2011 World Cup Hero, Zaheer Khan Roped in as the Brand Ambassador of BalleBaazi.com

2011 World Cup Hero, Zaheer Khan Roped in as the Brand Ambassador of BalleBaazi.com

New Delhi, October 13, 2021: BalleBaazi.com’s saga with the 2011 World Cup heroes continues. The brand, known for offering the best sports gaming experience has roped in one of the greatest bowlers to have played for Team India, Zaheer Khan as their brand ambassador. Earlier the brand was endorsed by the Man of the Tournament in World Cup 2011, Yuvraj Singh.

The Padma Shri & Arjuna award recipient will spearhead the company’s campaigns and special tournaments, exhibiting the skills required for playing and excelling in online fantasy sports.

The wily fast bowler Zaheer Khan kick-starts his association with BalleBaazi.com with their upcoming national-level championship series for cricket fans. While the series and its campaign will be revealed soon, cricket enthusiasts can expect it to be one of India’s biggest championship series they have ever participated in. It will be yet another never-seen-before concept, to be hosted on BalleBaazi.com, for the cricketing fans to showcase their talent in one of the most popular games of skill and go for glory!

Welcoming Zaheer Khan as their new brand ambassador, Mr. Saurabh Chopra, CEO of BalleBaazi.com said, “Mr. Zaheer Khan personifies the skill and dedication, which blends well with our vision. We believe the hallmark for achieving success at anything, one needs to have an idol who has been known to do that, time and again. Through this association, we want Zaheer to play that role for our users. Zaheer has been at the forefront of India’s transformation into a world-class cricket team and we are hopeful that under his representation, BalleBaazi.com will revolutionize the OFS industry.”

Acknowledging the association, the left-arm fast-medium bowler Zaheer Khan said, “I am excited to be representing BalleBaazi.com. It is interesting to see how skill-based games like Fantasy sports in India have grown in the last five years. It is an absolute pleasure to acknowledge that the sports fans today, have turned from being just a spectator to a decision-maker basis their understanding and knowledge of the games. The segment overall has altered many misconceptions and emerged as an engaging sports gaming format. Happy to be a part of this popular and growing fantasy platform that glorifies and celebrates every sport in India with its unique take towards the segment.”

BalleBaazi.com has created waves around the fantasy gaming industry by providing the best sports gaming experience and a level-playing field for enthusiasts alike. They recently launched an industry-first Player Intelligence feature which allows users to have access to a plethora of in-depth information while making their teams such as venue-specific performance history, fantasy point break-up, players’ form, and batting position, alongside a specialization feature that detects the strength of an all-rounder. With new additions and initiatives, BalleBaazi.com is setting new benchmarks and making fantasy sports more interactive and exciting for fans.

About BalleBaazi.com
BalleBaazi.com, the fantasy sports gaming vertical of Baazi Games, is India’s best sports gaming experience platform. Sports fans with their knowledge of the game can win real cash by playing on the application. Started in 2018, the platform has attracted over 8 million+ players with its innovative features and formats in the OFS industry.

ZipLoan and U GRO Capital enter co-lending partnership; INR 50 crore committed towards the program

13 October, 2021: ZipLoan, an RBI registered FinTech leader in India, announced that it has tied up with U GRO Capital limited, a listed, MSME lending fintech platform. U GRO Capital has onboarded us on their Co – Lending marketplace GRO X – Stream enabling a co-lending partnership and have committed Rs. INR 50 crore towards the program. This will strengthen ZipLoan’s mission to be able to meet the working capital requirements of MSME and deepen their presence in this sector. ZipLoan will be sourcing, underwriting, disbursing managing the portfolio of MSME loans. The partnership is also in sync with ZipLoan’s long-term growth strategy of strengthening its foothold in India’s growing FinTech markets by bolstering its leadership ranks. U GRO Capital, has consistently been building an ecosystem of FinTech players who can benefit from its API driven technology and data driven underwriting

ZipLoan was founded in 2016 with a mission to ensure easy availability of working capital loans to small business owners in India. Its technology-enabled platform is well equipped to offer credit in a fast and hassle-free manner. Through ZipLoan’s proprietary risk assessment also called ‘ZipScore’, the FinTech platform is able to provide business loans of up to INR 7.5 lakhs in the fastest turnaround times possible, while maintaining favorable unit economics. Till date, ZipLoan has disbursed INR 450 crores of business loans to over 11,000 customers, and the company’s partnership with UGRO is set to further elevate those numbers.

Speaking on the development, Kshitij Puri, Co-Founder and CEO, Ziploan, said, “We are excited to partner with UGRO to help provide the much-needed credit to the MSME eco-system. These businesses are the backbone of the Indian economy and need capital as they bounce back post Covid. We believe next 3-4 years will see a rapid growth in the MSME segment and we intend using a digital first approach to address their needs. It is a pleasure to partner with UGRO in what we know will be a strong and long-standing association. As we advance in our journey, we look forward to this partnership and hope to address the credit pain points of our customers in the most effective manner.”

Speaking on the same, Shachindra Nath, Executive Chairman & Managing Director, U GRO Capital Limited, said, “We are pleased to on board Zip Loan on GRO – Xstream platform of U GRO. GRO – Xstream means GRO Accelerator which is emerging a preeminent platform to provide capital to serve the underserved MSME market. We believe that over period of time large lending institution can also benefit with our technology integration with these platforms and provide more capital to each of our partner on the platform”

U GRO Capital and Kinara Capital Announce Co-Origination Partnership

Mumbai, October 13, 2021: U GRO Capital, a listed, small business lending MSME focused fintech platform, and Kinara Capital, a fast-growing fintech, today announced a strategic co-origination partnership to offer collateral-free business loans to small business entrepreneurs in India. Together, both companies plan to disburse INR 100 crores by the end of FY2022 to MSMEs in Manufacturing, Trading and Services sectors.

The co-origination arrangement will leverage U GRO’s analytical data driven decisioning and integration through APIs with the smart technology platform of Kinara Capital. With years of AI/ML based decisioning and underwriting experience, Kinara Capital can take an MSME entrepreneur from loan application to loan disbursement within 24-hours. MSMEs across 300+ pin codes in Tier 1-3 cities will benefit from this partnership where Kinara is presently operating in the urban, semi-urban and peri-urban areas of Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Telangana and UT Puducherry.

The collaboration is being made possible by U GRO Capital’s Gro X-stream platform, which is an API-driven and highly customizable technology platform for FinTechs, Payment Platforms, NBFCs, NeoBanks, Market places and other digital platforms. Through this platform, U GRO coordinates MSME loans and also does Co-lending with large Banks & Financial Institutions. The company has signed 15+ co-origination partnerships with multiple partners.

Together, U GRO Capital and Kinara Capital aim to ease access to formal credit for hundreds of small business entrepreneurs who need financing for business growth.

Mr. Shachindra Nath, Executive Chairman and Managing Director, U GRO Capital said, “We are excited to enter into a partnership with Kinara Capital, towards our vision of solving the unsolved MSME credit gap. It is our belief that co-origination with FinTech is one of the most effective routes to achieve the financial inclusion of MSMEs, which has prompted us to design our technology platform ‘Gro X-stream’, allowing essential collaborations like this to fructify. We look forward to a long term relationship with Kinara Capital and work towards our common aim to support more MSMEs in their bid to grow.”

Hardika Shah, Founder and CEO, Kinara Capital said, “We are delighted to work with U GRO Capital as they resonate our focus on supporting India’s small business entrepreneurs. As a partner, U GRO has demonstrated equal parts commitment with its financing and technology to join us in easing credit flow to the MSME sector. This instantly impacts both local and national economies, and the job creation is essential as businesses continue to rebuild and grow this year.”

The co-origination partnership is aimed at keeping the process seamless for the entrepreneurs. MSMEs will need to apply only once directly with Kinara Capital and can start the process online, by phone or in-person with a Kinara representative. Once approved, the loan sanction documents will include the names of both U GRO Capital and Kinara Capital. The customer experience will continue to be managed by Kinara Capital which provides complete support in vernacular and offers additional support such as a free digital workshop series with business tips for growth.

Available financing for MSMEs will range from INR 1 lakh to INR 30 lakhs with tenure ranging from 12-60 months. Financing can be availed for Working Capital, Asset Purchase directly from Kinara Capital and women-led businesses receive an automatic, upfront discount with the HerVikas program.

Kinara has 110 branches across 6 states and has provided over 60,000 collateral-free loans to small business entrepreneurs. The social impact of Kinara’s financial inclusion commitment has generated over INR 700 crores in incremental income for the entrepreneurs and supported over 250,000 jobs across local economies in India.

U GRO Capital currently has 34 branches across 9 states. It aims to expand the branch network to 100 by FY2022 and intends to reach 250,000 MSMEs in the coming 4 financial years.

Prega News ropes in Kajal Agarwal as regional brand ambassador for Southern market

National, 13.Oct.2021: Keeping its strategy of riding with national and regional youth icons, Prega News, India’s No.1 pregnancy detection card from the house of Mankind Pharma, has roped in southern actress Kajal Agarwal as its official regional brand ambassador. The collaboration with the actor will help to strengthen Prega News reach among the region’s large and widespread audience.

Kajal is quite a popular, dynamic and versatile actor not only known in Telugu, Tamil, Kannada and other regional markets but holds prominence in Bollywood also. Kajal is the heartthrob of Indian cinema and has a massive fan following across pan-India. She is known for portraying roles in popular regional movies like Sita, Magadheera, Brindavanam along with Bollywood films such as Special 26 and Singham, which were a hit among the audience.

The objective behind the association is that Kajal will play an integral role in intensifying the brand’s reach in the southern Indian market, in addition to promoting the brand at a pan-national level also. As part of the association, the brand will soon launch a 360- degree campaign which will be led by television, print and digital platforms.

Having Kajal on the board, Joy Chatterjee, General Manager- Sales & Marketing, Mankind Pharma said, “We are excited to have Kajal with us as her presence across southern markets will help us in connecting with more and more women, and will also help in building the awareness of the product. The reason behind this partnership is that Kajal is someone to whom young moms can relate easily. Hence, we would like to leverage it and reach out to the expectant mother and be a part of their happiness in their motherhood journey.”

Kajal Agarwal said, “It is very heart-warming to be a part of the Prega News family. The brand gives good news in a few mins and is known for its accurate results. Indeed, it has become a preferred choice for expecting mothers. This is an extremely valuable association for me, and I look forward to a meaningful partnership with the brand.”

Gucci, Armani and Kala Pani looks like the new normal for Rapper Badshah

Rapper Badshah- the music icon, was papped at the Mumbai airport holding this black water- ‘Evocus’. In his usual ‘uber cool’ look, the music heartthrob waved at the paparazzi, while leaving for Chandigarh.

Where water is considered as one of the most important part of our body and health, many of us are still unaware about the Black Alkaline water. Rapper Badshah, a reigning music icon of India, is believed to be consuming the best products to keep him chilled out. So, is Black Water behind the Rapper Badshah’s ‘uber-cool’ swag?

This drink is enriched with 70+ minerals and has a high alkaline pH of 8+, yielding multiple health benefits. Evocus which is ‘more than just water’ contains ultra-hydrating properties which means hydration for a longer period of time. Due to high pH, it controls and reduces the acid built up in the body, due to high pH and high mineral content, it helps in flushing out the toxins from the body. Overall, it creates an environment within the body that is less acidic, well hydrated and detoxed, which improves the bodily functions and improves the absorptions of another micro nutrient.

May be Black Water is the secret to his ‘chilled out’ demeanour, we wonder!

@evocus_water

Price: 200/litre

Availability:
https://drinkevocus.com/
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4 things that will drive customer satisfaction for D2C brands this festive season

With the festive season knocking on the door, D2C brands are adopting various strategies to stay ahead of their competition. While companies mostly rely on deep discounts, cash rewards and smart pricing strategies to attract and retain customers, the cut-throat business environment demands more. Changing consumer behaviours and expectations have brought a shift in this area, and companies must go beyond discount offers to build customer loyalty and attract new customers. The consensus of market analysts is that the evolution of the customer from discount-driven to experience-driven highlights the need for D2C brands to focus on a few key areas to drive customer satisfaction amidst the festive season rush. Pickrr India’s leading logistics and supply chain brands accelerate the growth journey for d2c brand while insuring the customer satisfaction that includes enclosed points:

Faster-delivery

At a time when e-commerce giants such as Amazon and Flipkart offer next-day deliveries, D2C brands cannot afford to lag in this area. For young and up-and-coming brands, delivering their customers’ orders within just 1-2 days can be a challenge, and they often need guidance on various areas of logistics – starting from order phererocessing and choosing the right shipping provider to last-delivery and reverse logistics. Thankfully, 3PL companies and e-commerce fulfilment solutions providers such as Pickrr have lent a helping hand to these brands, empowering them with access to their advanced tech-based tools, pan-India network of shippers, smart warehouses, and even data-driven insights. Also Pickrr Plus, the company claims to reduce customers overall logistics costing by 10-30% and average delivery turnaround time by almost 20%

Easy return management

Returns are an inevitable part of e-commerce businesses, and D2C brands should be prepared to provide a smooth return experience to their customers. In fact, shoppers are more likely to prefer brands that offer them the flexibility to return items/products that do not match their expectations. Companies can leverage modern returns management software platforms to ensure timely pickup of return orders, quick quality assessment, and automated refund of the paid amount to the customer’s account.

Real-time tracking

Post-purchase experience is one of the key factors that differentiates a top-tier brand from a second-rate one. In today’s age of instant gratification, not providing customers with access to real-time tracking of their orders can put a brand’s reputation on the line. D2C companies that offer features to enable seamless, live tracking of orders are better positioned to reinvent themselves as a customer-first brand. It allows customers to feel a better sense of control, and they can get notifications beforehand in case of delivery delays. Ultimately, keeping customers in loop with the entire order process helps foster a sense of trust between the brand and its patrons.

Secure packaging

Poor packaging often leads to product damage, resulting in higher RTOs and customer dissatisfaction. In the long run, it can also tarnish the brand image and cause serious financial loss. Afterall, packaging is the first thing a customer notices upon receiving his/her order, and it plays a vital role in shaping the customer’s perception around a brand. It is, therefore, imperative that the packaging is done in such a way that it is tamperproof, minimizes friction, and can absorb shocks/vibrations and withstand environmental damage. If the package contains liquids or hazardous items, companies must ensure that the package wouldn’t leak even when subjected to high pressure.

Logistics players like Pickrr are introducing special festive offers such as extra credits on wallet recharge to help D2C brands and e-commerce sellers handle the surge in order volumes and better serve their customers. In fact, Pickrr providing brands with access to their complete fulfilment solutions at as low as just 5 Rs per order. These services, which are built on advanced technology-based interventions such as AI, ML and smart data analytics, include picking and dropping packages, smart warehousing solutions, real-time shipment tracking, transparent last-mile delivery, order analysis and customer data, among others. This is enabling brands to focus solely on their sales and marketing, whereas the logistical side of operations is taken care of by the 3PL provider. Subsequently, reliance on these 3PL companies has helped D2C brands to reduce RTO by 2-3% and optimize the overall logistics costs significantly.

Social video, influencers, immersive experiences, and conversational marketing to drive festive shopping this year: Facebook’s Festive Marketing Guide

Social media has emerged as a leading channel to drive brand discovery and purchase during the festive season, says the Guide which is based on multiple research studies

New Delhi, October 12th, 2021: Facebook India today released its Festive Marketing Guide for 2021 which called out social video, influencers, immersive experiences, and conversational marketing as the key trends that will drive the discovery of brands and festive shopping this year.

The key insight from the Guide is that social media is a leading channel to drive brand discovery and purchase during the festive season. A Facebook commissioned online survey by GFK showed that 96% of the surveyed people said that they discover brands and products online. Of the people who use Facebook platforms weekly, 83% who discover new brands and products online typically discover on Facebook platform. The same study showed that of the online shoppers who use Facebook platforms weekly, 96% ultimately purchased fashion, beauty, furniture or consumer electronic products they discovered on the platform.

Arun Srinivas, Director, Global Business Group, Facebook India, said, “The intent to spend on festive is higher this year and several businesses on our platforms have already seen strong results from their festive campaigns as early as August. Digital has emerged as the largest influencer of festive purchase decisions and with more than 400 million Indians on Facebook, we play a pivotal role in discovery and delivering truly incremental business outcomes. The opportunity for businesses, small and large, is to leverage digital to enable personalised discovery through video content, creators, immersive experiences, and conversational marketing.”

Facebook’s Festive Marketing Guide also highlights the structural trend towards online shopping, with 1.2x people adapting it in April 2021 vs before the pandemic. The Guide cites independent research from August 2021 indicating that Diwali spending index for 2021 is higher than last time indicating stronger spending intent.

The Festive Playbook brings together insights from key Facebook commissioned researches, most notably with YouGov, GFK, IPSOS and CrowdDNA, and calls out multiple key trends.

Rise of social video: A Facebook commissioned study by IPSOS shared that connection is a key reason why people watch video with 1 out of 3 people surveyed saying that they watch videos on Facebook to connect with brands. 88% also said that they watch videos at least once a week on Facebook and Instagram. Another Facebook-commissioned study by CrowdDNA found that 94% of viewers who watch publisher videos on Facebook, share it further.

Festive shoppers like recommendations from influencers: Influencers are increasingly playing a critical role in the discovery and purchase process. According to the IPSOS study, half the people said that influencers help them discover new products, and 45% added that influencers help them make a purchase decision. People also said that ‘Lives’ on both Facebook and Instagram help them discover the best deals.

Growth of immersive experiences: Unique virtual experiences have the ability to bring people closer to the brands they love. A Facebook commissioned research on Emerging Trends revealed that 81% people think immersive technologies like Augmented Reality can bridge the gap between online and offline. On Facebook, AR has been creating a new path to customer engagement and conversion, and there has been a whopping 169% year-on-year growth in the membership of Facebook Groups related to AR/VR. The YouGov study has shown that festive shoppers are increasingly influenced by virtual demos in their purchase decisions – 58% for Apparel, 59% for Health & Beauty, 64% for Cars, and 59% for mobile phones.

Seamless, frictionless purchase experiences through conversational marketing:

Conversations with businesses simplify customer experience and enable more buying opportunities. There has been unabated growth in the adoption of conversational commerce with 8 in 10 Diwali shoppers messaging a business when shopping, with messaging services used primarily to provide a frictionless shopping experience as per the YouGov study.

Start early, stay nimble: Another key takeaway from this year’s Festive Playbook by Facebook is that 1 out of 3 shoppers start planning their festive purchases as early as the month of September with the interest increasing significantly by October. Brands thus need to immediately re-strategize their campaigns and adopt a ‘start early, stay nimble’ approach, in order to inspire consumers by enabling discovery of their loved products.

The full Festive Marketing Guide can be accessed here: https://www.facebook.com/business/m/festive-insights