iWorld
White Rivers Media, Phyvital team up to build Web 3.0 experience in India
Mumbai: In an industry first, White Rivers Media and Phyvital have come together to offer a new realm of services to brands operating in the Indian market: the creation of Metaverse and Web3.0 user experiences.
New York-based Phyvital is a global, integrated Web 3.0 driven tech-first organisation. It enables companies to create, engage and amplify Metaverse experiences for user communities. Backed by the Stanford University Human Perception Lab’s founder and director Dr Khizer Khaderi, it collaborates with companies globally. “The most exciting part about our collaboration with Phyvital is that it enables us to share our research with the Metaverse community. We are excited to see it partner with White Rivers Media to bring their synergies to build compelling Metaverse experiences and turn these endless possibilities into reality,” said Dr Khaderi.
India-based White Rivers Media is an independent, full-service digital marketing agency with 300+ people working across Mumbai & Delhi. It works with brands across industries and production houses to build engaging narratives. “This is the giant leap forward that we’ve been waiting to take in the Indian advertising, marketing and gaming industries,” stated White Rivers Media co-founder and CEO Shrenik Gandhi. “In the world of creating and distributing digital experiences, stagnation is as good as sliding backward. By joining hands with Web3.0 specialists Phyvital, we now have the unique opportunity to write the Metaverse chapter in the book of White Rivers Media.”
According to the statement, Phyvital and White Rivers Media are in the process of finalising several brand partnerships, which will be announced shortly.
e-commerce
Google rolls out new AI shopping tools for Indian users
Gemini, AI Mode in Search, and Circle to Search get smarter upgrades to simplify online buying.
MUMBAI: Google is making online shopping in India a lot less “add to cart” and a lot more “ask and discover”. The tech giant has announced a fresh set of artificial intelligence-powered updates designed to make finding and buying products more intuitive and efficient. By integrating its Gemini models with the Shopping Graph, a massive dataset of over 50 billion product listings that sees nearly 2 billion updates every hour, Google is bringing smarter, more conversational shopping experiences across its platforms.
Users can now move seamlessly from idea generation to product discovery within the Gemini app. Whether planning a festive outfit or building a gift list, shoppers can receive product listings, comparison tables, pricing from across the web, and direct purchase links, all through natural conversation. The feature is currently available in English and Hindi.
Google has upgraded its AI Mode in Search, turning it into a more natural shopping assistant. Instead of relying on traditional filters and keywords, users can ask questions in plain language and receive structured responses with visuals, pricing, reviews, and inventory details. Comparison tables highlighting key differences are also included. While currently available in English, a Hindi version is expected soon.
The popular Circle to Search feature has been enhanced on devices such as the Pixel 10 and Samsung Galaxy S26 series. Users can now identify and explore multiple objects in a single image at once. In fashion-related queries, the tool can break down entire outfits and suggest similar products, making style replication or discovery much easier.
Google stated that these updates build on last year’s successful rollout of the Virtual Try-On tool in India, which helped users visualise apparel before purchase.
In a market where shopping decisions often happen in seconds, Google is betting that smarter AI will turn casual browsing into confident buying. From festive shopping lists to spotting the perfect outfit in a photo, these new tools aim to make every scroll feel a little more rewarding and a lot less overwhelming.
