65% of Indian Consumers Express Positive Buying Sentiment in Diwali’20: TRA Whitepaper

 TRA Research, India’s leading consumer insights and brand analytics company, today released a whitepaper titled TRA’s Diwali 2020 Buying Propensity Report gauging the changing buying mindsets and sentiments for the upcoming Diwali in November 2020. 65% of all consumers expressed a Positive Buying Sentiment as compared to now, and 28% felt it would remain the same. The Apparels category was a positive outlier and had the Highest Buying Priority at 3.11 times the average of all other categories. Mobile Phones, Consumer Electronics and Two-wheelers were on Very High Consumer Buying Priority, followed by Home Furniture, Jewellery and TVs, which were on High Priority. The survey was conducted with 503 consumer-influencers across 16 cities between 9th June and 15th July 2020. 

Speaking about report N. Chandramouli, CEO, TRA Research, said that, "Diwali has traditionally been a period of consumption boom as consumers tend to increase spends, and brands scramble to catch their attention. This Diwali will be a deciding factor for many brands, as they prepare trepidatiously for the festive season. This report gives a very good view on which will be the preferred categories for Diwali buying."

"This is good news of course, but the pre-Covid consumer spends were already lower on account of a depressed and strained economy, and a comparison between the consumer household spends between the two Diwalis of 2019 and 2020, show that this year is likely to see 5.1% lesser spends than the previous one,” Chandramouli added. 

‘Medium Consumer Buying Priority’ included Personal Accessories, Cars, Laptops and Kitchen Appliances, while ‘Low Consumer Buying Priority Zone’ includes Travel, Health Insurance and Home Renovation.

The survey results also revealed that online shopping is set to see an unprecedented boom in a post-Covid-19 world. Also, kirana stores or small standalone store, close-by neighbourhood stores, local groceries are the preferred places to shop. Big formats stores like Supermarkets, Hypermarkets, Branded outlets are unlikely to see many visitors, and Malls carry a negative sentiment due to tremendous consumer reluctance despite relaxed norms and promise of better safety. 

Nearly 95% consumers rated Product Quality as the most important influence when making purchases for Diwali 2020 followed by product usefulness (89%), Product Price (88%), Buying Convenience (87%) and Brand Name (86%). Advertising at 71% remains the lowest choice driver for Diwali shopping.

About TRA Research

TRA Research, a Comniscient Group company, is a consumer insights and brand intelligence Company dedicated to understanding and analyzing stakeholder behavior through two globally acclaimed proprietary matrices of Brand Trust and Brand Desire. TRA Research conducts primary research with consumers and stakeholders to assist brands with their business decisions based on Consumer Behaviour insights.

TRA Research is consulting brands on transitioning during and after the Covid-19 crisis, to help them be more aligned to consumer and client expectations. TRA Research is the also the publisher of TRA’s Brand Trust Report and of TRA’s Most Desired Brands.

For more information, please visit www.trustadvisory.info

Lava Launches its #ProudlyIndian Portfolio this Independence Day

 Indian mobile handset brand, Lava International Limited announced the launch of its special edition #ProudlyIndian portfolio on the occasion of India’s 74th Independence Day. This Limited Edition collection celebrates the spirit of Patriotism and Love for our Motherland. Lava’s #ProudlyIndian portfolio consists of both Smartphone and Feature phones and will be soon available across retail outlets and e-commerce platforms like Flipkart.

Lava Z61 Pro

The Lava Z61 Pro is a special edition smartphone that comes in a stunning champagne gold color with #ProudlyIndian logo embossed at the back. Lava Z61 Pro features a 5.45-inch HD+ full view display. The phone is powered by 1.6 GHz Octa-core processor and is embedded with a powerful 3100 mAh battery. The smartphone comes with a 2GB RAM and a storage capacity of 16 GB (expandable upto 128GB). Lava Z61 Pro offers 8MP rear camera with LED flash and 5MP front camera. The smartphone camera is packed with premium features like Portrait Mode (Bokeh), Burst mode, Panorama, Filters, Beauty mode, HDR and Night mode which enables users to click stunning pictures even in low-light. The Lava Z61 Pro is equipped with a superfast face-unlock feature that unlocks the phone in just 0.60 seconds*. The phone runs on stock Android (Android 9) and is free from any pre-installed bloatware. On the connectivity front, the smartphone features Bluetooth 4.2, WiFi, GPS, dual-SIM, OTG support and a micro USB port. Price – INR 5777

Lava A5

Lava A5 ProudlyIndian edition has an attractive tri-color inspired back cover. The phone is embedded with special ‘Super Ultra Tone Technology’ that ensures no one hears you conversations by providing sound leakage resistance along with crystal clear sound experience during calls. Device also has world ‘s first AI battery feature designed by Lava’s own design team. It features a 2.4" QVGA display, dual SIM slots and up to 32GB of expandable storage option. This military grade certified handset is embedded with 1000 mAh  battery that lasts up to 3 days on a single charge*. Lava A5 has a provision of auto call recording along with call blink notification. Lava A5 supports incoming texts in 22 languages, and enables users to type in 7 languages The Lava A5 ProudlyIndian phone comes with a primary camera with zoom and video recording feature. The additional features such as Instant Torch, Wireless FM with Recording, Contact Photo Icons, Super Battery Mode, USB Connectivity and Bluetooth make this a multiple purpose and a user friendly handset. Price - INR 1333

Lava A9 

Lava A9 comes with 2.8” QVGA display with keypad that houses a dedicated button to light up the torch. The back cover of the phone is painted in tri-color colors that gives it a unique and attractive look. Lava A9 draws power from a 1700 mAh battery that is rated to last more than 6 days on a single charge*. Lava A9 packs dual SIM slots, built-in Bluetooth and up to 32GB expandable storage option. . This device also has world ‘s first AI battery feature designed by Lava’s own design team. Other features include a 1.3 MP primary camera with flash, big and bold font, call recording facility, contact photo icons, super battery mode, call blink notification, wireless FM with recording, smart search, alarm, calculator and calendar. The phone is military grade certified which means that the users will not have to worry about the minor wear and tear, if the phones gets dropped. The phone is also equipped to support incoming texts in 22 languages, also enabling users to type in 7 languages including English, Hindi, Tamil, Kannada, Telugu, Gujarati and Punjabi. Price - INR 1574 

Lava International Limited 

Lava International Limited is a leading Indian Mobile Handset Company with operations in 20+ countries. In the international markets the company is growing rapidly and is already among the top players in many of these countries it operates in. 

Lava has always been at the forefront of Govt. of India’s ‘Make in India’ initiative. Lava was the first mobile brand to take a lead in support of this important nation building program and had set up a design team in India, becoming the first brand to design phones in the country. With this ‘Design in India’ initiative, Lava is now the only Mobile handset company that makes truly ‘Made In India’ phones with complete control on design and manufacturing within the country. 

With the vision to “Empower people to do more, to be more” the company was established in 2009. Lava International Limited is headquartered in Noida, Uttar Pradesh. The company has its manufacturing facilities and a repair factory in an approximately 300,000 square feet area in Noida. The manufacturing plants have a capacity of manufacturing 40 million phones per annum.

We Make in India, We Make for India.

NSDC and Simplilearn Announce Collaboration to Upskill Professionals in Digital Skills Across India

 * The partnership will help deliver learning in digital skills and technologies 

* Access to over 1,000 hours of free eLearning, available exclusively on the Simplilearn Android and iOS mobile apps

The temporary shutdown of institutions and universities due to the COVID-19 lockdown has affected the overall learning of a large number of students and professionals alike. To support the continuity of digital skilling of the Indian workforce, Simplilearn, a global provider of digital skills training, today announced its partnership with National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC). Through this collaboration, Simplilearn will host more than 1,000 hours of free learning in digital skills and technologies for learners across India. Aspirants can find program details on NSDC’s eLearning portal - eSkill India - and access the learning programs on the Simplilearn Android mobile app (bit.ly/simplicertified) and iOS mobile app (apple.co/30pnzsm)

Aligned to the Skill India Mission, the collaboration aims to create a future-ready workforce by leveraging the power of technology.   Strengthening the digital learning ecosystem, both Simplilearn and NSDC will enable access to over 1,000 hours of digital programs and technologies under the categories of AI and Machine Learning, Big Data, Data Science & Business Intelligence, Cyber Security, Software Development, Project management, and Digital marketing. All programs are designed with a unique industry relevant curriculum, which provides learners theoretical understanding and enables them to get an indepth knowledge about the evolving industry trends. 

Commenting on the collaboration, Dr. Manish Kumar, MD & CEO, NSDC, said, “The dissemination of future-ready skills require technology platforms with high outreach capabilities. Through its partnerships, NSDC promotes online learning for accessing exciting work-opportunities that the fast-changing world offers.”

Speaking on the partnership, Krishna Kumar, Founder and CEO Simplilearn, said, “In these uncertain times we have witnessed a surge in the usage of digital platforms and technologies, indicating the creation of new job roles in the days to come. It is of utmost importance that the current workforce is well-equipped with digital skills to meet the industry demands of tomorrow. As part of Simplilearn’s continued partnership with NSDC, we are happy to support and contribute to NSDC’s efforts in the skilling of India’s workforce to prepare for a digital future. Through Simplilearn’s mobile app, learners will have the opportunity to upskill in IT and new technologies, including artificial intelligence, machine learning, and data science, making for a job-ready workforce.”

To date, Simplilearn has helped more than one million professionals across 150 countries upskill and prepare for the digital future and now aims to help build a career for the future professionals in the field of Information Technology. 

NSDC’s eSkill India portal provides learners a platform to explore online skill-courses anytime, anywhere. The portal leverages technology to enable skill seekers to accelerate their learning through methods like virtual learning and remote classroom. eSkillIndia catalogues more than 450 e-learning courses in multiple Indian languages through leading knowledge providers.

Hero Motocorp Donates Unique First Responder Vehicles (FRVs) To Civic Hospital, Gurugram

 As part of its ongoing Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives towards the COVID-19 relief efforts, Hero MotoCorp, the world’s largest manufacturer of motorcycles and scooters, today handed over two first responder vehicles to Civil Hospital, Gurugram. 

These unique and utilitarian vehicles will be useful for reaching out to patients in rural and remote areas and comfortably moving them to the nearest hospitals.  These First Responder Vehicles (FRVs) have been custom-built as an accessory on the powerful Xtreme 200R motorcycles of Hero MotoCorp.

The FRVs has been equipped with a full stretcher with a foldable hood mounted on the side, essential medical equipment such as a detachable first-aid kit, oxygen cylinder, fire extinguisher and other safety features such as LED Flasher Lights, foldable beacon light, emergency wireless public announcement system and siren.

Commenting on this occasion, Mr. Vijay Sethi, Chief Information Officer, Chief Human Resources Officer; Head Corporate Social Responsibility, Hero MotoCorp, said, “Continuing its support to fight COVID-19 pandemic, Hero MotoCorp has embarked on a major initiative of handing over first-responder vehicles to the frontline personnel of various state authorities in order to support the patients located in rural and remote areas. Designed and developed by the engineers at Hero’s Centre of Innovation and Technology (CIT) in Jaipur and the New Model Centre (NMC) in Gurgaon, first responder vehicle comes with all the essential medical equipment that provides immediate assistance for the patients who need to be transported to the hospital.”

Mr. Vijay Sethi – Chief Information Officer, Chief Human Resources Officer and Head – Corporate Social Responsibility, Hero MotoCorp, and Dr. Shriniket Mishra – Chief Medical Officer - Hero MotoCorp handed over two FRVs to Dr. Virender Yadav, Chief Medical Officer, Gurugram in presence of Shri. Ashok Sangwan – IAS, Divisional Commissioner, Gurugram and Shri. Amit Khatri – IAS, Deputy Commissioner, Gurugram.

Hero MotoCorp, has already distributed 14 lakhs meals, 37,000 litres of sanitizers, 30 lakhs face masks and 15,000 PPE kits to Government Hospitals, Police Department and other agencies.

Jaguar Land Rover Announces New Retailers in Lucknow City

 * Jaguar Land Rover India has appointed JSV Motors as its new Retailer Partner, operating from the 3S facility located in the prime area of Amar Shaheed Path

* The fully integrated state-of-the-art 3S (Sales, Service and Spare parts) facility is spread over a total area of over 3 500 m2 with 08 cars display and 10 service bays

* Jaguar Land Rover India distribution network is spread across 27 outlets in 24 major cities across India  

Jaguar Land Rover India today announced the appointment of JSV Motors as its new Retailer Partner in Lucknow, with Jatin Varma as its Director. JSV Motors has started operating from the fully integrated 3S facility at Amar Shaheed Path, near the airport area of Lucknow.

This Retailer facility is spread over 3 500 m2 and is designed to provide the highest quality of sales and after-sales experience for its customers. The premium 3S facility displays a wide range of products from the Jaguar and Land Rover portfolio. The facility also displays Approved Pre-owned cars, and showcases a whole range of Jaguar Land Rover branded accessories and merchandise. It has a fully equipped service workshop and state-of-the-art tools and equipment to handle all service needs. The service facility is manned by a team of highly trained staff, including technicians and other service personnel to offer unmatched customer delight.

Rohit Suri, President & Managing Director, Jaguar Land Rover India Ltd (JLRIL), said: “We are pleased to announce that we have partnered with JSV Motors to service our customers in Lucknow and adjoining areas. With its convenient location and an ultra-modern facility with sales, service and spares under one roof, our customers can now enjoy a world class experience of owning a Jaguar Land Rover product in this region.”

Customers can even book their cars by visiting the online booking platform at www.findmeacar.in for Jaguar and www.findmeasuv.in for Land Rover.

For more information on Jaguar and Land Rover product range in India, please visit www.jaguar.in and www.landrover.in

Jaguar Product Portfolio in India

The Jaguar range in India includes XE (starting at ₹ 46.64 Lakh), XF (priced at ₹ 55.67 Lakh), F-PACE (priced at ₹ 66.07 Lakh) and F-TYPE (starting at ₹ 95.12 Lakh). All prices mentioned are ex-showroom prices in India.

Land Rover Product Portfolio in India

The Land Rover range in India includes the Range Rover Evoque (starting at ₹ 58.67 Lakh),  Discovery Sport (starting at ₹ 59.99 Lakh), the New Defender (starting at ₹ 69.99 Lakh) the Range Rover Velar (priced at ₹ 73.30 Lakh), Discovery (starting at ₹ 75.60 Lakh), Range Rover Sport (starting at ₹ 87.02 Lakh) and Range Rover (starting at ₹ 196.74 Lakh). All prices mentioned are ex-showroom prices in India.

Jaguar Land Rover Retailer Network in India

Jaguar Land Rover vehicles are available in India in 24 cities, through 27 authorized outlets in Ahmedabad, Aurangabad, Bengaluru (2), Bhubaneswar, Chandigarh, Chennai, Coimbatore, Delhi (2), Gurgaon, Hyderabad, Indore, Jaipur, Kolkata, Kochi, Karnal, Lucknow, Ludhiana, Mangalore, Mumbai (2), Noida, Pune, Raipur, Surat and Vijayawada.

Jaguar Land Rover Teaches Driverless Cars How To Reduce Motion Sickness for Customers

 * Pioneering research into autonomous vehicles is part of Jaguar Land Rover’s journey to zero accidents and zero congestion

* Autonomous vehicles will be programmed to drive in a way that reduces the impact of motion sickness

* Intelligent software adjusts acceleration, braking and lane positioning to avoid inducing nausea

* Motion sickness affects more than 70% of people around the world

Jaguar Land Rover is pioneering software that will reduce motion sickness by adapting the driving style of future autonomous vehicles, to continue to provide our customers with the most refined and comfortable ride possible.

During the first phase of the project, a personalised ‘wellness score’ was developed which could reduce the impact of motion sickness by up to 60%. Experts at Jaguar Land Rover’s specialist software engineering facility in Shannon have now implemented that score into self-driving software.

The intelligent software combines 20 000 real-world and virtually-simulated test miles to calculate a set of parameters for driving dynamics to be rated against.  Advanced machine learning then ensures the car can optimise its driving style based on data gathered from every mile driven by the autonomous fleet.

This technology can then be used to teach each Jaguar and Land Rover vehicle how to drive autonomously, while maintaining the individual characteristics of each model, whether that’s the thoroughbred performance of a Jaguar or the legendary capability of a Land Rover. All helping Jaguar Land Rover’s continued development of the ultimate cabin experience in an autonomous, electric and connected future.

Motion sickness, which affects more than 70 per cent of people, is often caused when the eyes observe information different from that sensed by the inner ear, skin or body – commonly when reading on long journeys in a vehicle. Using the new system, acceleration, braking and lane positioning – all contributory factors to motion sickness – can be optimised to avoid inducing nausea in passengers.

As a result of the project, engineers are now able to develop more refined advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) features on future Jaguar and Land Rover models, such as adaptive cruise control and lane monitoring systems. The in-depth knowledge is helping Jaguar Land Rover design and manufacture capable and advanced vehicles, both now and in the future.

Dr Steve Iley, Jaguar Land Rover Chief Medical Officer, said: “Mobility is rapidly changing, and we will need to harness the power of self-driving vehicles to achieve our goal of zero accidents and zero congestion. Solving the problem of motion sickness in driverless cars is the key to unlocking the huge potential of this technology for passengers, who will be able to use the travelling time for reading, working or relaxing.”

This is another step for Jaguar Land Rover on its journey to Destination Zero: an ambition to make our societies safer and healthier and our environments cleaner through relentless innovation. With the mission of raising the quality of future urban living, Jaguar Land Rover has also revealed Project Vector, an advanced autonomy-ready concept for future mobility.

In a post COVID-19 world, where a ‘new normal’ is emerging, customer expectations of private transport are changing, and the focus will be on safe, clean mobility where personal space and hygiene will carry a premium. New technologies and materials are being developed to meet these expectations at Jaguar Land Rover with today’s vehicles designed to help improve passenger wellbeing, including a Driver Condition Monitor and antimicrobial wireless device charging. In addition, features such as cooling seats, ambient lighting and multiple seat configurations are proven to significantly reduce the likelihood of motion sickness.

Jaguar and Land Rover models offer adaptive dynamics across its range of vehicles which help to remove low frequency motion from the road, which can lead to nausea. By altering the ride settings every 10 milliseconds, this ensures passengers always experience high levels of comfort, while also maintaining the dynamic performance DNA of every Jaguar and Land Rover model.

 

IDEMIA Launches iCube, an Innovation and Incubation Program in India

IDEMIA, the global leader in Augmented Identity, launches iCube, an innovation and incubation program to support and assist Indian startups that leverage Augmented identity. In a fast-changing digital environment, Identity has become an indispensable building block for making businesses and cities safer and smarter in a vast range of environments and usages including financial services, healthcare, education, food sustainability, smart cities, IoT, e-Governance, e-commerce, travel & mobility, telecom, defence and more.

IDEMIA addresses these new challenges and needs with the launch of iCube, a program designed to assist and speed up start-ups and innovators in their product development and commercial roll-out.

Pierre Barrial, President & Chief Executive Officer at IDEMIA, stated: “IDEMIA has always been at the cutting edge of innovations in making the world a smarter and safer place. We are delighted to enable start-ups and developers to leverage the innovations we originally developed for corporations and governments across the globe. I am thrilled that the IDEMIA Innovation and Incubation program - iCube - is launched in India, one of our most vibrant markets globally. Not only do I look forward to help start-ups to succeed in India, but I am equally excited about taking some of their solutions to our customers across the world. I look forward to this mutually rewarding and exciting journey of co-creation.”

Sanjeev Shriya, Managing Director IDEMIA India added, “Innovation is the core of IDEMIA’s identity. Over time, we have developed cutting edge solutions with a global impact in domains like Financial services, Citizen Identity, Telecom, IoT or M2M. Thus, we are delighted to announce the launch of iCube - the IDEMIA Innovation and Incubation program that will help build compelling solutions for a safer and better world. This program is designed to assist startups and innovators by providing them access to our expertise and technology. It aims to speed up their product development and help them get to market faster.”

To further support developers and innovators, IDEMIA has opened its application program interfaces (APIs) and launched a credit program. In addition, IDEMIA’s engineers and its industry experts will share their insights and knowledge during several sessions and talks.

http://idemia.co.in/iCube

iCube will also work closely with corporations in curating and co-creating solutions that may be mutually beneficial.

IDEMIA will engage with startups and innovators through the following programs:

Startup Assistance Program

An ongoing program providing eligible startups credits to use IDEMIA and partner organizations’ technologies and products, APIs, SDKs, and other support

Accelerator Program

A curated 3-month program to help developers and startups become better prepared for market

Developer Program

A selected opportunity for startups to co-create solutions with IDEMIA’s technology teams and business teams

Scale Fast-Track Program

A selected access for startups to IDEMIA’s global client base and opportunity to jointly go to market with IDEMIA

 iCube may also provide selected startups with office space in their world class incubation facility located in Noida, India. iCube has already partnered with Lumis Partners Supply Chain Labs and Freshworks to reach out to a wider range of startups and support them in their journey.

About IDEMIA

IDEMIA, the global leader in Augmented Identity, provides a trusted environment enabling citizens and consumers alike to perform their daily critical activities (such as pay, connect and travel), in the physical as well as digital space.

Securing our identity has become mission critical in the world we live in today. By standing for Augmented Identity, an identity that ensures privacy and trust and guarantees secure, authenticated and verifiable transactions, we reinvent the way we think, produce, use and protect one of our greatest assets – our identity – whether for individuals or for objects, whenever and wherever security matters. We provide Augmented Identity for international clients from Financial, Telecom, Identity, Public Security and IoT sectors.

With close to 15,000 employees around the world, IDEMIA serves clients in 180 countries.