e-commerce
Gizmobaba ventures into offline retail
MUMBAI: Gizmobaba.com, a portal for all wacky gizmos recently launched their first physical store in Mumbai in reaction to customers seeking for physical demo of products.
Gizmobaba founder Alok Chawla stated, “This is the first step into offline retail; we will further expand after evaluating the customers’ response.” He further added, “We believe, in India, people love to go to the store and get a feel of the product, see how it functions and if it really does look good. Additionally, a physical store allows greater reach especially among people who are not comfortable with an online payment or return options. ”
Talking about the further expansions of the offline stores, Chawla said, “We are soon coming up with SIS retail formats and we are targeting multi-brand gadgets stores / departmental stores inside which we can set up Gizmobaba’s mini stores. We see a huge potential in hybrid model of business. On one hand online dimension of the business helps us reach out to infinite customers however offline will complement the online as it enforces the value of the brand in the minds of our customers, and buyers will trust the brand more if they see it offline as well as online. Therefore, we look for franchise out the offline stores as well.”
The company plans to roll out five to eight more outlets in 2015. Also, they expect to have an equal number of franchises ‘Shop in Shop’ outlets across the nation. Gizmobaba ensures a perfect customer experience at their offline store. Before a customer buys any product they witness a complete demonstration of the product given by the tech experts available at the store. They have installed a screen showing videos and demos of their product.
e-commerce
Indian used car market matures with steady 6-10 per cent monthly sales in 2025
Cars24 report shows Baleno tops charts, Tier-2 cities drive 62 per cent demand and financing hits 52 per cent.
MUMBAI: Buckle up India, the used car market isn’t just cruising anymore; it’s shifting into a smooth, confident overdrive, proving that pre-loved wheels have officially become the nation’s smartest first choice. According to the latest Gears of Growth 2025 report by Cars24 and Team-BHP, every single month chipped in a rock-steady 6-10 per cent of annual volume in 2025. No wild festival spikes, no desperate year-end discounts just consistent, need-driven buying that screams market maturity.
Discovery has gone fully digital, with trust now riding shotgun on video. Pre-delivery inspections were googled by over 1.7 lakh Indians last year, while Youtube reviews turned casual scrollers into confident buyers. Even AI is steering decisions: search volumes for “buy” rocketed 7.2x, “new car” 8.1x, “sell” 2.3x and “challan” a whopping 9x year-on-year, with overall AI queries surging 6.7x.
The old NCR monopoly is history. Maharashtra now leads with 20.1 per cent share (up from 16.4 per cent), Karnataka jumped to 16 per cent (from 10 per cent), Gujarat surged to 13.1 per cent (from 8.7 per cent), Uttar Pradesh climbed to 12.5 per cent, Tamil Nadu to 11.7 per cent and Telangana to 10 per cent. Delhi’s slice shrank dramatically from 13.8 per cent to 5.8 per cent, and Haryana from 10.7 per cent to 5.6 per cent. The centre of gravity has clearly shifted: Tier-2 cities now command 62 per cent of sales versus 38 per cent in metros.
Hatchbacks still steal the show with 52 per cent share, SUVs revved up to 32 per cent (up sharply from previous years), while sedans eased to 16 per cent. Baleno became India’s undisputed used-car king at 15.5 per cent, followed by Grand i10 at 13.2 per cent and Kwid at 11.3 per cent. Nexon, Tiago, Elite i20, City, Swift, Amaze and Creta rounded out the top 10, with compact SUVs and feature-packed rides clearly winning hearts.
Buyers are spending more average selling price settled at Rs 5.47 lakh but not uniformly. Karnataka led at Rs 5.06 lakh thanks to newer models, Tamil Nadu at Rs 5.49 lakh, Maharashtra Rs 5.06 lakh, Gujarat Rs 5.05 lakh and Uttar Pradesh the most value-driven at Rs 4.90 lakh. Petrol ruled with 84.5 per cent share, diesel 9.46 per cent, petrol+CNG 5.96 per cent and EVs/hybrids a tiny 0.08 per cent. Manuals still dominate at 72 per cent, automatics at 28 per cent, with younger buyers, women and metro residents leaning more towards self-shifters.
Silver emerged as the nation’s favourite shade (over 30 per cent), teaming with white to claim 57 per cent of all cars. Financing is now the real hero, 52 per cent of buyers went the EMI route in 2025 (average Rs 11,400 monthly), up dramatically from 23 per cent in 2024, with non-metro markets hitting an impressive 58 per cent penetration. Digital lending handled the heavy lifting, especially for cars above Rs 7 lakh where financing crossed 60 per cent by early 2026.
From AI-powered confidence to feature-packed upgrades and EMI-friendly ownership, 2025 proved one thing loud and clear: India isn’t just buying used cars, it’s choosing smarter, bolder and far more exciting rides than ever before. The future of driving? It’s already on the road, and it’s looking remarkably well-certified.
