iWorld
Koo inks partnership with CleverTap to engage more users
KOLKATA: Homegrown micro-blogging platform Koo has announced its partnership with CleverTap, a SaaS-based mobile marketing company. The decision follows a steady success of Koo’s partnership with CleverTap for their first product, Vokal.
This partnership is aimed at engaging app users via push and in-app notifications using CleverTap’s real-time, data-driven insights promising high user engagement and retention.
According to the Contribution of Smartphones to Digital Governance in India report by The India Cellular and Electronics Association (ICEA) in partnership with KPMG India, India is expected to hit 829 million smartphone users by 2022. This increased mobile adoption presents marketers and brands with a massive opportunity to not only reach out to current and potential customers but also enhance their engagement and deepen loyalty by delivering a seamless brand experience.
Riding on this opportunity, CleverTap is aiming to leverage artificial intelligence and machine learning to personalise the customer experience using real-time behavioural data. CleverTap’s technology offers live user segmentation, sophisticated omni channel campaigns, and deliverability of 23 million push notifications a minute. Furthermore, the company offers 12 different channels for engagement, it said on Tuesday.
CleverTap co-founder and CEO Sunil Thomas says, “Koo’s understanding of user experience and expertise in promoting regional content is uniquely complementary to CleverTap’s omnichannel marketing platform. With our passion for enabling brands to deliver highly successful marketing campaigns and delightful end-user experiences, we are excited to help Koo gain a deeper understanding of user behaviour that will help them achieve their goal of connecting with 100 million users this year.”
As per the Google KPMG report, the Indian internet user base will increase to 735 million by the end of 2021. Indian language internet users are expected to grow at a CAGR of 18 per cent to reach 536 million by the end of 2021, while English users are expected to grow at only three per cent reaching 199 million within the same period.
In a market dominated by global apps like Twitter and Facebook, Koo is trying to emerge as a differentiator by promoting vernacular content while reaching out to multilingual audiences across the country.
Commenting on the partnership, Koo’s co-founder, Mayank Bidawatka said, “Our partnership with CleverTap will be instrumental in creating actionable user segments and keeping users engaged on our platform. We believe that CleverTap’s real-time insights and omnichannel solutions will not only help us establish a stronger connection with our existing users, but also attract more customers. Through this partnership, we are confident in our ability to increase clickthrough rates and achieve a double digit increase in the overall app sessions”.
e-commerce
Flipkart cuts around 300 jobs in annual performance review
E-commerce giant trims ~1.5 per cent of workforce as IPO preparations continue.
MUMBAI: Flipkart just gave performance the pink slip because when the annual review bell rings, even the biggest cart sometimes needs to lighten its load. Flipkart has let go of approximately 300 employees as part of its annual performance management cycle, Moneycontrol reported on 7 March 2026, citing people familiar with the matter. The exits represent roughly 1.5 per cent of the company’s total workforce of around 20,000 people across its businesses.
The move follows Flipkart’s standard practice of asking employees placed in lower performance bands to leave during yearly reviews, a process the company has carried out periodically in recent years. A similar exercise in early 2024 saw around 1,000 employees (nearly 5 per cent of the workforce) exit.
The latest round comes amid Flipkart’s continued push for operational efficiency and cost discipline, mirroring broader trends across the Indian startup ecosystem where funding slowdowns have shifted focus toward profitability.
The development also arrives as Flipkart advances preparations for a potential domestic IPO. The company has held early discussions with investment banks including Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, JP Morgan and Kotak Mahindra Capital to explore feasibility. Industry sources indicate a possible listing timeline of late 2026 or early 2027, though the final size and schedule remain undecided.
In December 2025, Flipkart received National Company Law Tribunal approval to shift its holding company domicile from Singapore back to India. a key regulatory step that simplifies the group structure ahead of a public market debut.
Controlled by Walmart, Flipkart remains one of India’s largest e-commerce platforms, locked in fierce competition with Amazon. In a market where every rupee counts and every headcount is scrutinised, the latest cuts aren’t just housekeeping, they’re part of a bigger balancing act between growth ambitions and the road to listing.
