e-commerce
Via.com e-comm launches ‘Lite’ for mobile browsing
MUMBAI: Leading omni channel travel, retail and fintech company, Via.com, has launched a Lite version of its website for mobile browsing in India. The Lite version is aimed at helping users browse its website faster on their smart phones in areas with slow or poor internet connectivity.
Via.com is the most comprehensive & consistently profitable travel e-commerce company with 10 years of experience & presence in six countries: India, Philippines, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand and UAE.
“Via Lite” loads six times faster and provides a better experience to users in urban and rural areas with patchy networks. Another advantage of the Lite version is that it can be added as a bookmark on the mobile home screen. Other remarkable features include personalised notifications for the latest deals and vouchers and great offline experience. The offline experience would mean that in case of flaky internet connection, you can also search offline. However, the offline experience is currently available only in the airlines segment. VIA will extend this feature to the hotels, holidays and bus segment in the next three months.
Via.com is one of Asia’s leading omni channel travel, retail & fintech company. Its distribution strategy includes enabling small businesses with an intuitive tech platform which helps them with best in class content, closed looped wallet and a range of CRM & accounting functionalities to run their business effectively.
The version that has just been unveiled has already led to an increase in mobile bookings by 200 per cent in just one week.
According to Via.com CTO Varun Gupta, “This feature is primarily for consumers using slower internet connections. “With powerful features like push notifications, offline access, add-to-home screen, fast page load and a smooth user interface, the main message is that you don’t need to choose between web or app. We are providing users with a frictionless and highly engaging experience on the mobile web.”
Via.com launched its mobile app last year and has launched many innovative features, including fare calendar, various payment gateways, etc since then. Progressive web app (PWA) is a new technology which is intended to help website operators to instil their mobile websites with features typically associated with mobile apps. Known for its penchant for innovation, VIA is one of the few companies in India to join the PWA bandwagon.
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.
