Brands
Zoreko unveils itself as SMAAASH Fun Gateway Arena Pvt Ltd’s new avatar
Mumbai: Changing the face of the gaming industry, the first-ever pioneering force proudly announces a mighty leap forward with its brand transitioning from ‘SMAAASH Fun Gateway Arena Private Ltd’ to ‘Zoreko – Original Gamers’. This transition marks the dynamic evolution and expansion of the brand, solidifying its unending commitment to innovation, quality, and customer satisfaction.
This transitional venture represents a strategic shift towards a more spirited and engaging brand experience. Zoreko consulting CMO Avanish Agarwal said about the new transition, “This rebranding effort is a strategic move towards aligning the brand more closely with its target audience and its core offerings. The name we have chosen, Zoreko – Original Gamers, conveys our company’s commitment and emphasis on giving our patrons an authentic and immersive gaming experience. We feel that all gamers should be able to have access to a world-class, cutting-edge gaming experience.”
New Brand Identity
Zoreko – Original Gamer’s new core values are redefining its presence in the gaming and entertainment sector in the minds of the consumers. By adding ‘Original Gamers’ into the name of the company, Zoreko is signifying its commitment to catering to the needs and wants of hardcore gamers, which can help attract this lucrative target audience, and at the same time, bring to mind, its gaming legacy. It stands out from its competitors by positioning itself as a specialized gaming arena, and a one-stop spot for gaming and F&B, separating itself from generalized family entertainment centers.
Expansion plans
Zoreko – Original Gamers is set to open its flagship outlet at Elan in the first week of June. In addition, there will be two additional centres opening this year at Mohali and Patiala. This geographical expansion marks their entry into a new market where there is a high demand for specialised gaming centres. The company is also investing in cutting-edge technologies that provide the best, immersive, experience for India’s passionate gaming community. With these new technologies, virtual reality experiences, and arcade facilities, Zoreko – Original Gamers aims to further solidify itself as a premier destination for gaming enthusiasts, and become a one-stop spot for high-tech games, fortified with a bold menu.
Future plans
Zoreko – Original Gamers looks forward to capitalizing on India’s expanding VR and AR experiences, aiming to be at the forefront of this growing USD 3 Billion sector. It also plans on hosting competitive events like e-sports tournaments, as well as collaborating with game developers and publishers to offer exclusive gaming experiences and early access to new releases. Additionally, they plan to offer comprehensive gaming-related merchandise and accessories.
Zoreko – Original Gamers also plans to focus its expansion in the digital world, by building a community for gaming enthusiasts to foster engagement and loyalty. Zoreko – Original Gamers is committed to continuous innovation and adapting to emerging trends, technologies, and preferences of their target audience of experienced gamers. All of this will ensure that the company will remain at the top of its game, and top of its consumer’s mind.
Brands
E-commerce growth rises, but profits come under pressure
Shop Culture flags rising costs, weak systems and a $5.38 billion quick-commerce boom reshaping global retail
MUMBAI: E-commerce is booming, but profits are thinning. A new report by Shop Culture warns that brands clinging to outdated, growth-at-all-costs strategies are being outpaced in a costlier, more complex 2025 landscape.
Global online retail is expected to cross $6.86 trillion this year, with 2.77 billion shoppers making at least one purchase. Yet returns are under strain: average return on ad spend has slipped to 2.87:1, exposing cracks in how brands chase scale without building sustainable margins.
Three shifts are rewriting the rules. First, retail media is getting pricier, with Amazon’s average cost per click rising 15.5 per cent year-on-year to $1.12. Second, while 77 per cent of e-commerce professionals now use AI daily, many see limited gains as weak systems blunt its impact. Third, geography is no longer expansion, it is strategy. The share of Shop Culture clients operating across multiple markets has more than doubled, from 30 per cent in 2024 to 65 per cent in 2025.
Subarna Mukherjee, founder and ceo, Shop Culture, is blunt: “The e-commerce industry has a nostalgia problem. In 2022, the playbook was simple: list aggressively, spend on ads, and ride the wave of post-pandemic digital adoption. It worked. Revenue grew rapidly. But by 2025, the industry is seeing the consequences of those structural shortcuts. E-commerce itself is not slowing down, the challenge lies in how brands are operating within it.”
Nowhere is the shift sharper than in India’s quick-commerce boom. The segment is set to hit $5.38 billion in 2025, growing 17 per cent and emerging as the fastest-growing globally. What began as a convenience play is fast becoming a margin buffer. In one case, quick commerce drove 70 per cent of a packaged food brand’s online revenue, delivering 130 per cent year-on-year growth. A beauty brand, meanwhile, saw selling prices rise 25 per cent higher than on traditional marketplaces.
Expansion, too, is being rethought. The report argues that brands chasing the largest markets first often stumble. Better outcomes come from sequencing entries based on efficiency, regulatory readiness and competition, with markets such as the UK and Germany offering smarter entry points than the United States.
Compliance has turned from a checkbox into a revenue lever, especially in Europe. Brands with ready frameworks can go live in 8 to 12 weeks, while others risk delays of six months or more due to listing and documentation hurdles.
AI, for all the hype, is no silver bullet. Across more than 1,500 listings, it improved conversion rates by 10 to 15 per cent, cut TACOS by 7 to 10 per cent and reduced stockouts by 20 per cent, but only when layered on strong foundations. As Mukherjee puts it: “AI is not a growth strategy, it is an amplifier. It enhances strong systems and exposes weak ones.”
The message for 2026 is stark. Growth alone will not save brands. Margins, discipline and smarter strategy will. In a market still expanding at breakneck speed, the real race is no longer for scale, it is for survival.
