e-commerce
Snapdeal 2.0 attracts 50,000 new sellers
MUMBAI: Snapdeal 2.0 has announced that in the last 12 months it has added more than 50,000 new sellers to its portfolio. The e-commerce company reveals that most of the new sellers are focused on the value segment and specialise in fashion, home accessories and small appliances – all large volume categories for Snapdeal.
“The rapid growth in Snapdeal’s business volumes has caught the attention of manufacturers, wholesalers and retailers who specialise in the value-priced segment and who now see Snapdeal as the best fit for their merchandise and clientele,” reads a statement released by the company.
Snapdeal 2.0 has also shared that of the 50,000 new sellers who joined within the last one year, nearly 2100 new sellers crossed Rs 10 lakh in the monthly sale within the first four months of their joining.
In order to boost business for sellers, Snapdeal has executed a variety of initiatives in the last 12 months. These include providing analytical inputs regarding consumer preferences, demand projections at multiple price points and competitive landscape analysis to help sellers plan their sales strategy. Over the past few months, the company is also working to reduce the cost of doing business on Snapdeal. Last quarter, it tweaked the return to origin policy to reduce the cost of returns by almost two-thirds.
According to a Snapdeal spokesperson, “The rapid growth in the business volumes of new sellers is on account of their intuitive understanding of how buyers assess value. They have a personal understanding of the needs, trends, and aspirations of value-conscious buyers and are able to accurately build and price their merchandise to serve these the needs of this audience.”
In a sign of rising e-commerce activity in smaller towns, online sellers are also emerging from India’s mini-economic hubs like Dharwad, Ranchi, Varanasi, Moradabad, Raipur, Nasik, Kanpur etc.
Another reason for the continuing increase in seller base for Snapdeal is on account of its pure marketplace model, where Snapdeal neither holds any inventory nor has any proxy sellers working on its behalf. This enables all the sellers to have a genuine, level playing field.
e-commerce
American Express to acquire AI startup Hyper to boost automation
Deal targets expense management as AI reshapes corporate spending tools.
MUMBAI: From receipts to robots, the expense sheet is getting a brain upgrade as American Express moves to bring artificial intelligence into the heart of corporate spending. The company has announced plans to acquire Hyper, a relatively young but fast-rising startup founded in 2022 that builds AI-powered agents capable of organising expenses, generating reports, verifying compliance with budgets and policies, and nudging users with timely reminders. The deal, expected to close in the second quarter of 2026, underscores a growing shift among financial institutions to automate traditionally manual, time-heavy workflows.
Hyper counts Sam Altman among its backers, adding a layer of Silicon Valley credibility to the acquisition. While financial details remain undisclosed, the strategic intent is clear: deepen automation capabilities and sharpen American Express’s position in the competitive corporate spending ecosystem.
The two companies are not strangers. They previously collaborated in 2024 on a co-branded credit card product, suggesting that the acquisition is less a cold buy and more an extension of an existing relationship. With this move, American Express is effectively bringing that capability in-house, aiming to embed AI directly into its commercial services stack.
Chief executive Stephen Squeri had already signalled the direction of travel in a recent shareholder letter, describing AI as a “structural shift” in how businesses operate. The Hyper acquisition appears to be a direct response to that shift, particularly in expense management, where processes such as approvals, compliance checks and reporting remain ripe for automation.
Alongside the acquisition, the company is also expanding its product suite. A recently launched business credit card offers cashback and benefits at an annual fee of $295, with another card expected later this year moves that complement its broader push into commercial services.
Taken together, the strategy points to a future where managing expenses may require fewer spreadsheets and more algorithms. For American Express, the bet is simple, if businesses are rethinking how work gets done, the tools that power that work need to evolve just as quickly.
