MAM
Google Pay tops the chart among e-wallets app users at 38%, followed by Amazon Pay & Paytm: WATPapers
Mumbai: WATConsult, the hybrid digital agency from Dentsu Creative India, has released the latest issue of its monthly WATPapers. Titled ‘Digital Transactions in India’, the report is by WATConsult’s research division, Recogn. The report shares insights on the increase in online businesses and purchases, changes in the process of making payments, and the migration of people from cash to digital transactions.
According to the report, the majority of respondents prefer to use digital payment systems like e-wallets and UPI. Apart from that, they have also used credit cards and net banking to complete transactions. It is worth noting that, while 46 per cent of males prefer e-wallets, the majority of females prefer UPI to transact. Furthermore, many youngsters in the age group of 18 to 24 years prefer using UPI and e-wallets.
The report further reveals that among the e-wallet app users, Google Pay (38 per cent) tops the chart, followed by Amazon Pay (37 per cent), Paytm (36 per cent), and Freecharge (32 per cent). While female users choose to use Google Pay, male users prefer using Amazon Pay, Paytm, and Google Pay. In small metropolitan areas, users prefer to use JioPay, Google Pay, and WhatsApp to transact.
Users favour e-wallets owing to the need to switch to a digital payment system and reduce cash transactions. These apps are convenient since they are easy to use and access. Additionally, users also get discounts or cashback on using them, along with some special benefits from specific retailers as well.
“Mobile payments, especially mobile wallets, have been a great driver towards this phenomenon and revolution on a global basis,” said Isobar India group CEO Heeru Dingra, commenting on the latest issue of WATPapers. “Gradually, India is moving toward a cashless economy, which explains the increasing trend of using digital payments systems extensively. The government, under the programme of digital India, has been encouraging and promoting the use of e-wallets via UPI.”
“The UPI platform has witnessed a leap in adoption at a phenomenal growth rate as a payments product across the country. There have been many merchants and businesses in the digital as well as offline ecosystems that have integrated the options of e-wallet apps and UPI for customers’ convenience and ease of transaction. This has positively influenced the country’s mobile wallet market,” she added.
WATConsult managing partner Sahil Shah said, “In the emerging markets, e-wallet apps have garnered much more attention compared to other forms of payment systems. Digital payment adoption is growing, and the onset of the pandemic has created a need for contactless payments in everyday life. The need for digital payments and the rise in the frequency of usage of e-wallets during the pandemic have been evident. There was a change in the behaviour of consumers during the pandemic which had a direct impact on the retail and e-commerce sectors.”
For the record, WATPapers are monthly published short reports based on the primary research conducted by Recogn, the agency’s research division that provides consumer and business insights to the audience. It aims to delve into the different aspects of the digital industry, consumer behaviour, and more.
Link to the report: https://www.watconsult.com/watpapers-digital-transactions/
Brands
Estée Lauder to shed 10,000 jobs as new boss bets on digital shift
The cosmetics giant raises its profit outlook but stays silent on a possible merger with Spain’s Puig, as job cuts deepen and a three-year sales slump weighs on the turnaround
NEW YORK: Stéphane de La Faverie is not done cutting. Estée Lauder announced on Friday that it plans to eliminate as many as 3,000 additional jobs, taking its total redundancy programme to as many as 10,000 roles, up from a previous target of 7,000 announced a year ago. The company, which owns La Mer, The Ordinary, Tom Ford, and Aveda, employs roughly 57,000 people worldwide. The mathematics of what is now being contemplated is stark.
The fresh round of cuts is expected to generate a further $200 million in savings, bringing the total annual savings from the programme to as much as $1.2 billion before taxes. That money, De La Faverie has made clear, will be ploughed back into the turnaround.
A CEO in a hurry
De La Faverie, who took the helm in January 2025, inherited a company that had endured three consecutive years of annual sales declines. His response has been to move fast and cut deep. A significant portion of the latest redundancies reflects his push to reduce headcount at US department stores, long a cornerstone of Estée Lauder’s distribution model but now a channel in structural decline. In their place, he is accelerating the shift toward faster-growing online platforms, including Amazon.com and TikTok Shop, a pivot that is reshaping not just where Estée Lauder sells but how it thinks about its customers.
The numbers are moving in the right direction
Despite the pain, there are signs the medicine is working. Estée Lauder raised its profit outlook for the remainder of the fiscal year, guiding for adjusted earnings per share in the range of $2.35 to $2.45, above analyst estimates and a notable step up from the $2.05 to $2.25 range it had guided for in February. Organic net sales growth is expected to come in at 3 per cent, the company said, at the high end of the range it set out in February.
The share price tells a mixed story. After De La Faverie took charge, the stock surged nearly 60 per cent, buoyed by investor optimism that a longtime company insider could finally arrest the decline. But 2026 has been rougher: the shares have fallen 27 per cent this year, weighed down by disappointing February results and the overhang of unresolved merger talks with Spanish beauty giant Puig Brands SA. The company gave no additional details about those discussions on Friday, leaving the market to guess.
Silence on Puig
The proposed tie-up with Puig remains the most consequential unknown hanging over Estée Lauder. A deal with the Barcelona-based group, which owns brands including Carolina Herrera and Rabanne, would reshape the global luxury beauty landscape. But with nothing new to say and a turnaround still very much in progress, De La Faverie is asking investors to trust the process.
Three years of sales declines, 10,000 job cuts, and a merger that may or may not happen. At Estée Lauder, the overhaul has barely started.
