e-commerce
Indian SMEs believe growth in e-commerce will continue post-Covid: FedEx Survey
NEW DELHI: FedEx Express has shared the findings of a recent small and medium enterprise (SME)-focused survey in India to identify trends in e-commerce and digital adoption among SMEs during the Covid2019 pandemic.
The survey reveals a sense of optimism among SMEs in India, largely driven by the growth in e-commerce sales, with 30 per cent of small businesses and 40 per cent of medium businesses seeing a rise in online sales since lockdown began.
The pandemic and its resulting restrictions have led to a shift in consumer behavior towards e-commerce, with 35 per cent of small businesses and 54 per cent of medium businesses surveyed believing that e-commerce sales will improve their financial growth following Covid2019.
The festive season was a highlight for the sector, with SMEs enhancing their e-commerce capabilities and rethinking their online shopping strategies in anticipation of significant sales. 34 per cent of surveyed SMEs expect strong peak season demand. This matches the findings published by Redseer, which stated that peak season sales in India are expected to almost double this year, reaching $7 billion in gross merchandise value compared to $3.8 billion in the same period last year.
With the expected continued rise in e-commerce sales, 80 per cent of medium and 58 per cent of small businesses in the survey also believe that increased buying behavior on e-commerce platforms will continue following the pandemic.
SMEs are also embracing digital solutions, with 76 per cent of small businesses and 60 per cent of medium businesses stating that they are seeing a rise in digital payments received since the start of the pandemic. Digital wallets are also seeing greater adoption, with higher rates among small businesses (28 per cent) than medium businesses (7 per cent).
The value of fast and secure shipping is also a consideration for both shoppers and the businesses selling online. The survey highlighted that 41 per cent of SMEs believe that their customers would pay more for faster delivery, making the choice of the right logistics service provider with the ability to support business growth driven by time-sensitive shipments a priority for businesses.
FedEx Express India VP – operations Mohamad Sayegh said, “Throughout Covid2019, we have seen that consumers are increasingly shopping from home, and with continued travel limitations and efforts to control the spread of the virus likely to prevent people from visiting family and friends this festive season, more gifts are likely to be shipped this year, rather than delivered in person.”
“With the expected continued surge in e-commerce sales, FedEx has been working with businesses to encourage their customers to shop and ship early. We are confident our global and domestic networks will support the demands of each business and their customers,” he added.
The FedEx-commissioned survey was conducted by the independent research firm Dun & Bradstreet India.
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.
