All stories by Aryaman Gupta
Samsung loses ground to Apple in premium smartphone mkt
Rediff.com15 Nov 2024Samsung is losing the race in India's premium smartphone market as rival Apple continues to increase its dominance in the segment, driven by robust iPhone sales and festival season discounts. Shortly after Apple CEO Tim Cook announced an all-time revenue record in India yet again for the September quarter, the company recorded its best-ever quarter of shipments at four million units in the third quarter of calendar year 2024 (Q3CY24), led by the iPhone 15 and iPhone 13, according to a report by the International Data Corporation (IDC).
Smartphone market value surges 12% in Q3CY24: Counterpoint
Rediff.com4 Nov 2024India's smartphone market grew by three per cent year-on-year (Y-o-Y) in volume in the third quarter (Q3) of calendar year 2024, while its value surged by 12 per cent Y-o-Y to reach an all-time record for a single quarter, according to a report by research firm Counterpoint. The value growth was driven by an ongoing premiumisation trend, while the increase in volume was driven by an earlier onset of the festival season compared to the previous year.
'India is an important education market'
Rediff.com23 Oct 2024'It's the second-largest market for us after the US, and should be the largest market at some point.'
PC makers look to hitch a ride on the q-com bandwagon
Rediff.com7 Oct 2024Bengaluru-based Sunny Gupta had been searching for a laptop for months. In August, while sitting at a coffee shop, he decided to order an Acer Predator laptop - typically priced between Rs 95,000 and Rs 2.5 lakh - through the quick-commerce (q-com) platform Flipkart Minutes. "It took exactly 13 minutes from payment to receiving it at the Starbucks I ordered it to," he wrote in a now-viral post on social media platform X.
Swiggy's qcom arm beats food delivery growth
Rediff.com30 Sep 2024For food aggregator platform Swiggy, quick commerce (qcom) is proving to be a better growth opportunity than food delivery. Its qcom arm Instamart is rapidly outpacing its core food delivery vertical across several key financial metrics, the company's recently filed draft red herring prospectus (DRHP) shows.
D2C brands hitch their wagon to quick-commerce
Rediff.com23 Sep 2024As quick commerce gains ground, emerging direct-to-consumer (D2C) brands are betting big on digital channels to drive growth. According to Aman Gupta, co-founder of wearables brand BoAt, new-age brands in India have been expanding at a much faster pace than expected, driven by digital channels like quick-commerce. "Investors doubted the potential of D2C brands when we started, but today there are multiple brands in the startup market that are growing on the shoulders of these digital channels," Gupta said while addressing a session at Razorpay's D2C and Retail Summit recently.
Quick-commerce companies expand Tier-II ops ahead of festival season
Rediff.com11 Sep 2024After making the model work in metro cities, players in the quick commerce sector are rapidly expanding their footprint into smaller tier 2 cities and markets beyond that ahead of the festival season.
Zepto adds $340 million to basket; valuation at $5 billion ahead of IPO
Rediff.com30 Aug 2024Quick commerce major Zepto has raised $340 million in a follow-on financing round at a valuation of $5 billion as it gears up for an initial public offering (IPO). This is Zepto's third big-ticket fundraise within a year. With this, the company has raised more than $1 billion in 12 months.
Lava dials up ambitions for smart wearables market
Rediff.com20 Aug 2024With the recent launch of smartwatches, home-grown smartphone maker Lava is looking to secure a strong foothold in the Indian wearables market. The company aims to capture up to 20 per cent of this segment over the next few years, according to a senior executive.
Zepto upsizes, to shift core operations to Bengaluru
Rediff.com7 Aug 2024Flush with funds, quick commerce unicorn Zepto is planning to relocate from Powai in Mumbai to a larger office space in Bengaluru's Sarjapur to accommodate its imminent new hires. While the company will maintain an office in Mumbai, its primary operations will shift to the new space in Bengaluru. A spokesperson for Zepto confirmed the development
ADIF files complaint with CCI against Google for anti-competitive practices
Rediff.com6 Aug 2024The Alliance of Digital India Foundation (ADIF), an industry body for startup ecosystem and app developers, on Monday filed a complaint with the Competition Commission of India (CCI) against technology major Google for alleged anti-competitive practices in online advertising. The complaint outlined Google's dominant position and alleged abusive behaviour in both the online search and online display advertising.
Startups Likely To Step Up Hiring
Rediff.com4 Jul 2024'In the second half of 2024, about 60% of startup jobs will be taken by entry-level candidates with 0-3 years of experience.'
IPO-bound startups find favour with investors amid funding resurgence
Rediff.com26 Jun 2024The tide of startup-funding is turning in India, with a rising trend of overall funding while the deal sizes grow bigger. However, the spotlight now is on late-stage startups, many of which are seen to be headed for initial public offerings (IPOs). Record surge in stock markets and consistently improving performances of listed startups are understood to have turned the sentiment for the better, especially for those that exhibit a clear path to an IPO.
D2C brands hitch a ride on the quick commerce wagon
Rediff.com17 Jun 2024As quick-commerce players find their foothold among consumers, brands are all set to step up their presence on these platforms.
Premium devices to dial up growth in India's smartphone market in 2024
Rediff.com23 May 2024Indian smartphone sales, traditionally dominated by the entry and mid-range segments, are set to change as high-end and super-premium devices capture consumer attention. The premium category is expected to grow by more than 20 per cent in calendar year (CY) 2024 compared to the previous year. While the overall smartphone market is expected to w
Swiggy gets one step closer to $1.25 bn IPO
Rediff.com26 Apr 2024Food delivery major Swiggy has received approval from its shareholders for a $1.25 billion initial public offering (IPO), according to filings made with the Registrar of Companies sourced by Tofler. The Bengaluru-based firm plans to raise as much as Rs 3,750 crore (around $450 million) via a fresh issue and up to Rs 6,664 crore (around $800 million) through an offer-for-sale (OFS) component, the filings stated.
Q3 sees startups turn a profitable corner
Rediff.com23 Feb 2024The third quarter (Q3) of 2023-24 (FY24) has proven to be pivotal, witnessing some startups turning profitable and others enhancing their performance as their businesses finally begin to deliver. Startups like Delhivery, Zomato, PolicyBazaar, Mamaearth, and Nykaa have either become profitable or improved their profit margins in Q3FY24. A renewed focus on profitability, supported by operational efficiencies, expense rein-in, and robust demand during the festival season, has empowered companies to strengthen their performance.
Fintech major PhonePe takes on Google, Apple with homegrown Indus Appstore
Rediff.com22 Feb 2024Fintech major PhonePe on Wednesday announced the launch of its homegrown Indus Appstore specifically for the Indian market, in a bid to compete with global incumbents like Google Play Store and Apple's App Store. The Indus Appstore is PhonePe's attempt at creating a more competitive and localised mobile app store economy for India, which is already the world's largest market for mobile apps.
UpGrad's founder blames Raveendran, investors for current state of Byju's
Rediff.com16 Feb 2024Byju Raveendran, chief executive officer (CEO) and co-founder of Byju's, along with its nearly 51 investors, are responsible for the beleaguered edtech firm's current predicaments, said Ronnie Screwvala, executive chairman and co-founder of edtech platform UpGrad. Speaking at the second edition of the ASU+GSV & Emeritus Summit in Gurugram, he emphasised that "one rotten apple" should not affect the entire edtech sector.
Valentine's week: E-com giants record high demand for roses, chocolates
Rediff.com12 Feb 2024Leading up to Valentine's Day on February 14, quick-commerce platforms like Blinkit and Swiggy Instamart have witnessed a phenomenal uptick in the sales of products related to the occasion, such as roses and chocolates. Meanwhile, e-commerce giants like Amazon and Flipkart have gone live with their respective Valentine's Day sale events, offering generous discounts on products. Sales of chocolates and roses on Zomato-owned Blinkit shattered previous records at the beginning of this year's Valentine's Day week, on February 7, which is celebrated as Rose Day.