Brands
Kalyan Jewellers wins big at Retail Jeweller MD & CEO Awards
Mumbai: Kalyan Jewellers, one of India’s largest and most trusted jewellery brands, was honoured at the Retail Jeweller MD & CEO Awards, receiving accolades for ‘Exemplary Value Creation for Shareholders’ and ‘Best Strategic and Integrated Marketing of the Year.’
Recognised on one of the industry’s oldest and most esteemed platforms, these awards underscore Kalyan Jewellers’ unwavering dedication to excellence and innovation. The recent edition of the awards ceremony, held at JW Marriott Sahar in Mumbai, saw the attendance of business leaders and dignitaries from India’s jewellery industry.
Kalyan Jewellers earned the ‘Exemplary Value Creation for Shareholders’ award, highlighting its commitment to financial prudence and delivering sustained returns for investors throughout 2023. This achievement is attributed to consistent revenue growth and substantial gains in market share, acknowledging the company’s strategy for sustained growth in a capital-efficient manner.
Additionally, Kalyan Jewellers was honoured with the ‘Best Strategic and Integrated Marketing of the Year’ for its outstanding campaigns. These campaigns leveraged hyper-local festivals like Chhath Puja, Durga Pujo, Pongal, etc., along with region-agnostic celebrations like Diwali, Independence Day, Teacher’s Day, etc. Whether paying tribute to the country’s armed forces through the iconic Independence Day campaign or capturing the emotional bond shared by families in its star-studded Diwali campaign, the brand has consistently demonstrated a remarkable commitment to engaging with its audience. Taking a distinctive approach, Kalyan Jewellers went beyond traditional festivals, strategically launching impactful campaigns on key observance days.
Kalyan Jewellers India Ltd executive director Rajesh Kalyanaraman said, “We are honoured to receive these prestigious awards, which stand as a testament to our team’s hard work, dedication, and strategic vision throughout 2023. Our commitment to delivering exceptional value to both customers and shareholders remains steadfast as we embark on this next phase of the growth journey. These accolades inspire us to continue pushing boundaries and setting new benchmarks in India’s jewellery industry.”
Brands
Uber launches hotel bookings feature in partnership with Expedia
From hotel bookings to room service at your door, the ride-hailing giant is making its boldest push yet into everyday life
CALIFORNIA: Uber is done being just a taxi app. At its annual GO-GET product event, the world’s leading mobility and delivery platform unveiled a sweeping set of new features designed to plant itself at the centre of how people travel, eat and shop, hotel bookings included.
The headline move is a partnership with Expedia Group that lets Uber users in the United States book hotels directly within the Uber app, with access to a catalogue that will eventually grow to more than 700,000 properties worldwide. Uber One members get 10 per cent back in Uber One credits on all hotel bookings and savings of at least 20 per cent on a rolling list of more than 10,000 hotels globally. Vacation rentals from Vrbo, Expedia Group’s home-rental brand, will be added later this year. The partnership is expected to expand beyond the United States. From June, Uber rides will also be integrated directly into the Expedia app, with push notifications sent to travellers ahead of hotel check-in to book discounted Uber rides for the duration of their stay.
Dara Khosrowshahi, chief executive of Uber, framed the expansion in terms of the modern condition. “Uber is becoming an app for everything, helping people go, get, and now travel all in one place,” he said. “We’re all living through a moment of real cognitive overload: too many apps, too many decisions, too much noise. At the end of the day, our job is to help people reclaim their time, spending less of it managing the logistics of life and more of it actually living.”
Ariane Gorin, chief executive of Expedia Group, struck a similarly ambitious note. “Travel should feel effortless, and this partnership gets us one step closer to offering a seamless traveller experience,” she said. “By connecting our two-sided marketplace with Uber, we’re bringing Uber rides directly into the Expedia app and Expedia Group’s lodging inventory into the Uber app through our Rapid API technology. Together, we’re helping travellers spend less time planning and more time enjoying the journey.”
Beyond hotels, the product announcements come thick and fast. Travel Mode, available within both the Uber and Uber Eats apps, offers curated recommendations on local favourites, tourist destinations, OpenTable restaurant reservations and on-demand delivery to hotel rooms. Uber One International means the membership programme now works globally, allowing members to earn credits on rides abroad that can be redeemed once back home. A new Shop for Me feature lets users request items from any store, even those not listed on the app. Eats for the Way allows riders in select cities booking an Uber Black or Uber Black SUV to have a drink or snack waiting for them in the car. Voice Bookings, powered by artificial intelligence, lets users book a ride conversationally, without touching their phone. And a redesigned One Search bar consolidates results for places, food and items across the entire Uber platform in a single query.
Uber has now logged more than 72 billion trips since it launched in 2010. The question it is now answering is what comes after the ride. The answer, apparently, is everything else. Whether users want a hotel in Paris, a coffee in the back of a car or a snake plant from the local garden centre, Uber would very much like to be the one to provide it. The app economy’s land grab has a new front-runner.
NOTE: The image used is AI generated and only for representational purposes.
