India news and analysis

Reliance Retail has announced that it would be rolling out 7-Eleven convenience stores in India. This news has come just two days after Future Retail ended a similar deal with 7-Eleven. First 7-Eleven stores will open in Mumbai this month Andheri East in India’s financial capital of Mumbai will have the first 7-Eleven 24-hour convenience store on October 9, followed by a rapid rollout in ot...

COVID-19 may have dampened consumer spending during Deepavali in 2020, but online retailers and suppliers in India are now preparing for ‘revenge spending’ that will likely boost demand during India’s biggest festive season this year. Consumers are eager to fulfil their wants vs. last year’s focus on needs Shoppers in India are now looking forward to go out and celebrate festivities with ca...

COVID-19 has caused grocery retailers in Asia to scale up online business to compensate footfall decline in physical stores and enable shoppers to get items quickly, safely and conveniently. We at IGD have quantified growth opportunities, supported by five emerging trends. Growing at a CAGR of 20% between 2020 and 2022 Asia’s online grocery is growing fast. Total value in 2020 is around US$...

Amazon has launched a dedicated app to enable them to make decisions on crops using machine learning technology. It has also launched a Kisan (farmer) Store for farmers on Amazon.in. Dedicated mobile app Amazon has launched the programme, called Reactive and Proactive Crops, to provide farmers with real-time advice and information and cutting edge technology. Sameer Khetarpal, Director, ...

Walmart’s investment in Flipkart has positioned it towards more of a digital and ecommerce business, according to the CEO and Director of Walmart, Doug McMillon.  It is now preparing for Flipkart’s Big Billion Days sale, which is expected to be launched during the Diwali festival in November.   Flipkart has also added more fulfillment centres in India to cope with the rising demand. Flipkart’...

Having undertaken three major divestments in the last year and digital growth set to outpace sales through physical formats, a very different Walmart will emerge over the next five years. We highlight the five major changes to plan for. Business in transformation Walmart is the world's largest retailer, with activities spanning North America, Latin America, Asia and Africa. It has emerged a...

Reliance Retail has recently acquired a controlling stake in Indian search and discovery firm Just Dial for US$469m. B2B marketplace that is free for users, but charges a fee for listings Market leader Reliance Retail has acquired a 41% stake in Just Dial, and plans to make an open offer to acquire an additional 26% stake later.  B2B marketplace Just Dial offers local search and ecommerce s...

Flipkart has recently raised an additional US$ 3.6bn in its first external funding since it was acquired by Walmart in 2018.  The deal now values the company at US$ 37.6bn. Walmart-owned Flipkart doubles its valuation in less than three years After Walmart has acquired a 77% stake in Flipkart for US$ 16bn in 2018, it has expanded its operations to smaller towns and cities, added more items ...

Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL) is working together with Reliance Retail in India to launch an in-store vending machine for its home care products.  This machine allows customers to refill any bottle with Surf Excel, Comfort and Vim, enabling lower plastic usage in the country. Customers can bring their own bottle or purchase a recyclable container from Reliance Smart Several suppliers fin...

Walmart-owned Flipkart has launched Shopsy, a new social commerce platform.  It can benefit individuals and small businesses who can now resell products in their own networks, through social messaging apps such as WhatsApp. Free for individuals & small businesses, who earn a commission for selling Shopsy is a social commerce platform that will allow budding entrepreneurs to register on the ...