Modi Enterprises, part of the Rs 2,200 crore (Rs 22 billion) KK Modi group, on Tuesday announced the launch of its Sunshine India Online Lottery in Kerala.
The group has a ten-year exclusive licence from the Manipur state government to market, promote and distribute the state's lotteries.
Explaining the reason for the comparatively delayed launch of its operations, Sunshine India Lottery chief executive officer, Shreekant Gupte, said, "We took additional time to develop a differentiated retail and marketing strategy, and we were determined to acquire the best in technology partners. We also conducted a detailed study of the business, the consumers and the retail fraternity. Now we are launching with an agenda to address advanced technology, a never-before, unique and engaging retail experience and a very scientific approach to human resource."
Claiming that an elaborate and complex research to attain a clear understanding of the market and the consumers has been conducted for Sunshine India Lottery by an international market research agency, Gupte said, "This research will help in launching the correct mix of products and positioning our brand on a higher platform of integrity and credibility."
Reiterating that Sunshine India Lottery would adopt a three-pronged strategy of aggressive retail presence and state-of-the-art technology for online security and convenience and scientific deployment of skilled manpower to address every detail of its customers, he pointed out that Sunshine's management team includes experienced expatriates responsible for launching the world's most successful online lotteries, which include the National Lottery in the United Kingdom and also the Uthingo in South Africa.
Sunshine India Lottery has partnered with the Swedish Company EssNet for providing online lottery software. IBM, one of the world's largest IT companies, is providing hardware and the lottery terminals that will be deployed at the retailer outlets across the states.
"Together, EssNet and IBM provide the most advanced and robust technology. This will result in faster service, quicker trouble-shooting time, and better management of key processes," he elaborated.
Gupte said, "Sunshine will achieve a brand that is exclusive, larger and that plays a far more positive role in the society. It will project itself as a genuine creator of a better life and as a lottery that reflects a strong value system that its consumer can identify with."
Sunshine India director (corporate affairs), Rajiv Sahai, said, "In our quest to create a non-intimidating retail experience for the consumer we are providing a dedicated and specially trained sales person to every retailer to manage the terminal without additional costs. Effectively this means creation of employment for around 800 youths across Kerala in the next two years. This will be a huge career opportunity for youths given the growing importance of retail industry and online lottery worldwide."
Claiming that this unique initiative will result in the generation of over 10,000 job opportunities all over India during the next two years, he said that a yearlong innovative neighborhood-marketing programme has been put in place.
This programme envisages exciting road shows through specially designed floats (large and small), stilt walkers, appealing promotions on our games, home-to-home and sampling in major clusters around each outlet as well as promoter teams spreading awareness around the retail outlets.
Claiming that his company is the only one amongst the online lottery players to combine the understanding of "retail business" with understanding of "media and technology" which is so vital for a technology enabled retail business like online lottery, Sunshine India director (marketing) Sunil Kataria said that an internationally renowned store-design expert Graham Taylor has prepared a differentiated kiosk design, stores signage and merchandising.
"We will leverage our core distribution expertise in producing a uniquely engaging retail experience for the consumers through the creation of specially designed kiosks and signage, for all our retail outlets. We believe that visibility and accessibility is critical to our success. We understand the power of the retailer," Kataria added.
The Sunshine India Lottery will be sold initially in lottery-enabled states with a distribution network comprising of 200 distributors and 5,000 retailers in the current year. It is planned to expand this network to 10,000 retailers by December 2004.
With a range of investment options designed to suit individual requirements and the foreseen recovery of investment in one year the business model is a lucrative opportunity for the retailers, he pointed out.