Rohit Sharma

Powerful insights on how QuickCom is emerging as the next big channel!

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2021: Only grocery delivery app in India with 10 minutes delivery 2024: Competitor chasing the '10 minute' brand segment Zepto is the only player sticking to its original promise - and is clearly acing it Scaling up a grocery delivery business is particularly challenging in India. And adding up a unique attribute, as huge as this –  has clearly been game changing for Zepto. Success didn’t come easy to Zepto too, There was a time when all the Q-commerce players faced backlash & people questioned the safety of drivers. Some brands stopped claiming the delivery time altogether, from “groceries in 15-30 minutes”, they went to “groceries in minutes” But Zepto didn’t, it went on to install a myriad of dark stores across locations, and is already serving superfast deliveries in 10 cities. Top 3 factors that helped Zepto drive exceptional growth over a very short span of time: - Captivating Customer Experience: The platform served a deeply engaging user experience and the service promise was being consistently fulfilled – a powerful combo. - Outstanding Retention: All thanks to near-perfect buying journey, Zepto achieved a retention rate which was considered only to be a fantasy for the industry earlier. - Not slowing down: More dark stores and continuous geographical expansion at the same time helped the startup acquire customers in huge numbers. Zepto cracked the key to scale in the quick commerce space by constantly growing at the same pace, and not compromising customer satisfaction at the same time – simple yet not easy. A perfect example of go big, go fast – it is surely a fascinating study for the space creators. No matter the circumstances, the brand didn’t let go of its biggest differentiator, eliminating all the question marks experts had put to its launch. What do you think is going to be the future of grocery delivery space in India? #casestudy #growth #startup

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Planning to step out for your morning run but missing a smartwatch to track your distance or missed carrying your audio device on the run. Now get your favorite Noise device in under 10 mins on Zepto! #Noise #Zepto #Noisein10mins #Quickcommerce

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Q-Commerce overtaking traditional e-commerce? Currently we are seeing a big boom in terms of the different SKUs being sold in Quick commerce apps like Zepto, Blinkit, etc. - Atomberg Technologies 's fans - Sony's PS5 - Samosa, Chai and what not - Digital Gold from Jar! Zepto is in talks to raise $300m for its broader ecommerce play. While Swiggy is preparing to file for an IPO this year, incumbent Flipkart is readying its entry into quick commerce. Zomato has invested $240 million in Blinkit over the last one year. Taking a step back, the lines between quick commerce and traditional e commerce have started to become increasingly blurred with QCom pretty much catering to every needs! Also, multiple reports suggest that QCommerce can potentially become bigger than traditional e commerce in India!  Case in point : According to Goldman Sachs, the valuation of Blinkit is greater than Zomato's core food delivery biz! Non-grocery boom in Q-Commerce: Categories including beauty, toys, health and electronics are witnessing robust sales growth on quick-commerce platforms overall. While the overall base for the new categories is still small, aggressive expansion by these players is starting to ensure a dominant presence for these categories. Plus AOV is higher which also comes with better margins, making it a win-win! Case in point: Zepto - 2x sales MoM in segments such as toys and electronics accessories - Beauty category expanded 3x QoQ - ~15% of Zepto’s $1.2bn annualised gross sales currently comes from non-grocery products (Source: Goldman Sachs) For several D2C quick commerce has become the fastest growth channel as well as the platform with highest customer engagement This is definitely a positive for the consumers and the Q-Commerce players, but is everything on the up and up?   As the demand for space on quick-commerce platforms skyrockets, niche D2C cos in segments like FMCG, beauty and personal care, and health and fitness are agreeing to pay a 30-45% commission on sales, besides shelling out on advertising and discounting on these Q-Com platforms. On top of the commissions, brands are also regularly spending around 20% of their total sales on ads on the platforms, and discounting their products by about 20-25% (totaling 60-70% revenue!). This is in stark contrast to the 10-20% commission that large FMCG cos pay these platforms reflecting the intense competition for visibility. The brand's scale and comparison with competitors are crucial considerations when it comes to new listings. On the positive side, smaller D2C brands have seen 40-60% total revenue coming from Q-Commerce compared to ~10-20% from traditional ecommerce, which is surprising! Essentially, Q-com currently has a BIIIG Bargaining power against new D2C brands and can essentially make or break their businesses! Is this sustainable on the long run? #ecommerce #quickcommerce #india #zepto #businessmodel #d2c #startups #LIPostingChallenge

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Leveraging Quick Commerce for Brand Growth Insights from Flipkart's Strategy As the quick commerce sector heats up, Flipkart has strategically positioned its "Flipkart Minutes" service to challenge incumbents like Blinkit, Zepto, and Swiggy Instamart. This initiative signifies a robust adaptation to changing consumer demands where instant delivery transcends essentials to encompass virtually everything. Key Takeaways from Flipkart's Approach: Strategic Expansion: Flipkart plans to establish 100 dark stores across top cities, illustrating a massive scale-up to match competitors who already boast a significant number of dark stores. Market Penetration: With its existing brand equity, Flipkart is poised to penetrate markets less covered by competitors, leveraging its strong presence in smaller towns alongside metros. Innovative Offerings: Flipkart Minutes highlights an ambitious range with free deliveries for orders above INR 99 and a nominal platform fee, enhancing customer accessibility and convenience. Flipkart's strategic push into quick commerce could redefine retail dynamics, especially in regions underserved by current players. This move not only enhances customer satisfaction through improved service levels but also promises significant market growth. #QuickCommerce #Flipkart #RetailInnovation #EcommerceStrategy #MarketDynamics

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#UnicommerceIPO and coming of age of Indian Ecomm Saas! Unicommerce is a standout company in more ways than one: * First ones to build a sizeable ARR (100 Cr, ~ 40% CAGR) and profitable at scale business (Bn shipments, $Bns in GMV) in India mostly focussing on developing geos; * Hit PMF very early in multi-channel seller fulfilment space, and built hero products like OMS & WMS; * Was a part of first Snapdeal | AceVector Group mafia start-ups, then acquired and then spun-off and groomed as a consistent compounder building a full suite of Ecomm Ops products; Honestly Unicommerce is one of the biggest enablers of Ecommerce in India, key leader from the Ecomm 1.0 cohort (2010-15 cos) n now a flag-bearer of India Saas for developing Geos! Big congratulations to Kunal Bahl, Rohit Bansal Kapil Makhija Anurag Mittal and the entire Unicommerce team for this event. Very encouraging and conviction building! Few more musings: * Not investment advice: But looks to be super listing; * From a sectoral perspective - like an index on the Indian Ecomm health, along with Delhivery (see post in comments) * Sets valuations comps for lots of cos in the space, including us at Omnivio (yeah a personal plug is always there 😂 ) https://lnkd.in/g6CsaP97 #UnicommerceIPO #ecommerce #listing Anuj Jain #goOmnivio

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Zepto founder The Magic Story of two teenagers. Zepto founder Mr. Aadit Palicha and Mr. Kaivalya Vohra, zepto is a prominent Indian startup that has revolutionized the grocery delivery industry. https://tecentr.com/ Launched in 2021 by these teenage entrepreneurs, Zepto achieved a remarkable $3.6 billion valuation in just three years through their consistent efforts. The Zepto Founder Story Mr. Aadit Palicha and Mr. Kaivalya Vohra identified a gap in the online grocery delivery market and launched their unicorn project in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak. As more people shifted to online grocery shopping, they seized the opportunity to innovate.The 10-Minute PromiseZepto’s success is largely attributed to its 10-minute delivery promise. This is achieved through a network of “dark stores” located in major cities and towns. These dark stores, optimized for rapid fulfillment, allow Zepto to deliver groceries within 10 minutes thanks to an effective networking strategy and advanced technology. Dark Stores of zepto founder Zepto’s dark stores are small warehouse-like facilities stocked with products and optimized for speedy delivery. The efficiency of these stores, combined with skilled workers and technology, has significantly advanced the grocery delivery industry The world of Tech and Entrepreneurship Tec Entr V A² #aadit #aaditpalicha #founder #zepto #kaivalya #kaivalyavohra #groceries #10minutechallenge #entrepreneurship #entrepreneur #business #businessowner #technologynews #entrepreneurgoals #goals

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🚀 I recently had the privilege of being part of the panel at the Delhivery Growth Summit in Jaipur. 🎤 During the discussions, someone behind me commented, "Marketplaces today feel like a modern-day East India Company." 😳 This sparked an eye-opening conversation, revealing how the marketplace business model is rapidly evolving. There’s an increasing sense of uncertainty among founders, brands, and sellers regarding marketplace strategies 🤔: 1. Growth 📈 – What worked yesterday may not work tomorrow. As private labels emerge quicker than ever, it’s harder to maintain consistent growth. 2. Sales Shifting 🔄 – Fast-moving SKUs that used to thrive for years now see their shelf life reduced to months. SKU A is replaced by SKU B, but overall sales don't seem to increase. 3. Profitability 💸 – Turning a profit is becoming tougher than ever. Marketplaces demand price drops, more ads, bigger deals, and full warehouse visibility. It’s a never-ending loop. 4. Cost of Time ⏳ – Time is money, especially for growing businesses from Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities working with their own capital. So, where are people pivoting? 🤷‍♂️ Many are pushing themselves in new directions: 1. Self-Distribution 🛒 – Building their own distribution channels for better control. 2. Differentiation ✨ – Boosting product uniqueness to avoid falling into the commodity trap. 3. Pricing Strategies 💡 – Experimenting with pricing models to find new growth opportunities. It's an exciting, yet challenging time for brands navigating these shifts. Stay ahead, stay smart! 💪

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Shares of foodtech giant Zomato rose by 2.7% to reach INR 267 on the BSE in early trading today, up from the previous close of INR 259.95. However, the stocks later lost some of their gains and were trading at INR 259.15 at 11:56 AM. The rise in the stock price followed Paytm‘s announcement of a definitive agreement to sell its entertainment ticketing business to the foodtech giant for INR 2,048 crore in an all-cash deal. Zomato announced that its board approved the acquisition of Paytm’s movie and events ticketing businesses during a meeting on Wednesday. The foodtech giant stated that the acquisition is a key component of its broader strategy to expand its “going-out business.” This move coincides with Zomato’s plans to launch a new app, ‘District,’ aimed at further growing its going-out sector. Read full story here: https://lnkd.in/gWgTHjXV #zomato #shares #foodtech Deepinder Goyal LinkedIn News India Linkedin News Ashu Agrawal

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Excellent insight on the Q - Commerce business in India

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Been entrenched in the Indian ecommerce scene this year and I have come across quite a few business problems that sellers and brands are grappling with. One that made me go whaaaattt?.... was the lack of a proper returns module that can help D2C brands make their customer experience seamless. With Shopify sunsetting their own returns app, D2C brands are left with a few expensive solutions (returns are a cost in the first place and for D2C brands, paying through the nose to offer that to your Customers is nuts!) Did you know that we - Base.com (formerly BaseLinker) - offer Return Forms for FREE to users of our all-in one ecommerce system? If you are a D2C brand facing this issue, please reach out, will be happy to help. Check how you can do it here: https://lnkd.in/gbRGMXMi #d2c #base #returns #shopify #ecommerce Base.com India Govind Singh Rajpurohit Yash Shukla Abhinav Gupta

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🚀 Zepto’s 'Shagun Ka Lifafa' Campaign: A Game Changer This Raksha Bandhan! 🎉 Zepto has truly outdone itself this Raksha Bandhan with their "Shagun Ka Lifafa" campaign, setting new benchmarks and delighting customers across India. This isn’t just another festive campaign—it’s a masterstroke in modern marketing, with a cultural twist that resonates deeply. Here’s why this campaign stands out and how it crushed records with 1 Million OPD on a super Sunday, surpassing their previous milestone of 0.7 Million OPD on their Third Anniversary which they recently celebrated: 🌟 Cultural Connection Meets Modern Excitement: Zepto beautifully marries tradition with innovation. The age-old custom of Shagun Ka Lifafa is reimagined with a modern flair—scratch cards with every delivery that promises big wins like cars, Dubai trips, and more! 🎁. By the way, I received upto 30% off on Real Juices and Rs.500 off on EMT. 🌟 Everyone’s a Winner: Unlike typical promotions, Zepto ensures no one is left empty-handed. Every order gurantees a lifafa, and every lifafa guarantees a prize, which not only boosts customer satisfaction but also builds strong brand loyalty. 🏆 I just placed one order on Zepto today, just to check whats the craze about the Lifafa, and I just went ahead to have this post written. 🌟 Strategic Partnerships: Collaborations with brands like Dabur, Easemytrip, Ariel, and Tide elevate the campaign, offering diverse and desirable prizes that appeal to all demographics. This strategic move adds immense value to each order. 🤝 Haldirams, Snickers, Hershey, McCain and not to forget BSC - Bombay Shaving Company - Gaurav Anand are few of many participating brands. 🌟 Creative Brilliance by Chandan Mendiratta: The campaign carries the hallmark of Chandan Mendiratta’s genius, from the catchy rap ad that perfectly encapsulates sibling love and banter, to the overall conceptualization of the lifafa. It’s all Chandan—every bit of it! 🎨✨ It has Chandan written all over the campaign. 🌟 Record-Breaking Numbers: With an astonishing 1 Million Orders Per Day, Zepto not only surpassed their previous records but also demonstrated their operational excellence. This achievement sets a high bar for what’s possible in festive marketing! 📈💥 As we look ahead to the upcoming festive season, the calendar at Zepto must be buzzing with new ideas. I’m on the edge of my seat to see what they come up with next to break even more records! Kudos to the entire Zepto team, and especially to Chandan Mendiratta, for crafting a campaign that’s not just memorable but monumental. 👏 🌟 Don't forget to check the usual banter between a brother & sister on the front of the lifafa. "you have no friends because.. you're lame" is my favourite one. #Marketing #Branding #RakshaBandhan #Zepto #Innovation #CustomerDelight #RecordBreaking Aadit Palicha Devendra Meel Kaivalya V. Chandan Mendiratta

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📦 Zomato's Co-founder and CPO Akriti Chopra Resigns. In a surprising development, Akriti Chopra, co-founder and Chief Product Officer of Zomato, has announced her resignation from the company. 🚀 Leadership Transition: - Chopra's departure marks a significant shift in Zomato's leadership, as she has been instrumental in shaping the company’s product strategy and user experience. - The resignation comes as Zomato continues to navigate the competitive landscape of the food delivery industry. 🔍 Reasons for Departure: - While specific reasons for her exit were not disclosed, it is speculated that Chopra may be pursuing new ventures or opportunities. - Her resignation highlights the dynamic nature of leadership in the fast-paced tech sector. 📈 Future Implications: - Zomato will need to fill the leadership gap promptly to maintain momentum in product development and innovation. - The company remains focused on enhancing its platform and expanding its offerings in the evolving food tech space. Akriti Chopra's exit represents a notable change for Zomato as it continues to adapt and grow in a competitive market. #Zomato #AkritiChopra #LeadershipChange #FoodTech #Microshots #ProductStrategy #TechIndustry

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Rise of Marketplaces #4 - Respect the Market Forces, Trust the Buyers & Sellers wisdom to stay ahead of the curve and create natural monopoly. When Marketplace platform thinks “kabhi kabhi mujhe lagta hai ki apun hi Bhagwan hai” ie. “Sometimes I feel like I have God power”, that is beginning of the end for the Marketplace. Market forces are like ocean-waves, just as powerful, adamant and raw in energy. The platform needs to learn how to harness the power & ride the wave; faster than others, hopefully without falling & drowning. The platform should NOT try to manufacture waves or even worse create the ocean. Successful Marketplaces have learnt the art of drawing energy from Market forces by working in harmony with it and consistently responding to changing dynamics faster than others. Marketplace platform, while delivering value to the Buyers and Sellers, should religiously listen and learn from them. The Buyers/Sellers know what likes of them want today, tomorrow and in the future. They should be empowered to express those intents through direct feedback or through their micro-engagements with the platform. The platforms are often in dilemma if they should control value proposition (CVP & SVP) offering or let the market forces play-out ie. in eCommerce context, what selection/price a particular Buyer cohort should definitely be shown or NOT, or, which ratings/reviews to shown or NOT (assuming Buyer responsibility) or What price particular goods should be selling (assuming seller responsibility). This leads to platform creating more friction and frustrating the Buyer / Sellers as they don’t feel trusted enough. Successful Marketplaces have created community of Buyers and Sellers, created channels for the Buyers and Sellers to express themselves and empowered them with tools to extract best value proposition from the platform vs making the choice for them.   Natural monopoly (sustained market leadership) occurs when the platform has mastered the art of working in harmony with Market forces and the Buyers / Sellers are widely contributing to improve Marketplace value proposition. Next: Key traits of the successful marketplaces, what differentiates "THE ONE" from others ? #riseofmarketplaces #marketplace #technology #businessmodel #marketforces #buyer #seller

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Today, we are excited to share our biggest investment as Antler, in India so far. At Antler, incl. our Elevate continuty fund (Fady Abdel-Nour, CFA), we're thrilled to co-lead a $11M pre Ser A in Namma Yatri, alongside Blume Ventures Karthik B. Reddy and Google In this business, a few times in your career, you come across a truly disruptive business model that challenges the way things have been done, and extremely obsessed founders creating a culture that is so unique, you have never seen it before. When that happens, despite all the things not clear, it’s a joy to jump on board that potential rocketship. That’s what we have seen in the way Namma Yatri is being built by Magizhan Selvan and Shan M S with (a) a disruptive business model in urban mobility, rethinking how to make the life of a driver better and (b) Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) at its heart. 46 million trips have already been completed, with >7 million registered users. For us, this is also a continuation of our commitment to investing in a future on DPI / Beckn / ONDC, started in 2022. h/t Susmit Patodia. Rajiv Srivatsa Magnus Grimeland Martell Hardenberg Teddy Himler Keerat Singh Sethi Vimal Kumar Sheetal Lalwani T Koshy sujith nair Pramod Varma

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Bhavish Aggarwal's Ola is setting its sights on entering the grocery and fashion markets through the ONDC platform. The company has enlisted magicpin as its technology service provider for this initiative Ola first joined hands with ONDC by piloting a food delivery platform in September 2023, which has now been made available to the public. Following this, Ola partnered with ONDC to provide last-mile logistics services for various categories, including food delivery, grocery shopping and pharmaceuticals. - Open Network For Digital Commerce (ONDC) Integration: Ola aims to tap into existing sellers on the ONDC platform, which boasts over 380,000 sellers, including 105,000 in non-mobility sectors such as groceries and fashion. - Expansion Benefits: This move is geared towards streamlining Ola's e-commerce operations to enhance cost-effectiveness. - Financial Overview: Leveraging its infrastructure as a logistics provider on ONDC is expected to reduce costs and boost efficiency. Ola's recent financial performance shows promising trends, with a 58% increase in total revenue to Rs 2,135 crore and a 65% decrease in overall loss to Rs 1,082 crore in fiscal year 2023. Alike Uber, Ola plans to aggressively expand its logistics services to other seller applications on the ONDC network following a successful pilot. Read more about ONDC structure: https://lnkd.in/gCGV9Xkn Sources: The Economic Times , Indianstartupnews.com, BW Disrupt #startups #ola #magicpin #ondc #ecommerce #grocery #fashion #uber

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India has more than 650Mn internet users and nearly 200Mn consumers shop online. With most future online shoppers already present within the digital funnel, India presents a significant untapped opportunity, and conversational platforms play a vital role in tapping into this opportunity. Meta and Bain & Company's "Win with Conversations" report highlights how businesses can leverage conversational platforms for growth. Some key highlights are here: 🚀 The Opportunity India has 200Mn savvy digital users (SDUs) who have limited app adoption and are showing early indications of app fatigue. The next 450Mn non-savvy digital users (NSDUs) are still not ready to adopt apps, and are driven by a preference for assisted shopping. Business messaging is a key solution to engage with both SDUs and NSDUs ➡ The Enterprise Adoption 60% of enterprises are planning to increase spending on conversational platforms over the next three to four years, focusing on building end-to-end journeys 💡 The Pivotal Shift Generative AI emerges as a top-of-mind priority for businesses, with over 80% of enterprises planning to invest in generative AI solutions within 1-2 years. ⚡ The Winning Playbook Reimagine customer journeys to deliver a hyper-personalized experiences and Reorient the operating model to leverage the power of generative AI and identify conversations that matter to customers Link to the full report in comments Ravi Garg Arun Srinivas Amrita Ray Chaku Rohant Shyam Rammohan Rishabh Khandelwal Navneet Chahal Abhinav Gupta Channing Hancock Christensen Bruce Song

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