Saturday, July 30, 2016

Ambitious Pan-India Offline Retail Expansion Plan for LeEco


After successfully establishing itself in the online space in India, internet and ecosystem conglomerate LeEco has announced today that it is all set to strengthen its offline presence across the country.

LeEcohas partnered with top Regional retail chains like Sangeetha, Poorvika and Zonal Distributors like Shivalik, AppsYouNeed, Pearl Infotech and PCH to expand its retail network. Through these partnerships, LeEco will be able to expand its retail base to 2000 outlets across 65 cities. By the end of this year, LeEco plans to reach 6000 - 8000 outlets.

“This marks another milestone in our India journey that has been incredible so far. Our strategy to strengthen our offline business is a testimony to our commitment to the Indian market. For this, we have tied up with some of the well-known names in offline retail across geographies and we will continue to add more partners as we go along,” said Atul Jain, COO of Smart Electronics, LeEco India.”

LeEco will be offering Le 1S and Le 1S Eco Superphones through the offline model in the first phase and has plans to offer the entire product portfolio in the offline market in the coming months.  n the online space, LeEco is the third largest smartphone brand in India and is offering its Superphones via Flipkart and its own ecommerce marketplace – LeMall. The offline story for LeEco, started Delhi/NCR and spread across to Mumbai and  Pune and it now has presence across top 6 metros – New Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Bangalore, Hyderabad and Chennai.

To cater to a growing number of customers, LeEco also plans to set up more service centres in addition to the 555 outlets it has now.  

New Corporate HQ for Samsung at Gurgaon for 1,500 Employees


Samsung India has moved to its new Corporate Headquarters at Two Horizon Center, Gurgaon, Haryana. The office spread over 5 floors with a carpet area of 232,000 sq ft. is now home to 1,500 employees.

The event was graced by Kalraj Mishra, Minister for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, Govt of India Cho Hyun, Korean Ambassador to India, Santosh Gangwar, Minister of State for Finance, GoI, Kiran Rijiju, Minister of State for Home Affairs, GoI, and Vipul Goel, Minister of Industries and Commerce, Environment and Industrial Training, Government of Haryana and other senior government dignitaries and partners. HC Hong, President and CEO, Samsung Southwest Asia along with his senior executives hosted the event on behalf of Samsung India.

Speaking at the inauguration, Kalraj Mishra said, “We will like to extend our best wishes to Samsung India on moving to their new office. Over the years, Samsung has won the trust and confidence of the Indian consumers and has emerged as the largest mobile and CE player in the country. Samsung India’s tie up with MSME (Ministry) as part of their Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives will go a long way in harnessing the skill potential of Indian youth.”
HC Hong, President and CEO, Samsung Southwest Asia, said, “We started our journey in 1995 and over the years have established ourselves as the most trusted brand in the country. As we grow, we make new beginnings at every step. The opening of our new office is one such moment.”
“With this, Samsung rededicates itself to India for the next twenty years and beyond. We will continue to come up with transformative ideas and technologies giving people the power to discover new experiences," he added.
Kiran Rijiju, Minister of State, Ministry of Home, said “I have seen the Samsung building in Seoul and the same has been followed here in India. Samsung has grown over the years and the secret of this is filling the gaps in the society by bringing innovations in their technology. Samsung is a South Korean global company but in India we feel that it is an Indian company. Not only is Samsung ‘Making in India’ but also ‘Making for India’ which touches core of the heart.”
MoS Finance Santosh Gangwar and Haryana industry minister Vipul Goel also addressed the gathering on the occasion.
Over the last twenty years, Samsung has effectively consolidated its position in India with two manufacturing plants and three RnD facilities, employing around 40,000 people.
The new office has been built on Samsung’s core values of People, Excellence, Change, Integrity and Co-prosperity. The design element of each floor signifies each value, with a different color code. The interiors are made to suit every aspect of modern day work-style, with amenities such as maternity care room, employee lounges, healing rooms, recreation room, ATMs and a swanky, 24,000 sq ft cafeteria and tuck shop, in addition to workstations, meeting rooms and training rooms, etc.  

Chinese Leader TCL Brings New Range of HD Smart TVs & Mobile Range Through Amazon in India


The world's third-largest TV manufacturer, TCL announced its new range of Curve, Ultra HD and Full HD TV series which are available in the Indian market in exclusive partnership with Amazon.in, the largest online marketplace. The next generation TV Series which aims to bring revolutionary technology will be made available on pre-booking and registration commences from July 28, 2016. Post the high decibel launch of TCL 560 the global technology giant is all set to introduce TCL 562 smartphone with diamond cut design, a sleek 5.5’’-inch full HD IPS screen and a slew of great features with curved design in India. TCL will offer its range of Five Televisions & two Smartphones portfolio of products in India starting first week of August. 

Founded in 1981, TCL Corporation, a global corporate group focused on the production of smart products and the provision of online application services, with a wide range of businesses including Televisions, mobile phone, refrigerators, washing machines, air-conditioners and LCD panels etc. TCL Corporation has global presence in more than 160 countries across the world, is the fastest selling TV brand in America. The consumer durable giant pioneering in disruptive technology is the 3rd largest manufacturer of TV’s worldwide. It has manufactured 80 million handsets in 2015 and positioned themselves as the 5th largest mobile brand globally (in-terms of shipments). TCL is one of the three brands globally which manufactures Panel, Backlit, Module CBU etc. and has complete vertical integration for television. 

TCL stands for “The Creative Life”, a slogan that represents its aspirations of building one of world’s most innovative and trusted enterprises. TCL enjoys a brand value of US$ 10.9 billion, ranked seventh among China’s Top 100 Brands in 2015. Backed by strong Research and Development teams, TCL is hopeful of carrying forward the same genesis of an innovative brand in India. TCL Corporation has 23 RnD centers with over 7,000 researchers and experts. By the end of 2015, TCL Corporation has accumulated 18,813 patent applications, 12,024 of them are invention patent applications. TCL ranked 4th among all Chinese enterprises in terms of accumulated patents applications and ranked 3rd in invention patent applications.

Commenting on the launch, Praveen Valecha, Regional Director – TCL India, said, “Our entry into the smartphones and television category in India is a strategic move that reinforces our commitment to lead technology and innovation. The number of consumers adopting smarter, wireless technology in the country is on the rise and we anticipate a huge increase in smartphone users. TCL TV range starts at Rs.13990/- and Mobile range starts atRs.7499.” 

Talking on its association, Arun Srinivasan, Category Leader - CE, Amazon India said, “We are excited to be the launch partner for TCL’s Television range that debuts in India today. We have been witnessing strong growth in customer demand in this category with customers shopping across the full product range. With festive shopping commencing soon, customers on Amazon.in will now have an easy and convenient access to the new feature-rich and attractively priced TVs from TCL, a globally renowned brand in electronics."

TCL Range of Television’s: 
Comprises of P1(Ultra HD),D2900 and P1 (HD) across select Sizes 
Speaking at the Launch event Bobbie Zhang, General Manager of Strategic Markets Sales Center, commented "Our new UHD and FHD TV series represent our singular focus on innovation that matters most to consumers, by providing the very best picture quality for the home entertainment experience. We highly value the Indian market and expect to bring our premium products and services to the Indian consumers. In order to guarantee the best product quality, TCL will export complete TV sets to India even though it means higher cost compared with local assembly.”

TCL D2900 series - Experience the Creative Life
This LED TV lines, which are unveiled today in Bangalore, includes two models in 40-inch and 32-inch screen sizes. All the models include a powerful ASIC processor and feature LED quality with more than One million pixels, 1080p HDMI video format, which means increased clarity and picture detail. 

Both 32’(81cm) and 40”(100cm)  LED Television from TCL, provides you with the best in picture quality and sound, fitted with 2 USB and HDMI ports for better connectivity, and superior audio output,  it’s time to experience The Creative Life. The best of visual experiences is just a touch away with the L32. Packed with features like, all time Running Dynamic Skin color and Blue color control, Black level stretch for Contrast level enhancement, 3-D Chrome Filter and 3D Adaptive De-interlacing to reduce De-Mosaic Noise, we offer you nothing short of extraordinary.

The Dolby surround sound with integrated speakers guarantee high quality audio output with the Dolby decoder, smart volume which eliminates unwanted spikes in audio, to you give a richer and more captivating audio experience. Additionally, various picture and audio mode options heighten your visual experience and let you enjoy the intensity of sports and action programs.

TCL P1 series (Full HD) - The envy of all designs
The 48’ (121cm) Curved Full HD Smart TV comes with a slim and Lean design will forever change your visual experience, with over One million pixels enjoy more accurate and detailed visuals. Designed to be the envy of many, the segmented body looks slim and light, with an overall thickness of 69.6mm, the thinnest part is only 12mm. The latest generation of TCL’s LED backlight creates a milestone in LED backlight technology with a dramatic enhancement of color gamut and dynamic contrast ratio, the picture has never been as realistic.

The newly launched TV is Smart because it’s easier, faster, and a more intelligent way to surf content on a single device or across multiple devices. TCL’s Curved C48 Smart TV contains upgraded functions like screen mirroring, built-in-Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi direct, App Store and much more designed with rich content to completely suit your lifestyle.

The TCL nScreen application lets you use your smartphone or tablet as a remote control. It’s simple: just connect your Smart TV to your smartphone or tablet by Wi-Fi and you’ll be able to share photos and videos to view on the superior TCL C48 screen. Immerse yourself in the atmosphere of the stadium with optimized images and sounds which allows you to enjoy the feeling of personally being at the sports stadium from the comfort of your living room.

The Build In Dolby Digital AC3, and Dolby Prologic II surround sound processor meet most of DVB-T and Media Playback demand. The Smart Volume feature automatically adjusts the program volumes thus eliminating unwanted and sudden spikes in the audio output for a richer sound experience.

Users can discover a world of applications with the App store 3.3 which provides a range of applications from video-on-demand, to social, gaming, and music. Users can also record and play back the programs whenever they want. So, never worry about missing your favorite show again with the PVR Record and Playback which records the program to the USB.

TCL Mobile Phone Range: 

Comprises of CL 560 and TCL562  
Announcing the launch of these devices in India, Nicolas Zibell, Vice President of TCL Corporation said, “At TCL we are conscious of the world getting faster and demanding more from life in every way. Users dependence on technology is growing and so we want to make their lives simpler and enriching. Therefore our products appeal to the elegant, beauty conscious and highly social user and are more suited to the youth who demands to remain connected round the clock. The TCL 562 is a smartphone suited to helps users to multi-task between work and entertainment.”

TCL 562 – Design to impress
Powered by the Octa Core (4X1.8GHz + 4X1.0GHz) Helio P10 MT6755M Chipset processor the 5.5-inch TCL 562 Android  6.0 handset (measuring 152 x 77 x 7.99mm) is ideal for those looking to create, share and enjoy digital content on the go, enabled by 3GB RAM and a standard 32GB of internal memory. It packs a 2960 mAh battery ensuring lasting performance from every charge. A full HD Zero Distortion screen with IPS technology extends to house the 5MP wide view angle front lens as well as the 13MP AF camera with LED dual tone flash and 0.3 ultra-fast focus rear camera. Connectivity comes through its Cat4 LTE, WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, and Bluetooth 4.2 .

The Android handset features a Full HD IPS screen to ensure bright rendering of color. TheTCL 562 expresses the great sense of ease and convenience by its slim and slight design. Covering by various curved elements with the slender body design, TCL 562 is comfortable in-hand fit. With hairline-brush rear, the 562 is not only attractive, but durable. The curved metallic diamond cut design frame is sleek, modern, and visually compelling for making the smartphone looks thinner and lighter. Its fingerprint authentication feature detects unique patterns and ridges to match against stored data to unlock the phone. Innovations such as HI-FI Sound™ gives high-quality audio performance for music and movies. Phone fans will appreciate exposure control which allows adjustment of exposure and focus independently to get clear and bright shots, that ensures selfies are always presented in the best lighting conditions.

TCL 560 –Express urself
Revolutionary Display, With a stylish hardware and design, the smartphone offers an unmatched selfie at  84.4 degree angle. The 5.5 inch HD screen is made from Full Lamination technology that enhances the clarity of the screen, makes the entire viewing experience richer. 

Idea Free Data offer on TCL 560 and 562 : Customers having a valid Idea SIM with data connection are eligible for 1GB of data per month for 3 months in their respective circle dependent on what band idea has license in, subject to TnC. 

Pricing and Availability 
The TCL 43” P1 Flat Ultra HD series will be available in India priced at Rs.31990 on Amazon.in
The TCL 48” P1 Curved Full HD series will be available in India priced at Rs.37990 on Amazon.in
The TCL 32” D2900 and 40” D2900 Full HD series will be available in India priced at Rs.13990 and 20990 on Amazon.in 
The TCL 562 smartphone will be available at a special launch Price of Rs. 10990 on Amazon.in, and  TCL560 is already available at Rs.7999.

Thursday, July 21, 2016

Adzone to Help Merchants Promote Products Using Ads on ShopClues



Online marketplace ShopClues, a leading player in managed marketplace, has in collaboration with C1X, a leading online advertising technology firm, launched its seller-bidding platform AdZone on July 20 in Bengaluru. AdZone is a self-service solution, which will help merchants promote their products using native and custom ads for advertising, executing, and managing product campaigns on ShopClues.

ShopClues, which claims to focus on smaller towns and cities, said the new product called AdZone, a self-service solution that helps merchants promote products using native and custom ads, was developed in partnership with ad tech firm C1X.

This is unlike Flipkart and Snap deal, which acquired Ad I Quity Technologies Pvt Ltd and Reduce Data, respectively, to strengthen their presence in the digital ads space. ShopClues claims to have run a pilot with 300 merchants for the ad product and launched 1,000 ad campaigns over a 10-day period earlier this month.

“This platform will boost the visibility of products and maximise product views, helping vendors to increase business with us. The bidding system ensures transparency, while our differential bidding mechanism for products is essential for retailers,” said Radhika Aggarwal, co-founder, ShopClues.

The move by ShopClues, which has raised at least $200 million from the likes of Nexus Venture Partners, Tiger Global Management LLC and Singapore’ s sovereign wealth fund GIC Pte Ltd, among others, comes at a time when e-commerce companies are exploring ancillary revenue streams such as ads.

For instance, in China, some e-commerce companies have built large ads businesses. Alibaba Group generates larger mobile ad sales than even Baidu, China’s local search engine, according to researcher eMarketer. Alibaba generates more than half its sales from ads.

Closer home, both Flipkart and Snapdeal have launched ad products for merchants.
Flipkart generates $1 million in monthly advertisement sales, making the company one of the largest digital ad platforms in India less than a year after it launched its ads business. It launched the digital ad product in May last year, after buying Ad IQuity in March. The platform is for merchants as well as brands.

SoftBank-backed Snapdeal launched a new version of its advertising platform Snapdeal Ads, which aims to help sellers target shop person the site based on behavioural data. The company’s foray into the segment came after it acquired Reduce Data in September last year.

Digital ad spending in India is expected to increase by 40% to ₹6,525 crore this year, according to a January report by media agency GroupM. A majority of the ad spending currently goes to Google and Facebook.

Over the next five years, digital ad spending is expected to shift to mobile from desktop sites as sales of smartphones boom, and the likes of Flipkart, Snapdeal and ShopClues are planning to capitalise on this shift and generate large ad revenues.

Robot with Full Wet Mopping and Dry Vacuuming Now in India


What kind of a vacuum cleaner does an Indian household need? This answer has finally come from Milagrow -India's No.1 Consumer Robots Brand. 

Milagrow has introduced AguaBot 5.0 - India's 1st full wet mopping and dry cleaning, floor vacuuming robot with the world's largest smart mop of 350x210mm. No longer will an Indian household struggle with stubborn dirt which other vacuum cleaners fail to tackle.

Milagrow AguaBot 5.0 comes with a water reservoir and smart mop attachment. Just fill the water in the reservoir, put the smart mop at the bottom of the water tank and then attach the water reservoir to the AguaBot 5.0 and let the robot do the rest. The water tank and smart mop have been made in such a way that only the front portion of the mop will do the wet mopping while the back portion, which is kept dry would wipe the floor dry.

Speaking on the launch, Debashis Das, CEO, Milagrow, said, Milagrow, the pioneer of consumer robotics in India is always ahead of the competition due to its deep insights of the consumer needs. It has been the first in most offerings to the consumer. We understood
that the Indian housewife looks for a dry and wet mop solution together and we have gone one step ahead to bring in "Complete cleaning" process solution to the consumer i.e 1st vacuuming ----> then wet mopping ------> & drying the floors at the end.

AguaBot 5.0 has been built with Milagrow's 5th generation robotic software and comes with dual suction control. The maximum suction can go up to 45W, making it the most powerful. The dual suction control will get activated when the AguaBot senses extra dirt or when the
consumer chooses the turbo suction on the remote control. The normal mode saves battery while the turbo mode provides the extra power needed to suck up tough dirt.

The AguaBot 5.0 also has a brush-less cleaning mechanism which is especially good for carpets. No longer will expensive carpets gather dust, dirt, bacteria or odor due to the tangle free cleaning and powerful vacuuming of AguaBot 5.0.

The AguaBot 5.0 is also equipped with extra thick anti-slippage tyres and state of the art automobile suspension technology. Movement sensors have been concealed above the front universal wheel so that the AguaBot 5.0 can send the signal to the CPU in case the movement is improper or the robot is stuck in any difficult situation. The above enhancements ensure that the robot does not misbehave while cleaning slippery floors & is able to climb door sills up to 22 mm to give it unparalleled maneuverability.

With latest technology and miniaturization Milagrow has also been able to reduce the weight of the robot to 2.5 kgs and increase the speed of the robot to give it a coverage of almost 3500 square feet in about 120 minutes making it the largest coverage area on a single battery charge amongst the robotic vacuum cleaners.

Continuing with its consumer orientation Milagrow has also upgraded the battery to one which can be replaced by the consumer. Even the High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filter which removes up to 99.97% of all particulate matter above 0.3 microns has been made cool water washable.

The robotic vacuum cleaner also comes loaded with a host of other features such as Robotic 6th Sense, automatic obstacle and fall detection, all-surface cleaning and self-diagnosis. This not only ensures comprehensive cleanliness solutions, but also minimizes the time you will have to invest in supervising the robot.

Aguabot 5.0 Robotic Floor Vacuum Cleaner is now available with a two-year warranty on Milagrow Humantech’s website –www.milagrowhumantech.com   – at a highly affordable cost of Rs 31,990/-. Moreover, to further ease consumer convenience, the company is also offering facilities such as Cash on Delivery (CoD), EMI payments and 30 day replacement guarantee on the product.

Milagrow has home demonstration facility available in Delhi NCR, Mumbai, Pune, Bangalore, Chennai, Kolkata, Hyderabad and Vadodara. Online Video demonstration facility is available all over all India  

Re-Skilling to Navigate Tech Imperatives of the Future; Nasscom HR


Focusing on need on reskilling to keep up with the rapid technologies, National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM) kick-started the 13th edition of HR Summit 2016 at ITC Grand Chola, in Chennai. With the theme “Navigating Uncertain Waters” the summit aimed at providing a platform for participants across sectors to come together and discuss the different facets of how digital technologies are reshaping HR and the proactive role it will need to play while technology leads to new job avenues. On the sidelines of the summit, NASSCOM also showcased the findings of its report titled “Technology Shifts and Workforce Priorities”to highlight the changes in the ecosystem and how companies and employees need to evolve. 
The Indian IT – BPM industry currently employs 3.7 million employees, India continues to maintain its leadership in the global technology arena; with over 2 lakh net additions and 3.5 lakh digitally skilled employees. To continue this momentum of growth the report suggest that the industry will require 1.2 – 2 million employees to meet the revenue of USD 100 billion by 2025. Further the report iterates the five forces that are changing the world at an unprecedented pace and scale: Rise of emerging markets, ageing of the global population, power of disruptive technologiesintegrating world and return of (geo)-politics
The report also highlights the growth of digital technology over traditional technology from 5% to 38% over the next decade. Due to changing technology and skill sets in demand, there will be a gradual shift of the industry towards automation and around 5 to 10% of existing jobs may be automated in the next 10 years; significantly changing existing skills across job functions. While Technology will displace some jobs, it will also lead to creation of some new jobs – biotech, nanotech, smart technologies to name a few. The report estimates that 60-70% of the existing workforce will be need to be re-skilled in technology, domain, social and thinking.
Talking about key trends that are the driving the HR domain,  R Chandrashekhar, President, NASSCOMsaid, “Domain specialization and greater need for soft skills have become the new patterns that we are witnessing throughout the sector. In this new world order, technology and automation have taken the center stage, and companies are deploying them at a rapid pace to enhance productivity. This trend will bring in a sea change in talent re-structuring and deployment, creating healthy competition and re-skilling opportunities.”
The IT – BPM industry is also witnessing a major shift in the working style as work cultures have become more flexible and updated performance evaluation techniques and incentives have increased talent stickiness in companies. Organizations are deploying internal social platforms for enhance their conversations with their employees, bringing in greater transparency in functioning. To keep pace with the new skills requirements, companies are heavily investing on training via e-learning including digital skills and just-in-time training.
NASSCOM also announced the annual rankings of Top 20 IT-BPM employers in India, for fiscal year 2015. Tata Consultancy Services is the largest employer, followed by Cognizant Technology Solutions at second position and Infosys at the third.

Tinder Social App Now Available in India, US, UK Among Other Markets


Tinder, a leading popular app for meeting new people, has announced the availability of Tinder Social in the United States, India, United Kingdom and other select markets. 
Tinder Social is a new feature that enables users to create groups, meet new people and plan activities together. Using Tinder Social, connections can be made in the same way they are in the real world: with groups of friends, sharing common interests and in-person experiences.
The feature was first test-launched in Australia, and Tinder found that users were looking for the same thing: a feature to help plan their night, get a crowd together, check out new places, try new things, hang with friends and make new connections. So far, Tinder users in Australia have organized pub crawls, attended concerts and more.

“Tinder Social is designed to make it as easy as possible to plan your night, get out into the real world and meet new people. The new feature takes the Tinder experience to a new level, offering our users more ways to expand their social circles and interact with potential matches,” said Sean Rad, CEO and co-founder of Tinder. “We believe it’s the ultimate tool for planning your next adventure.”

Reinforcing Tinder’s commitment to increased growth and user engagement in India, Taru Kapoor, Head – India for Tinder, said, “We’re excited to bring Tinder Social to India – this feature offers a simple, fun way for our users to continue seeking new experiences and forging meaningful connections.”

India is Tinder’s largest market in Asia and among the top 5 fastest growing markets globally.
How it works
After updating the app, Tinder users can choose to “unlock” Tinder Social to gain access to the feature. To get started, users can create a group by selecting 1-3 friends who have also chosen to opt-in. Once a group is formed, members can assign a status to their group, choosing from a variety of suggested activities like  “Going to a concert tonight,” “Girl’s night out,” “Comedy Night,” “Sunday Funday” or “Happy Hour, anyone?” Tinder users can toggle Tinder Social ON and OFF by accessing their settings in-app at anytime.
If a group member of both groups swipes right, it’s a match -- the groups combine and members can chat with each other until the conversation thread expires at noon the following day (in the time zone of the group creator). Users who would prefer not to be added to groups can opt out of Tinder Social through their settings and will not appear on their friends' lists.
Additional Details
     Users can only belong to one group at a time
     Any member in the group can add a group status that is visible to everyone in the group, everyone who comes across their group profile, and everyone they match with
     The person who creates a group can choose to ‘End Group’ – which expires the group
     A user may leave/un-match with a group at any time. If everyone leaves the group except its creator, the group expires
     A group match expires at noon the next day (or when the group is ended)

     Starting today, Tinder Social is available to Tinder users in the US, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and India.

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