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Amazon Easy stores in an all-new avatar

Posted on August 10, 2020 by City Today News (City today.media)

Integrates a touch & feel product experience, assisted shopping and last mile delivery for customers through a single touch-point

Bengaluru, 09 August 2020: Amazon today launched the upgraded ‘Amazon Easy’ store format that integrates multiple Amazon services through a single touchpoint. The upgraded format of Amazon Easy stores will offer a touch & feel product experience through a physical product display. Customers can also place an order on Amazon.in with guided assistance from the store staff and either pick up the order from the store or get it delivered at their doorstep. The store owners will now be able to leverage Amazon’s last-mile delivery program – I Have Space to deliver packages to customers in their area as well as facilitate pickups, creating an additional revenue stream for themselves. The first such exclusive Amazon Easy store is now operational in Mahalakshmi layout in Bengaluru. Amazon will soon expand the upgraded format stores to other parts of the country with existing and new network partners.

Adopting a vernacular first approach for communication, the upgraded stores are equipped with a better brand and product visibility and a demarcated area for product demos – building trust and assurance for customers in their shopping experience. Alongside multiple established brands, customers can browse and shop from the diverse range of regional/local brands available. With a dedicated space set aside for regional/local brands, Amazon is ensuring visibility for all, and offering a wide range of product selection for customers to choose from. The upgraded format stores will exclusively offer Amazon Easy services. All the upgraded stores are designed with care to abide by the social distancing norms.

Kishore Thota, Director, Customer Experience & Marketing, Amazon India said, “We have been working with local business and entrepreneurs to lower the barriers to shopping online, especially for customers from lower tier geographies. This latest Amazon Easy store format is another step in this direction increasing the number of services to customers as well as creating additional source of revenue for store owners.” Kishore adds, “We see Amazon Easy playing an important role in enabling the next 200-300 million customers to enjoy shopping on Amazon.in as well as creating local jobs and self-employment opportunities”

Amazon works with several network partners across India like Vakrangee, Indiabuys, and Velocity among others to bring the Amazon Easy experience to new-to-ecommerce customers. Amazon.in appoints associates and trains store owners to help customers find and buy products of their choice, while enabling additional revenue streams for entrepreneurs and businesses like kirana stores, medical shops, stationery stores, etc. Amazon has partnered with Velocity to roll out the upgraded format Easy stores starting with Bangalore. Amazon will further expand these stores to other parts of the country in collaboration with its other partners.

“We are delighted to join hands with Amazon India as the network partner for the newly launched exclusive Easy stores in Karnataka. The Amazon Easy stores have the potential to revolutionize the way customers approach e-commerce and online shopping, and the assisted shopping service will add further ease and comfort. We look forward to this partnership, and bringing the benefits of online shopping to many more customers across India”, said Anil Sharma, Managing Director, Velocity Brand Server Pvt Ltd

Amazon India started Amazon Easy as a pilot in 2015 and has since expanded to every state and union territory across the country with large network partners as well as thousands of individual entrepreneurs. Customers can continue to walk in to their nearest Amazon Easy store present across the country to avail assisted shopping services for shopping on Amazon.in

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LIFESTYLE TIPS FOR CANCER PREVENTION

Posted on August 10, 2020 by City Today News (City today.media)

Dr. Baswant Rao Malipatil, Consultant – Medical Oncology. Columbia Asia Hospital Sarjapur Road

It goes out without saying that cancer is one of the most dreaded disease. It is one of the leading causes of death worldwide and is closely correlated with lifestyle factors like tobacco consumption, harmful alcohol use, sedentary lifestyle, unhealthy diet and obesity.

Instead of just waiting and living with the fear of getting cancer, you can do a lot to protect yourself from this disease. Screening tests can help detect cancer in the earliest stages. Some cancer risk factors like genetics and environment are out of our control but lifetime risk of cancer could be prevented through changes in lifestyle. Avoiding cigarettes, limiting consumption of alcohol, reaching a healthy weight and exercising regularly are all great steps for preventing cancer. If there is a history of cancer in the family, making small changes to diet and behaviors now can make a big difference to your long-term health.

Here are some general lifestyle tips to help reduce your cancer risk.

TIP #1: AVOID PROCESSED FOODS, OPT FOR HEALTHY GREENS
The wrong diet is linked to cancers of the lung, stomach, colon, oropharynx, oesophagus and mouth. Studies have shown that processed meats, preservative- laden foods and food items that have been injected with chemicals can increase the risk for cancer. A balanced diet with adequate fruits, nuts, legumes and vegetables will help reduce the risk for cancer.

TIP #2: AVOID TOBACCO USAGE
Tobacco is the leading cause of lung cancer. Cigarette smoke is laden with cancer causing chemicals that damage the lungs. Many people think that by avoiding cigarettes and instead opting for hookahs, pipes, beedis or cigars they are safe but all of these are equally bad for the health and can cause cancer Avoiding tobacco is an important part of cancer prevention. If you need help in quitting tobacco, consult doctor for stop-smoking products and other strategies for quitting.

TIP #3: AVOID ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION
Alcohol drinking has been linked to various cancers of the digestive system including the mouth, throat, voice box, colon, liver and rectum. Excessive alcohol consumption causes damage to the cells, and this is more prominently noticed in cases of mouth and throat cancers. Excess alcohol can also disrupt hormonal levels in the body. It is okay to have it in very small quantities but better to avoid it altogether.

TIP #4: MAINTAIN A HEALTHY WEIGHT WITH EXERCISE
Obesity is one of the factors that increase the risk for cancer. Excessive fat in the body interferes with the healthy, regular functioning of the body. When there is excessive fat in the system, hormonal levels are imbalanced, insulin levels are affected and there is increased inflammation in the body. Regular exercise strengthens the immune and improves the body’s ability to stay healthy.

TIP #5: RESTRICT EXPOSURE TO HARSH SUNLIGHT
Exposure to sunlight is crucial for the absorption of Vitamin D however between the time period of 10 A.M to 4 P.M, the sun’s rays could do more damage than harm. During this period, the sun’s UV rays are very strong which increase the risk of skin cancer. If you must go out, wear protective clothing like hats/sunglasses/full length outfits.

TIP #6: AVOID RISKY BEHAVIOURS
Engaging in sexual practice with unknown or risky partners increases the chance for developing sexually transmitted disease like HIV or AIDS. This also increases the risk for cervical cancer, cancer of the genital organs, and anal cancer. Infected needles are also a source of transmission of disease – before allowing a needle to enter the body, one must ensure the needle is a fresh, unused and disinfected piece.

Simple lifestyle changes can make a difference. Consider these cancer-prevention tips. Along with this regular self-exams and screenings for various types of cancers can increase your chances of discovering cancer at an early stage, when treatment is most likely to be successful. Consult your doctor for the best cancer screening schedule for you.

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Grofers returns with GOBD 4.0; partners with 800 MSMEs to deliver more value to India

Posted on August 10, 2020 by City Today News (City today.media)

● Scales operations and supply chain efficiencies: added 3 new warehouse facilities and deployed strict safety norms in adherence to the Government’s guidelines

● Major thrust on benefitting small scale local businesses and promoting Make in India products through its Brandfarm initiatives

● Offers more value to consumers: offering hi-quality products with deeper discounts through its MSME and national brand partners

● GOBD 4.0 is now live with special offers and discount over 9 days

Delhi, 10^th August, 2020: Grofers, India’s biggest grocery retailer, proudly announces the launch of India’s favourite and biggest grocery sale – Grand Orange Bag Days 4.0 (GOBD 4.0). Back on the popular demand of its customers, GOBD 4.0 becomes bigger and better with the promise of lowest prices, discounts and high-quality products being offered over the nine-day sale which is now live until 16^th August.

Keeping current challenging times in consideration, the fourth edition of GOBD is different and demanding, however, Grofers has introduced all the required measures ahead of the sale to deliver an unparalleled experience. The e-grocer aims to serve 5 million customers while ensuring optimum safety of all stakeholders including its partners, employees and customers in strict adherence to the Government’s guidelines. The company has ramped-up its warehouse capacities by adding three new facilities to its network and has hired additional 2000 warehouse staff to meet heightened demand.

The largest e-grocer of India unlocks a significant opportunity to not just benefit its consumers but India’s Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises as well. The brand, under its proprietary initiative Brandfarm works with small and local businesses. The company was already working with 200 MSMEs, and has on boarded 600 new MSMEs as part of this initiative ahead of its GOBD 4.0 sale. Grofers, with its commitment to support the small manufacturing ecosystem, also provides financial assistance to its partners. The company has deployed more than INR 50 crores as working capital support and advance payments to support its small manufacturing partners in a single month. The e-grocer over the nine days aims to sell 2.5 crore items and 5.5 crore items manufactured by its partners and Make in India products respectively.

Commenting on the announcement, Albinder Dhindsa, CEO and Co-founder, Grofers said, “During these trying times, we feel fortunate to be able to provide savings to customers as well as support manufacturers and partners. Our aim, with the latest edition of GOBD, is to help our small scale manufacturing partners, the MSMEs to come back on track so that we can together continue serving customers across India. In addition to this, we have ramped-up production capabilities by hiring additional workforce and taking up new facilities to ensure a smooth customer experience. Customers can expect maximum savings through lowest prices and exciting offers, and can have a safe delivery of products to their doorstep, through a host of measures put in place by us.”

With the unprecedented situation, customers across the country have been deprived of savings in the last five months. Keeping this in mind, the nine-day long sale is set to delight customers with unmatched savings, lowest prices and exciting offers on a range of products – from national brands to Grofers in-house brands. GOBD 4.0 sale is offering various blockbuster deals such as flat 50% off, buy 1 get 1 free, buy 2 get one free. Not only this, shoppers can also grab additional discounts by availing offers from leading banks and payment apps.

Grofers is committed to the safe delivery of savings to its customers and delivers products in sealed and sanitized bags. The company has also mandated daily thermal screening and use of the Aarogya Setu app for better safety of customers and delivery and warehouse staff. Delivery and warehouse staff are trained and are practicing social distancing apart from disinfecting and sanitizing the warehouse every three hours to keep the entire inventory virus-free. Grofers has also introduced Zero-Touch Deliveries, and the delivery and warehouse staff is required to use hand sanitizer after every delivery. Wearing masks, hairnet, gloves, and usage of sanitizers has been made mandatory, and all team members are instructed to change their face mask every two days.

The sale will be live in over 27 cities, namely Delhi, Gurgaon, Noida, Jaipur, Lucknow, Mumbai, Pune, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Meerut and Bhiwadi, among others.

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Paytm launches India’s “first pocket Android POS device” for contactless ordering & payments

Posted on August 10, 2020 by City Today News (City today.media)

Styled like a mobile phone this sleek device has been launched at an introductory monthly rental of Rs 499
It comes bundled with Contactless Ordering software for SMEs, restaurants and takeaway joints
Enabled with integrated billing software, camera for QR scanning, works with 4G sim cards, Wi-Fi & Bluetooth connectivity
Company to invest Rs 100 crore on distribution & marketing of these devices in FY21

Bengaluru, 10^th August’ 2020 : On a mission to equip SMEs with technology-led solutions, India’s homegrown financial services platform Paytm has launched the country’s “first pocket Android POS device” for contactless ordering & payments. The company has introduced ‘Paytm All-in-One Portable Android Smart POS’ at an introductory price of Rs 499 per month rental. Styled like a mobile phone for accepting orders and payments on the go, this is the first such Android-based device to be introduced in India and is much more powerful than the portable Linux based POS devices presently available in the country.

It also comes bundled with Paytm’s ‘Scan to Order’ service that is fast getting adopted by thousands of restaurants and takeaway joints the country. Paytm is offering this high-end POS device effectively at the lowest price in the market, in an effort to empower a large number of SMEs to kickstart their businesses with contactless ordering and payment solutions. This device enables delivery personnel logistic players, Kirana stores, and small shopkeepers to accept digital payments on the go.

The robust, featherweight & ergonomic device weighs only 163 grams, 12mm thick, and has a 4.5-inch touch screen. It comes bundled with a powerful processor, all-day battery life, and an inbuilt camera to scan QR codes and instantly process payment. This fully-loaded device has many industry-first features & services including cloud-based software for billing, payments, and customer management. It works with 4G sim cards, Wi-Fi and has Bluetooth connectivity to ensure payments never fail and stays round the clock connected with all of Paytm’s bouquet of services. The company aims to issue over 2 lakh devices within the next few months which will generate over 20 million transactions per month.

This smart POS device is integrated with the ‘Paytm for Business’ app to generate GST compliant bills and also to manage all transactions & settlements. Besides this, Paytm for Business app also helps merchants to avail of numerous business services and financial solutions such as loans, insurance, and Business Khata to manage digital ledger of all their transactions including udhaar, cash, and card sales. It also has a merchandise store on the app offering Paytm All-in-One QR integrated utility items such as soundbox, calculator, power bank, clock, pen stands, and radio. The Paytm for Business App has witnessed over 20 million downloads and is one of the most popular merchant apps on Google Play Store and App Store.

Renu Satti, Sr. Vice President at Paytm said, “We innovate products & services that are aligned with our mission of enabling SMEs with technology-led solutions. We are confident that this affordable pocket-sized Paytm Android POS device will enable everyone from SMEs to delivery personnel of Kirana Stores to collect payments safely. It is our endeavour to help merchants & traders to easily digitize their business operations, without any investment in technology or backend infrastructure. Our Paytm for Business app, Khata, and payout services are providing the much-needed digitization support to businesses to improve their efficiency & supporting them to join the Digital India mission.”

Launched this year, Paytm Payout is fast becoming a must-have tool for businesses to make regular payments to their employees, vendors, and business partners. During the ongoing pandemic, more businesses have used the service to process payments of over Rs. 1500 crores either to the Paytm wallet, food wallet, gift voucher, or bank account of millions of beneficiaries.

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IDEMIA launches iCube, an innovation and incubation program in India

Posted on August 10, 2020 by City Today News (City today.media)

IDEMIA launches iCube, an innovation and incubation program where the Group will offer its expertise and technology to innovative start-ups and developers in India.

National, 8^th August, 2020 IDEMIA, the global leader in Augmented Identity, launches iCube, an innovation and incubation program to support and assist Indian startups that leverage Augmented identity. In a fast-changing digital environment, Identity has become an indispensable building block for making businesses and cities safer and smarter in a vast range of environments and usages including financial services, healthcare, education, food sustainability, smart cities, IoT, e-Governance, e-commerce, travel & mobility, telecom, defence and more.

IDEMIA addresses these new challenges and needs with the launch of iCube, a program designed to assist and speed up start-ups and innovators in their product development and commercial roll-out.

Pierre Barrial, President & Chief Executive Officer at IDEMIA, stated: “IDEMIA has always been at the cutting edge of innovations in making the world a smarter and safer place. We are delighted to enable start-ups and developers to leverage the innovations we originally developed for corporations and governments across the globe. I am thrilled that the IDEMIA Innovation and Incubation program – iCube – is launched in India, one of our most vibrant markets globally. Not only do I look forward to help start-ups to succeed in India, but I am equally excited about taking some of their solutions to our customers across the world. I look forward to this mutually rewarding and exciting journey of co-creation.”

Sanjeev Shriya, Managing Director IDEMIA India added, “Innovation is the core of IDEMIA’s identity. Over time, we have developed cutting edge solutions with a global impact in domains like Financial services, Citizen Identity, Telecom, IoT or M2M. Thus, we are delighted to announce the launch of iCube – the IDEMIA Innovation and Incubation program that will help build compelling solutions for a safer and better world. This program is designed to assist startups and innovators by providing them access to our expertise and technology. It aims to speed up their product development and help them get to market faster”

To further support developers and innovators, IDEMIA has opened its application program interfaces (APIs) and launched a credit program. In addition, IDEMIA’s engineers and its industry experts will share their insights and knowledge during several sessions and talks.

http://idemia.co.in/iCube

iCube will also work closely with corporations in curating and co-creating solutions that may be mutually beneficial.

IDEMIA will engage with startups and innovators through the following programs:

Startup Assistance Program
An ongoing program providing eligible startups credits to use IDEMIA and partner organizations’ technologies and products, APIs, SDKs, and other support

Accelerator Program
A curated 3-month program to help developers and startups become better prepared for market

Developer Program
A selected opportunity for startups to co-create solutions with IDEMIA’s technology teams and business teams

Scale Fast-Track Program
A selected access for startups to IDEMIA’s global client base and opportunity to jointly go to market with IDEMIA

iCube may also provide selected startups with office space in their world class incubation facility located in Noida, India. iCube has already partnered with Lumis Partners Supply Chain Labs and Freshworks to reach out to a wider range of startups and support them in their journey.

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