank.com or on Mastercard Facebook page – with #CelebrateHERoes. The best nominations would be adjudged by a distinct panel of jury selected by Mastercard and HDFC Bank.

  • Salute heroes for women empowerment through HDFC

    Salute heroes for women empowerment through HDFC

    NEW DELHI:Cardholders from HDFC Bank can nominate their special hero who has been contributing towards the cause of women empowerment and stand a chance to win exciting prizes.

    This is part of a “#CelebrateHERoes” Priceless Surprises campaign by Mastercard in partnership with HDFC Bank in which Flipkart is the marquee retail partner. This is for the first time that Mastercard is inviting cardholders to give back to society through its collaboration with other partners.

    Mastercard Country Corporate Officer and Division President, South Asia Porush Singh said: “Women empowerment remains at the heart of Mastercard and with the launch of this campaign, we will further raise awareness and support the unsung heroes who are working towards this cause. Mastercard is excited to have partnered with HDFC Bank and Flipkart in celebrating this wonderful cause and rewarding our cardholders with Priceless Surprises.”

    “At HDFC Bank, we believe that by empowering women we can make a difference in the lives of an entire household and help create sustainable communities. This philosophy is embedded in a number of our businesses and projects that we undertake as a socially responsible corporate citizen. Through this campaign, which is closely aligned with our philosophy, we hope we can encourage even more people to be a part of this endeavor,” said Parag Rao, Country Head – Card Payment Products and Merchant Acquiring Services, HDFC Bank.

    Also speaking on the campaign, Flipkart Head- Category Design Kalyan Krishnamurthy said, “Flipkart has always believed in transforming commerce and adding value to customers in India through innovative modes of engagement. This initiative by Mastercard is a unique way to instill the thought of women empowerment and we are happy to partner with them and inspire millions of individuals who shop on Flipkart.

    As part of this initiative, Mastercard cardholders from HDFC Bank can submit nominations on impactful stories relating to a person or their hero making a meaningful difference to the lives of women in India.

    The participant who sends in the best nomination will stand a chance to win a grand prize of a free trip for two people to the United States of America and the nominee will get a grant of Rs 10 lakh. Seven more finalists will receive Flipkart vouchers of Rs 50,000 each. The gratification for the seven nominees will also expand to felicitate and recognize these leading heroes in everyday life through a reward of Rs 8 lakhs each to contribute to a cause of their choice.

    The campaign kicks off with the launch of a video showcasing actor-producer Anil Kapoor urging people to come forward and make that difference towards encouraging and supporting women in their own little ways. The video has been planned and created by McCann Erickson and produced by Sniper.

    Kapoor said, “I am excited to be part of this campaign. I am happy to celebrate the real heroes who make a difference in women’s lives for a better and empowered society. This is my chance to be part of Something Priceless.”

    Nominations can be sent on CelebrateHeroes@hdfcbank.com or on Mastercard Facebook page – with #CelebrateHERoes. The best nominations would be adjudged by a distinct panel of jury selected by Mastercard and HDFC Bank.

  • Kenstar Ties up with Flipkart.com to launch Oxy Fryer; ropes in SRK to promote

    Kenstar Ties up with Flipkart.com to launch Oxy Fryer; ropes in SRK to promote

    MUMBAI: Adding another brand in the list, Kenstar has now roped in Shah Rukh Khan to promote its upcoming product range.

     

    The company announced that it will be launching a slew of new products in the home appliances segment soon. As a first step towards the same, it launched Oxy Fryer today, which would be exclusively available on Flipkart.com.

     

    Speaking about his association with Kenstar Shah Rukh Khan said, “Kenstar has a tremendous heritage and goodwill across the country and offers consumers’ international quality products. It is an honor to be associated with brand Kenstar.”

     

    The Bollywood star will play a pivotal role in the brand and product communication across media platforms. Following this announcement, Kenstar will also run an extensive 360 degree marketing campaign with Shah Rukh Khan to promote this innovative product, the press release said.

     

    Commenting on getting SRK on board, Kenstar COO small home appliances Arun Pal said, “We are proud to announce our association with Shah Rukh Khan to promote Oxy Fryer. Like him, the Oxy Fryer is versatile and exemplifies star like characteristics.”

     

    Talking about this exclusive launch, Flipkart SVP retail Kalyan Krishnamurthy reckoned, “We are happy that Kenstar partnered with us to introduce their new range. At Flipkart our aim is to provide our customers with the widest range of quality products. Healthy living is something we all aspire to and we are expecting a great response to this product.”

     

    Oxy Fryer enables oil free frying, while keeping the food healthy and tasty. Oxy Fryer aims at revolutionising healthy cooking by using a simple yet innovative mechanism, which helps it to fry food with fast circulation of hot air.  The company aims to sell 1 lakh units of Oxy Fryer in the first phase of the launch.

     

    Talking about the product Pal added, “We observed that there has been a surge in demand for appliances that enable healthy and hassle free cooking. 

     

    Understanding this requirement we have launched Oxy Fryer, which not only ensure Oil Free Frying, but is also safe and convenient to use.  It is tested that food when cooked in Oxy Fryer is healthier as compared to the traditional method of frying.”

     

    Oxy Fryer will be priced at Rs 7990 and can be purchased exclusively from Flipkart.

     

  • Flipkart joins hands with PC Jeweller

    Flipkart joins hands with PC Jeweller

    MUMBAI: Continuing the string of announcements, Flipkart has now joined hands with jewellery retailer PC Jeweller to create a platform for online jewellery shopping, reported PTI. “With the aim to revolutionise the trend of jewellery buying in India, this partnership will provide an online go-to platform for the shoppers,” both the companies said in a statement.

     

    The focus will be on the replicating the comfort, convenience and brilliance that is associated with shopping at a PC Jeweller’s large format showroom online on Flipkart, it also added.

     

    PC Jeweller executive director and chief operating officer RK Sharma said, “We are focussed on our online jewellery brand WearYourShine by PC Jeweller and going forward, we would also like to work with Flipkart towards creating a seamless offline-online integration wherein customers get a flexibility to buy online and exchange or return offline across over 46 showrooms of PC Jeweller.”

     

    “We see online jewellery sales becoming a huge market in the next few years, contributing a good share to our business,” he added.

     

    Flipkart’s deep data analytics and online cataloguing assistance will further refine the online shopping experience.

     

    Flipkart retail senior VP Kalyan Krishnamurthy said, “Our access to the country’s largest customer base allows us to predict market needs and list new products on our site that we feel will cater to current customer demands. We are confident that precious jewellery, as a category, has huge potential if done right.”

     

    “The association of Flipkart and PC Jewellers, both names that are trusted widely by customers, is well positioned to take online jewellery shopping to the next level,” he added.

  • Flipkart launches third private brand – Citron

    Flipkart launches third private brand – Citron

    MUMBAI: Bangalore-based e-retailer Flipkart announced its in-house home appliances and personal healthcare brand — Citron.

     

    The label includes a wide range of cooking utilities and grooming products. According to the press release, the product range in electronics includes electric kettles, sandwich makers, hand blenders and pop-up toasters while the range in the personal healthcare category has shavers and trimmers, hair straighteners and dryers.

     

    Flipkart, which has so far raised $1.75 billion from investors forayed into the private labels segment in 2012 with Digiflip, selling digital accessories, before launching tablets under the brand. Flipkart had also launched lifestyle private brand Flippd in January this year.

     

    Excited with the recent launch, Flipkart SVP-Retail Kalyan Krishnamurthy said, “The launch of Citron is our next step in expanding the private labels offering at Flipkart. This enables us to offer our customers quality products at a great value for yet another category after lifestyle and tablets.”

     

    “In the next three months we will expand into selling various other products such as irons, induction cooktops, juicers, mixers etc.,” he added.

     

    While the home appliances products are priced between Rs 500 and Rs 999, the personal healthcare products are available at Rs 549- 949.

     

    While most online fashion portals like Jabong and Myntra (which Flipkart recently acquired) have multiple private labels in clothing, Flipkart has been one of the first to introduce its own range in electronics like tablets and other gadgets.