Brands
RP- Sanjiv Goenka Group (FMCG) appoints KlugKlug as their influencer marketing tech stack platform
Mumbai: RP-Sanjiv Goenka Group (FMCG), the renowned Indian multinational conglomerate with interests spanning across various sectors, announces a strategic partnership with KlugKlug, an influencer marketing tech SaaS platform, to bolster its influencer marketing outreach for its foray into the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) industry.
RPSG Group, known for its diverse business portfolio encompassing power and energy, carbon black manufacturing, retail, IT-enabled services, FMCG, media and entertainment, infrastructure, and education, is taking this step in leveraging the power of influencer marketing for its FMCG ventures.
KlugKlug CEO and co-founder Kalyan Kumar expressed his enthusiasm about this collaboration, stating, “The KlugKlug family is very excited to join hands with RPSG (FMCG) to drive their influencer marketing initiatives, a new focus area for them. Through a data-driven approach, we have harnessed the power of precise influencer searchability, enabling RPSG (FMCG) to connect with influencers who can authentically convey their brand’s story and drive sales. The role of luck is getting lesser everyday with the role of this happy tech of ours”
KlugKlug, a New Delhi-based tech powerhouse, specializes in providing accurate and data-driven solutions for influencer marketing decisions. The collaboration with KlugKlug will empower RPSG (FMCG) to identify and partner with the most suitable influencers who can effectively communicate their FMCG brand messages to the intended audience.
RPSG Group vice president marketing – personal care Deepak Pant said, ‘’RPSG evaluated KlugKlug and having seen its capabilities and testimonials from leading brands and E-commerce platforms, we decided to onboard KlugKlug after being convinced about how it can help RPSG scale its IM efforts with data led optimization. Audience-based filtering of Influencers towards ROAS was an eye-opener. KlugKlug insights will be invaluable in helping us build our Influencer scale-up program.”
Through KlugKlug’s technology and real-time insights, RPSG (FMCG) anticipates achieving significant efficiencies in its influencer marketing campaigns on day one, and do away with audience losses of 20% to 80% most Brands currently face. This partnership ensures that RPSG (FMCG) can make informed decisions swiftly, resulting in more effective influencer marketing strategies.
Looking ahead, KlugKlug’s recently launched very comprehensive Real Time Automated Reporting has set it above most competitors globally, and roadmap includes the development of newer features that knows the future of growing Influencer anywhere in the world. The platform aims to facilitate transparent collaboration between influencers and brands by offering a comprehensive suite of services for campaign management, performance monitoring, and data analysis. In response to the burgeoning interest in influencer marketing, KlugKlug plans to expand its services to new markets and social media platforms.
Brands
Amazon Q1 revenue jumps 17 per cent to $181.5bn, profit soars to $30.3bn
AWS surges 28 per cent while AI bets reshape cash flow and drive future growth
SEATTLE: Amazon kicked off 2026 with a strong first quarter, reporting a 17 per cent year-on-year jump in net sales to $181.5 billion, up from $155.7 billion in the same period last year, as growth across cloud, advertising, and retail continued to gather pace.
Excluding a $2.9 billion favourable impact from foreign exchange, sales still rose a solid 15 per cent, underlining broad-based demand across its businesses.
The company’s cloud arm, Amazon Web Services, remained the star performer, with revenue climbing 28 per cent to $37.6 billion. Operating income for AWS reached $14.2 billion, up from $11.5 billion a year ago, reinforcing its role as Amazon’s profit engine.
Meanwhile, North America sales rose 12 per cent to $104.1 billion, while international revenue increased 19 per cent to $39.8 billion, or 11 per cent excluding currency effects.
Profit growth outpaced revenue. Operating income climbed to $23.9 billion from $18.4 billion last year, while net income surged to $30.3 billion, or $2.78 per share, compared with $17.1 billion, or $1.59 per share, in the first quarter of 2025. A significant boost came from $16.8 billion in pre-tax gains linked to Amazon’s investment in Anthropic.
Cash generation also strengthened, with operating cash flow rising 30 per cent to $148.5 billion over the trailing twelve months. However, free cash flow dropped sharply to $1.2 billion from $25.9 billion, largely due to a $59.3 billion increase in capital expenditure, primarily tied to artificial intelligence investments.
Commenting on the results, Amazon president and CEO Andy Jassy said, “We’re making customers’ lives easier and better every day across all our businesses, and their response is driving significant growth.”
He added that AWS growth of 28 per cent marked its fastest pace in 15 quarters, while Amazon’s chips business crossed a $20 billion annual revenue run rate, growing at triple-digit rates. Advertising revenue also crossed $70 billion on a trailing twelve-month basis, and store unit growth hit 15 per cent, its highest since the tail end of pandemic lockdowns.
Artificial intelligence remained front and centre of Amazon’s strategy. The company deepened partnerships with OpenAI, Meta, NVIDIA and Uber, while expanding its proprietary chip ecosystem including Trainium and Graviton.
Amazon revealed that it has already deployed over 2.1 million AI chips in the past year and plans to roll out more than one million NVIDIA GPUs starting in 2026. OpenAI alone is expected to consume around two gigawatts of Trainium capacity for advanced AI workloads beginning in 2027.
The company also highlighted rapid adoption of its AI services, with Amazon Bedrock processing more tokens in the first quarter than in all previous years combined, and customer spending on the platform rising 170 per cent quarter-on-quarter.
Beyond cloud and AI, Amazon continued to scale its consumer and logistics ecosystem. It delivered more than one billion items via same-day or overnight delivery so far in 2026 and expanded ultra-fast delivery services across multiple global markets. Prime Video also saw strong engagement, including sports streaming growth and box office success for original content like Project Hail Mary, which has grossed nearly $615 million globally.
Looking ahead, Amazon expects second-quarter net sales to reach between $194 billion and $199 billion, representing growth of 16 per cent to 19 per cent year-on-year. Operating income is projected between $20 billion and $24 billion.
Despite macro uncertainties ranging from foreign exchange fluctuations to global economic conditions, Amazon appears to be leaning into its biggest bets yet. With AI investments accelerating and cloud demand holding firm, the company is positioning itself not just for growth, but for what it calls the next big inflection in technology and commerce.
