MAM
Gen Alpha kids prioritise close bonds with parents over peers: Kantar Kidscan report India 2024
Mumbai: Post-pandemic, Gen Alpha’s engagement with digital media has surged, significantly influencing family choices in food, entertainment, IT products, durable goods, and FMCG.
To explore this generation’s impact, Kantar has launched the 2024 Kidscan India report, providing insights into the lives of nearly 2,500 children aged 5-14 and their parents across 14 Indian cities from NCCS A, B, and C households. The report examines Gen Alpha’s interactions with brands in food, beverages, technology, and media, with a focus on television and digital platforms, and delves into their preferences, ambitions, and lifestyle influences.
Kantar director, specialist businesses, insights, South Asia, Puneet Avasthi said: “Gen Alpha is reshaping the family dynamic in ways we haven’t seen before. Their influence is far-reaching, from tech and entertainment choices to key household purchases. The 2024 Kidscan Report captures these shifts, providing brands with invaluable insights into the preferences and digital behaviours of this new generation. For brands, understanding Gen Alpha is not just an opportunity but an imperative to stay relevant in a rapidly evolving landscape.”
Key highlights of the report:
1. Gen Alpha kids today enjoy enormous freedom and discretion in their career choices – 55 per cent of parents are allowing full discretion to their kids over their career choices.
2. Children are wielding growing influence over family purchase decisions across various product categories- 1.46X increase in incidence of parents taking into considerations their kid’s choice or opinion when purchasing a Smart TV as compared to 2022.
3. Gen Alpha is increasingly gravitating towards digital media, with online video consumption sharply rising – Kids now spend 60 per cent more time watching online videos than they did in 2022.
4. Gen Alpha is increasingly driven to a more digital recreational experience. 69 per cent of kids find video games more enjoyable than outdoor play.
5. Gen Alpha kids increasingly value close, friendly bonds with their parents over traditional peer relationships – 57 per cent more kids now choose to confide their secrets in their mothers over friends
Brands
Wipro hires 7,500 freshers, withholds FY27 hiring outlook
Profit rises to Rs 3,522 crore, Rs 15,000 crore buyback announced.
MUMBAI- Hiring may be on, but visibility is off, Wipro is adding talent even as it pauses the crystal ball. The company hired 7,500 freshers in FY26 but stopped short of offering any hiring outlook for FY27, underscoring the uncertainty gripping the IT services sector as it pivots towards an AI-led operating model.
The disclosure came alongside its fourth-quarter earnings, where management flagged volatile demand conditions and refrained from committing to future workforce expansion. Chief human resources officer Saurabh Govil noted that over 3,000 of the total hires were onboarded in the March quarter alone, signalling continued intake despite a lack of clarity on deployment pipelines.
This divergence active hiring without forward guidance reflects a broader industry pattern where talent acquisition continues even as deal conversions remain uneven and client spending cycles stretch. Wipro expects its IT services revenue for the June quarter to range between a decline of 2 per cent and flat growth sequentially in constant currency terms, reinforcing near-term caution.
Chief executive officer Srini Pallia pointed to artificial intelligence as both a disruptor and an opportunity. He said evolving client priorities are pushing the company towards outcome-driven engagements, with Wipro increasingly focusing on a services-as-software model through its AI Native Business and Platforms unit. The shift marks a structural change from traditional headcount-led growth to AI-enabled delivery frameworks.
The company has already committed over $1 billion to its AI ecosystem, with investors closely watching how these investments translate into revenue. For now, the numbers present a mixed picture. Net profit rose sequentially to Rs 3,522 crore, while revenue grew 3 per cent to Rs 24,236 crore. However, core IT services performance remained under pressure, with full-year revenue declining 0.3 per cent in dollar terms and 1.6 per cent in constant currency.
Large deal bookings offered a counterpoint, rising 45.4 per cent year-on-year to $7.8 billion, highlighting a widening gap between deal wins and actual revenue realisation. On a quarterly basis, IT services revenue slipped 1.2 per cent sequentially, signalling continued softness in execution.
Margins, however, told a more optimistic story. Operating margins expanded to 17.3 per cent in the fourth quarter, up from 14.8 per cent in the previous quarter, reflecting improved cost discipline. That said, the company cautioned that upcoming wage hikes and the ramp-up of large deals could exert pressure going forward.
Attrition stood at 13.8 per cent in the March quarter, indicating stabilisation after periods of elevated churn. Alongside its earnings, Wipro also announced a Rs 15,000 crore share buyback, reinforcing its focus on shareholder returns, with a payout ratio of 88 per cent over the past three years.
Taken together, the numbers capture a company in transition investing in AI, maintaining hiring momentum, but navigating a demand environment where growth is uneven and visibility remains limited.
