Brands
The Souled Store casts a retail spell in Colaba and rolls into Bhatinda in style
MUMBAI: Some brands hang up neon signs. The Souled Store builds a wizarding alley and paints an entire building like a truck. In its latest expansion, the pop culture-led fashion and lifestyle brand has opened two highly thematic stores—one in Mumbai’s Colaba and the other in Punjab’s Bhatinda—each tailored to offer an experience as unforgettable as the merchandise inside.
In Colaba, The Souled Store has conjured up a Harry Potter-inspired wonderland, transporting shoppers straight into Diagon Alley. The store features atmospheric lighting, magical décor, and architectural details that echo the iconic wizarding universe. This is not a retail outlet—it’s a portal. Designed with intricate care, the space feels like a living tribute to J.K. Rowling’s world.
Meanwhile, Bhatinda’s outlet is a roaring tribute to Indian roads. Crafted in the image of a giant colourful truck, the store’s façade mirrors the bold, playful, and kitschy aesthetic of Punjabi truck art. With its massive presence and unmistakable design, it functions not just as a fashion stop but a visual landmark celebrating desi street culture.
“We’re incredibly excited about these two openings”, said The Souled Store co-founder Vedang Patel. “At The Souled Store, we believe that a store should be more than four walls—it should be an experience. Colaba and Bhatinda are two very different expressions of that vision: one magical, the other rooted in local culture. Both are unforgettable”.
With 50 stores now across India, the brand continues its mission to redefine retail as a playground for fandoms, storytelling, and self-expression. From Hogwarts to highways, The Souled Store’s journey seems determined to colour outside the lines.
Brands
Google says Gemini AI cuts irrelevant ads by 40 percent
AI driven search and ad tools boost relevance and results for brands.
MUMBAI: In the never ending hunt for the right ad at the right moment, artificial intelligence may finally be sharpening the aim. Google says the integration of its multimodal AI models, Gemini, has reduced irrelevant advertisements across its platforms by 40 percent, as improved query understanding allows ads to match user intent more closely.
Speaking at a roundtable on Thursday, Google vice president of Global Ads Dan Taylor said the company has been steadily deploying Gemini powered upgrades to interpret complex search queries more accurately. “We have been making Gemini based improvements to query understanding at a rate of almost one launch per month over the last two years. As the models improve and our ability to deploy them improves, ad quality continues to get better,” Taylor said.
The improvements come as Google leans deeper into AI driven advertising tools. According to the company, 2025 saw a threefold increase in Gemini generated creative assets produced by advertisers using its AI powered ad solutions.
The company also highlighted how these tools are influencing marketing performance for brands in India.
Insurance marketplace Policybazaar recorded a 28 percent rise in health insurance sales while reducing cost per sale by 23 percent after adopting AI Max, a tool that interprets natural language search queries to improve ad targeting.
Meanwhile, hospitality platform OYO reported 50 percent higher return on ad spend (ROAS) and a 25 percent reduction in cost per acquisition after combining its existing search campaigns with Google’s Performance Max (PMax) advertising campaigns.
Taylor noted that evolving consumer behaviour is also reshaping how brands approach digital advertising. According to Google’s data, 86 percent of shoppers in India using Google Search said they were open to trying new brands or products, suggesting that AI driven discovery tools could increasingly influence purchase decisions.
Beyond advertising, Google is also investing in what it calls agentic commerce, an emerging model where AI agents autonomously assist users in discovering, comparing and purchasing products online.
“Our goal with agentic commerce is twofold, first, to remove the grunt work of shopping so consumers can focus on the fun parts; and second, to work hand in hand with the industry to build the foundations needed to make agentic commerce seamless and secure across the web,” Taylor said.
The push into AI enhanced advertising and commerce comes as Google’s core ads business continues to grow. The company recently reported $82.28 billion in advertising revenue, marking a 13.5 percent year on year increase.
For advertisers navigating an increasingly crowded digital landscape, Google is betting that smarter algorithms and sharper intent signals will make ads feel less like interruptions and more like timely suggestions.
