e-commerce
HTMT, Planet E-Shop announce launch of Shop 24 Seven
Hinduja Group convergence arm HTMT and US-based Planet E-Shop today announced the launch of their media commerce venture Shop 24 Seven.
Shop 24 Seven is being launched as an integrated , interactive e-commerce initiative using television, Internet and franchise point-of’-presence outlets to push an exclusive range of primarily imported products in the country. Beginning with about 400 product lines in the launch phase, the idea is to increase the product range to about 2,000 when the project is fully onstream.
A subsidiary of Planet E-Shop Holdings – Shop 24 Seven is a joint venture between HTMT and Planet E-Shop Offshore. HTMT holds a 51 per cent stake in the holding company while 49 per cent is held by Planet E- Shop.
Shop 24 Seven is held 97 per cent by Planet E-Shop Holdings and 3 per cent by India Initiatives (a company belonging to the partners of Price warehouse Coopers). RP Hinduja, president media, communication and IJ, revealed that in the first phase of funding of the project Rs 100 million had been pumped in. Queried as to how long he expected it would take for Planet E-Shop to break even, Hinduja said he expected that to happen in the first phase itself.
The company has tied up distribution alliances with major MSO’s like INCable Net (a Hinduja group subsidiary) and cable operators nationally, and will be reaching over 6 million homes from day one. This will be achieved by using the distribution set-up already in place through INCable Net in 15 cities and the Hinduja group-promoted movie channel CVO in 85 cities, Ashok Mansukhani, executive V-P, corporate services, HTMT, said. It is currently negotiating to expand the coverage to a majority of cable and satellite homes in the coming months.
An interesting aspect of this venture is that till the retailing outlets are in place (whether franchise or company owned is still to be decided), the idea is to get the local cable operator on board as the end vendor. The cable operator will be provided incentives to push the products that are on offer.
And to make sure the back end is in place for smooth product delivery, a dedicated fulfilment and delivery chain comprising a call centre, product warehousing, courier delivery has been already been put in in place. Logistics have been tied up with leading majors to provide efficient delivery of products with convenient payment terms, company officials say.
e-commerce
ONDC names Vibhor Jain MD and CEO; Rohit Lohia joins as CBO, Manoj Thakur as CTO
Leadership formalised as open commerce network sharpens focus on scale and user value
The Open Network for Digital Commerce has formalised Vibhor Jain as managing director and chief executive officer, cementing a leadership transition at India’s ambitious open commerce platform as it pushes for scale and relevance.
Jain, who had been serving as acting chief executive officer since April last year following the exit of Thampy Koshy, steps into the role with effect from 7th April , according to a report by The Economic Times. He previously served as chief operating officer at the government-backed network, which enables buyers and sellers to transact across applications through an open, interoperable system.
Setting out his strategy, Jain underscored the network’s differentiated architecture. “Going forward, we are concentrating on what open, interoperable infrastructure can uniquely enable, things that no single platform has the incentive or the architecture to do,” he said.
He added that the immediate priority is to widen ONDC’s impact across user cohorts often underserved by platform-led commerce. “My priority is to deepen the value ONDC creates for the people it exists to serve: kisaans, karigars, kiranas, gig workers, first-time investors, and daily commuters across India,” he said.
Jain also flagged leadership reinforcement within the organisation, noting that ONDC has “a strong and exciting leadership team in place”, with Rohit Lohia joining as chief business officer and Manoj Thakur as chief technology officer.
With over 18 years of experience spanning entrepreneurship and consulting, Jain brings a track record in technology-led, large-scale transformation programmes and internet businesses. At ONDC, he has been closely involved in shaping strategy and operations as the network seeks to move digital commerce away from platform-centric models towards an open network approach.
Before ONDC, Jain worked with JUMO, where he helped set up the fintech firm’s India operations, and led the India launch of Mobike, handling regulatory, policy and operational aspects of its market entry. Earlier, he co-founded Atlanta Healthcare, an air quality management company, and spent more than a decade in consulting roles at Andersen and EY, advising governments on public policy and technology-driven reforms, including work on the Aadhaar programme and tax systems.
The mandate is clear but the path is complex. As ONDC attempts to rewrite the rules of digital commerce, Jain now carries the burden of turning open architecture into mass adoption, in a market still dominated by platform power.
