Digital
‘Credit on UPI’ fuels local shopping and offline purchases
Mumbai – This festive season, Indian shoppers demonstrated a strong preference for offline purchases, with a 30 per cent increase in spend-per-user, as revealed by Kiwi. The platform’s data reflects how communities came together to support local merchants and neighbourhood stores, with the majority of transactions taking place in small, local shops and general stores—a timely boost for India’s local retail sector during Dhanteras and Diwali.
Local stores and merchants were at the heart of the festive shopping spirit, with General Stores alone seeing an impressive 55 per cent jump in spends. Jewellery purchases, a Diwali tradition, rose by 17 per cent, while other categories like Groceries, Dining, and Electronics also saw a rise, with spend-per-user up by 24 per cent, 18 per cent, and 24 per cent respectively. This broad pattern of spending shows the diverse needs of Indian shoppers as they prepare for celebrations, all while choosing to shop locally.
Neighbourhood merchants benefited greatly, with spend-per-user at small stores growing by 31 per cent in tier-one cities and by 29 per cent in tier-two cities, much higher than the increases seen at larger retailers, which saw a 23 per cent rise in tier-one and 17 per cent in tier-two cities. This festive season, consumers clearly felt a pull to support small businesses within their communities.
Distinct spending habits were also visible across regions. In tier-one cities, shoppers spent more on experiences, with dining up by 22 per cent and Jewellery by 18 per cent. In contrast, tier-two cities leaned towards essentials, with electronics purchases increasing by 41 per cent and general Store spending seeing a substantial 64 per cent rise.
“Credit on UPI is truly a made-in-India solution that connects consumers with local businesses in ways that feel both seamless and meaningful,” said Kiwi co-founder Mohit Bedi. “This festive season, we saw the spirit of community shine through as people shopped at small merchants and enjoyed the freedom and flexibility that Credit on UPI brings.”
With data gathered from 400 cities and a user base of one lakh, Kiwi’s Credit on UPI continues to bring the festive spirit to life by making shopping more convenient and helping consumers celebrate with their communities across.
Digital
OpenAI to roll out ads for free ChatGPT users in the US
Criteo tie-up signals shift as OpenAI explores ads to fund growth
CALIFORNIA: OpenAI is set to introduce advertisements for users on the free and Go versions of ChatGPT in the United States, marking a notable shift in how the platform plans to fund its rapid growth.
The move, confirmed by a company spokesperson in a statement to Reuters, follows earlier reporting by The Information and signals OpenAI’s deeper push into advertising as a revenue stream.
At the heart of this rollout is a partnership with Criteo, an advertising technology firm now integrated into OpenAI’s pilot programme. The company provides tools that help advertisers buy placements and sharpen targeting, suggesting that ads shown to users will be increasingly tailored.
According to reports, Criteo has been pitching advertisers on commitments ranging from $50,000 to $100,000, hinting at serious commercial intent behind the experiment. OpenAI has also advised advertisers to supply multiple versions of ad copy and visuals, a move designed to boost visibility and improve campaign performance.
The development comes as OpenAI looks to diversify its income streams. With ChatGPT’s popularity surging globally, the company is grappling with rising costs tied to computing infrastructure, even as competition in the generative AI space heats up.
For users, the change may soon mean a more familiar internet experience, where conversations come with the occasional commercial break.
