WhatsApp's planning to roll out Ads in WhatsApp Status
Monetization has become a key focus for WhatsApp. Ads in 'status' is going to be a primary monetization mode for the company, as well as an opportunity for businesses to reach people on WhatsApp.
WhatsApp confirms Status Ads in 2020
It was revealed in the Marketing Summit in Netherlands, that the popular ad-free mobile messaging platform, WhatsApp, will finally host ads. This intrusion will begin from the Status page. Currently, WhatsApp allows users to share messages, animated GIFs, pictures and videos on the Status page that disappear after 24 hours.
WhatsApp to take legal action on bulk messaging
WhatsApp has announced that it will take legal action against individuals and companies, who misuse the app by sending messages to a lot of people in violation of its terms and conditions. WhatsApp has stated that its products are not to be used for bulk or automated messaging and is against its terms of service. Fake news being circulated via Whatsapp led to unpleasant consequences in India. Therefore, the San Francisco based company has been under fire from India to regulate forwarding of bulk texts.
SMS still rules over Whatsapp
The SMS business has grown 20% every year since 2014 to 210 billion messages in 2018. While the person to person messaging has completely flatlined, app-to-person messaging has boomed thanks to the plethora of apps that users are downloading to their smartphones. As of 2019, it’s valued at $500 million with about 22 billion messages travelling on telecom networks every month.
India plans to launch a Whatsapp-like messaging app
To avoid Huawei like situation, India plans on launching an app similar to Whatsapp for official communication, at least for government agencies.The thinking in the government is that all communication and data transmitted over those networks will be 100% stored in India. The official said all officers and government staff could be discouraged to use private messaging platforms, such as Gmail or WhatsApp for official communications.
Whatsapp ready to launch Payments app
The Reserve Bank of India requires payment companies to set up data storage facilities in India to ensure that global payment companies store transaction data within India. Whatsapp is now ready to launch the digital payment app. WhatsApp’s payment service launched as a pilot programme over a year ago, has been mired in a series of regulatory issues ranging from the demand to store data locally to charges of misinformation and fake news being shared.
WhatsApp helps Indian entrepreneurs write their success stories
WhatsApp has helped many Indian entrepreneurs build their businesses from scratch, grow and ultimately expand the same. A survey of Indian small businesses on WhatsApp, 77% said that it helps them connect with customers - including in other cities while 62% said WhatsApp helps them increase sales and is essential for running their businesses.
WhatsApp moves towards becoming shoppable
Small businesses, the main users of the free WhatsApp Business app, can now display a "mobile storefront" showcasing their wares with images and prices. Presently, WhatsApp's catalog feature is available for users in Brazil, Germany, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Britain and the United States.
Govt notices risks to payments through social media companies
In light of WhatsApp joining the digital payments space, the government has approached the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), over the risk of allowing social media platforms to do the same. The latest development could mean further delays in the launch of WhatsApp's payment feature.
New music streaming service: ByteDance
ByteDance, TikTok’s parent company, has been in talks with big music labels for global licensing deals in order to include their songs on its new music subscription service. The app will be launched in markets such as India, Indonesia and Brazil first. ByteDance has not given a name to its music app yet and pricing remains unclear.
WhatsApp added into Facebook messaging
To bring all its apps into one unified experience for billions of users, and a step towards monetising, the social networking giant has added ‘WhatsApp from Facebook’ for new users to their instant messaging platform in the New Year. There are plans of letting users on WhatsApp, Messenger and photo-sharing app Instagram - message each other across platforms.
How to measure analytics for OTT?
With the absence of an industry-backed measurement system for the OTT space, analytics provided by private players is not enough in the long run. OTTs are dependent on advertisers as a source of revenue. In the absence of a unified measurement currency, advertisers are therefore dependent on the data provided by the individual platforms or third parties like Nielsen DAR, Moat, App Annie etc.
5500 railways stations now with free WiFi
Railways has been providing free WiFi via RailTel at all of its stations except the halt ones. It started from Mumbai Central and in 46 months has extended the service t0 5,500 stations. RailTel has roped in partners like Google, Tata Trust, PGCIL for some parts of the project and also got funding from the Department of Telecom USOF for 200 stations. WiFi is being provided under the brand name Railwire - the retail broadband service of RailTel
WhatsApp set to help chosen startups in India
To help Indian entrepreneurs bring socio-economic change, Facebook owned WhatsApp has partnered with Startup India. The instant messaging firm will provide 500 startups in India with $500 each of Facebook ad credits. The Facebook ad credits can be used by startups to create ads, and invite customers to click to open a chat on WhatsApp, such as to deepen connections and increase sales using the platform.
India 2nd largest online news consuming nation in the world
According to the latest report by Comscore India’s love for news even in the online world has been reiterated. News is being consumed online in regional languages, with Hindi as the leading language. With the mobile taking center stage as the medium for maximum online consumption by users, in India 90 percent of the users consume news on their mobile phones, it has been reported.
India's millennials prefer renting from furniture to smartphones
Millennials prefer not to be tied down and prefer to rent furniture. This is true for smart phones too, where the user can keep upgrading to the latest model. Renting for many millennials, choosing is as much about taking a road less traveled as it is about saving money. Millennials would rather invest in experiences rather than settling down.
Programmatic advertising in India growing at 70%
With growing smartphone users in India, programmatic advertising becomes the best way to join communications and therefore it is growing every year. It cuts through the clutter to provide advertising that really resonates with people. The potential of digital marketing is still being explored in India.
Snapdeal crosses 100 million app downloads
Online marketplace Snapdeal has crossed 100mn add downloads from Google Play Store. Snapdeal has made several additions in its app to cater to the comfort and convenience of those starting their online journeys. This includes a continuous feed that is personalized for each user, allowing users to discover relevant products in an engaging way.
Personal data protection bill introduces changes
Government of India will now have the power to request user data from Facebook, Google, and others to help forge policies. The bill defines "personal data" as information that can help identify a person and has characteristics, traits and any other features of a person's identity. Any other data is non-personal, the bill said, without elaborating.
HC declines linking to official documents to social media
Linking of social media accounts with Aadhaar, PAN, or voter ID card to find out fake accounts has been ruled against by the Delhi High Court, claiming the data of genuine account holders, which are higher in number, to go unnecessarily to foreign countries.
Smartphone users are the targets of new streaming platform
Quibi, a new streaming platform, has promised to leverage the short attention spans of audiences by creating original programs that would last for less than ten minutes. This is one way to shake up the industry! The platform will treat video storytelling like books, with longer stories broken into short chapters.
Budget2020 propose online education to boost EdTech sector
In order to provide quality education to students of deprived sections of the society as well as those who do not have access to higher education, India will start offering degree level full-fledged courses. The move is aimed at increasing India’s low gross enrolment ratio (GER) - a percentage of students in higher education of the total eligible population in the 18-23 age group.
Govt decides to invest in BharatNet programme
Budget 2020 also proposes to allocate Rs 6000 crore for the government's ambitious BharatNet programme which aims at providing on-demand, affordable broadband connectivity. The vision is that all “public institutions” at gram panchayat level such as Anganwadis, health and wellness centres, government schools, PDS outlets, post offices and police stations will be provided with digital connectivity.
WhatsApp Pay to be launched soon
Facebook’s CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, has said that peer-to-peer UPI-based payments features, WhatsApp Pay, will be rolled out in India within the next six months! Beyond WhatsApp Payments, the company is working on several other efforts to help facilitate more commerce from Facebook Marketplace to Instagram Shopping and its work on Facebook Pay or the digital currency Libra.
Online food-ordering to grow by leaps and bounds
With online spending going up, it is of no surprise that India’s food-ordering sector is predicted to become a $8 billion industry by 2022. Users are being more accustomed to ordering food online due to good service and of course, discounts! Food tech has now made its presence in greater than 500 cities in India and with consumer confidence growing, there are new opportunities for the players to ‘win with the consumer’ in an evolving market.
DCCCC launched to help OTT customers file complaints
Online Curated Content Providers have banded together to launch the Digital Curated Content Complaint Council (DCCCC), which offers a redressal mechanism to the consumers where they can directly air their grievances. The intent of this initiative is to offer the consumer to make informed choices and allow platforms freedom to create content. The intention is to promote creativity, enhance commerce and build consumer confidence and trust.
WhatsApp now has 2 billion users globally
Besides announcing their number of global users, the messaging giant also stated that strong encryption is a necessity in modern life. They have refused to compromise on the security offered to its users as well.
OTT music on the rise
Listeners today are spoilt for choice as far as content consumption is concerned and move across platforms to fulfil their entertainment needs. 2020 will be the year when OTT audio platforms shake up the music market, especially creating intense competition between radio and themselves! Among the leading audio OTT players, Gaana has the largest share by volume of consumers, though Spotify commands the largest time spent per day. Gaana's share of volume of consumption in the nine cities was 30%, followed by Jio Saavn at 24%, and Wynk and Spotify at 15% each.
IndiaMART registers 1 crore users in B2B
India’s largest marketplace for business products and services, connecting buyers and sellers across borders and timezones, IndiaMART has achieved a milestone. They provide ease and convenience to buyers with their wide assortment. Nearly 36% of the traffic on IndiaMART comes from metro cities and the remaining 64% from tier one, tier two and smaller towns.
Pledge of $1mn in free in-app ads for women entrepreneurs by Tinder
Location-based dating service Tinder announced the eligibility criteria for the same: Companies under 3 years old founded by at least 50% women; who have raised less than Rs 35 crore in equity financing. Also, who actively target Gen-Z and millennial audiences in India. Over 90 per cent of Tinder's community is between the ages of 18-30, and for any women-owned business aimed at that cohort, the ads are intended to support their business, their network and help them speak directly to potential consumers.
ZEE5 to expand digital portfolio of offerings with HiPi
The Zee network has shared a detailed report on its achievements, current scenario and what we can look forward to ZEE5 added 500+ hours of content including short seasons of legacy shows 8 original shows.ZEE5 is also expanding its digital portfolio of offerings with HiPi, a homegrown short-form video creation app that will allow it to tap into the vast UGC segment, making it the one-stop destination for video content, an Entertainment SuperApp.
Homegrown apps like TakaTak, Moj & Josh make early gains
Short-video players ShareChat’s Moj, MX Player-owned TakaTak, and DailyHunt’s Josh have seen early gains on the back of the ban of TikTok in India. In terms of time spent per user, TakaTak leads the charts with 23 minutes, followed by 10 minutes for Moj, and 7.4 minutes for Josh.
Cred Users In Top Three Metros Spending More On Online Subscriptions In Lockdown
Spending on subscriptions up in top 3 metros, 18% in Delhi, 11% in Bangalore and 8% in Mumbai during the lockdown despite a drop in spending on entertainment subscriptions. Overall, card spending by credit card users in the three cities fell as much as 51% percent from March to April.In March, all three cities saw increased spending on grocery, utilities, medical and fuel as consumers stocked up ahead of the shutdown.
ZEE5 announces plans to enrich audience data
The ConTech platform takes a strategic step towards making ‘user registration mandatory’, augmenting astute audience segmentation and targeting capability. Brands are shifting their marketing budgets to digital platforms, as it becomes all-pervasive and consumers spend more time there.
Govt telemedicine platform eSanjeevani completes 300,000 consults
he Indian government’s telemedicine platform eSanjeevani has completed 300,000 consultations, the Health Ministry said. 200,000 consults were completed on August 19, and another 100,000 have been completed within a few weeks.
App spending to reach $270bn annually by 2025
Global consumer spending on premium apps, in-app purchases, and subscriptions across Apple’s App Store and Google Play will reach $270 billion annually by 2025, nearly 2.5 times what consumers spent in 2020 as Covid-19 accelerated mobile trends. According to data provided by app analytics firm Sensor Tower, Covid-19 supercharged global consumer spending in mobile apps during 2020, which climbed 30 per cent year-over-year to $111 billion.While year over year growth in spending will return to pre-pandemic levels over the next five years, gross revenue on both app stores will continue to climb each year with a 19.5 percent compound annual growth rate (CAGR) to reach $270 billion in 2025.The App Store will see a CAGR of 21 per cent through 2025, reaching $185 billion annually. Consumer spending on Google Play is projected to experience a 17 per cent CAGR, hitting $85 billion annually within the next five years. First-time downloads achieved their highest growth since at least 2016 in 2020, surging 24 per cent y/y to 143 billion. Although the pace of installs will slow as markets begin recovering from the pandemic, both the App Store and Google Play will continue experiencing stable y/y growth.By 2025, non-game apps will widen their lead even more, reaching $107 billion while mobile games will reach $78 billion.
Apple to launch India webstore next week
Apple Inc will roll out its own online shop in India, taking advantage of a 2019 legislation that significantly eased norms for single-brand retailers to sell directly to Indian consumers through physical and online channels.With this, the maker of iPhones and iPads will become the first foreign company to open its webstore in the country prior to rolling out any company-owned physical outlet, which was a precondition to sell online before the August 2019 relaxations of rules.India will be the 37th country where Apple will have its own ecommerce site.
Facebook fears the WhatsApp privacy policy row may hurt its future
The flap over WhatsApp’s privacy policy — described by Facebook as a misunderstanding about efforts to bring businesses onto the platform –threatens to erode trust in the service which is increasingly important to the leading social network’s future.
Key Data Center Trends For 2021
Reports have shown that the major global trends have been influenced by growing demand for higher-performance networks, increased management efficiency, and the pandemic impact. Trends such as cloud migration, AI adoption, IoT Deployments, and the drive to singlemode and multimode fiber.
http://bwdisrupt.businessworld.in/article/Key-Data-Center-Trends-For-2021/10-02-2021-376060/
How Cloud and AI combo is transforming Indian BFSI industry
Cloud became the bedrock for businesses in 2020. While organizations – from governments to enterprises to startups – were already innovating and transforming using cloud, migrating to the cloud is now inevitable. The pandemic has taught us that no business is 100% resilient.
Here’s how Indian manufacturing is embracing digital
Be it supply chain, shop floor management or employee management, the manufacturing sector is keeping an opportunistic eye at digital to transform all processes. The transformation of the manufacturing technologies has replaced the work-force with a knowledge-based workforce. Technologies like IIoT, Cloud Capabilities, HRM Systems are gaining attraction in the Indian manufacturing sector.
Virtual and augmented retail: The next big thing in the world of fashion
Statistics show that 2/3rd of internet users would be very interested in virtual reality, and 63% said such technology would change the way people shop. Augmented reality and virtual reality are all set to transform our shopping experience in the next few years.
SBI Payments To Launch YONO Merchant App To Provide Low-Cost Digital Payments Infrastructure To Merchants
SBI Payments, a subsidiary of India’s largest lender State Bank of India, will launch YONO Merchant App to provide low-cost digital payments infrastructure to merchants. YONO Merchant App will expand digitisation of merchant payments in the country.
Kerala CM launches fibre optic network to provide free internet access to 20 lakh families
To bridge the digital divide by providing high-speed, affordable internet connectivity to every household, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan launched the KFON (Kerala Fibre Optic Network) in the state. Speaking at the launch event, the Chief Minister said that KFON will revolutionise the digital space.
Army develops its own WhatsApp-like messaging service to prevent leaks
The Army has developed an in-house WhatsApp-like messaging application called ‘Secure Application for Internet (SAI)’ for its personnel to prevent “leaking” of any classified information to inimical intelligence agencies. According to an officer, SAI is a simple and secure messaging application, which supports end-to-end secure voice, text and video calling services for Android platforms over the internet. It will be utilised pan-Army to facilitate secure messaging within the service.
Tinder rolls out video calling feature in India
The popular dating App has rolled out a new feature to its users in India that will enable them to video call, when both parties have ‘liked’ each other on the App. “Just like matching, we want to make sure you’re on the same page with video: so Face to Face is enabled on a match-by-match basis. Once the conversation is flowing and you’re ready to show you’re interested in a Face to Face, tap the video icon,” said the company in a press statement. The feature won’t be enabled until both parties have opted in, specified the company. Further, it doesn’t notify either party when it is toggled on. It is said to come with an easy toggle off button as well.
WhatsApp launches UPI-based payment service in India
Facebook-owned whatsApp launched its UPI-based payment service in India after getting the nod from NPCI to start service in a graded manner.Payments is available now in ten Indian regional language versions of WhatsApp. Customers with a debit card with a bank that supports UPI can immediately start using the service through the latest version WhatsApp application.
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