Dhiraj Gupta

Based on IDC data on price segment-wise shares, here are my observations: 1. The Entry Level segment has declined since Q2 2023. Analysts feel it should go up with the collaboration between chipset vendors and brands through their offering of sub Rs. 8500 5G smartphones. I have written a lot on the fact that I am not very confident of the success of this thought. To me in the long run the segment will decline. 2. The share of the basic segment in Q2 2024 was the same as in 2023. It did show a bit of a spike in Q1 2024. However, I would expect it to remain in this range or rather go down as and when 5G devices below Rs 8500 get launched. Being the largest it makes sense for brands to get their volumes from here. 3. The Entry premium segment has shown a good jump being an upgrade segment for the existing Basic category 5G customers and I would expect it to grow further. There is an opportunity for brands to target this segment which happens to be the second largest in volumes. 4. The Mid Premium segment is a small segment that has been between 3-5% since 2022. In Q2 2024 the entry Premium segment was pushed up at the cost of the Entry segment. I would expect something similar to happen here with a rise in the Mid Premium segment though in small %’s. 5. The premium segment has primarily N-1 and N-2 models of iPhones with some quantities of Samsung and OnePlus. This segment should also not grow and as such can be avoided by other brands till such time that they uplift their brand image. 6. The Super Premium segment is basically a segment for iPhones and Samsung presently. We can see it from the fact that its contribution came down from 9% to 7% between Q1 and Q2 2024 as both iPhone and Samsung sales in this segment took a hit. It will rise again in Q3, Q4 and Q1 when Apple and Samsung launch their new range of high end devices. 7. Vivo is the only brand which appears in the top 3 between the Basic and the mid premium segment

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Here is the IDC Report for India Phone Market Q2 2024 Some Insights iQOO Finally Entered in top 10 Motorola got 7th Postion Ahead of POCO Apple is at No. 6 Vivo at No.1 Oneplus is at 9th Postion constantly loosing market share in 2024

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✅ Snap-E Cabs hits 900k+ downloads on Google Playstore + Appstore. Here are some interesting facts : - We just turned 2 years old. - So far we are only operating in Kolkata - We have barely spent on Online Marketing to acquire customers. - You won't see us on hoardings across the city for Branding & Customer Acquisition. 🔴 So how are we doing business? Especially in a domain where numerous big players are splashing money on advertising & branding for customer acquisition. ✅ The Answer: The quality of our Service. Our comfortable cabs. Our clean cabs. Our pre-cooled cabs. Cabs that feel like your own personal vehicle. All these lead to "Word of Mouth Marketing". Which has an insane compounding effect on any business. We take the entire responsibility for your ride. We don't ply third-party cars with third-party drivers. It's our car. Our own trained drivers. Our responsibility.

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networked and connected TV is the future...

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New realme 13 Series 5G Charge, Play, and Dominate for Professional Gamer   The latest lineup from realme focuses on benefits that will help gamers get “Limitless Speed to Victory”  #realme When it comes to gaming, every second counts. From perfectly timed headshots to executing complex moves in the heat of battle, gamers know that all-around performance is key. And it’s not just about one’s skills, the device of choice plays a huge factor in racking up all those victories.  The brand new realme 13 Series 5G, launching on October 24, is poised to redefine mobile gaming with its promise of "Limitless Speed to Victory." Already making waves as the Official Gaming Smartphone for this year's international Esports tournament for Honor of Kings, the 2024 Honor of Kings Championship, the realme 13 Series is proving its dominance with unmatched performance and gaming prowess. Featuring the realme 13+ 5G and realme 13 5G, this series is set to impress with its exceptional gaming performance, advanced cooling systems, and unrivaled charging speed. To further win over Filipino consumers, top names in the local gaming scene like Falcons AP Bren and the iconic duo OhmyV33nus and Wise Gaming are already praising the realme 13 Series 5G for its game-changing capabilities.   MediaTek Dimensity 7300 Energy Gamers, particularly competitive players, will appreciate the exceptional performance of the realme 13+ 5G, powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 7300 Energy processor. This advanced processor effortlessly handles the most demanding games while supporting high frame rates at 90FPS or higher, depending on the game. It balances power with efficiency to boost overall gaming performance while conserving energy, running graphics-rich games, and helping reduce overheating. Paired with realme’s software, this processor supports other flagship features, including Geek Power Tuning. This feature lets players customize CPU and GPU speeds to match their gaming needs, ensuring they can push their performance to the limit and unleash their true potential. Whether aiming for maximum speed or optimizing battery life, the realme 13+ 5G gives users the power to game on their terms. “Ang galing kasi ang bilis makakeep-up ni realme sa needs ng mga mobile gamers kagaya ko. Pag naglalaro ng mobile games, sobrang importante na smooth yung experience. Malaking bagay yung nakakasunod sa pace ng laro yung device. Kaya swak talaga yung realme 13+ 5G (realme is impressive because it quickly keeps up with the needs of mobile gamers like me. When playing mobile games, having a smooth experience is really important. It makes a big difference when the device can keep up with the pace of the game. That's why the realme 13+ 5G is a perfect fit),” Falcons AP Bren member Pheww said.   80W SUPERVOOC Charge Power and charging are crucial for gamers. They need a device that can keep pace with their relentless training schedules and the high demands of professional Esports. A...

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Irrespective of what the numbers say( BARC data for TV, OTT claimed data etc), the cost of building brand awareness is increasing year on year For example: 15 years back when there was no CTV, no Hotstar, no Jio Cinemas, a certain marquee cricket sponsorship on TV would have cost X crores and helped you reach every cricket viewer Today the same sponsorship on TV will cost approximately 4-5X(adjusted for claimed higher viewership and inflation ), but you don’t reach all cricket viewers because top 1-5 percent households at least in metroes have moved to CTV and OTT for sports consumption. So you need to spend approximately another 3X on those channels there to be able to reach all cricket viewers with same reach and frequency as 15 years back So what ideally should have been 3X( adjusted for inflation) is now 7-8X to reach the same consumer base Cricket was one example. Same is true for most things. KBC, Big Boss etc. TV ad expenditure has been growing for last 10 years and digital has also grown independently. While I don’t know the exact rate of growth of ad expenditure, definitely it has been much higher than GDP growth in last 10-15 years So, cost of reach has gone up and ad efficiency is definitely down Brands who are now starting their journey will have to spend much more than brands who started 20 years back And the biggest beneficiaries of this phenomena will be legacy brands with already high brand awareness

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Secured Lending platform launch is our effort in the direction to make PhonePe end to end destination for all loan products.

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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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Authored a report on Realme smartphone business in Q1 2024 for TechInsights. It is titled "Q1 2024: Realme: Strong Rebound, Headwinds Remain in India". Some key points: 1. Realme smartphone shipments grew a strong 17% YoY in Q1 2024. The macroeconomic scenario improved compared to Q1 2023 plus new product launches coupled with weak Q1 2023 led to the annual growth. 2. The growth is driven by the solid performance in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) and Middle East and Africa (MEA). Also, the vendor grew in triple digits on a low base in Western Europe (WE) and Central and Latin America (CALA). 3. The resolution of dispute between Oppo group and Nokia has been good so far for the vendor and should be a new ray of hope for Realme in the future. Report link: https://lnkd.in/dewBA8Qf Journalists and media friends are welcome for some high level thoughts.

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What will drive the volumes in the smartphone volumes in 2024? High growth: 5G devices in general and 5G devices less than Rs 10000. Most chip vendors and brands are banking on this as per agencies. Medium growth: AI. Real AI will be more visible in the mid premium and above segments which is only 37% of the market. A smaller market with lesser players. Still important for all brands in terms of premiumisation. It will be difficult to do volumes in mid premium and above segments unless the devices support AI. Low growth: Form factor like Folding/Flip differentiation. This market is expected to be 0.8 million devices this year with #Samsung having close to 80% market share. How much can limited brands like #OnePlus, #Vivo , #Oppo and #Motorola etc do in terms of volumes to grow the market at high price points? Not much. It's more about positioning here for all except Samsung. Samsung India vivo India Xiaomi India OPPO India realme India apple India OnePlus India OPIndia POCO India POCO India Transsion India Motorola Mobility India Ltd

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PayU India's LazyPay halts its buy-now-pay-later (#BNPL) service temporarily. In a letter sent to merchants on Nov 12th, seen by The Head and Tale, the company said that it is done "due to some internal re-organization of its businesses." #fintech #payments Top #FintechHighlights: - Rajeev Misra steps down as co-chief of SoftBank Vision Fund - Razorpay plans to invest in 50 startups through venture investment initiative - Jupiter saw its net losses go down to Rs 275.9 crore in FY24 compared to Rs 327 crore in FY23 - Payment aggregator firm Infibeam posts Rs 1016 crore in Q2 revenues - Coinswitch's parent sees dip in revenue from operations to Rs 38 crore - KYC startup Equal raises $10 million in Series A led by Prosus, others - Perfios reported Rs 71.7 crore in profit after tax, up from Rs 7.79 crore in FY23 - Cashfree pilots cross-border payments with Swiggy, Nykaa, others - Juspay reports almost 50% increase in revenue from operations in FY24 Read The Head and Tale for daily highlights https://lnkd.in/gKRfVCHe

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According to recent, unconfirmed claims, a hacker obtained access to Airtel India's customer #database, which contains information on 37.5 crore people. Customers' email addresses, #Aadhaar IDs, dates of birth, fathers' names, mobile numbers, and other information are purportedly contained in the database. Reports state that the hacker is asking $50,000 USD (about Rs 41 lakh) in #bitcoin to be paid for the database on a hacking site. The hacker, who goes by the handle "#xenZen," also revealed that a data sample was given and that the attack happened in June 2024. airtel, on the other hand, has refuted the allegations, stating that "vested interests are making a desperate attempt to tarnish Airtel's reputation." The #telecom provider added that it has carried out a comprehensive examination and can attest to the fact that there have been no breaches in its systems. #startup #enterprener #entrepreneurship #funding #fundraising #investment #podcast #startupnews #India #indiastartup #businessnews #thebusinesstouch

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And now the data from the 3rd research agency #CMR for Q2 2024. 1. Contribution of 5G handsets touched 79% in the market. The demand for 4G is going down and as chipset makers and brands work on a sub Rs 8k 5G phone could crash in the next couple of quarters. 2. 5G smartphones in the price band of Rs 10,000 to Rs 13,000 grew by over 200% year-on-year. 3. The premiumization wave continued with the premium segment (above INR 25,000) witnessing a 9% YoY growth. Some agencies start the premium segment at Rs 34000, some at Rs 25000 and some at Rs 30000! 4. The market declined by 4% YoY. , Canalys had estimated the market to have grown by 1% and Counterpoint showed a decline by 2%. A huge variation of 5% amongst the 3 agencies. On a shipment base of 36 million approximately this would mean a difference of close to 2 million which could impact the share of brands drastically with the gap between the top 3 being within 1-2%. 5. #Xiaomi stood at No. 1 with 19% share followed by #Samsung around the same% 19%. #Vivo took the third rank with a 17% share. #Realme and #Oppo secured fourth and fifth ranks, respectively, with a share of 13% and 9% respectively. 6. #Apple captured a 5% market share with the iPhone 15 series contributing the highest. #Motorola saw a >175% YoY growth. 7. The Indian smartphone market is expected to grow 7-8% in 2024, driven by strong demand for 5G and AI smartphones. Every agency shares data for price segments as per their liking and there is no way anyone can cross check the data. Is it done intentionally? I strongly feel the price segmentation should be fixed for all to give a true picture of the market. Three key common takeaways from all 3 agencies for Q2 2024: 1. Xiaomi is No. 1 2. Share of 5G is rising fast. 3. Motorola is gaining share Xiaomi India Samsung India vivo India realme India OPPO India apple India Motorola Mobility India Ltd

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CHANNELIAM FUNDING TRACKER RECENT UPDATES 1.    Chosen® Raises USD 1.2 Mn in Seed Round 2.    Clodura.AI Raises USD 2 Mn from Bharat Innovation Fund 3.    Digital marketing automation #startup Maino.ai raises $1.8 Mn 4.    #Healthtech startup DocPlix raises Rs 1.2 Cr in bridge round 5.    Speciality chemicals startup Scimplify to raise $5 Mn 6.    Robinhood acquires Bitstamp in $200M deal to expand #crypto presence globally #funding #startups #businessnews #channeliam

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CLSA published a detailed research report on India quick commerce. Recommended reading. Who will be the first to create a $50-100Bn company in India internet? #Zepto #Zomato #IndiaInternet

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