6 Essential Casual Shoes that Every Women Must Have in Their Closet

Do you often splurge on trending shoes but still feel you don't have anything to wear when headed out? That is because you're not investing in the 'essential shoes.' Essentials are the ones that are easy to style, comfortable to wear and go with most outfits. They are the ultimate investment and can last for years when chosen wisely.

So to make your essential hunt easier, we've listed out the six must-have causal shoes for women below. Check it out!

Statement Heels

Every woman likes to make a statement once in a while. Statement heels are fun to wear throughout the year. Their colourful, vibrant and graphic designs can give you a brand new look. You can wear them to a casual get-together with friends or fun evening parties. With statement heels, it's best to keep the rest of your outfit simple unless you're planning a highly dramatic look.

The choice of statement heels depends largely on the personality of the owner. Just ensure that their colour or design flatters your feet and body type. Whenever you buy one, always remember to invest in good-quality heels. It's better to go for a single high-quality pair that lasts for years than buy multiple poor-quality ones that need constant replacing.

Sneakers

Sneakers are the ultimate casual go-to shoes. No other shoes can match the comfort they provide. But apart from being comfortable and cool, they are also trendy and affordable. That's why they're one of the most loved footwear by men and women alike. You can wear them with all casual outfits- be it dresses, denim, tee or shorts.

The best part about sneakers is their versatility. They are available in numerous styles and multiple colours. Hence, they are a must in your spring-summer collection. Colourful sneakers bring a burst of life to your monochrome ensemble. You can wear them with or without socks, whatever you're comfortable with. Many sneakers are unisex. They're equally popular as casual shoes for men and women.

You'll be saved from the what-to-wear moments on immediate plans with sneakers around. And since they're so affordable, it wouldn't be a sin to have 2 to 3 pairs of different kinds in your wardrobe collection.

Loafers

When speaking of comfort, you cannot miss out on loafers. They are another must-have casual shoe for women. Inspired by men's shoes, loafers are the new street style for women. They are sophisticated, comfortable, fuss-free, and give a feminine touch to your casuals. Loafers will save your day, whether running errands or planning a quick get-together with friends. Consider them a chicer alternative to your ballet flat.

Classic colours look great on any shoes, and loafers are no exception. Black and brown loafers go well with multiple outfits and are a safe investment. However, if you already have those, you can experiment with some fun colours or prints to spice up your wardrobe.

Flat Sandals

When you have beautiful feet, why hide them all the time? Better show them off with a nice pair of flat sandals. Your feet will get the necessary air and much-deserved attention. Besides, it's always nice to have a chic sandal that you can slip on without giving much thought.

Sandals are unlike any other shoes and hold a special place in Indian women's closets. They go perfectly well with Indian attires like lehenga, kurtis, and saris. However, you can also wear them casually with pants and skirts. Therefore, they are another must-have pair, especially if you frequently travel to beach areas.

Sandals come in many styles. Go for a casual one for everyday wear and reserve the formal one for special occasions.

Boots

Boots are another everyday staple for cold months. Boots are where comfort meets fashion. They give the perfect finish to your look while keeping your feet warm. Boots come in different sizes.

Ankle lengths are most preferred for regular use as they're both practical and stylish. But if you're thinking of making a statement, you might also like knee-length or thigh-high boots. Whatever you choose, your wardrobe is incomplete without a pair of boots.

Wedge Heels

If you're a heel lover but unwilling to kill your feet with pointed ones, wedge heels are perfect for you. These are comfortable heels for anyone looking to add a little extra height. You can wear them for long-duration events without straining your feet. They go with Indian and western attires and can be worn to formal events. Now that's what you call an 'essential shoe' worth your investment.

Final Words

So now that you know about the six essential casual shoes for women, what are you waiting for? If not, it's time to head out for some dil ke deals shopping. Having them ready can save your day and prepare you for all future occasions. Happy Shopping!

Artisans, Weavers, and Handicraft Makers Celebrate India's Heritage Through a Successful Festive Season With Flipkart

This year’s festive season has been extra special for artisans, weavers and handicraft makers across the country as they catered to the growing consumer demand for indigenous products, crafted to bring the rich culture of India to life. Flipkart, India’s homegrown e-commerce marketplace, also created a special collection of products as part of their flagship initiative - Flipkart Samarth, to bring the rich and diverse art forms of the country onto its e-commerce platform. 

Flipkart Samarth is designed with the intention of democratizing e-commerce and building a sustainable and inclusive platform for under-served, domestic communities to empower them with greater opportunities and better livelihood. Through the initiative, Flipkart’s aim is to provide greater visibility to the made-in-India products on its platform - products that reflect the local diversity, culture and capabilities of a heritage-rich country. To drive greater visibility and promote the products available on the platform, the company has also created a dedicated storefront on its app/website so that consumers can get easy access to their desired products.

Today, through Flipkart Samarth, the company is able to impact 7,00,000+ livelihoods. Over the last year, Flipkart Samarth saw a 12x growth in the number of partners who joined the program. These artisans, who became part of Flipkart’s annual festive season sale this year, saw a 2.5x increase in comparison to their usual non-festive sale days. The demand for these products reflected the increasing trend of people supporting local products, with the top-performing categories for sellers of the Flipkart Samarth program being ethnic wear, home decor and natural/organic beauty and grooming products. Encouraged by the success of sellers on the platform, Flipkart Samarth also saw artisans, craftsmen, and weavers from new cities (7x growth from last year), join the program. 60% of Flipkart Samarth’s partners are from Tier II and beyond, including cities such as Dharampuri, Palanpur, Ernakulum, Palghar and Ambala, showcasing the spread of the program across the country.

Speaking on this issue of market access for under-served seller communities on e-commerce platforms, Rajneesh Kumar, Chief Corporate Affairs Officer, Flipkart Group, said, “The Governments at the Center and States have played a critical and enabling role in helping these under-served seller communities become part of the Flipkart Samarth initiative on the marketplace. Such initiatives play a prominent role in promoting the Government’s ‘vocal for local’ campaign, in turn helping build an ‘AtmaNirbhar India’. We are proud to be able to support the rich heritage of India and provide MSMEs, artisans and craftsmen an opportunity to leverage the power of e-commerce and also support flagship initiatives like ODOP in Uttar Pradesh”.

Dhaval Patel, part of Navrang Handicrafts, is today empowering women artisans from his village by supporting them in selling their products on Flipkart, under the Flipkart Samarth program. He has been witnessing almost 100 orders per day and is grateful for the festive season to boost the visibility of these handicraft products more. Similarly, Boyanika - which supports Odisha’s weavers’ community is now getting orders for their affordable range of locally produced cotton sarees, from across the country. The weavers associated with the brand are thrilled that their products are reaching every part of the nation, and they are getting larger visibility.

From bringing Uttar Pradesh’s flagship ODOP initiative, Khadi products, chikankari, and zari-zardozi work, to Karnataka’s renowned handloom and handicraft brands such as Cauvery and traditional Bengali handicrafts, fabrics and artifacts through Biswa Bangla -- Flipkart Samarth has been actively bringing local handicrafts and handlooms from across the country to a pan-India consumer base.

The program has grown from strength to strength by way of multiple MoUs with Government bodies in the states of Jharkhand, Punjab, Odisha, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Assam, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, Gujarat and the Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir, along with an MoU with the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs to collaborate with their DAY-NULM initiative, spreading Flipkart Samarth’s reach to 23 states across the country.

Flipkart constantly assesses the pain points and aspirations of these groups, incorporating their needs and requirements so that MSMEs, artisans, weavers, rural entrepreneurs, women entrepreneurs and other under-served communities continue to have an enriching seller experience across its various initiatives including Flipkart Samarth. Through such partnerships, the company is enabling livelihood opportunities for the handlooms and handicraft sectors and help uplift the economic conditions of this fraternity.

Apparels and Accessories the Most Purchased Products during Festive Sales: Ecom Express

Apparels gained huge traction with a 5.2% increase in share of total volumes, after seeing a decline during COVID-19 phase. Footwear has been revived by the October sales. 

Mobile, tablets and mobile accessories received more space in the shopping cart at the beginning of the festive sales and a steady growth thereafter. 

Medicines & Supplements saw a 260% jump in volumes in August and sustained higher volumes through October. 

Ecom Express, a leading technology enabled end-to-end logistics solutions provider to e-commerce industry, today revealed key highlights of consumer buying pattern across fashion, mobiles and tablets, and medicine categories in the ongoing festive sales. The data has been gathered based on volumes of merchandise assigned to Ecom Express by more than 2000 e-commerce players in the country. The total jump in volume of sales for the same duration in August versus October, including all categories, stood at 72%.

Apparels and accessories were the most purchased categories of products in terms of volume share from February to August. In the October sale, this segment saw around 5% increase in share of total volumes and a whopping 200% + increase in growth over its pre-COVID volumes.

According to the company, this growth was driven primarily from major cities such as Bangalore, Chennai, Kolkata, Ahmedabad, and Mumbai. Kolkata's October sales numbers showed the highest spike, especially in apparel and footwear, capturing on Durga Puja fervour. It reflects that people in Kolkata waited for the festive season, and their preferred choice of gifts this year were apparel, footwear, and accessories. Although Delhi saw a decline in apparel volumes, adjoining cities in the NCR such as Gurgaon, Noida and Ghaziabad contributed significantly to the volumes.


Further, mobile, tablets and mobile accessories bounced back post-COVID to show an 89% growth in August. This category remains a strong in a sale promotion-driven category, showing a huge surge during the October festive sales grew by over 210%. While the large cities remain the largest markets for this category overall, smaller cities appeared to drive festive season sales, with customers/re-sellers waiting for sale promotions. High volumes were driven out of small towns like Arrah and Narkatiyagunj (Bihar), Raigarh and Sarangarh (Chhattisgarh) and Dhaka near Dumka district of Jharkhand.

Medicine and supplements including hygiene saw a very high growth attaining a 260% jump in August compared to pre-COVID days. This purchasing pattern in medicine and supplements was fuelled by the pandemic and its volumes have stayed consistently at the August level in the October sale. Sales in this category was driven not just out of metros and large cities, but also from tier-2 and tier-3 cities including Bhopal, Patna, Agartala, Indore, Silchar, Kanpur etc.

Commenting on the insights, Siddharth Agarwal, Vice President - Corporate Strategy and Planning, Ecom Express said, "We had anticipated the surge in online shopping that was backed by festive sales and increased preference for doorstep deliveries. Due to COVID-19, there has been a rise in first-time online buyers. Moreover, even offline retailers and brands are riding on the e-commerce wave to reach out to their audience which is why we geared up to keep up with the demand, even from the remotest parts of the country. Our reach to over 27000 PIN-codes is definitely proving to help people even at faraway places to enjoy their festivity and give us an edge in delivering last mile smiles."

Interestingly, laptops and accessories, footwear, beauty products and toiletries ruled the roost in February just before COVID-19-induced lockdown. However, these products saw a decline in sales volumes in August and continued their downward trend through October mainly due to factors such as work from home (WFH), less offline meetings/public outings amongst others. The Footwear segment still managed to revive in October sales and its demand more than doubled in October.

In terms of categories, moderate growth in volumes were also seen in Home Décor, kitchen and dining, and large appliances till August. While home décor remained steady, others saw a moderate decline in the October sales.

Ecom Express Private Limited is a leading end-to-end technology enabled logistics solutions provider to the Indian e-commerce industry. Headquartered in Gurugram, Ecom Express was incorporated in 2012 by T.A. Krishnan, Manju Dhawan, K. Satyanarayana and late. Sanjeev Saxena with their 100+ years of cumulative experience in the Indian logistics and distribution industry. Ecom Express has its presence in all 29 states of the country and operates in over 2650 towns across 27,000+ PIN-codes in India. The company is the first private logistics company in India to envision a full-state coverage strategy, offered in 20 states including Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Goa, Gujarat, Haryana, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Punjab, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal. Through this deep reach strategy, the company has a capability to deliver to over 1.2 billion people i.e. 92%+ of India's population.

Beyoung.in Clocking 3 Cr Monthly Revenue in Span of 2.5 Years - Shivam Soni Outlines Growth Plan

From Few Thousands to Crores, the e-com fashion industry has a new BIG BOY in the arena - Beyoung.in which is giving a breakthrough performance since 2018 by making the operations hub in Udaipur, Rajasthan.

Today, Beyoung.in is logging 3 crores per month revenue from an absolutely delightful product range. Beyoung is a home-grown fashion brand initiated with an ideology of catering the latest fashion trend in t-shirts, mobile accessories, and other USPs like couple tees, custom products, and not forgetting the Plus Size apparels which have swept the mass market with an ace at a pocket-friendly price. The company members calling themselves Beyoungsters include 3 passionate entrepreneurs Shivam Soni (CEO), Sakshi Soni (co-founder), and Shivani Soni (co-founder). Within one year, the team strength was noted 35, and further, by Sept 2020, 90+ Beyoungsters are working under the Beyoung’s Base.
 
Beyoung is a self-funded startup launched with a capital investment of Rs.1 lakh. During the initial days, the brand created its unique presence on the social media platform with a massive brand launch. Further, the quirky t-shirt designs like Peeping Panda and Believe were the bestselling along with the plus size tees that grabbed the eyes of all age-groups. This has led to acquiring approximately 10 Million users till date. As Beyoung claimed, they are observing 2X growth in the customers every month.
 
Recently, in 2020 like every other brand Beyoung has also faced delivery issues as the shipping partners were not working at full force that led to slow down Beyoung’s shipments. Simultaneously, they noticed a reduction on the average basket size from Rs 750 to Rs 500 and orders from 40,000 to 20,000. However, amidst lockdown, Beyoung planned to come back with a headstart by launching several campaigns and safety essentials. No layoffs were recorded during and post lockdown. Shivam Soni confirms the exponential growth in the basket size and number of orders. Also, expecting the 3X growth in the consecutive 3 months.
 
“While setting up a brand like Beyoung in Udaipur was a bit challenging because of obvious reasons but I was fortunate to have good team members and co-founders by my side who have a single vision of making Beyoung the best and fastest growing fashion brand.

Our all-time favorite products, like Plain and Graphic T-shirts, Boxers, and Combos, have changed the entire figures in no time. My objective is to make Beyoung a GO-TO brand where every age group and gender takes a happening shopping experience with them. Our customer satisfaction rate has always been around 90-95%. In a nutshell, we have just started and there is a long way to cover the unchartered territories. Our zeal, attitude and trust of shoppers makes Beyoung – Everyone’s Brand, and it will always be intact,” says Shivam Soni.
 
He also added that the company is now heading towards launching the android iOS Application with more additional features that have been kept concealed as of now. With such vibrant online presence Beyoung is in the offline market as well with exclusive fashion outlets which are kept on stand-by because of Covid Pandemic. In the first quarter of 2021, Beyoung is planning to resume the Fashion Outlets with Next-Gen Shopping Experience. Recently, the brand launched Canvas Painting that has received a flawless response. In the line of new-product range, the brand is coming up with 4-5 exclusive Beyoung Originals that confirm to drive 3X sales.
 
Further outlining the growth plan, by the end of FY 2021, Beyoung is targeting to process 60,000 orders per month, also to generate approximate 5 crore sales per month. The objective is crystal clear that is to make Beyoung Everyone’s Loved Indian Fashion Brand. In doing so, the brand is focusing on launching fresh designs in the most popular category like half-sleeve t-shirts, mobile covers and default templates in customization.

Till now, Beyoung has acknowledged a massive growth of 800% in the span of 2.5 years, which sets a hallmark for being a self-funded startup. Now, Beyoung is heading its footprint to another milestone with a wider product range in women’s category and home decor, new features on web-app, Android and iOS Application, Next-Gen shopping experience and order volume. The transparent and honest behavior of Beyoung is giving a free passage to become Everyone’s Brand.

Best E-Commerce Platforms for Small Businesses in India

There are many reasons which have caused the evolution of e-commerce platforms. Buying decisions and buying patterns were hugely impacted by excessive usage of social media by people. Thus, consumers pushed businesses to come online and maintain a strong online presence. If businesses do not have an online presence, their products will be taken with a pinch of salt. This gave rise to e-commerce platforms slowly.

There are many e-commerce platforms in India that are ideal for small businesses. Small businesses can use them and propagate their objectives and mission on the website.

1. WooCommerce

This is an e-commerce plugin that allows clients to build an ecommerce website by using WordPress website. This is a perfect e-commerce free plugin for small as well as large-sized platforms. This plugin was launched in 2011. Since then, the plugin has become popular for its simple and unique features. It saved a lot of money for businesses by allowing them to install and create an ecommerce platform for free.

2. OpenCart

This is a PHP-based online solution that offers a good opportunity to create a less-demanding e-commerce website. OpenCart offers various lucrative features such as a sorted order processing method, organized and efficient inventory functionality as well as other important features of an e-commerce platform.

There are free as well as paid extensions and modules to select. You can pick up a solution that suits your interest in the best way. One of the greatest advantages is that it is a user-friendly website, which makes it easy to use the website.

3. Shopify

This Shopify is one of the most popular e-commerce platforms that are renowned widely for its convenient set-up, quick load-speed, and safe payment options. This is an online Company that allows anybody to establish their shop and sell products online. It offers instant solutions to the users who create their website in a matter of a few minutes.

If you choose to create your shop at Shopify, you will find it extremely easy to add items, customization of designs, setup of the domain name, payment settings, and shopping. All of these functions can be performed in a flash on the Shopify. This makes it one of the best e-commerce platforms in India.

4. Magento

This is a free-edition platform for small businesses, which can be utilized by online businesses without any costs. No doubt, Magento is the leader of e-commerce platforms that offers the most lucrative and beneficial ecommerce platform offers than all others. If you choose to establish your online shop using the open-source framework of Magento, you will surely love the web portal feel of your website. Magento also hands you control of the content and functionality of your website. This is a versatile online store that performs flexibly and highly.

The main aim of Magento is to allow thousands of businesses to grow and develop with the help of flexible cloud solutions. Vendors, who create shops online, get themselves reviews by other top websites. Reviews increase the trust of consumers in the products. RevExpo is also one such website that offers high-quality, authentic, and tested reviews of products.

5. ZenCart

This has been made specifically for online vendors who would like to establish their shop online. This is an open-source online e-Commerce platform that has over 1 Lakh+ stores. Vendors, belonging to different parts of the world, had built these shops.

The main reasons behind the grand success of ZenCart are its user-friendly interface, easy-to-understand features, and hundreds of built-in add-ons. Users can download and modify these add-ons as per their requirements.

On the ZenCart, vendors also get to analyze and track the performance of their products. It gives them proper insight into performance reports of their products. So, vendors improve likewise and attain inevitable success on the platform.

6. 3dCart

3dCart is one of the oldest companies that offer SaaS products for their ecommerce merchants. 3dCart has continuously upgraded themselves by improving, optimizing, and upgrading their features now and then. Customers, who do not have high budgets, can use versatile and innovative solutions offered by the website. Due to its flexible and affordable plan, this is the best e-commerce platform for India.

3dCart consists of everything that is required by an entrepreneur. With hundreds of mobile-friendly themes, users can publish a website that fits their requirements well. 3DCart offers convenient, safe, and secure payment options.

7. BigCommerce

BigCommerce holds great significance in the eCommerce platform market. BigCommerce Next (BCN) has increased its overall value in the market of the eCommerce development platform. It can speed up the performance of your business without any costs. Blogging structure is the special BigCommerce feature that simplifies the advertisement tasks for users. You can utilize the power of BigCommerce to create and promote your online shop.

Conclusion

In addition, these are some of the highly admirable -  e-commerce platforms for small businesses in India.

One more platform that deserves an honorable mention is Zyro, a drag-and-drop website builder tool that is suitable for beginners which allows you to easily make a website from scratch without any prior coding or design skills and experience. In addition, these are some of the highly admirable - e-commerce platforms for small businesses in India.

Myntra Announces Bollywood Actor, Kiara Advani, as its Brand Ambassador

Set to drive Myntra's narrative as a Fashion Expert among consumers across the country

Myntra announces Bollywood actor and style icon, Kiara Advani, as its brand ambassador and nationwide celebrity endorser. Her mass appeal as a talented actor and fashion trendsetter is poised to accelerate conversations around Myntra’s apparel segments. She will thus play a pivotal role in connecting one of India’s leading fashion and lifestyle destinations, with millions of fashion-forward consumers.

Kiara is an icon for her filmography and projects across OTT platforms and a well-known fashionista in B-town. Her sublime style quotient is poised to strengthen Myntra’s position as a leading destination for fashion and lifestyle among the customers.

In her role as the brand ambassador, Kiara will establish a strong connection with Myntra’s existing customers, while attracting a new set of fashion-forward, digital-savvy and entertainment-oriented customers from across the nation. Additionally, her engaging social media presence, high resonance with the country's youth population, and a strong fan following will help strengthen Myntra’s vision of democratising fashion.

Speaking about her association with Myntra, Kiara said, “Fashion is all about being comfortable in your attire and I believe comfort brings out the confidence in you. Myntra has changed the overall dynamics of online shopping, it’s a platform that has enabled us to find our fashion favorites with just a click. It’s been one of the most liked platforms amongst the youth and it makes me extremely happy to join hands with them and be associated with the brand."

Speaking on the association, Amar Nagaram, CEO, Myntra, said, “We are ecstatic about our association with Kiara Advani. She personifies fashion and style that appeals to a wide audience across geographies and age groups. Her association will be pivotal in helping us foster our relationship with existing customers while expanding our footprint into unexplored regions in India. This association gives impetus to our commitment of serving the evolving fashion and lifestyle needs using the power of technology while offering superlative customer experience, and unparalleled fashion content."

The influence of cine stars on fashion is ubiquitous. Those moments in life when fashion takes precedence, trendsetters such as Kiara lead the way for people and influence their fashion and lifestyle choices. Non-metro and smaller cities that are fast emerging as key markets for online fashion commerce are no different. The Bollywood diva is set to feature in the company’s new brand campaign focusing on strengthening Myntra’s position as a fashion expert.

About Myntra:

Myntra is India's leading platform for fashion brands and pioneer in m-commerce play. An integral part of the Flipkart Group, Myntra brings together technology and fashion to create the best experience in the fashion and lifestyle space in India. The company has partnered with over 3000+ leading fashion and lifestyle brands in the country such as Nike, Adidas, Puma, Levis, Wrangler, Arrow, Jealous 21, Diesel, CAT, Harley Davidson, Ferrari, Timberland, US Polo, FabIndia, Biba and many more, to offer a wide range in latest branded fashion and lifestyle wear.

Myntra services over 27,000 pin codes across the country. With the largest in-season product catalogue, 100% authentic products, Cash on Delivery and 30-day Exchange/Return policy, Myntra is today the preferred shopping destination in India.

New Improved, User-Friendly Govt e-Marketplace (GeM) to Launch in July: Official

Government e-Marketplace (GeM) is planning to introduce an upgraded and more user-friendly
version in July, which will among other things improve the payments system, a senior official said on Tuesday.

"Over three lakh sellers and service providers and 21 lakh products are listed. GeM has generated transactions worth Rs 53,743 crore gross merchandise value from about 40 lakh orders," Joint Secretary and Additional CEO-GeM Deepak Kapoor said at a CII-organised webinar.

The official assured that most concerns of buyers and sellers would be addressed in the latest version GeM 4.0 version.

GeM was set up in August 2016 in order to procure goods and services that are required by the central and state governments.

E-comm Firms may Resume Full Services from Today, Await States' views

E-commerce companies are likely to resume full services across most parts of the country from Monday under the fourth phase of the lockdown that allows greater relaxations, although industry watchers say they are waiting for states' decision on the matter.

According to the latest Union Home Ministry's order, "all other activities will be permitted, except those which are specifically prohibited" under the fourth phase of the lockdown that ends on May 31.

However, in containment zones, only essential activities will be allowed. States and union territories - based on their assessment of the situation - may prohibit certain other activities in various zones or impose such restrictions as deemed necessary, the order added.

Emails sent to Flipkart and Amazon India did not elicit a response.

Srinivas Mothey, Senior Vice President of Paytm Mall, said the move will help the company deliver to most of the metro cities which were in the red zones.

"We thank the government for taking the decision for allowing the delivery of non-essentials in red zones across the country. This move will help us deliver to most of the metro cities which presently fall in the red zones," he said, adding that the company has received a sizeable number of consumer electronics wishlist orders from metro cities.

"...people have been waiting to buy laptops, mobile phones, as well as other daily use items for the last several weeks now. The government's decision will also help in opening up supplies of consumer electronics from warehouses which are in the red zones," Mothey said.

He added that the company has already had discussions with its merchant and logistics partners, and will start taking orders and delivering from Monday itself.

"We are ensuring that all state and central guidelines are followed to operate in the red zones. In the coming week, we hope for more relaxations in the interstate movement of non-essential goods so that e-commerce activity scales up," he added.

An industry executive, who did not wish to be named, said companies are waiting for more clarity from states before taking a final call on resumption of services in various locations.

A Snapdeal spokesperson said the MHA guidelines pave the way for a broader resumption of economic activities across most parts of India.

"E-commerce has played a crucial role in the last two months by delivering a range of much-needed goods to consumers - within the safety of their homes. Our sellers and delivery partners have worked extensively to meet these requirements while exercising strict safety measures and we applaud their commitment in rising to the occasion," the spokesperson said.

He said the company is "ready and equipped" to now start serving customers all across India - in red, green and orange zones - and added that the development will enable lakhs of medium and small online sellers to start rebuilding their businesses.

In the first two phases of the lockdown (that started from March 25), e-commerce companies were allowed to sell only essential items like grocery, healthcare and pharmaceautical products.

In the third phase (from May 4), these platforms were allowed to sell all items in orange and green zones, but only essential items were allowed to be shipped in red zones that include top e-commerce hubs like Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Pune and Hyderabad.

Sales of non-essential items on e-commerce platforms in the first week of May were lower than last year on account of the lockdown, but orders were scaling fast as people bought apparel, smartphones and grooming products among other items.

The industry continues to face the challenge of availability of limited manpower for warehouses and delivery.

Similarly, cab-hailing services like Ola and Uber may also resume services across locations.

The MHA order said inter-state movement of passenger vehicles and buses with mutual consent of the states and union territories involved. It added that intra-state movement of passenger vehicles and buses, as decided by the states and union territories.

These activities will be permitted with restrictions, except in the containment zones. Also, standard operating procedures (SOPs) for movement of people will continue to operate.

Home Cloud Kitchen “Homefoodi” to deliver Home-Cooked Meals throughout the Lockdown

A cloud kitchen is primarily a kitchen that accepts incoming orders only through online ordering systems and offers no dine-in facility. They have a base kitchen that delivers food to the customers' doorstep. While the term Cloud Kitchen has largely been used for Commercial Kitchens, a new wave has been sweeping for Home Kitchens. A Home Cloud Kitchen is a Home Kitchen which delivers Home Cooked Food just as any other Cloud Kitchen without any dining facility.

Amidst the current events, Homefoodi a Noida based e-commerce startup and also a renowned aggregator of Cloud Kitchens operating from Home aims to offer nutritious and hygienic meals to its customers while undertaking maximum measures while ensuring the safety of its home-chefs, delivery executives and customers.

Homefoodi is India's 1st Mobile App for authentic home-made food made by Genuine home chefs in their home Kitchens. With over 200+ Home Chefs in Noida, the Homefoodi Mobile App offers access to the widest range of Home Food and Bakery products prepared by home chefs during the course of the lockdown period.



The current global scenario and the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic are disturbing every facet of our lives, keeping the current scenario in mind, the Government of India recently extended lockdown across the country. A lockdown does not allow one to step out of their premises unless an emergency. A recent incident of a renowned Pizza Outlet in Delhi caught the eyeballs of the entire nation with a Corona Positive Pizza Delivery Executive was found delivering pizzas across the city endangering his own colleagues as well as his customers, and completely violating the rules set by our Government.

Homefoodi, therefore, undertakes preventive readiness measures for the safety of their customers, home-chefs as well as the delivery executives. 

They follow a 3 C framework of Delivery Hygiene:

• CARRY: All Delivery Representatives have been ably trained on Hygiene and Sanitization standards. As a practice, every Delivery Rep carries a Kit comprising of A) Hand Sanitizer B) Face Mask and C) Gloves and D) Thermometer.


• CONTACT LESS: Delivery packages are picked and dropped without any contact with Home Chef and the Consumer.   


• CONFIRM: All Delivery representatives are supervised daily to confirm to Sanitization, Hygiene and Social Distancing Norms as outlined.

These are the times when most of the Commercial kitchens are shut. Homefoodi in compliance with the Govt. mandate is offering homemade food made by home chefs. Homefoodi is providing their services across Noida, Greater Noida and Indirapuram. 

With the announcement of the Lockdown, Homefoodi has also rolled out a key initiative, wherein they have been ‘Donating a Meal for Every Order Placed’ to the needy on behalf of the customer.

Narendra Singh Dahiya, Founder and Director Homefoodi stated, “Our business model is built around Health and Hygiene. We are delighted that our passionate and talented community of 200 plus Home Chefs can now serve Healthy, Fresh and Hygienic Home food to countless Customers."

Homefoodi has been very selective and responsible in selecting every Home Chefs. As a Company policy, the Homefoodi team visits every Home chef to ensure Food taste, quality, hygiene, cleanliness of their kitchen, and packaging standards before on-boarding them. All Home Chefs are 100% FSSAI Certified and uphold the Highest Standards of Cleanliness and Hygiene that can be only witnessed at Homes. Homefoodi Home Chefs make food in their Home Kitchens that prioritizing Fresh, Healthy, and Hygienic food. 

Homefoodi is a Mobile Application for Home Food made by Home Chefs that empowers and connects society. Based out of Noida, the company has a mission of creating “Ghar-Ghar Start-Up” with an aim to create India’s biggest self-employment opportunity for women by offering a platform to earn from home being a Home Chef. The company aims towards advocating initiatives like Healthy India, Women empowerment, which empowers every homemaker towards nation-building and healthy India. The screening criterion for all chefs is a comprehensive process. To deliver 100% authenticity, the Homefoodi team visits the aspiring Home Chefs to check for food tasting, food quality, hygiene, and cleanliness of their kitchen and packaging standards. All Home Chefs are 100% FSSAI Certified.

Draft E-Commerce SOP - COO of Firms Responsible for Social Distancing Implementation, Sanitisation; Staff Compulsorily Download 'Aarogya Setu' App

Making the chief operating officer (COO) of firms such as Amazon and Flipkart responsible for strict implementation of social distancing and sanitisation norms and staff compulsorily downloading the 'Aarogya Setu' app are among the measures proposed in the draft Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for e-commerce operations during the COVID-19 pandemic.

With the government allowing e-commerce companies to operate during the nationwide lockdown, a draft SOP has been formulated and circulated to stakeholders.

"The purpose of this SOP is to provide health and safety guidance for cleaning, maintaining hygiene and safety at workplace during a pandemic outbreak across the supply chain, including First Mile Sellers," according to the draft norms, accessed by PTI.

The COO, it said, will have the overall accountability for ensuring the compliance requirements of the SOPs.

Also, regional facility and infrastructure manager or similar shall be responsible for carrying out specific tasks while the management shall be responsible for educating and communicating the requirements of the SOP guidelines to all stakeholders.

The draft SOP provides for screening of staffers at seller, warehousing and sale operations for COVID-19 symptoms (cough, sneezing, fever, breathing difficulty) at entry and immediate reporting to nearby hospital in case of any symptoms.

In the event of any staff turning out to be positive for COVID-19, the entire facility shall be immediately evacuated and all assets shall be covered and isolated.

"It is mandatory of all staff and business owners to download and register on 'Aarogya Setu' application and if applicable on the 'Suraksha Store' app also," it said.

Logbook must be maintained for every employee and visitor accessing the premises.

"Management is responsible for safekeeping of such logbook and forms with detailed information of such visitors, such as name, age, address (current and permanent), proof of residence, mobile number, among others)," the draft SOP stated.

It provides for all staff using handwash / sanitizer at entry, at periodic intervals, and before exit from a facility.

Warehouses and hubs have to run on staggered shifts basis manpower availability to limit crowding. All staff must be provided with masks at the entrance by the MSME/ first mile seller.

They are also supposed to maintain social distancing, particularly at places most prone to gathering, such as loading bays.

"Seller staff to maintain minimum distance of 3 feet from e-commerce 1st mile executive," it said.

The draft SOP also provides for detailed guidelines for cleaning of the premises of sellers, including wet mopping with disinfectant once a day, wiping of all trolleys and other industrial machines every four hours with disinfectant and cleaning of doorknobs every two hours.

All first mile sellers/ MSMEs must follow FSSAI's food hygiene and safety guidelines for food business during COVID-19 pandemic.

"E-commerce company shall determine high risk areas/impacted pandemic zones and carry out fumigation of warehouse sites by external vendors at least once every 15 days or if any risk is identified (for example any person visiting the warehouse has been in contact with a COVID-19 positive person), whichever is earlier," it said.

Also, vehicles used for delivery need to be cleaned and norms similar to staff for drivers followed.

During last mile customer delivery, each delivery staffer/driver must carry company ID card and vehicles used must be cleaned/ sanitized / disinfected.

"Bags used by delivery person for carrying shipments shall be cleaned before they leave for delivery," the draft SOP said, adding all delivery staff shall strictly wear masks at all times during delivery and maintain minimum 3-feet distance with customers.

"Cash on Delivery options should be discouraged as far as possible for all order irrespective of the item or value of the order," it added. PTI ANZ

Lockdown: Flipkart Resumes Operations, Amazon Says in Talks with Govt

After temporarily suspending operations earlier in the day, Walmart-owned Flipkart will resume its grocery and essentials services after assurance of safe passage of its supply chain and delivery executives by local law enforcement authorities.

Amazon said it was working with government authorities to enable it to deliver essential items.

Flipkart, along with rival Amazon India's Pantry service, were suspended temporarily on Wednesday morning as India entered into a 21-day lockdown to contain the spread of Covid-19 pandemic.

"We have been assured of the safe and smooth passage of our supply chain and delivery executives by local law enforcement authorities and are resuming our grocery and essentials services later today (Wednesday)," Flipkart Group CEO Kalyan Krishnamurthy said in a statement.

He added that the company continues to strengthen its supply chain in a safe and secure manner for its employees and consumers alike, and will leverage its robust delivery network to make products available to customers across the country.

Similarly, a note on Amazon India's Pantry page said, "Dear customers, due to local restrictions, we are not able to deliver. We are working with the government authorities to enable us to deliver essential items. We will communicate through e-mail/SMS when we have an update."

It also offered customers the option of cancelling their order.

E-commerce platforms have seen a manifold growth in orders on their platforms in India over the past few weeks as people logged online to stock up on food and household products as well as office items like routers and cables (to work from home) on concerns around spread of COVID-19 infection and restrictions in public movement that have now been enforced.

Snapdeal, in a statement, said it is operational and working regionwise to complete as many deliveries of essential goods to customers as possible as per local operating conditions.

"For the next few weeks, we will prioritise processing of essentials (orders relating to personal and home hygiene, safety, etc). We will continue to accept other orders too and are informing other buyers that these will be delivered once movement restrictions are lifted," it added.

Snapdeal said authorities in various cities, including Delhi, Gurugram and Bengaluru have discussed operating issues with various e-commerce companies.

"They have also started to roll out protocols which will allow essential operations to resume in a controlled manner," the statement added.

On Tuesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a complete lockdown across the country for 21 days, asserting that social distancing is the only way out for the country in its decisive battle against the coronavirus. More than 500 people have tested positive for coronavirus in India with around 10 deaths.

Interestingly, Amazon India had on Tuesday said it has temporarily stopped taking orders and disabled shipment of low-priority products as it focuses on delivery of essential items like household staples, hygiene and other high-priority products.

E-commerce players, including Amazon India and Milkbasket, have been facing disruption in delivery of even essential products to their customers.

The government, however, in its notification has allowed delivery of all essential goods including food, pharmaceuticals and medical equipment through e-commerce.

Industry watchers have said there is an urgent need for uniform classification of essential items across various states, and that instructions need to flow down clearly to the last mile, where the delivery agents are facing issues.

Industry experts also flagged challenges around movement of delivery personnel and staff, as well as interstate movement of goods amid lockdown across the country.

Ananth Narayanan, CEO and co-founder of Medlife, said one of its delivery personnel in Delhi was hit by the cops on the way back to the fulfilment centre.

"In the process he was injured and suffered bruises on his face and body. We now also have reports of similar incidents in Bangalore," he added.

Narayanan said the indiscriminate use of force against personnel delivering items specifically exempted by the government during the shutdown, will disrupt services.

"The essential services sector has to be free of harassment and violence. We request the state governments and concerned authorities to ensure that strict instructions are given to the police to permit delivery personnel with valid documentation perform their duties in these times of crisis," he said.

Some e-commerce players are also urging the government to expand the scope of essential products beyond food items and medicines to include other products, like cable and routers that may be required for customers who are working from home. PTI SR

Centre Asks States to Resolve Immediately E-Tailers' Problems in Delivering Essential Items

The Centre on Wednesday asked state governments to resolve immediately the problems being faced by the e-commerce sector in delivering essential goods amid lockdown across the country to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

E-commerce and home delivery come under essential services and are exempt from the lockdown rules.

"However, there are reports of disruptions faced by e-commerce players. We have taken up with the state governments and local administration. Things will fall in place," Consumer Affairs Secretary Pawan Agarwal told PTI.

The e-commerce players like Big Basket have shared specific problems that the state governments have been asked to address immediately, he said and emphasised that the government's focus is on home delivery in the current situation.

The secretary also mentioned that the government is closely monitoring any disruption faced in the movement of essential supplies during the period of lockdown.

The home ministry has set up a control room for monitoring in which officials from the consumer affairs ministry are also present, he added.

The delivery of essential goods via platforms such as Flipkart, Amazon, Grofers and Big Basket have been affected as the police is enforcing the lockdown rules in many parts of the country. Even food delivery firms are facing similar challenges.

The Centre has imposed nationwide lockdown till April 14 in order to prevent spread of coronavirus. PTI LUX

E-commerce has been Lifeblood for Cities under Shutdown to Fight Covid-19: Flipkart

Flipkart on Saturday said that e-commerce worldover has been the lifeblood for cities under shutdown to fight against coronavirus while lauding the government move to exempt e-tailers from any order that restrict supply through them.

"We see that world over, e-commerce, powered by technology, has played a key role as a partner with the public authorities and has been the lifeblood for cities under shutdown to fight Covid-19," Flipkart spokesperson said in a statement.

To ensure there is no disruption of supply of essential commodities, the ministry of consumer affairs has advised state governments and local administration to exempt e-commerce operations (warehouse and logistics facilities and services), wholesalers, their vendors and third party delivery partners who are part of the supply and logistic chain eco-system, from any type of prohibitory orders.

"The government's decision gives e-commerce industry confidence in our ability to support and collaborate with Governments (both Center and States) and other stakeholders as we fight this crisis as a country," the spokesperson said.

Several state governments have imposed prohibitory orders like Section 144 and mandated closure of malls and shopping places in order to ensure social distancing in the wake of rising Covid-19 cases.

E-commerce companies have seen jump in order across several categories in last several days and have run out of stock in some categories specially masks and hand sanitizers.

Amazon said that the ongoing coronavirus crisis has impacted its operation in the short term and it is working to resolve it.

"In particular, you will notice that we are currently out of stock on some popular brands and items, especially in household staples categories. You will also notice that some of our delivery promises are longer than usual. We are working around the clock with our selling partners to ensure availability on all of our products, and bring on additional capacity to deliver all of your orders," Amazon said in a blog post.

The company did not share any comment on government move to exempt e-commerce for supply of essential items. PTI PRS SR

Amazon Invests over Rs 2500 Cr into India's Amazon Seller Services, Amazon Data Services Units

Amazon has infused over Rs 2,500 crore into two of its Indian businesses, Amazon Seller Services and Amazon Data Services India, according to regulatory filings.

The investment comes just days after its founder and the world's richest man Jeff Bezos announced USD 1 billion investment in digitising small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the country.

An e-mail sent to the company did not elicit a response.

As per regulatory documents sourced from business intelligence platform paper.vc, the board of Amazon Seller Services has allotted shares worth about Rs 2,208 crore to Amazon Corporate Holdings and Amazon.com Inc. The resolution to this effect was approved on January 24.

A separate filing by Amazon Data Services India said shares worth Rs 355 crore have been allotted to A100 ROW Inc and Amazon.com Inc. This resolution was approved on January 31.

Amazon had recently pumped in over Rs 1,700 crore into its payments and wholesale business units in India, signalling opportunity that the US giant sees in the country. Amazon Pay India had received Rs 1,355 crore, while Amazon Wholesale (India) allotted shares worth about Rs 360 crore.

Amazon CEO Bezos who was in India last month had promised USD 1 billion (over Rs 7,000 crore) investment in India to help bring small and medium businesses online and committed to exporting USD 10 billion worth of India-made goods by 2025. The ambitious investment announcement had however courted controversy after Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal termed the fund infusion "not a favour". Goyal had later clarified that his statement had been taken out of context.

India's antitrust body, the Competition Commission of India has ordered an investigation into alleged violations of competition laws by Amazon and its rival Walmart-owned Flipkart.

Amazon and rival Flipkart have been pumping millions of dollars into across various operations like marketplace, infrastructure and supply chain management as well as marketing and promotion as they look to strengthen their position in the fledgling Indian e-commerce market. PTI SR MBI

Govt. E-Marketplace signs an MOU with TReDS platform RXIL and Arteria Technologies

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman emphasised on the importance of GeM and TReDS in the upliftment of the MSME sector during her Budget speech. In light of this, GeM (Government eMarketplace) just signed an MoU with TReDS platform Receivables Exchange of India to take this initiative even further. This is an important and immediate step taken to help see the Feb-01 announcements into fruition.

Mr. Ketan Gaikwad, CEO, RXIL Ltd., said on the occasion, “Close to 53% of transactions on GeM (Govt. E Marketplace) are initiated by MSMEs. Hon’ble FM announced during this year’s union budget to increase the turnover of GeM from the current levels of INR 50,000 crore to INR 3 lakh crore. For the proposed turnover mandate, it is necessary to have the alternate financing mechanism in place, the integration between Trade Receivables Discounting System (TReDS), and GeM as suggested in the UK Sinha Committee report will allow PSUs/Govt. departments to do procurement without blocking their own funds, while ensuring timely payments to MSMEs. The MoU will immensely benefit, MSMEs and CPSEs/PSUs/Govt Departments while achieving the proposed goal of INR 3 lakh crore throughput."

The Economic Survey 2019-2020 stated that currently 57,531 MSME sellers and service providers are registered on the GeM portal. Central PSUs are required to procure at last 25% of their total purchases from MSMEs and PSUs have procured 28.26% of total procurement from MSMEs, crossing the minimum threshold of 25%.

Mr Gaikwad, also added, “TReDS has become a stable payment system with over INR 15,000 crore worth of throughput across the platforms. The Govt. has seen the effectiveness of TReDS in ensuring a stable supply of credit to MSMEs, the MoU is a step in the direction of extending its benefit to a larger universe of MSMEs."

Mr Sriram Kanuri, CEO, Arteria Technologies Pvt. Ltd., remarked on the landmark association as a proud moment. We are excited to extend the expertise and the existing association with TReDs by deploying FinessArt for GeM as well and support the Digital India journey and further the cause for MSME sector. 

Counterfeit, Pirated Goods on E-Commerce - CAIT wants India to Follow New Steps by US

The Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) on Sunday welcomed the steps taken by the US to stop supply of counterfeit and pirated goods on e-commerce platforms and wants similar measures by the Indian government also.

Under the new policy, published by the Department of Homeland Security of the US Government, the liability for counterfeits has been shifted from third parties to e-commerce platforms.

Notably, the new policy framework will put Amazon and other e-commerce companies in the US for policing the counterfeit goods, said the CAIT in a statement.

Commenting on the development, CAIT Secretary General Praveen Khandelwal said that it evidently shows that e-commerce platforms are not only engaged in malpractices but also promote counterfeit and pirated goods and even in their home country US.

CAIT will also ask the Government of India to bring such policies for Indian e-commerce market.

"Taking this issue, a delegation of the CAIT will soon meet Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal...," he said.

According to Global Brand Counterfeiting Report, global sales of counterfeits are growing at 15 per cent per year and is estimate to touch USD 1.82 trillion in 2020 and the share of e-commerce is stated to be 25 per cent share of this figure. PTI KRH

Goyal-Amazon Row: UKIBC says E-Commerce Sector Misunderstood, India Should Welcome Investments

The Indian government is responsive to concerns expressed by businesses but needs to do more to attract investments into sectors such as e-commerce, the UK India Business Council (UKIBC) has said.

The comments from the lobby grouping come after there was a sharp criticism of Goyal for saying Amazon was not doing India a favour by the investment announcement. India's GDP growth is set to slow to a decadal low of 5 per cent for 2019-20 and all eyes are set on the strategy deployed by the government in the upcoming Budget.

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos has said the e-commerce major will invest USD 1 billion (over Rs 7,000 crore) in digitising small and medium businesses in India.

Declining to comment specifically on the impact on investors because of Goyal's comments, UKIBC Chief Executive Officer Richard Heald told PTI here that the e-commerce sector has a tremendous potential, especially for the smaller businesses, who get a platform to sell their wares.

"I am a great fan of e-commerce and I think that e-commerce is misunderstood to a certain extent and it benefits the general public and those people who operate within the supply chain in ways that are not popularly understood," he said.

Heald said Mukesh Ambani-promoted RIL also has plans to enter the e-commerce segment through a different business model and one can have her own preferences on business models.

"Encouraging investments into India is important, encouraging the e-commerce sector is important because it benefits small businesses disproportionately to large businesses," he said adding that British businesses may not be "startled" at the posturing.

India represents a large opportunity for the British businesses and even a slower 4.8 per cent GDP growth is much faster than what the UK or Europe is witnessing, he said.

When asked if the government is responsive in India, he answered in the affirmative and said, "What I found striking (in conversations with government officials) was that increasingly, it is a two-way dialogue. The Indian government wants to understand and engage, it wants to understand what the operating issues are and get those addressed, positives as well as negatives."

Welcoming the cut in corporate taxes, Heald advocated a relaxation in fiscal deficit targets in the upcoming Budget and added that the UKIBC will keenly watch the narrative on growth being set by the Indian government and look for specific measures on rural poverty alleviation and infrastructure spends.

When asked about social sector troubles experienced in India, which have made billionaire George Soros to speak out at Davos last week, Heald said the UKIBC members will not be too perturbed by those concerns.

He reasoned that commercial success is the most important aspect for a business when it makes a call to investment and not other "optics".

"From the business point of view, I am not going to say it (social issues) is not relevant, but not high up the list," he said.

When asked if there is over-pessimism about India, he initially said it would be "presumptuous" to say so.

"I have huge admiration for India. Since 1947, you have survived and prospered as a country which is secular, is diverse. Your history is extraordinary. Clearly, there is something there that you have to foster and you have to develop," he said. PTI AA

Club Factory Scales 100 Million Monthly Active Users in India

• Order Book increases 400% year-on-year in 2019.


• Targets to on-board 100000 Local Sellers in 2020.


• Part of App Annie List of Breakout Apps of 2019;

Leading e-commerce platform Club Factory has surpassed 100 million monthly active users (MAUs) in India following a strong surge in user adoption across the country. Club Factory has witnessed a sharp rise in traffic clocking in 4x growth in orders received in 2019 on the platform as compared to the previous year. India remains one of the most important markets for Club Factory and the company has set a target to on-board 100000 local sellers in 2020. Club Factory current registered local seller base stands close to 30000 (December 2019).

Sharing the details Vincent Lou Founder and CEO Club Factorys aid With our investment and efforts to enhance the user experience we have managed to reduce delivery time by as much as 30% with average positive product rating going up by 40% in 2019. Returns or product exchange on the platform have dropped by almost 25%. Moreover our strength and excellence in listing high cost-efficient products have helped increase traction for Club Factory in tier-II and III cities especially those of Uttar Pradesh, Telangana and Bihar. We are delighted with the faith reposed in us by our customers and will continue with our efforts to drive the e-commerce landscape in the country.

Club Factory is the only e-commerce player in India that does not charge any commission fee from sellers providing a fair marketplace where both the sellers and buyers are benefitted.

With a focus on SMEs the platform is promoting qualified sellers by giving them increased exposure in-depth Big Data trends analysis end-to-end support and co-marketing campaigns to drive sales.Club Factory registered over 700% growth (in terms of order volume) during its last Diwali Sale as compared to the previous year. The platform also witnessed over 600% YoY growth in the recently concluded Black Friday Sale in November with over 200 sellers clocking in over 15K orders per day.

Club Factory is strengthening its India leadership team and will appoint local leaders for key functions in the coming quarters. The platform was recently featured as Breakout Apps of 2019; in App Annie State of Mobile Report. Club Factory has been the most downloaded shopping app on the Android platform globally over the last quarter according to Sensor Tower Store Intelligence platform. Club Factory has also surpassed Snapdeal to become the 3rd largest shopping app (in terms of MAUs) in India since June 2019 after retaining #1 rank in Google Play Shopping App category (according to data analytics platform App Annie).

Mint Hotels Partners With Simplotel to Overhaul E-commerce

Simplotel, a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) Technology company offering state-of-the-art e-commerce solution for hotels, and Mint Hotels, a chain of over 25 hotels and resorts across various business and leisure destinations in India have partnered to drive a three-fold increase in direct website bookings.

Online is fast becoming the go-to channel for guests to book hotel rooms and industry stats indicate that as many as 40% of all hotel room nights in India are booked online. Mint hotels has witnessed their numbers jump year-over-year. They have an aggressive growth plan and one aspect of that strategy is to drive more bookings through the brand website. As a part of that initiative, Mint Hotels was on the lookout for great technology partners that can help them achieve their goals - and has implemented the Simplotel solution.

[caption id="attachment_141050" align="alignleft" width="400"] Simplotel[/caption]

Simplotel is the leading hotel e-commerce company powering websites and booking engines for over 2,000 hotels across 17 countries. The last few releases of Simplotel have introduced new OTA-like features for hotel websites to increase visibility, drive more leads, and website bookings. Websites powered by Simplotel, automatically remember the user activity on the hotel website and personalize the hotel website for the customer to make it more relevant for them. Where relevant Simplotel's technology may automatically send out offers to website visitors who do not book - enticing them to come back to the website and make a booking.

Shantanu Chatterjee, Co-Founder at Mint Hotels, said - "Driving website bookings is a key pillar of our growth strategy and we were on the lookout for a partner that really understands hotels and has superior technology to help us realize that vision. After significant evaluation, choosing Simplotel was a no-brainer. What impressed us the most was the technology and hotel e-commerce expertise. We look forward to growing this partnership."

"At Simplotel, we understand that hotels have a pressing need to drive direct website bookings. Driving numbers through the brand website and booking engine is a game of thousand paper cuts - we need to do hundreds of things correctly in technology, content and business strategy to get more people on the website and get them to buy directly with you. We are thrilled to be a part of the e-commerce journey of Mint Hotels," commented Tarun Goyal, Founder, and CEO of Simplotel.

About Simplotel

Simplotel is a leading Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) provider for hotels. As its name suggests, Simplotel's mission is to Simplify the lives of Hoteliers. Headquartered in the Silicon Valley of India - Bangalore, Simplotel's vision is to equip hotels worldwide with technology that helps drive more business and improve guest satisfaction.

Since its foundation in 2013, Simplotel has been growing its number of happy customers every day. Today Simplotel powers over 2,000 hotels across 17 countries.

To learn more, please visit https://www.simplotel.com, mail contact@simplotel.com or call +91-80336-46154.

About Mint Hotels and Resorts

Mint is a pan-India chain of boutique hotels and resorts targeting Business and Retail Travelers in select cities and leisure locations across the country. Mint operates on asset light and full scale model of long term leases with revenue share of hotels and resorts, directly deploying operating, sales and administrative personnel to manage end-to-end process of hospitality management.

Mint Brand was founded in 2015 with a vision to become the most preferred choice of quality seeking and cost conscious travellers in India. In a short span of 4 years, Mint has established itself as a Pan-India Brand with 25 Hotels and ~1000 rooms across key Indian cities of Mumbai, Pune, Delhi, Gurugram (Gurgaon), Noida, Bengaluru, Goa, Amritsar and Hyderabad amongst other locations. Mint Team is servicing 300+ Corporates and numerous Retail travellers via its omni-channel sales reach including offline hotel contracting sales team, online distribution through OTAs and direct booking through website.

Amazon Pumps in Over Rs 1,700 Cr in its Payments, Wholesale Units of India

E-commerce giant Amazon has pumped in over Rs 1,700 crore into its payments and wholesale business units in India, as per regulatory documents.

Amazon Pay India has received Rs 1,355 crore from Amazon Corporate Holdings Pvt Ltd and Amazon.com.incs.Limited, regulatory documents filed with the corporate affairs ministry showed.

The digital payment unit allotted shares to the said units on December 31, 2019, the documents sourced by business intelligence platform Tofler, said.

Amazon Wholesale (India) Pvt Ltd allotted shares worth about Rs 360 crore on December 30 to Amazon Corporate Holdings Pvt Ltd and Amazon.com.incs.Limited, a separate filing showed.

Emails sent to Amazon India on the fund infusion did not elicit a response.

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos is scheduled to visit India this week, meeting top government functionaries, business leaders and SMBs. Thousands of small-scale traders' union under Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) are planning to hold protests around the country during Bezos' stay in India.

Also, India's antitrust body Competition Commission of India on Monday ordered an investigation into alleged violations of competition laws by Amazon and Walmart-owned Flipkart.

Amazon and rival Flipkart have been pumping in millions of dollars across various operations like marketplace, infrastructure and supply chain management as well as marketing and promotion as they look to strengthen their position in the fledgling Indian e-commerce market.

In October last year, Amazon had infused over Rs 4,400 crore (more than USD 600 million) in its various units in India including marketplace and food retail.

Amazon, which is locked in a bruising battle against Flipkart, had registered cumulative losses of over Rs 7,000 crore across various units in 2018-19. The continued flow of fresh investments, however, is indicative of Amazon's confidence in the Indian market. PTI SR MBI