e-commerce
IndianRoots receives the Emerging Concept of the Year Award
MUMBAI: IndianRoots has received the prestigious Emerging Concept of the Year Award at the Star Retailer Awards 2014 hosted by Franchise India. The Star Retailer Awards, now returning in its 9th year, is considered the market benchmark for retail success in India and continues to be a unique celebration of the very best of retailers who provide their customers a complete experience. With an outstanding performance in a time span of one year, IndianRoots was recognized for its achievement in the e-commerce industry. An NDTV e-commerce venture, IndianRoots was able to achieve sales of over Rs 2 crores during this festive week.
Accepting the award, Rahul Narvekar, CEO of NDTV Ethnic Retail Limited said, “The e-commerce space in India is crowded. We pushed ourselves to carve a space for IndianRoots and attempt a business model that has a long-term vision. Building on the core value of the NDTV Group, our focus was to build a brand that our customers could trust. We are humbled by the acknowledgement we have received from Franchise India for our efforts and we thank our customers, who have pushed us to serve them better.”
The festive season being a key factor, visitors to IndianRoots have increased by 101 per cent with an increase in page views by 191 per cent. With a substantially positive beginning to the festive season, IndianRoots has reported a significant growth in revenues.
Executive Director of NDTV Ethnic Retail Limited, Shyatto Raha said, “The festive season has had a successful start for us. The sharp jump in consumer traffic and a 200 percent increase in our average order value gives us immense confidence that we are being able to meet our customers’ expectations. In a highly competitive and rapidly growing industry, we are happy that IndianRoots has been able to carve out a niche for itself.”
IndianRoots represents over 60 designers such as Sabyasachi, RohitBal, Anita Dongre, Neeta Lulla, PranaviKapur, Rajesh Pratap Singh among others and carries products from almost 500 brands. Its daily inventory offers close to 1,10,000 products to visitors from over 200 countries, with orders being shipped globally.
e-commerce
American Express to acquire AI startup Hyper to boost automation
Deal targets expense management as AI reshapes corporate spending tools.
MUMBAI: From receipts to robots, the expense sheet is getting a brain upgrade as American Express moves to bring artificial intelligence into the heart of corporate spending. The company has announced plans to acquire Hyper, a relatively young but fast-rising startup founded in 2022 that builds AI-powered agents capable of organising expenses, generating reports, verifying compliance with budgets and policies, and nudging users with timely reminders. The deal, expected to close in the second quarter of 2026, underscores a growing shift among financial institutions to automate traditionally manual, time-heavy workflows.
Hyper counts Sam Altman among its backers, adding a layer of Silicon Valley credibility to the acquisition. While financial details remain undisclosed, the strategic intent is clear: deepen automation capabilities and sharpen American Express’s position in the competitive corporate spending ecosystem.
The two companies are not strangers. They previously collaborated in 2024 on a co-branded credit card product, suggesting that the acquisition is less a cold buy and more an extension of an existing relationship. With this move, American Express is effectively bringing that capability in-house, aiming to embed AI directly into its commercial services stack.
Chief executive Stephen Squeri had already signalled the direction of travel in a recent shareholder letter, describing AI as a “structural shift” in how businesses operate. The Hyper acquisition appears to be a direct response to that shift, particularly in expense management, where processes such as approvals, compliance checks and reporting remain ripe for automation.
Alongside the acquisition, the company is also expanding its product suite. A recently launched business credit card offers cashback and benefits at an annual fee of $295, with another card expected later this year moves that complement its broader push into commercial services.
Taken together, the strategy points to a future where managing expenses may require fewer spreadsheets and more algorithms. For American Express, the bet is simple, if businesses are rethinking how work gets done, the tools that power that work need to evolve just as quickly.
