Archive: September 13, 2022

Converge @ Walmart is back to reimagine retail tech

Technology is a catalyst in this new era of retail, shaping shopping experiences to serve customers how, when, and where they need it. Today, everything in the retail industry is envisioned from a customer-centric lens. To reimagine retail tech and assess the tectonic shifts that the industry has witnessed Walmart Global Tech is back with India’s biggest retail tech event, Converge @ Walmart on Sept. 16, 2022.

In its reimagined second edition this year, the day-long event aims to bring valuable insights from industry leaders, startup founders, and academia on how breakthrough innovations are transforming the retail landscape. The event will host interesting fireside chats, panel discussions, and masterclass from an impressive speaker line-up such as:

Hari Vasudev (SVP – Retail Tech Platforms and Country Head, Walmart Global Tech)
Mayur Datar (Chief Data Scientist, Flipkart)
Dr. Rohini Srivathsa (National Technology Officer, Microsoft India)
Goda Ramkumar (AVP – Data Science, Swiggy)
Vishal Dhupar (Managing Director, Asia South, NVIDIA)
Thomas Reju (CDO, IKEA)

Another key highlight of Converge @ Walmart 2022 is the SparkTech Showcase, a tech challenge where students and early-stage startups can submit their solutions across five broad themes that include Data, Future of Retail, Emerging Technology and Supply Chain. Winners of the SparkTech Showcase will be awarded an entry into the Walmart Startup Mentoring Program and a pilot with Walmart Global Tech. Few other perks to watch out are – a possible internship or full-time job opportunity, gift vouchers, and the chance to present your ideas to a global tech leaders and retail enthusiasts.

Automovill partners with DriveU to provide car services to all DriveU customers via the DriveU -APP with a unified user experience

Bengaluru, September 13, 2022 – Automovill, a full-stack mobility start-up, has announced partnering with DriveU to offer car services to all DriveU customers through the DriveU -APP maintaining a unified user experience. This collaborative effort brings together DriveU’s on-demand driver service and Automovill’s new-age auto service chain model in key markets across India.

DriveU has approximately 1.5 million active users on its APP/platform, and Automovill has expanded its services to include dedicated and curated offers for DriveU customers in 9 cities across India including Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Gurugram and Kolkata. All existing DriveU users/customers can access Automovill offers and services with a single app button click. Automovill services include (General Services, AC Services, Dent and Painting, Accidental Claims/Insurance Claim Support, Accessories, and so on) with free pick-up and drop services powered and supported by DriveU on-demand Drivers.

Speaking on the partnership, Ramana Sambu, Co-Founder & CBO, Automovill said, “We are delighted to announce this collaboration as yet another step toward increasing demand for high-quality services. With car repair and full stack auto service models becoming more popular, we not only aim to provide on-demand assistance through a large network of partners, suppliers, and auto specialists, but we also guarantee end-to-end responsibility, from vehicle pickup to servicing, with a post-service customer connection.”

“Besides hiring professional drivers, DriveU is the go-to Super App for car owners to discover, research, compare and purchase services such as car wash, spa & treatments, used car sales, insurance, roadside assistance and FASTag recharge. Car servicing from Automovill will be a great addition to our services for 5L+ car owners who have trusted us with their cars in the last 7 years. The partnership with Automovill is a great fit with our motto of simplifying the car ownership journey for the over 42 million car owners in India,” said Ashok Shastry, Co-Founder & CEO of DriveU

Automovill is offering DriveU customers a flat 10% discount on all services, as well as exclusive discounts on general car health checkups for the first 500 customers. Furthermore, on car servicing orders, DriveU is offering up to Rs.100 cashback and DriveU coins.

Automovill provides tech-enabled car detailing and servicing, as well as B2B refurbishment services. Recently, the company expanded its operations to Eastern and Central India, effectively providing car repair services in 20 cities across 14 states. DriveU on the other hand brings a unique combination of customer service, great value, the latest in the fleet and the convenience offered by technology to give customers the next-generation transport and logistics services.

AVIA Releases OTT Study in Singapore at its First OTT Upfront Showcase Presenting Premium Content at its Best

Singapore, Sept 13, 2022 — The Asia Video Industry Association (AVIA) has released a new research study entitled Premium OTT – Building its Rightful Place in the Digital Market, to understand the usage of different video services in Singapore and attitudes towards them. The independent research study conducted by Milieu Insight was unveiled to agencies, advertisers and brands at AVIA’s first OTT Upfront Showcase where two of the region’s top premium video services, iQIYI and Viu, presented previews and highlights of their upcoming slate of content to the audience at a closed-door event.

The research shows that Premium OTT streaming services (OTT) are clearly differentiated from videos viewed on social media or video sharing sites. OTT was highly valued by consumers in Singapore for having the highest quality content. 58% of respondents indicated that they felt premium OTT services had high quality content, compared to only 36% for social media and video sharing services. Similarly, when asked which video services they generally felt captured the highest levels of attention while watching, 49% of respondents selected OTT streaming services, compared to only 35% who selected social media and video sharing services.

Levels of engagement were also entirely different with 51% of people feeling immersed when watching OTT content as opposed to only 39% for social media & video sharing. Top emotions elicited when watching OTT were happiness and amusement whereas for social media and video sharing, the top emotion was “nothing”.

When looking at the impact of advertising, linear television remains the place where it is most noticed (76%) and ads are thought to be the highest quality (41%), although it is in social media where ads feel most intrusive (37%). Linear was again the winner when it came to prompting brand or product searches (25%) and prompting purchase (19%). Louis Boswell, CEO, AVIA, commented that this “Bodes well for the OTT industry. There is a clear link between linear television and OTT from a content perspective, and with more OTT services looking at advertising, I strongly suspect it is simply a matter of time before the effectiveness of ads on OTT matches that of linear television.”

Dinesh Ratnam, Country Manager, Singapore, Malaysia and Brunei, iQIYI International, commented, “AVIA’s research further cements the rise of OTT and the appreciation for the premium content on OTT platforms. As the OTT industry continues evolving and becoming more accessible, its audience is also looking for more diverse content. With the global success of shows such as iQIYI’s original costume drama Story of Yanxi Palace drawing a global audience larger than that of Game of Thrones, the rise of Asian content is also drawing in larger, more diverse audiences. We are thrilled to be a part of AVIA’s inaugural OTT Upfront Showcase in Singapore and to have the opportunity to showcase our exciting slate to advertisers and partners.”

AVIA thanks its members Magnite, PubMatic, The Trade Desk, and Xandr for supporting the OTT Upfront Showcase and the same companies plus Index Exchange for supporting the research.

A link to the research study entitled Premium OTT – Building its Rightful Place in the Digital Market can be downloaded here (https://bit.ly/3L4lrMD).

JM Narola, Founder & CEO & Mr. Hemant Jass (Advisor) IgniteChain conferred with Entrepreneur of the Year Award At the Naya Bharat Mahotsav, held in London, UK

New Delhi / London – 13^th September 2022

Mr. JM Narola, Founder & CEO IgniteChain & Mr. Hemant Jass (Advisor – Collaborations) was conferred with Entrepreneur of the Year Award at the Prestigious Naya Bharat Mahotsav, held at the House of Commons, British Parliament, UK.

For their Innovative Contribution to block chain technology, Mr. Narola and Mr. Jass received the award at the Naya Bharat Mahotsav, the Biggest ever felicitation event under the aegis of 75 Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav. On the occasion Mr. Shantanu Chaturvedi, promoter for Haxly group of companies was awarded as the global entrepreneur under 40 and Global Show Director respectively along with Ms. Liza Varma for her unmatched contribution to the Media industry.

Introducing Reward Protocol in the core structure of IgniteChain, JM Narola has caught the attention of the blockchain community and tech entrepreneurs. Built upon existing proven blockchain innovations and novel technologies that are created for achieving mass adoption, IgniteChain network is pursuing the goal of forming a decentralized and global community that would be able to develop, test and launch new innovative blockchain technology powered solutions and decentralized finance applications.

Recently, Mr. Shantanu Chaturvedi, promoter for Haxly group of companies announced its intentions to collaborate with IgniteChain, he will come in as a strategic investor on the board of Ignitechain. Haxly Group is present in UK, Canada, China and Dubai, company specializes in Ferrous & Non Ferrous metal, they also trade in PVC & Plastic products along with fashion Clothing for Women and children’s in GCC region.

Shantanu Chaturvedi, promoter for Haxly Group of companies is keenly evaluating investment opportunity in lgniteChain, he has consented to invest upto USD 25 M, this capital is to be invested in business over a period of next couple of years. Currently, team is working on identifying milestones, where the business would be needing capital to fuel the growth and expansion

“IgniteChain is solely designed for mass market adoption of BlockChain Technology in the area of decentralized finance for any enterprise or institutions, by providing lowest cost and yet ultra fast peer-to-peer transactions in the market, where other blockchain networks are still struggling to bring down heavy transaction fees and confirmation time,” says Narola, CEO, IgniteChain. “The solution we have built has strong potential and use cases that clearly are boosting the adoption, despite the project – IgniteChain – a new entrant. “The team is headed by Mr. JM Narola, Founder & CEO, Mr. Hemant Jass, Advisor (Collaborations) and Mrs. Liza Varma as Media Advisor.

21ST IBIS HOTEL OPENS IN INDIA – IBIS BENGALURU HEBBAL With its modern, vibrant look and use of the latest technology, the property is part of ibis’ New Generation Design hotels

Bengaluru, 13th September 2022: Accor and InterGlobe Hotels launch their new hotel – ibis Bengaluru Hebbal. Strategically located opposite Manyata Tech Park, ibis Hebbal Bengaluru is straddled between the IT Hubs of Outer Ring Road-Whitefield and the Bengaluru Airport.

This 21st ibis hotel in India reflects vibrant interiors, lively ambience and new-generation design, making it an Instagrammable hotel for the new age travellers from across the world. The hotel is also a quick 30 mins drive from the Kempegowda International Airport Bengaluru, as well as the well-known Bengaluru CBD area.

The 8-floor ibis Bengaluru Hebbal features 154 comfortable rooms with large windows, sleek TV panels and the much loved ‘Sweet Bed’ by ibis. The new-age rooms are designed to ensure comfort, featuring a couch that can be used as a third bed, a lounge chair or a mini-workstation. The hotel design balances style and functionality, showcasing amenities that meet the needs of new-age travellers who prioritise both work and leisure. The colourful and trendy aesthetics reflect the vibrancy of ibis brand.

Drawing inspiration from the essence of the city, a local flavour has been specially curated for the rooms with custom destination wallpaper. The rooms depict various local elements such as Elephants, a tribute to the Mysore Dasara festival of Karnataka, Hase Chittara, a folk art form and an intricate wall painting traditionally created by the tribal women, The Mysore Palace, known for its impeccable roof art, tiles and intricate mosaics and paintings of the royal family and Bidri, a renowned metal handicraft that derives its name from Bidar and the design shows Bidriware techniques and style. Miaja, an Interior and architectural design firm from Singapore have built and designed the chic and lively public areas of the hotel, combining western aesthetics with elements of Indian folk art.

The hotel features progressive technology, including digital menus in the restaurant, mobile check-in and access to OTT entertainment channels in the rooms, making it the ideal choice for business and leisure travelers. The interactive and pleasing public spaces are sizable and expansive with fantastic external views that the guests & visitors can enjoy all day long.

With an approach to provide a holistic experience, ibis Bengaluru Hebbal has the signature multi-cuisine restaurant – Spice It with an interactive fireless kitchen and delectable local flavours served 24/7, a lively bar, and a cozy corner for book lovers with an impressive mini library. Spice It, as is showcased in all ibis hotels, offers India’s longest-running breakfast, from 4 am until noon. Keeping up with the needs of business travelers, the hotel also offers 24-hour operational fitness center with a beautiful view, two boardrooms and fully equipped convertible meeting rooms. The ground floor also has a music station with an exclusive #ibisMusic playlist as part of the brand’s global collaboration with Spotify.

Adding to the excitement, Mr JB Singh, President & CEO, InterGlobe Hotels, said, “We are delighted with the opening of our brand-new ibis hotel in Hebbal, Bengaluru. This is the fourth ibis hotel in the city and our designers have done an exceptional job of curating this unique lifestyle product to match the needs and demands of the new age travellers. With every new hotel, we strive to provide our guests with unique experiences through innovative design, best in class amenities, and our commitment to providing the highest level of service. ibis Bengaluru Hebbal has been designed with our ‘New Generation’ theme, which features highly dynamic, colourful and lively public areas as well as a uniquely crafted authentic dining experience. The rooms are specifically designed to reflect the history, culture and heritage of the city. With the launch of our most recent properties, ibis Bengaluru Hebbal and ibis Mumbai Vikhroli, we are elated to say that we have raised the bar for quality accommodation in the country. We will continue to further push our design boundaries by bringing in global experiences to appeal to the discerning, design-conscious youth of today.”

Commenting on the opening, Mr. Puneet Dhawan, Senior Vice President – Operations, Accor India & South Asia said, “The 21st ibis property in India, located in Hebbal, Bengaluru, has begun operations, demonstrating the brand’s robust growth and popularity in the country. With an exciting pipeline, our select service portfolio is also driving momentum for growth in the region. ibis Bengaluru Hebbal is a perfect blend of custom designs and user-friendly technology. Located in the silicon valley of India, the aim with the new ibis is to meet the evolving needs of travellers with our renewed lifestyle approach & loyalty programs. The city is known to attract both business and leisure travellers, and this launch will provide them with a comfortable stay with a dynamic atmosphere to suit a globetrotter’s tastes. We are excited to offer the best in the segment option to cater to our consumers planning to visit Hebbal.”

Speaking on the launch, Mr. Irfan Khatry, General Manager, ibis Bengaluru Hebbal said, “Bengaluru is expanding at a fast pace and with ibis Bengaluru Hebbal, we aim to cover another micro-market in the city. To cash in on this growth trend, we are pleased to announce the launch of the fourth ibis in Bangalore to attract business travellers in the area. We ensure to offer all the contemporary amenities and fascinating hospitality experiences that will make every guest’s stay a memorable experience.”

ibis Bengaluru Hebbal is in proximity to some popular tourist attractions and other places of interest in Bengaluru, which contains a healthy mix of metropolitanism and tradition. The city boasts of interesting historical monuments such as Tipu Sultan Palace and some of the most beautiful gardens like Cubbon Park and Lalbagh Botanical Garden, while the popular M.G. Road is only 12 km away. Transit from Bengaluru City Railway Station is only 13km away and Bengaluru International Airport is 18km away.

AI LOGISTIX rebrands itself, promises ‘Green deliveries with Zero Carbon emission’

13^th September, 2022: AI LOGISTIX today announced that it looking at a rebranding exercise that highlights its vision, mission and motto. As a young company in its infancy, the company felt that our logo should reflect dynamism hence the colour red. Today, however, the company has established itself and would now like the focus to be – an Intelligent Logistics company engaged in Green Delivery. Hence while the name remains the same the logo colour is now green.

When the company began its journey to “Deliver delight to the desolate rural,” they soon discovered that the more immediate need was to optimise the last-mile transportation cost with zero carbon emissions. As a result, they redirected the branding to reflect this and seek to establish a relationship of trust with consumers of their products and services to generate further loyalty and create awareness.

According to Abdul Khadeer, Founder and CEO, Wayne W. Dyer, the motivational coach said “Change the way you look at things and the things you look at change”. As a Founder & CEO when we started AI Logistix, the idea is to bring change in logistics through our intelligent systems and thoughts we discuss in our meetings. One such meeting was with my Co-Founder Mamata Reddy was why not optimize the last mile delivery. When we used to see Zomato or Zepto or Big Basket riders working so hard to earn their livelihood through rent bikes and spending so much on Petrol, we felt like why can’t we become their partner in their growth by giving them a chance to work hard without any other worries and that’s how we have planned to become “your LAST sMILE delivery partner” with green Deliveries as it saves huge cost to the companies as well.  Zomato says red outside, Green Inside… we say ” we have changed ourselves from Red to Green”

As AI Logistix, a company that seeks to solve Day-to-Day Logistics & Supply Chain issues with Intelligent Systems & Processes to become the most preferred Logistics Service Partner by doing basics right. They are on a mission to cover the entire India without any ODA charges or Non Serviceable location charges with Green Deliveries. The new rebranding reflects this purpose. The logistics industry is transitioning from an old-school approach to a modern approach by integrating technology into its operations to increase cost-effectiveness and fulfil customers’ evolving service demands. The rebranding reflects the Intelligent method of eco-friendly deliveries and being “your LAST sMILE delivery partner.”

Hungama HiLife’s G1 smartwatch out now with uber-cool features at an affordable price

National, 13th September 2022 – Hungama, India’s leading digital entertainment company, which recently forayed into lifestyle products with its brand ‘HiLife’, has made a big splash in the category of smartwatches with its new G1 watch. Manufactured in India, G1 comes with an in-built mic, speaker, and entails an array of cool features such as Bluetooth 5.0 calling and music and camera control with 210 mAh battery and a 1.69” wide screen capable of 240×280 – pixel resolution. With an IP67 rating, G1 also provides handy health and wellness applications such as 24*7 heart rate monitors, blood pressure monitor, Spo2 trackers, and physiological cycle reminders.

HiLife’s action-packed G1 will be available for purchase on leading online marketplaces. Beyond its combo of competitive features at an affordable price, G1 customers will also get a grand dose of entertainment with year-long free subscriptions of Hungama Music and Hungama OTT Play, along with a Cleartrip voucher of Rs500 on all domestic flights.

HiLife offers affordable and superior-quality digital lifestyle and audio accessories and has a wide range of products lined up for launch soon.

Guidehouse Insights Estimates Monitoring and Controls Market for Solar and Storage Technologies Will Reach $3 Billion by 2031

September 13, 2022 – Boulder, Colo. – A new report from Guidehouse Insights explores the monitoring and controls (M&C) market for solar and storage technologies.

As the market for renewable energy systems, such as solar PV and energy storage, continues to proliferate around the globe, industry stakeholders increasingly recognize the enhanced value proposition that M&C solutions can deliver. These solutions can have a significant effect on optimizing the overall cost of energy with the help of sophisticated data analysis and sensors to detect any operational issues across these assets. According to a new report from Guidehouse Insights, the annual revenue additions for the solar and storage M&C market is expected to reach nearly $3 billion by 2031.

“From SCADA gateways and data loggers to performance monitoring and predictive maintenance tools, the combination of sensing and measurement technologies and data analytics is providing asset owners with more actionable insights to improve operational efficiencies and reduce lifetime costs,” says Michael Kelly, senior research analyst with Guidehouse Insights. “M&C solutions that can quickly identify and accurately detect deviations in yield are particularly well positioned for success in this burgeoning market.”

Multiple dynamics are responsible for the growth of the M&C market and the hurdles it faces. The primary driving forces pushing growth are the booming rates of adoption for solar and storage and demands for efficiency, security, and the need for predictive maintenance for remote assets. Still, challenges such as costs, lack of data sharing, and the need for continuing technology updates, could hinder M&C’s growth, according to the report.

The report, Solar and Storage Monitoring and Controls, outlines key trends and industry players who are currently active in the M&C space. As M&C can be a rapidly evolving set of technologies, more advances are likely—especially in the form of AI and machine learning—in coming years. This report determines that despite the declining cost of M&C capabilities, revenues for this market across solar and storage will continue to increase due in large part to the accelerating deployments of solar and storage systems. Guidehouse Insights expects annual revenue additions for the solar and storage M&C market to reach nearly $3 billion by 2031. An executive summary of the report is available for free download on the Guidehouse Insights website.

Technology – Going Beyond the Real Estate Boost

by Anil Pharande, Chairman – Pharande Spaces & President – CREDAI Pune-Metro

In India, technology now plays a significant role in the growth of not only businesses but society as a whole. Digital technologies are now being used in several critical ways, including in the banking and finance sector, education, communication, healthcare – and real estate.

During the pandemic, these technologies came to the forefront. Education went entirely online for a long while, and Indians learned how to use UPI to receive and make payments via UPI. Hospitals launched e-consultations, bringing medical care into Indians’ homes. And, very pertinently, Indian homebuyers made themselves familiar with how to use digital interfaces to find the homes of their choice.

Interestingly, this was not just a metropolitan phenomenon. At our development firm, digital interactions with customers via the website and digital channel partners gave us some exciting readings. From as early as April 2020 – a month after the first wave of Covid-19 started and lockdowns were imposed – property enquiries were coming in from many tier 2 and tier 3 cities of Maharashtra, and even from rural areas.

Fast-tracked Tech Evolution 

In a very short time, homebuyers across India learned how to find homes via the Internet, using developer websites, apps, and the major real estate portals. This new-found knowledge about leveraging digital platforms coincided with a massive surge in the desire for homeownership.

The Indian real estate sector and other marketplaces using digital technologies took a massive leap forward within less than a year. Under normal (non-pandemic) circumstances, such a rapid evolution would have been impossible. As always, demand drives supply – and the suddenly surging demand for homes made it imperative for buyers and property sellers alike to adopt technology quickly.

More recently, leading developers have even begun enabling property registrations via digital interfaces in their offices. All this has made digital technology accessible to most Indians, including in the previously under-penetrated rural areas. As India’s technological adoption grows, so will its overall economic prosperity.

Technology and GDP have become inextricably interlinked today. Digital infrastructure is literally changing our lives – and the economy.

Promises and Pitfalls 

While digital adoption is increasing in India, the fact remains that this is a vast country where no facet of progress can unfold uniformly. The government must do more to help rural Indians understand and use technology to aid their economic prospects. This need goes far beyond making tech-driven homebuying possible – rural India needs access to other vital resources and marketplaces.

As it is, the migration of rural dwellers to urban cities is increasing. Developing countries like India are undergoing a steady metamorphosis from a farming-driven rural economy to the urban model of industrial growth and proliferation of the services sectors. Urbanization is part and parcel of development in more developed countries. India is not far behind.

Not only is India’s urban population increasing, but more and more rural parts of the country are being reclassi?ed as semi-rural and urban areas. Urban India’s boundaries are growing steadily. This means that the traditional differences between rural and urban requirements are also decreasing. Digital India must empower all parts of the country equally to ensure that rural-to-urban migration can be seamless.

Revamping Laws in Digital India 

Many of India’s laws are antiquated and were not formulated with something as disruptive as digital technologies in mind. This is becoming more and more apparent. For example, in an age of cybercrime where tech-savvy scamsters exploit the knowledge loopholes of under-informed Indians, the legal system must impose strict punitive actions and preventative measures.

The Indian Penal Code requires various revisions. This is admittedly happening – but at too slow a pace. Likewise, provisions such as digital property registrations will only be uniformly beneficial when they apply to property transactions across the country.