Latest news with #Agrahari
Time of India
4 hours ago
- Business
- Time of India
Walmart-backed Flipkart turns to videos and livestream to woo Indian online shoppers
Flipkart India Pvt., the e-commerce giant owned by Walmart Inc., is using social videos and livestreams to convert young consumers spending a lot of time on their smartphones into loyal videos to showcase and sell products is one of the leading new forays at Flipkart, Neha Agrahari, a senior director at the retailer, said in an interview to Bloomberg the concept of online retailers using videos to boost sales has been around for years, Flipkart hopes this strategy will give it an edge over rivals like Inc. and Reliance Industries Ltd. in India. The world's most-populous country has about 650 million smartphone users — of whom over 270 million make purchases online, making it the second-largest e-retail market ahead of the US. About 200 million users engaged with videos on Flipkart while shopping in the first half of 2025, up from 75 million a year ago, data from the retailer showed. 'Users prefer to watch a video and make a decision' when shopping, making video commerce the obvious direction to take, Agrahari said. Two in three Gen-Z users now prefer this format of shopping, with 65% of video and streaming engagement coming from India's smaller cities. The firm launched video offerings on its app about 18 months ago to promote everything from sunscreen to gadgets. It also features livestreams to answer buyers' questions about products in real-time and let shoppers interact with influencers. Flipkart's foray into this segment, along with other Indian platforms like SoftBank Group Corp.-backed Meesho, follows a trend in China and other parts of Asia where top retailers routinely invest in promoting items via live videos, hiring influencers to hawk everything from lipstick to protein powders. Video-led shopping is currently driving sales in fashion, beauty, personal care and home decor categories, Agrahari said, adding that the next move is to include electronics and fitness-related content. The platform is building physical studios in the Indian cities of Gurugram, Mumbai, and Bengaluru to offer 'seamless' shooting and editing experience to its video creators, Agrahari said. User engagement numbers for daily livestreaming show the strategy is paying off. The number is up 17 times compared to the previous year, according to Agrahari. The surge is boosted by product videos which include clips of users dipping t-shirts in water to see if the colors bleed and using a variety of food in kitchen appliances to test reliability. The 'stress tests' work for livestreams and viewers want to see more, she said. 'We don't mind dropping a mobile phone just to prove that it is strong enough.'
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Business Standard
8 hours ago
- Business
- Business Standard
Flipkart bets on livestreaming and videos to win over online shoppers
Flipkart sees video commerce as a key strategy, with two-thirds of Gen Z using videos to shop. Usage is also surging in tier-II and III cities, where video-led formats are gaining rapid traction New Delhi Walmart-owned e-commerce major Flipkart is leaning heavily into social video and livestreaming to attract young shoppers who are glued to their smartphones. The move reflects a broader strategy of the company to seek long-term customer loyalty by making online shopping more immersive and interactive. Online shopping with live commerce Using videos to display and promote products has become one of the company's key new strategies, Neha Agrahari, a director at Flipkart told Bloomberg News. 'Users prefer to watch a video and make a decision' when shopping, she said. Agrahari believes video commerce is a natural progression, particularly with two-thirds of Gen Z consumers now favouring this style of shopping. Notably, 65 per cent of video and livestreaming interactions originate from India's tier-III and tier-III cities. What is live commerce? Live commerce merges real-time product purchasing with audience interaction via chat features or reaction buttons. In China, it has revolutionised the retail sector and emerged as a key sales channel. It now plays a central role in marketing campaigns for Singles' Day—a major shopping event in China—and is widely used as an effective digital strategy to enhance customer engagement and drive sales. Competing for e-commerce dominance Though video-based retailing is not new, Flipkart is banking on the format to outperform rivals such as Inc and Reliance Industries Ltd in the highly competitive Indian market. With around 650 million smartphone users in the country—and over 270 million of them shopping online—India has now overtaken the US as the world's second-largest e-retail market. Flipkart's own data shows that video-led engagement is surging. In the first half of 2025, over 200 million users interacted with videos while shopping on its platform, a significant increase from 75 million in the same period last year. Livestreams and influencers drive engagement Flipkart began integrating video content into its app approximately 18 months ago. These videos promote a wide range of products, from sunscreen to electronics. Livestreams also allow users to ask real-time questions and receive responses from influencers and product experts, enhancing the customer experience. This approach mirrors successful models in China and other parts of Asia, where video-driven commerce is widely used. Other Indian players, including Meesho, which is backed by SoftBank Group Corp, are also adopting similar strategies by hiring influencers to promote products ranging from cosmetics to health supplements. Building studios to boost sales Agrahari stated that video-led shopping is already boosting sales in categories like fashion, beauty, personal care, and home decor. The platform now plans to expand this format to electronics and fitness products. To support content creation, Flipkart is constructing physical studios in Gurugram, Mumbai, and Bengaluru. These studios are designed to offer a seamless shooting and editing experience for its video creators, she said. Growth in livestream engagement Engagement with daily livestreams has seen a dramatic increase — up 17 times compared to last year, according to Agrahari. This growth is partly fuelled by practical and engaging product demonstrations. For instance, users test T-shirts by dipping them in water to check for colour fastness or use various foods to assess kitchen appliances' performance.
Economic Times
8 hours ago
- Business
- Economic Times
Walmart-backed Flipkart turns to videos and livestream to woo Indian online shoppers
ETtech Flipkart India Pvt., the e-commerce giant owned by Walmart Inc., is using social videos and livestreams to convert young consumers spending a lot of time on their smartphones into loyal videos to showcase and sell products is one of the leading new forays at Flipkart, Neha Agrahari, a senior director at the retailer, said in an interview to Bloomberg News. While the concept of online retailers using videos to boost sales has been around for years, Flipkart hopes this strategy will give it an edge over rivals like Inc. and Reliance Industries Ltd. in India. The world's most-populous country has about 650 million smartphone users — of whom over 270 million make purchases online, making it the second-largest e-retail market ahead of the US. About 200 million users engaged with videos on Flipkart while shopping in the first half of 2025, up from 75 million a year ago, data from the retailer showed. 'Users prefer to watch a video and make a decision' when shopping, making video commerce the obvious direction to take, Agrahari said. Two in three Gen-Z users now prefer this format of shopping, with 65% of video and streaming engagement coming from India's smaller cities. The firm launched video offerings on its app about 18 months ago to promote everything from sunscreen to gadgets. It also features livestreams to answer buyers' questions about products in real-time and let shoppers interact with foray into this segment, along with other Indian platforms like SoftBank Group Corp.-backed Meesho, follows a trend in China and other parts of Asia where top retailers routinely invest in promoting items via live videos, hiring influencers to hawk everything from lipstick to protein shopping is currently driving sales in fashion, beauty, personal care and home decor categories, Agrahari said, adding that the next move is to include electronics and fitness-related content. The platform is building physical studios in the Indian cities of Gurugram, Mumbai, and Bengaluru to offer 'seamless' shooting and editing experience to its video creators, Agrahari engagement numbers for daily livestreaming show the strategy is paying off. The number is up 17 times compared to the previous year, according to Agrahari. The surge is boosted by product videos which include clips of users dipping t-shirts in water to see if the colors bleed and using a variety of food in kitchen appliances to test 'stress tests' work for livestreams and viewers want to see more, she said. 'We don't mind dropping a mobile phone just to prove that it is strong enough.' Elevate your knowledge and leadership skills at a cost cheaper than your daily tea. Profits plenty, prices attractive, still PSU stocks languish. Why? Why Sebi must give up veto power over market infra institutions Oil, war, and the Hormuz gambit: Why the 2025 standoff won't mirror the 2022 shock! Second only to L&T, but controversies may weaken this infra powerhouse's growth story Stock Radar: Titan Company bounces back after testing 200-DMA in June; breaks out from 1-month consolidation – what should investors do? Long- or medium-term investing: Invest in ability & balance sheet; 6 large-caps from different sectors, with upside potential of up to 36% Weekly Top Picks: These stocks scored 10 on 10 on Stock Reports Plus These large- and mid-cap stocks can give more than 23% return in 1 year, according to analysts
Time of India
8 hours ago
- Business
- Time of India
Walmart-backed Flipkart turns to videos and livestream to woo Indian online shoppers
Flipkart India Pvt., the e-commerce giant owned by Walmart Inc., is using social videos and livestreams to convert young consumers spending a lot of time on their smartphones into loyal videos to showcase and sell products is one of the leading new forays at Flipkart, Neha Agrahari, a senior director at the retailer, said in an interview to Bloomberg the concept of online retailers using videos to boost sales has been around for years, Flipkart hopes this strategy will give it an edge over rivals like Inc. and Reliance Industries Ltd. in India. The world's most-populous country has about 650 million smartphone users — of whom over 270 million make purchases online, making it the second-largest e-retail market ahead of the 200 million users engaged with videos on Flipkart while shopping in the first half of 2025, up from 75 million a year ago, data from the retailer showed.'Users prefer to watch a video and make a decision' when shopping, making video commerce the obvious direction to take, Agrahari said. Two in three Gen-Z users now prefer this format of shopping, with 65% of video and streaming engagement coming from India's smaller firm launched video offerings on its app about 18 months ago to promote everything from sunscreen to gadgets. It also features livestreams to answer buyers' questions about products in real-time and let shoppers interact with foray into this segment, along with other Indian platforms like SoftBank Group Corp.-backed Meesho, follows a trend in China and other parts of Asia where top retailers routinely invest in promoting items via live videos, hiring influencers to hawk everything from lipstick to protein shopping is currently driving sales in fashion, beauty, personal care and home decor categories, Agrahari said, adding that the next move is to include electronics and fitness-related platform is building physical studios in the Indian cities of Gurugram, Mumbai, and Bengaluru to offer 'seamless' shooting and editing experience to its video creators, Agrahari engagement numbers for daily livestreaming show the strategy is paying off. The number is up 17 times compared to the previous year, according to Agrahari. The surge is boosted by product videos which include clips of users dipping t-shirts in water to see if the colors bleed and using a variety of food in kitchen appliances to test 'stress tests' work for livestreams and viewers want to see more, she said. 'We don't mind dropping a mobile phone just to prove that it is strong enough.'
The Star
10 hours ago
- Business
- The Star
Walmart-backed Flipkart turns to videos and livestream to woo Indian online shoppers
NEW DELHI: Flipkart India Pvt., the e-commerce giant owned by Walmart Inc., is using social videos and livestreams to convert young consumers spending a lot of time on their smartphones into loyal customers. Using videos to showcase and sell products is one of the leading new forays at Flipkart, Neha Agrahari, a senior director at the retailer, said in an interview to Bloomberg News. While the concept of online retailers using videos to boost sales has been around for years, Flipkart hopes this strategy will give it an edge over rivals like Inc. and Reliance Industries Ltd. in India. The world's most-populous country has about 650 million smartphone users - of whom over 270 million make purchases online, making it the second-largest e-retail market ahead of the US. About 200 million users engaged with videos on Flipkart while shopping in the first half of 2025, up from 75 million a year ago, data from the retailer showed. "Users prefer to watch a video and make a decision' when shopping, making video commerce the obvious direction to take, Agrahari said. Two in three Gen-Z users now prefer this format of shopping, with 65 per cent of video and streaming engagement coming from India's smaller cities. The firm launched video offerings on its app about 18 months ago to promote everything from sunscreen to gadgets. It also features livestreams to answer buyers' questions about products in real-time and let shoppers interact with influencers. Flipkart's foray into this segment, along with other Indian platforms like SoftBank Group Corp.-backed Meesho, follows a trend in China and other parts of Asia where top retailers routinely invest in promoting items via live videos, hiring influencers to hawk everything from lipstick to protein powders. Video-led shopping is currently driving sales in fashion, beauty, personal care and home decor categories, Agrahari said, adding that the next move is to include electronics and fitness-related content. The platform is building physical studios in the Indian cities of Gurugram, Mumbai, and Bengaluru to offer "seamless' shooting and editing experience to its video creators, Agrahari said. User engagement numbers for daily livestreaming show the strategy is paying off. The number is up 17 times compared to the previous year, according to Agrahari. The surge is boosted by product videos which include clips of users dipping t-shirts in water to see if the colours bleed and using a variety of food in kitchen appliances to test reliability. The "stress tests' work for livestreams and viewers want to see more, she said. "We don't mind dropping a mobile phone just to prove that it is strong enough.' - Bloomberg
