Brands
23% Indians use m-payments once a week: Kantar TNS study
MUMBAI: Connected consumers in India are increasingly using mobile-based payments according to the results from the latest Connected Life study from Kantar TNS. Post demonetisation and with a greater push by the government for adoption of digital payments, mobile payments have seen a sharp rise with 1 in 3 (35 per cent) connected consumers in India using it. The popularity of mobile payments in India is also revealed by the number of regular users, with 23 per cent saying they use mobile payments at least once a week.
The results of the study show that India is ahead by 35 per cent compared to other APAC countries like Indonesia’s 9 per cent, and Philippines’s 7 per cent, but still has a lot of catching up to do with the likes of China at 94 per cent and Singapore at 65 per cent where mobile payments have become a regular habit.
The popularity of mobile payments in India is set to rise further, as the future seems bright with 33 per cent of connected Indians claiming to prefer paying for everything using mobile phones in the coming months. This seems far more promising than other APAC countries like Vietnam, Indonesia and Philippines.
Kantar TNS executive vice president India Anusheel Shrivastava says, “The mobile payment space was already heating up with the launch of several mobile wallets by leading banks and aggressive promotional pushes for customer acquisition by the likes of Paytm. The trend gained momentum after demonetisation, as the scope for digital payments shot up leading to a sharp rise in adoption of mobile payments in India.”
The study also revealed that APAC leads the world in m-commerce. Connected consumers in Asia Pacific are one-third (33 per cent) more likely to make an online purchase on their mobile than via a desktop or laptop.
Southeast Asian countries are leading the way when it comes to m-commerce. The majority of people with internet connections in Asian markets such as Indonesia with 93 per cent, Thailand with 93 per cent, Vietnam with 86 per cent and India with 85 per cent, are using their mobiles to make purchases as they leapfrog traditional forms of online shopping and go straight to their phones.
Brands
Hardik Jhaveri named senior director marketing at Colgate-Palmolive Asean hub
Former Hill’s Pet Nutrition general manager returns to the company to steer marketing for South Asean from Kuala Lumpur
KUALA LUMPUR: Hardik Jhaveri has been appointed senior director marketing for the South Asean hub at Colgate-Palmolive, marking a return to the consumer goods major after a three year stint with Hill’s Pet Nutrition. He will be based in Kuala Lumpur and will lead marketing strategy for the region.
Jhaveri joins the role after serving as general manager at Hill’s Pet Nutrition in Taipei, where he led a cross functional team and oversaw the business with full profit and loss responsibility. The role placed him at the helm of operations in Taiwan, managing growth in what he described as a start-up style environment within a global multinational.
Before that, Jhaveri spent over a decade with Colgate-Palmolive across several marketing and innovation roles in Asia. As associate director innovation for Apac excluding China, based in Hong Kong, he led new product development and launches across multiple markets.
His portfolio ranged from developing specialised oral care products such as a diabetes focused toothpaste for the Indian market to launching premium oral care experiences under the Colgate Total brand in Australia. Alongside innovation, he also worked on launch planning, brand strategy and communications for the company’s oral care portfolio.
Earlier in his Colgate-Palmolive journey, Jhaveri held roles including marketing manager innovation, senior brand manager and brand manager. His work spanned urban and rural markets in Mumbai and customer development responsibilities in the Greater Kolkata Area.
Prior to his long association with Colgate-Palmolive, Jhaveri worked as brand officer home care at Unilever, where he helped drive marketing initiatives for the Rin detergent brand, including nationwide relaunch and on ground activation campaigns.
He began his career in advertising with Bates David Enterprise, working on brands such as IDBI Bank, The Leela Hotels and The Times of India.
Jhaveri holds a post graduate programme in management from the Indian School of Business and has also completed a level 4 diploma in wine from the Wine & Spirit Education Trust.
Announcing the move, Jhaveri said he is excited to begin his new chapter at Colgate-Palmolive’s South Asean hub and thanked colleagues and mentors who supported his journey at Hill’s Pet Nutrition.
