Glance’s Active User Base In India Reaches 140 Million During Q1 2021

* 70% of newly-launched smartphones in the sub-$250 segment now come pre-installed with the Glance lock screen platform

Leading lock screen platform Glance had 140 million active users in India in Q1 2021, according to Counterpoint Research Quarterly Mobile Application Tracker. Customers of big smartphone brands like Xiaomi (including POCO), Samsung, vivo and OPPO form a majority of Glance’s active user base.

Glance, which is owned by the InMobi Group, delivers content to the lock screen of Android-based smartphones. This has helped Glance establish itself as the first touchpoint for millions of users to interact with their devices. Additionally, being a pre-installed feature in some of the highest-selling smartphones in India has enabled the platform to reach close to a quarter of all smartphones in the country.

Glance uses artificial intelligence (AI) to deliver personalized content via video stories and live streaming across categories like news, entertainment, tech, sports, fashion and travel. This ensures users stay updated about trends and developments in their areas of interest without having to actively search for them. The platform has also been working towards penetrating the vernacular content market in the country, given that the vast majority of Indian smartphone users are not native English speakers.

“Glance is a platform that bridges the gap between new content and millions of smartphone users with its intuitive user interface,” said Research Analyst Arushi Chawla. “It comes as a pre-installed feature, as against an app that needs to be downloaded. This makes it easy to use. It offers content in eight regional languages, which is significant value addition in a linguistically and culturally diverse nation like India,”she added.

According to Counterpoint Research Quarterly Mobile Application Tracker, Glance has a strong presence in the sub-$250 smartphone segment, which covers 80% of the Indian smartphone user base. The research also found that 70% of newly-launched smartphones in the sub-$250 segment now come pre-installed with the platform.

Senior Research Analyst Pavel Naiya said, “As India’s smartphone market matures, more users are moving from the sub-$100, entry-level segment to the $100-$300 segment, which is not only affordable but also offers value for money. Moreover, hardware features are no longer differentiators and most original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) are looking at software and overall user experience to differentiate their products. In this play of feature-based selling points, a platform like Glance has a crucial role.”

Methodology

Glance’s mobile application presence is calculated from our panel database of over a million smartphone active users. Model-level Glance penetration data and active user ratio were extrapolated to our monthly smartphone installed base data using various parameters such as brand, model and price band to predict Glance’s active user base. We expect the results to have a statistical precision of +/- 5% at the confidence interval of 90%.

This is a sponsored survey to better understand the brand’s presence in the Indian smartphone market.

BenQ India Bags Great Place To Work Certification; A Testimony Of Company’s Commitment During The Pandemic Year

BenQ India, a leading global innovator of display technologies and the No.1 projector brand in India, is proud to be Certified™ by Great Place to Work®. The prestigious award is a measure of the company’s current employees and their experience working at BenQ India. The Great Place to Work® is the global authority on workplace culture, leadership behaviors, and employee experience, proven to deliver market-leading revenue, employee retention, and increased innovation.

Sharing his thoughts on winning the certification for Great Place to Work, Rajeev Singh, Managing Director, BenQ India, said, “We are glad to be certified as a Great Place to Work, this recognition is a testament for building a high-trust, high-performance culture that we have fostered at BenQ India. BenQ is committed to empowering people today to live better, and this resolve begins with our talented resources and our consumers. Our dynamic culture, supporting and continuous learning spirit encourage our talent to go above and beyond their comfort zone to do more.”

A testimony to BenQ India’s great culture and resolve is the highest and continuous growth in sales and revenue during the pandemic years. BenQ became the player with the largest market share in the projectors and large size monitor segment. Achieving significant business goals in the time of adversity is the reflection of faith, a harmonious culture, and a great environment at the workplace.

“Building a supporting and growing environment is priority one for BenQ India,” said, Neha Kohli, Senior Manager, HR, BenQ India. Further adding to this she said, “Talent speaks for your company and high-trusted culture is one of the key pillars that define BenQ India. We are even more excited to win this certification when times are most difficult for the workforce, we are committed to our employees and fostering an environment where the most talented people want to come to work.” 

BenQ India is known for being a people-first company. The company values an open, encouraging culture that strives to keep employees across all job roles - informed, engaged, included, and inspired. The leadership at BenQ is committed to supporting the employees with empathy and making it a level ground for everyone to achieve maximum potential at work. The company presents strong professional development opportunities, management training, and on-the-job leadership to win overall situations.

About BenQ Corporation

Founded on the corporate vision of “Bringing Enjoyment ‘N’ Quality to Life”, BenQ Corporation is a world-leading human technology and solutions provider aiming to elevate and enrich every aspect of consumers’ lives. To realize this vision, the company focuses on the aspects that matter most to people today – lifestyle, business, healthcare, and education – with the hope of providing people with the means to live better, increase efficiency, feel healthier and enhance learning. Such means include a delightful broad portfolio of people-driven products and embedded technologies spanning digital projectors, monitors, interactive large-format displays, digital cameras and camcorders, mobile computing devices, and lighting solutions. Because it matters.   

About BenQ Group

The BenQ Group is a $25+ billion powerhouse comprised of nearly 20 independent companies operating in over 30 countries across numerous industries with a combined workforce of over 100,000 employees.  Each Group member is a recognized leader in its field, contributing to the BenQ Group’s vast resources, broad R&D, and distinct strategic strengths.  By leveraging each company’s vertical specialization to create true scale across horizontal markets, the BenQ Group controls a highly efficient value chain with the unrivaled ability to deliver critical components and world-class solutions in the following industries: TFT-LCD, green energy, fine chemicals, and advanced materials, lighting, IC design, precision components, system integration, branded business, and service.  The Group is committed to profitable and sustainable businesses that share its long-standing vision of Bringing Enjoyment ‘N’ Quality to Life.

The BenQ Group companies are  BenQ Corporation, AU Optronics Corporation (world’s top manufacturer of large-size TFT-LCD panels), Qisda Corporation, Darfon Electronics Corporation, BenQ ESCO Corp., BenQ Materials Corp., BenQ Guru Corp., BenQ Medical Center, BenQ Medical Technology Corp., BenQ AB DentCare Corp., BriView Co., Ltd., Daxin Materials Corp., Dazzo Technology Corp., For house Corp., Lextar Electronics Corp., LILY Medical Corp., and Raydium Semiconductor Corp. 

Audi India Announces Curated Ownership Plans For Audi e-Tron And Audi e-Tron Sportback Customers

Special Service Plans, Extended Warranty and Buyback  for a hassle-free ownership experience

Designed to make the ownership experience seamless  

A choice of service plans available ranging from 2 years to 5 years

Standard warranty of 2 years and High Voltage Battery warranty of 8 years or 160,000 KM whichever is earlier

Extended Warranty options available across a period of 2+2 years or 2+3 years 

Comprehensive Service Plan covering the costs of service and periodic maintenance of brakes, suspension, and Extended Warranty are covered for either a 4 year or a 5 year period, depending on the scheme chosen by the customer

Best-in-class buyback upto 3 years from the date of purchase

Complimentary 5 year Road Side Assistance

Audi trained and certified manpower across the network for efficient Sales and After-sales

Audi, the German luxury car manufacturer, today introduced a whole gamut of curatedpackages for its EV customersahead of the launch of the Audi e-tron 50, the Audi e-tron 55 and the Audi e-tron Sportback 55on July 22nd. These offers will benefit buyers and have been designed to make owning the Audi e-tron and the Audi e-tron Sportback an even more attractive proposition.

Commenting on this announcement, Mr. Balbir Singh Dhillon, Head of Audi India, said, "We are fully geared to launch the Audi e-tron 50, the Audi e-tron 55 and the Audi e-tron Sportback 55in India and want to ensure that our Customers have the best ownership experience.A very important aspect of this will be After-sales service and we are excited toannounce these bespoke plans that will go a long way in enriching the EV experience for our Customers. Transitioning to electric mobility will be a journey and we want to make this stress-free at every step of the way.”

As part of these curated ownership packages,Audi India is offering a choice of Service plans ranging from 2 years to 5 years. A Standard warranty of 2 years and a High Voltage Battery warranty of 8 years or 160,000 KM whichever is earlier is also available. The options for Extended Warranty are available across a period of 2+2 years or 2+3 years. Additionally, Comprehensive Service Plans are available for either 4 years or 5 years, depending on the scheme chosen by the customers. Under the Comprehensive Service Plan, the costs of service and the periodic maintenance of the brakes, suspension, and Extended Warranty are covered. 

Mr. Dhillon further added, “Customer Centricity is at the core of all our plans; and with the selection of these packages our customers can enjoy the exhilarating experience of the Audi e-tron without any anxiety of service and residual value. Manpower across the Audi network has been trained by Audi certified trainers to ensure the efficient upkeep of our EV’s. Audi believes that the future is electric and we have a very meticulously structured strategy to get there. This is just the beginning!”.

Audi India is offering a best-in-class buyback, where customers are being assured of a lucrative buyback priceupto a period of 3 years from the date of purchase, when they decide to upgrade or sell their Audi e-tron 50, the Audi e-tron 55 and Audi e-tron  Sportback 55 in the future.

In addition, the complimentary 5 year Road Side Assistance offers peace of mind to Audi India customers by providing them the assurance of having company-trained assistance on call in the unlikely event of their Audi e-tron or Audi e-tron Sportback needing mechanical intervention whilst on the road.

IIFL Securities Partners With WealthDesk To Bring Premium Investment Experience To 2.2 Million Retail Investors

* IIFL Securities aims to achieve ₹ 600 crores Assets Under Advisory (AUA) in 12 months for RIA managed WealthBaskets on the WealthDesk platform

WealthDesk, India’s pioneering Investment Technology platform that enables equity and ETF portfolio based investing by consolidating the research, advisory, broking, asset & wealth management ecosystem, has partnered with IIFL Securities, one of India’s largest brokers with over 2.2 million retail investors, to offer a premium wealth management experience through curated WealthBasket stock and ETF portfolios from marquee Investment Advisory (RIA) firms such as Abakkus Asset Manager and Renaissance Investment Managers.

Having recently closed pre series A funding at $3.2 million, WealthDesk is backed by Mathew Cyriac, Founder of Florintree Advisors and Ex Blackstone Partner and co-head of India PE. WealthBasket is the flagship offering of WealthDesk. These are select investment portfolios, created and managed by leading SEBI Registered Professionals based on tenure, asset allocation, sector, theme, etc. These portfolios provide holistic Wealth Management on top of Equities & ETFs to retail investors.

Owing to this partnership, IIFL Securities’ customers will now be able to invest in curated investment portfolios by using their broking credentials for a seamless wealth management experience.

Nandkishore Purohit, Chief Digital Officer, IIFL Securities said, “As a part of our accelerated digital transformation journey and our strategy to offer IIFL Securities customers multiple investing opportunities, we have partnered with WealthDesk to offer single click investing in premium portfolios curated by marquee Investment Advisory (RIA) firms such as Abakkus Asset Manager LLP – founded by Sunil Singhania and Renaissance Investment managers founded by Pankaj Murarka for our customers. In our journey to create a holistic ecosystem for investment products, we are powering all fintech collaborations by IIFL Open APIs to ensure a seamless customer experience throughout. We have set a conservative target of ₹ 600 crores of Assets Under Advisory (AUA) in 12 months for RIA managed WealthBaskets on the WealthDesk platform and we are confident about achieving the same.”

Ujjwal Jain, Founder & CEO, WealthDesk said, “WealthDesk has always differentiated itself as a platform that, through its technology ecosystem, offers premium wealth management at a lower cost through curated stock and ETF WealthBasket portfolios on top of broking. IIFL Securities was keen to offer a premium investing experience to its investors and partnered with WealthDesk for its capabilities in the premium segment.”

Sunil Singhania, Founder, Abakkus Asset Manager LLP said, “We are excited to be the first to launch the Advisory services to 2.2 million customers of IIFL Securities powered by WealthDesk.”

Pankaj Murarka, Founder, Renaissance Investment Managers, added “We feel excited to be able to offer our curated advisory portfolios to IIFL Securities customers and partnering WealthDesk for technology solutions. WealthDesk offers a robust, new age digital platform for investors to seamlessly execute portfolio advice in single click. It’s a completely new experience for Indian Investors.”

About WealthDesk:

WealthDesk is an Investment Technology platform that enables portfolio-based investing on top of equities and ETFs consolidating advisory, broking, asset & wealth management ecosystem. Founded in 2016, WealthDesk is India’s pioneering B2B2C platform that  captures the entire Investment/Asset Management/Advisory value chain from portfolio creation on top of Equities and ETFs, productizing these into investment products called WealthBaskets and then enabling large scale distribution through broking partners with strong network effects. WealthDesk is taking a platform play and through its partners, helping expand the investment product ecosystem beyond Mutual Funds and Portfolio Management Services which will drive the future of investing in India in capital markets. 

About IIFL Securities:

IIFL Securities Ltd (NSE: IIFLSEC, BSE: 542773) is one of the key capital market players in the Indian financial services space. IIFL Securities along with its subsidiaries offers advisory and broking services, financial products distribution, institutional research and investment banking services. IIFL Securities has established itself through a combination of leading-edge technology, diverse product offerings, management expertise, and a wide network of branches across India. The Company has developed long-term relationships with its customers with sustained high-quality performance and continues to be their preferred investment partner.

Amazon.in Announces ‘Apple Days’ Live Until July 17, 2021

* ‘Apple Days’ on Amazon.in will be live until July 17, 2021.

*  Great offers and deals on latest iPhone 12 series, iPhone 11 Pro Series, iPad Mini, MacBook Pro and more

*  More savings – Avail a discount of INR 9,000 on iPhone 12.

*  Customers can enjoy affordable finance options like No-cost EMI and additional discounts using HDFC Bank Debit and Credit Cards

Amazon.in today announced ‘Apple Days’ bringing together a host of deals and offers on latest iPhone 12 series, iPhone 11, and more. Apple Days will be live until July 17, 2021 with great offers from participating sellers.

Customers can get iPhone 12 at an amazing price of INR 70,900 with a discount of INR 9,000. Further, customers can avail an additional discount of up to INR 6,000 on HDFC Bank Credit Cards transactions on other products.

Kellogg South Asia Reinforces Commitment To Being A Strong Employer Brand With The Launch Of Employee Value Proposition

Kellogg South Asia today announced the launch of its ‘Employee Value Proposition’, extending its promise as an employer to existing and potential talent. With an overarching EVP statement ‘NOURISH YOUR GRRREAT’, Kellogg South Asia promises to help its employees realize true potential by providing opportunities to thrive. The EVP will come to life through three strategic pillars, namely, ‘Be the Real You’, ‘Make a Mark’, and ‘Do a World of Good’ and will be shared with all employees across corporate, retail, and the shop-floor in an engaging format, and simultaneously reflect in the company’s external communications across all its major platforms moving forward.

The EVP will give shape to Kellogg’s fundamental ethos, which is being a ‘people first’ organization. This has already reflected in myriad ways in recent years where the workforce required greater attention. Established programs around COVID emergency response preparedness such as ‘Kare’, ensuring the holistic growth of employees without physical limitations, 80% of employees covered in training programmes in the last one year, and serving 1.1 million meals to people in need amidst the lockdown, all stand testament to this fact. The EVP will reiterate Kellogg’s commitment to give employees numerous opportunities to make their mark, leverage a culture where they can be themselves, and do a world of good to the consumer and community around them.

Kellogg South Asia’s EVP came together authentically through the work of a cross functional team with representatives from different departments of the organization to provide the most holistic perspective. Over the course of one year, close to 850 interactions within the company and the FMCG sector were studied via deep-dive interviews and surveys, to ensure the EVP was rooted in what employees and external partners felt about the organization. The team also scanned social and third-party platforms to gauge general consensus in the talent market about Kellogg as an employer.

Commenting on the launch of Kellogg’s EVP, Mohit Anand, Managing Director, Kellogg South Asia, said “The launch of our EVP is a celebration of everything Kellogg stands for. While the core principles of our EVP were always ingrained in our organization, the external articulation of our EVP will help us recruit, onboard and engage the brightest minds in the industry. Our goal for EVP is to attract and retain people who know would be valued, supported with compassion, and where the culture aligns with their own beliefs and purpose.”       

Also commenting on the launch of EVP, Nimisha Das, Director HR, Kellogg South Asia said, “Kellogg is a strong consumer brand that has made its way to the hearts of many consumers, and our EVP gives us a chance to tell our story as an employer and give the brand a new identity. This is the most significant step towards nurturing and building an exceptionally strong talent pool. We are certain that the principles which form the bedrock of our EVP will not only help us attract the best talent but will also allow us to celebrate and build pride in the organization for our existing employees.”

Vinay Thakker, Founder, CEO, Oddinary said, "Creating the Employee Value Proposition for Kellogg's was an emotional journey for us. It involved multiple rounds of discussion and a deep dive into the culture that makes the company what it is today. The pride and love for the company was palpable even as the team briefed us. The K family is one big unit dedicated to moving ahead together, supporting each other at every step of the way. There is constant effort to work towards the betterment of consumers, employees, the community and the planet. Once this understanding and brief sunk in with us, the campaign practically wrote itself."

About Kellogg South Asia Private Limited

At Kellogg Company (NYSE: K), our vision is a good and just world where people are not just fed but fulfilled. In India, we serve consumers with a wide range of cereals which are made with staple grains like wheat, corn, and rice. Our cereals fulfill the diverse nutrition needs of different members in the family, be it the home-maker, growing children or adults on the go. Our trusted brands such as Kellogg’s Corn Flakes®, Kellogg’s CHOCOS®, Kellogg’s® Muesli, Kellogg’s® Chocos® Fills, Kellogg’s® Oats, and Kellogg’s® Upma are loved by millions of consumers in India. Kellogg’s cereals, made in India, are consumed in the country and exported to Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh & Maldives.

We began our journey in India by setting up a manufacturing plant at Taloja (Maharashtra) in 1994. Since then, we have innovated, invested in, and built the breakfast cereal category. We grew our commitment towards Make in India by launching our second manufacturing facility at Sri City (Andhra Pradesh) in 2015. We also established a Research and Development Centre in India that caters to the demand of the South Asian markets for Kellogg.

We are a company with a heart and soul, which is why we aim to nourish India’s potential with our fortified foods and tap into our 100 years+ expertise in grains to make that a reality.  Moreover, our heart and soul is reflected in our CSR and sustainability efforts such as Bright Start, under which, children from the underprivileged sections are fed with fortified cereals and milk as breakfast.

HCL Empowers bp With Next-Generation Digital Workplace At Scale

* Transforming end-user experience with best-in-class automation capabilities, across 64 countries 

HCL Technologies (HCL), a leading global technology company, has successfully completed the first phase in building a modern Digital Workplace for multinational energy company. This multi-year strategic partnership with HCL will help transform bp’s workplace services, enabling it to drive efficiency and create a standardized end-user experience for its employees across more than 500 sites. 

HCL has been providing global Site Support services and managed telephony for 60,000 IT end-users at bp. The implementation of HCL WorkBlazeTM and DRYiCE OptiBotTM has led to significant efficiency gains and supported the rapid shift to remote working in the pandemic. HCL’s success in improving employee satisfaction through better omnichannel experiences as well as increased first call resolution led to a five-year extension of the engagement and enhancement of scope to include the Global Service Desk, Microsoft Platform Services and Platform Engineering Services.  

“HCL’s commitment to building a relationship that goes deeper than the contract is very impressive and has given us the type of flexibility that has been critical to supporting the changing needs of our workforce during the pandemic,’’ said Stewart Fry, Senior Vice President, Digital Enterprise & Operations, bp. “Over the last two years, HCL has helped us create a globally consistent support structure for our workforce.” 

“The success we’ve achieved with bp is a great example of why HCL is the partner of choice for forward-looking enterprises looking to transform IT service delivery,” said Sandeep Kumar Saxena, Executive Vice President – UK & Ireland, Diversified Industries, HCL Technologies. “bp’s drive to optimize user-experiences is closely aligned to our own philosophy of putting employees first. We are proud to have developed a next generation Digital Workplace for one of the largest names in energy.” 

About HCL Technologies 

HCL Technologies (HCL) empowers global enterprises with technology for the next decade, today. HCL’s Mode 1- 2-3 strategy, based on its deep-domain industry expertise, customer-centricity and entrepreneurial culture of Ideapreneurship™, enables businesses to transform into next-gen enterprises.  

HCL offers its services and products through three business units: IT and Business Services (ITBS), Engineering and R&D Services (ERS) and Products & Platforms (P&P). ITBS enables global enterprises to transform their businesses through offerings in the areas of applications, infrastructure, digital process operations and next generational digital transformation solutions. ERS offers engineering services and solutions in all aspects of product development and platform engineering. P&P provides modernized software products to global clients for their technology and industry specific requirements. Through its cutting-edge co-innovation labs, global delivery capabilities and broad global network, HCL delivers holistic services in various industry verticals, categorized as Financial Services, Manufacturing, Technology & Services, Telecom & Media, Retail & CPG, Life Sciences & Healthcare and Public Services.  

As a leading global technology company, HCL takes pride in its diversity, social responsibility, sustainability, and education initiatives. For the 12 months ended March 31, 2021 HCL had consolidated revenue of nearly $10.2 billion. Its 168,977 Ideapreneurs operate out of 50 countries.