e-commerce
Amazon invests Rs 2k crore; gives stiff competition to Flipkart
MUMBAI: In an attempt to give tough competition to prime e-commerce website Flipkart, Amazon has infused US$ 296 million (Rs 2010 crore) in its Indian unit. According to regulatory filing, this investment has made Amazon’s total invested capital to Rs 7000 crore.
The investment done in November was a timely move from Amazon as Indian brands such as Flipkart and Uber have been trying to take Government’s help in a bid to challenge foreign competition such as Amazon and Ola.
Amazon India reportedly lost around Rs 1000 crore in the festive month of October with special offers and discounts to build a stronger consumer base. The e-commerce website is also losing around Rs 600 crore every month during non-sales periods. Recently, Amazon India launched prime services which offer quicker and early-access deals.
Prime has a wide range of international movies and TV shows. Along with this, Amazon Prime has also announced the launch of nine Indian original shows, which has made it the largest Indian original line-up over an OTT platform.
Adding to its wide base of services, Amazon is also building an app which would connect truck drivers with shippers, making their debut in the logistics sector.
The e-commerce firm also announced its global programme for start-up products, Launchpad, in India. Global Store was also launched in October for Indian shoppers from its US online stores, giving stiff competition to all e-commerce platforms.
e-commerce
Instamart and Duolingo launch street spell check campaign for Instaprint
Duo the owl fixes signboard typos across cities to showcase instant printing.
MUMBAI: If spelling mistakes had a sworn enemy, it might just be a bright green owl with a printer. Instamart has teamed up with language learning platform Duolingo for a quirky nationwide campaign that turns everyday spelling errors into a public spectacle while promoting its instant printing service, InstaPrint. The playful activation takes aim at the many misspelled shop boards and public signs scattered across Indian streets. From “saloons” that promise haircuts rather than drinks to menus and posters peppered with punctuation mishaps, the campaign sends Duolingo’s mascot Duo on a mission to restore linguistic order.
Armed with Instamart’s instant printing feature, Duo prints corrected versions of the mistakes on the spot and pastes them over the originals. The result is a series of humorous street interventions that have quickly begun circulating on social media.
Photos and videos of the grammar correcting owl have been widely shared online, with amused users reacting to the unexpected spell check patrol. One user joked, “Ab ayega na maza bhidu,” capturing the internet’s delight at the unusual campaign.
Behind the humour lies a practical message. The activation is designed to showcase the capabilities of Instaprint, Instamart’s printing service that allows users to print documents and posters almost instantly.
The company says the feature is meant for everyday needs such as printing resumes, visa documents or last minute posters without the usual scramble to locate a print shop.
Instamart introduced Instaprint in 2025 across select metropolitan cities including Bengaluru, Mumbai and Delhi. The service allows users to order printed materials directly through the platform, extending the quick commerce model beyond groceries and household essentials.
By combining Duolingo’s famously persistent owl with India’s street level spelling quirks, the campaign taps into the internet’s long running fascination with grammar mistakes while demonstrating a real world use case for instant printing.
After all, in a world full of typos, sometimes what you really need is a quick printer and a very determined language teacher.
