Mahesh Singh

SCOOP: Urban Company has turned profitable at PBT level (profit before tax) on a consolidated basis in the last month. The development will potentially smoothen its public listing plan which is likely to happen in 2025. My story:

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From Swiggy to Zomato to WazirX, Checkout what’s happening…Read on ➡️ Swiggy to sponsor Shark Tank Season 4, excludes Zomato founder Deepinder Goyal as part of deal ➡️ Paytm focusing on consumer payments business: CEO Vijay Shekhar Sharma ➡️ Had to clear out senior Zomato executives who lost the drive post-IPO: Deepinder Goyal ➡️ TikTok's owner is scraping the web 25 times faster than OpenAI ➡️ Google can now lock your stolen Android smartphone automatically and protect personal data ➡️ Swiggy launches XL EV fleet for bulk orders ➡️ Nazara’s Openplay Gets Interim Relief From Calcutta HC In INR 845 Cr GST Notice Case ➡️ Relief For Ola: Karnataka HC Stays Order Declaring Drivers As Startup’s Employees ➡️ Honasa Vs Distributor: D2C Brand Says It Has No Assets In UAE ➡️ WazirX Video Deleted? Sources Say URL Changed, Video Not Taken Down ➡️ Sit Quiet": Bhavish Aggarwal As Kunal Kamra Flags Ola EV Issue ➡️ Zomato CEO slams malls; says, 'need to be 'more humane' towards delivery partners'

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D2C brands are finding a whole new world of opportunity in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities across India. It's not just about the big metros anymore. It's a full-blown revolution, and the numbers tell the story: - 𝗡𝘆𝗸𝗮𝗮'𝘀 𝗣𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝗙𝗿𝗶𝗱𝗮𝘆: Over HALF of their Day 1 sales were from Tier II and III cities. 🤯 (Source-1) - 𝗦𝗨𝗚𝗔𝗥 𝗖𝗼𝘀𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗰𝘀: A whopping 60% of sales are from outside major metros. (source-2) - 𝗢𝗻𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗽𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻 𝗧𝗶𝗲𝗿 𝟮 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝟯 𝗰𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀: Consumers are dropping 16% of their weekly income and spending over 2 hours a week shopping online. (according to a study by CyberMedia Research-3 )🤯  - 𝗥𝗲𝗱𝘀𝗲𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗱𝘆: 88% of new online shoppers by 2030 are projected to be from Tier 2 cities. 📈 (source-4) This ain't just about shopping trends, it's a massive opportunity for creators. Forget the big cities – we're talking about Jaipur, Lucknow, and every damn town in between. It's your chance to connect with audiences on a #hyperlocal level, create content that hits home, and build a personal brand that reaches every corner of the country. Sure, there are challenges —  ▶️ Localization takes effort,  ▶️ building trust in new communities takes time,  ▶️ and logistics can be a headache. For creators ready to hustle, tapping into Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities could be your golden ticket.  The D2C revolution is changing the game, and we've got a chance to write our own damn success stories right alongside these brands that are killing it. Share your tips for reaching Tier 2 and 3 audiences! Ps - Sources in comments. MarkupX Brands . . . . #D2C #creatorEconomy #ecommerce #marketing #startup #tier2 #tier3 #contentmarketing #markupx #markupxbrands

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Recently Zepto reported its FY24 revenue: ₹4454 crs But wait, market leader Blinkit's FY24 revenue: ₹2301 crs How is it possible for Zepto (29% market share) to have more revenue than Blinkit (46% market share)? The answer lies in "business model" When Zepto sells an item for ₹100 (MRP - ₹120, Discount - ₹20), it recognises ₹120 as revenue Source - The Arc When Blinkit sells an item for ₹100 (MRP - ₹120, Discount - ₹20, Commission - 15%), it recognises ₹15 as revenue Source - Zomato annual report Zepto - acts as a "super distributor" who purchases goods from sellers - so all goods are on their books - as a result, both its revenue & costs "look" high Blinkit - acts as a "service provider" who sells logistics to sellers - so all goods are on the books of sellers - as a result, its revenue & costs "look" realistic commensurate to their value in the value chain Is Zepto doing anything wrong with accounting? → Recognising full sales value - ✅ fine (as a distributor) → Recognising sales value before discounts - 🚨 shady (easy to inflate revenues) So don't get misled by claims of "huge" revenues, 70% stores are profitable, etc Both business models have some nuances: 1. Upfront capital requirements If Zepto wants to sell goods worth ₹500 crs next month, they need to purchase goods worth ₹500 crs upfront from sellers. This is an additional constraint If Blinkit wants to sell ₹500 crs next month, they just need the demand & warehouse capacity. They are less constrained on supply side 2. Credit period While Zepto has to purchase goods upfront, they don't have to pay it upfront. They get a credit period from sellers Ex: 1st of month → goods move from seller to Zepto warehouse 30th of month → Zepto pays seller If Zepto sells the goods on 15th day → ✅ they get 15 days interest + flexibility to sell more goods If Zepto sells the goods on 45th day → ❌ they pay 15 days interest + desperate to sell at discounts reducing the margins This aligns incentives for Zepto to insanely focus on demand (volume + velocity) "Show me the incentives & I will show you the outcome" - Its not a wonder that Zepto is the most aggressive in chasing growth This also explains why Zepto is aggressive in fundraising. Its business model demands more capital 3. Take rate Zepto can command a higher take rate (25%) because they buy upfront & pay sellers after credit period irrespective of end user sale taking place Blinkit's take rate (18%) will be lower because they pay sellers only after end user sale happens Who will sellers prefer? Sellers will prefer the player who can quickly sell their goods So QC is not about minimising the time between order placement & delivery Quick commerce is about minimising the time between "goods leaving seller" to "goods received by end user". Whoever does that will be the market leader Zepto's biggest threat is losing customer trust (which seems happening now due to dark patterns) that will drive demand to Blinkit & Instamart

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Very interesting to see that Zepto is pivoting to the Marketplace Model. This will create a revolutionary competition for other major players. Interesting Metrics as per Inc42: ✅Instamart GMV - $1 Bn (CY23 annualised) Market Share : ~32% SKUS 5-6K Avg. Order Value - *₹ 500-550 ✅Blinkit GMV - $1.5 Bn (FY24) Market Share - ~40% SKU - 8-9K Avg. Order Value - ₹617 ✅Zepto GMV - $1.2 Bn (April'24 annualised) Market Share ~28% SKU - ~6K Avg. Order Value : ₹~450 #QuickCommerce

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Yesterday, I got a chance to interact with an e-commerce founder (niche segment) looking to go public, they proudly shared their 45% revenue growth YoY and PAT margins doubling in last 3 years📈. Impressive, right? But then I noticed something they barely mentioned: a 68% customer retention rate! I couldn’t help but say, “Do you realize how powerful this is?” Here’s why customer retention deserves center stage: ✅ 5% more retention = 25–55% more profit (Harvard Business Review) ✅ Loyal customers spend 67% more than new ones (Bain & Co.) ✅ Retention = predictable cash flow = lower investor risk In e-commerce, where average retention is 30–40%, hitting 68% isn’t just good—it’s exceptional. It’s a sign of brand loyalty, trust, and resilience—your ultimate moat 🛡️ Remember, loyal customers are your best investors! 💡 #ecommerce #customerretension #businessgrowth #startuptips #investing

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In India, 300 million people window shop daily, but over 80% can’t buy what they want. Dreampot is here to change that. I’m excited to introduce Dreampot—a game-changer that turns window shoppers into buyers and offers an innovative alternative to BNPL and EMI, helping vendors increase their revenue and sales. Check out this 2-minute video to see how we’re about to disrupt the market and why Dreampot could be the next big thing! Let’s discuss how we’ll make this transformation happen. #dreampot #smarterwaytoshop #ecommerce #bnpl #emi #newwaytoshop #vouchers #indiastartup #D2C #ksum #shopping #winitbeforeyoushopit

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🚨 #BoycottPhonePe: CEO Sameer Nigam’s Comments Spark Backlash 🚨 PhonePe's CEO Sameer Nigam criticized the Karnataka jobs quota bill, and the internet is buzzing with reactions! With hashtags like #BoycottPhonePe and #UninstallPhonePe trending, here's what you need to know: 🔹 Karnataka Jobs Quota Bill: Reserves 70% non-management and 50% management jobs for local Kannadigas. Kannada proficiency required for candidates without Kannada in secondary school diplomas. 🔹 Sameer Nigam’s Remarks: Criticized the bill, sharing personal experiences of frequent relocations due to his father’s Navy career. 🔹 Social Media Storm: Pro-Kannada groups and individuals criticizing Nigam. #BoycottPhonePe and #UninstallPhonePe trending as users express dissatisfaction. 🔹 Wider Implications: Debate on local job reservations vs. national mobility. Mixed reactions from industry and concerns from NASSCOM. 🔹 Industry Reactions: Companies worried about attracting top talent. Supporters highlight regional disparities and local benefits. Dive deeper into this controversy and share your thoughts on the Karnataka jobs quota bill and Sameer Nigam’s comments. Read our full blog for more insights! 📖 Read the full blog post: https://lnkd.in/eCssqN8U #BoycottPhonePe #UninstallPhonePe #KarnatakaJobsQuota #LocalEmployment #EconomicDebate #JobMarket #FacebookNews #IndustryReactions #BusinessControversy

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Sujith Nair, Beckn's WhatsApp-averse, badminton-loving chief mover and shaker, gave us a peek into the world's first # e-commerce protocol. Imagine if Colgate wanted to sell a lot of toothpaste, would it open separate exclusive stores on every street? NO! Instead, it ensures its products are available in all stores where people come to shop, and not just toothpaste. Similarly, Beckn is a way for an online business to make its products and services available on other stores (popular daily-use consumer apps) instead of setting up its own store (its own consumer app) and waiting for customers to come in droves! The Beckn Protocol underpins Open Network For Digital Commerce (ONDC) and is a universal translator for e-commerce platforms. We would normally call it the Rosetta Stone for digital services, but now we have BHASHINI 😉 . It allows disparate systems to "speak" to each other seamlessly. The Beckn Protocol has become a verb in the tech world. "Just Beckn it!" has become a common phrase among developers when discussing open-source solutions for digital commerce. In fact, we like it so much that we are using Beckn use cases as our episode artwork (instead of our normal groovy cover art) to spread the word in our own little way. Some may even argue that the yellow and black in the artwork denote open mobility networks (read taxis) 😀. The even more nerdy might catch the movie reference in the title 🎬. So, is it an app? Is it an aggregator? Is it a platform? No. It is a Super Capability - #decentralised and #open. Listen, learn and use. sujith nair | Pramod Varma | Sanjay Purohit | Shankar Maruwada | Shireesh Joshi | T Koshy | Namma Yatri | FIDE | Antler | Bingepods (Ideabrew Studios) | OpenExO | Thinkers360 | IBM Alumni | Microsoft Alumni Network | The RSA (The royal society for arts, manufactures and commerce) | World Economic Forum | Digital India Corporation | nasscom | Abhishek Singh | Nilesh | Sheetal https://lnkd.in/dydrjnbU

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Not quick commerce. Not fintech. India's potential global B2C brand could be... an audio streaming platform? I’m talking about Pocket FM. They have not only shaped the audio entertainment industry but are now rewriting the global scale-up playbook. 5+ countries and counting (including 10M+ users in the US). This is how India builds for the world. It all started in 2018 with a simple insight - the audio entertainment market had a gap. Either users didn't want it, or it wasn't being executed well. Pocket FM bet on the latter.   In 6 years, their user base now surpasses the entire population of Mexico. 100M+ downloads. 10M+ hours of content. 1.5M+ writers. $150 million ARR. 7X revenue growth in a year. But how did they crack the code that so many others couldn't? Find it out directly from Nishanth S., the Co-founder of Pocket FM. He will share the lessons he learned from building Pocket FM and his insights from creating a new category and scaling the product globally. He will break it all down for you to learn from it :) Saturday, 19th Oct, 4:00 PM, Bengaluru. At 'Your Third Place' - where ambitious folks come to learn, grow, and become world-class. This is invite-only. Apply through the link in the comments. Let's learn how to build the next global Indian brand. Together.

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This is quite an insightful article. The revenue and cost calculations change the figures on the surface quite a bit. Soubhagya Jena can you please throw some light from the company end whose products are stocked by these platforms?

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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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For the 4th year running, number 1 and growing faster than category on the channel Many people believe growth on marketplaces aren’t defensible. I don’t agree with them If you can keep executing ruthlessly on all fronts, market leadership on Amazon/Flipkart is defensible In fact, the flywheel gets activated and things get a little easier with scale. The algorithms give weightage to sales velocity, history of listing, quality of reviews etc. And so with time the organic discovery improves, conversions improve ( as number and quality of reviews increase) and reliance on ads reduce. All of these also result in profitability improving with scale

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Quick commerce is a ~$45 billion market in India - with key players being Blinkit Zepto Swiggy. Most consumers use it 4-5 times a month, but power users (me included!) end up using these platforms as much as 30-40 times a month! So it's not surprising that consumer brands that are listed on them are seeing as high as 20-40% of their revenues coming from these channels. Mansi Baranwal talks about how Quick Commerce has been able to give Troovy a significant boost and levelled the playing field for consumer brands at large. Watch the full episode here: https://lnkd.in/gA7dQj-v

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How Brand Awareness gets built over years :) Consistent investment of 4-5 percent of revenue( or whatever your Gross margins allow) in building long term brand awareness always works, when done for years Every year the peaks and the base both gets higher

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OkCredit has reached >98% of Indian PIN codes with ZERO sales team. How did we achieve this? 👇🏽 Product-led growth Imagine there’s a wholesaler who uses OkCredit & records credits on 10 other retailers. The retailers receive WhatsApp notifications for the transactions recorded on them. The retailers in turn get introduced to OkCredit & discover how easy it is to manage their ledger and collect payments with timely reminders. We onboard 1.5 Lakh new merchants every month without a single penny spent on marketing. The ROI on paid marketing has dropped significantly and it doesn't move the needle after a point. If you want to grow really big, there's only one way - create virality loops in your product and make your existing users recommend it to other people.

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📈 Elevation Capital's report unveils some staggering statistics: 💰 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐮𝐞 𝐌𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐧𝐞: The combined revenue of new-age brands tracked by Elevation Capital has already surpassed $5B/₹40,000 crore. 🚀 𝐁𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐆𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐭𝐡: It is anticipated that 100+ new-age brands will each generate ₹500 Cr+ in annual revenue in the coming years. 💻 𝐎𝐧𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐞𝐫 𝐒𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠: The report projects that online consumer spending in India will reach $300 billion by 2030. 📈 𝐆𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐭𝐡 𝐒𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐬: Sectors such as 𝐛𝐞𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞, 𝐡𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐟𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐛𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐬, 𝐟𝐚𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐨𝐧, 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐬 are expected to see significant growth 🔍 Yesterday had the fortune of listening to Gurudev Prasad's insights which validated the same and highlighted ways to cope up with these trends: 🛍️ Consumers' lives are increasingly dominated by Indian brands particularly startups right from waking up to sleeping back from ordering food to cabs, from booking flights to hotels, everything is being done via their smartphones. This calls for understanding the consumer motivations better.    📈 High demands and rising expectations are shaping consumer behavior as they don't want to settle for anything but the best    🤝 Sharing becoming the new currency in brand-consumer relationships as everything is being shared on social media ⏰ Convenience is going to be the key as customers see value only through rising convenience   👥 Brands need to humanize more with founders' stories on the front as a way to connect with the consumers 🛠️ Sahil Gupta's Amazon-inspired methodology weaved it together through the 5 key questions which paves the way to build a sustainable brand:   1. 🎯 Who is the customer? 2. 💡 What is the pain point/problem? 3. 🛠️ What is the solution? 4. 🌟 How will the end-to-end CX look like? 5. 📊 What is the metric to measure the same?  Interested in knowing more about the brands of India? Starting an upcoming Brand Series for the same #BrandInsights #ConsumerBehavior #InnovationGoals #BrandswithNeha #IndianStartups 🌟

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