e-commerce
Paytm Marketplace files complaint against ‘fraudulent’ users
MUMBAI Ever since Prime Minister Narendra Modi brought down the surgical strike against black money in the form of demonetization in November 8, the Alibaba backed online wallet service PayTM found itself in news, and its usage growing by leaps and bounds.
It was further enhanced when the common rhetoric of demonetization shifted from ‘curbing black money’ to promoting a cash less economy in India, in line with the PM’s digital India dream.
In fact, within hours of the Prime Minister’s announcement, the company registered a 200 per cent hike in number of app downloads and 250 per cent surge in number of overall transactions and transaction value.
The number of Saved Cards also grew by 30 per cent, pointing at a strong set of repeat customers the platform has now acquired. The company has noted 1000 per cent growth in money added to the wallet and 400 per cent growth in transaction value of offline payments.
If that wasn’t enough, the service was in news after releasing an advertisement that belittled the sufferings of those affected by demonetization. It complied with the netizens with a revised advertisement that was later well received.
With usage on the platform reaching it all time high owing to the current slow influx of liquidity in the market, the company had arranged for a number of consumer friendly policies to make it easy for its users. The policies extended, not just for its online wallet and money transfer service but its digital market place as well.
According to an official statement from the ecommerce/ e wallet player, “Paytm has identified about 48 fraudulent users in the physical goods marketplace business, who were trying to game the company’s consumer friendly practices.”
“Paytm regularly monitors its marketplace business to identify any fraudulent or suspicious behaviour. This is a part of the company’s security practices to ensure that genuine users are able to continuously avail the benefits brought to it by Paytm marketplace,” a statement from the company reads.
Paytm marketplace has robust risk management practices and regularly reports users who try to game the company’s fair usage policies.”
Considering the current series of developments arround PayTM, whether it is through paid campaigns or organic, demonetisation has plummeted PayTM’s brand recall effortlessly.
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.
