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Business Standard
3 days ago
- Business
- Business Standard
Amazon Prime Day breaks records with 18,000 orders per minute in India
Amazon's latest Prime Day sale event broke records with over 18,000 orders per minute—a 50 per cent jump from 2024. Seventy per cent of new memberships came from smaller Indian cities. The e-commerce giant delivered thousands of items within four hours in major metros, with same-day delivery doubling year-over-year and two-day delivery to smaller cities rising by 80 per cent. 'Prime members purchased more items than any previous Prime Day shopping event, while we created new records on speed with the highest number of same-day deliveries,' said Akshay Sahi, Head of Amazon Prime, Delivery, and Returns Experiences, India and Emerging Markets. 'Thanks to our recent investment of ₹2,000 crore in the well-being of our associates and the scaling up of our operations, we were able to deliver even faster and safer this year.' Prime members shopped from thousands of new products launched by over 400 Indian and global brands, including Intel, Samsung, OnePlus, Bajaj, HP, BoAt, Puma, and Adidas. Purchases spanned smartphones, TVs, appliances, fashion, groceries, and home essentials. Compared to last year's Prime Day, smartphones saw high double-digit growth as Indians upgraded to flagship devices, driving up average selling prices across all city tiers. AI-enabled laptops, premium tablets, and health-focused wearables emerged as customer favourites, while premium audio segments achieved strong double-digit growth in Tier 2 cities. The home, kitchen, and outdoor category delivered its biggest Prime Day ever with 1.2X growth, supported by over 80 marquee brand launches. Fitness equipment sales surged 1.5X, with treadmill sales doubling, while furniture saw explosive growth with chairs and recliners achieving 10X increases. 'We also had a blockbuster Prime Day launch with our water purifiers, and it was a massive success,' said Arindam Paul, Founding Member and Chief Business Officer at Atomberg. Two-wheeler sales grew 1.9X across more than 500 cities, highlighting the expanding reach of online vehicle purchases beyond major metros. Eric Vas, President (Urbanite Business) at Bajaj Auto Ltd, said the company's latest offering, Chetak 3001, received an overwhelming response, becoming the No.1 best-selling electric scooter during Prime Day 2025. Beauty categories experienced exceptional growth, with skincare and colour cosmetics seeing 2X increases. Professional beauty services witnessed up to 3X growth, while Korean beauty brands saw up to 7X growth. Health-focused products gained momentum with whey protein sales increasing by over 80 per cent and coffee consumption growing 1.3X nationally, outpacing tea and growing 2X in Tier 2 cities. Shashi Kumar, the Chief Executive of Akshayakalpa Organic, reported significant gains, noting the company saw a remarkable 50 per cent growth in sales during Prime Day. Financing Fuels Premium Shift This surge reflects a broader trend where Amazon's financing options and exclusive content are enabling smaller Indian cities to drive premium consumption. For instance, 1 out of 4 spends this Prime Day were on EMI (equated monthly instalment), and 9 out of 10 EMI purchases were driven by No Cost EMI. The Premium Smartphone segment (priced higher than ₹30,000) witnessed over 60 per cent growth in value. Nearly 70 per cent of this growth came from Tier 2 and beyond cities. Amazon Fresh recorded its highest order volumes, with Tier 2+ cities leading 90 per cent growth, while daily essentials saw over 70 per cent of new customers coming from Tier 2 and 3 cities. This demonstrates Prime Day's expanding geographic reach. The Tier-2/3 city boom extended beyond consumers to sellers, with small and medium businesses seeing record participation. Notably, 68 per cent of these sellers were based in Tier 2 and 3 cities and beyond, while Amazon Business witnessed a 3X spike in new customer registrations during Prime Day, with 7X growth in Prime sign-ups.
The Hindu
17-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Hindu
From canteen boy to author: Malayali writer Jalal Rahman's book now in Arabic
From the Milad E Sherif Memorial (MSM) College canteen at Kayamkulam in Alappuzha district of Kerala to the literary circles of the Arab world, Jalal Rahman's journey has been anything but ordinary. Forced to quit school at the age of 12 to support his family, Rahman, a native of Aryad South in Alappuzha and now based at Najran in Saudi Arabia, has released Dikrayath Jalal Rahman Al Khaleejil Arabi, the Arabic translation of his second book Angum Ingum Engum, marking a significant milestone in his inspiring personal and literary journey. Experiences of expatriate life Angum Ingum Engum, which discusses the bittersweet experiences of expatriate life, Arab culture, and the successes and failures of people from different parts of the world who strive to make a living in the desert, was originally released in 2024. 'The book is based on my life experience and those of others. I am happy that it was translated and published in Arabic,' says Mr. Rahman. The original book runs to 208 pages. Of this, 33 chapters related to the lives, sorrows, and joys of Arabs and expatriates have been translated. The book, translated by Oachira native Yoosuf Sahib Nadwi, has been published in Arabic by Samawy Publishers. An online version is also available. Mr. Nadwi had earlier translated Cancer Wardile Chiri by film actor Innocent into Arabic. Mr. Rahman left school while in the 8th grade. After doing various odd jobs, including selling tea at Kanjirappally and Kottayam, he went to the MSM College at the age of 17, not to pursue education, but to work at the canteen to earn a living. He spent nearly a quarter of a century there, initially as a tea-seller and later as canteen manager, before relocating to Saudi Arabia in 2004. Love of reading 'Despite various struggles in life, what I loved most was reading. It later helped me to develop some writing skills,' says Mr. Rahman. His first book, a 235-page memoir titled Oru College Canteenkarante Kurippukal, was published in 2021. Apart from the memories of a man who witnessed campus-life politics, romances and friendships up close, the book also explores the 'pravasi (expatriate) experience', all presented with a positive tone and a touch of humour. The book was later translated into English as Jottings From a College Canteen Attendant. It was translated by Lakshman Madhav. Rahman is currently engaged in the toys and electronics business in Saudi Arabia.
Irish Examiner
25-06-2025
- Sport
- Irish Examiner
New research project reveals untapped potential of Para sport in Ireland
A new report has revealed the barriers and the opportunities which exist within disability sport in Ireland. Gateways & Pathways: Athlete and Coach Experiences of Para Sport in Ireland was launched by Paralympics Ireland in partnership the University of Limerick on Wednesday. Para sport athletes with congenital disabilities reported starting in their sport far later in life than non-Para athletes. For boys, it was at an average age of 12.6 years old and for girls much later at 21 years. "This delayed entry can limit skill development and hinder long-term participation, as well as depriving the individual of the benefits of Para sport at a younger age," the report states. That gender gap is also evident in how girls compared to boys were introduced to para sport: 9.3% vs 25% through schools; 2.3% vs 18.8% through siblings; and 11.6% vs 35% through rehabilitation centres, physiotherapists or physicians. Athletes with acquired disabilities were far more likely to report experiencing barriers to participation compared to those with congenital disabilities, averaging 5.4 barriers compared to three. "Entry into Para sport is often more complex for those with acquired disabilities, and current structures appear to be inadequate to meet their needs," the report says. Schools were found to be a missed opportunity for introductions to Para sport with less than one-fifth of participants beginning their sporting journey through a teacher or school. The report states that with proper structures and supports, schools could become a key access point to Para sport. A lack of access to programmes and facilities was reported as a barrier by 30.9% while 27.6% said it hindered their ongoing participation. Those based outside cities reported an "overall lack of local Para sport options and the need to travel long distances to participate". The development of new clubs will be critical in improving the situation. 25% of athletes said they lacked regular coaching support with 15.3% training on their own and another 9.9% training with other athletes but without a coach. "A multitude of promising 'sources' of Para coaches were also mentioned in the interviews," the report states, "including retired athletes, parents, and non-Para coaches – but no formal initiative appears to be in place to fully leverage these groups to increase the number of coaches in the Para sport system. Coaches also spoke of feeling isolated, underappreciated and unrecognised efforts to remedy this should be explored also. There is a clear need for a national strategy to recruit, develop, and retain Para sport coaches." There were also found to be many positives associated with disability sport in Ireland, ones which makes the opportunities even greater. "The impact of Para sport went far beyond health and well-being," the report says. "Most athletes cited improved independence, self-confidence, and social connection, to name but a few, as benefits that kept them involved in Para sport. Benefits such as travel, a sense of accomplishment, and belonging were frequently cited as key motivators also. "Interviewees also spoke about the importance of being with others who share similar lived experiences of having a disability; for many interviewees, Para sport was the first setting in which this occurred. "There is a need to raise awareness of the transformative potential of Para sport for all people with disabilities beyond the typical benefits associated with sport. Greater recognition of these wider impacts can help drive increased participation among athletes and coaches, while also building broader support for Para sport across Irish society."
Skift
11-06-2025
- Business
- Skift
Airbnb's Poaching Experiences, IHG's U.S. Bounce and Meliá's Expansion Plans
For today's pod we look at Airbnb's aggressive expansion approach, IHG's good news in the U.S., and Melia's equally good news about Mediterranean numbers. Skift Daily Briefing Podcast Listen to the day's top travel stories in under four minutes every weekday. Listen to the day's top travel stories in under four minutes every weekday. Skift Travel Podcasts Good morning from Skift. It's Wednesday, June 11. Here's what you need to know about the business of travel today. Airbnb has been outed by two tour platforms for trying to poach their guides as the short-term rental giant looks to relaunch its Experiences business, writes Executive Editor Dennis Schaal. ToursByLocals and Withlocals said separately that people with Airbnb email addresses created accounts on their sites, and then violated their terms and conditions by messaging tour guides on their platforms to recruit them to Airbnb Experiences. ToursByLocals CEO Lisa Chen said those creating accounts on the site sought to take the conversations off the platform. She said ToursByLocals disabled the Airbnb accounts. Withlocals CEO Matthijs Keij wrote about Airbnb's activity in a recent Linkedin post, saying it wasn't in the spirit of fair play. Listen to This Podcast Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Youtube | RSS Next, InterContinental Hotels Group CEO Elie Maalouf is downplaying early-year turbulence in U.S. inbound travel, writes Hospitality Reporter Luke Martin. IHG saw a drop in transatlantic bookings in March, which Maalouf partly attributed to Easter taking place in April. However, he noted IHG saw travel from Europe to the U.S. rebound in April. Maalouf added that international visitors make up just 5% of IHG's bookings in the U.S., with only a small portion coming from Europe. Maalouf also said IHG is bullish on expansion in Asia, citing younger populations and faster-growing economies across the region as drivers of growth. IHG expects to open its 1,000th hotel in China within the next two years. Finally, Meliá Hotels has seen a surge in U.S. travelers at its resorts in the Mediterranean. And CEO Gabriel Escarrer is looking to expand in what he considers emerging destinations, writes Hospitality Reporter Luke Martin. Escarrer said in an interview with Skift that Meliá has not seen a slowdown in demand thus far, adding the company has been encouraged by the number of forward bookings across its European properties. He also said that Meliá is pursuing an expansion strategy focused on what he calls a 'vacation axis' spanning regions such as the Mediterranean, Caribbean, and the Middle East. Escarrer pointed to Albania, where he said Meliá is the number one hotel company, as a priority for the company.
Skift
10-06-2025
- Business
- Skift
Airbnb Accused of Poaching Tour Guides From Rival Platforms to Grow Experiences
Whether the poaching attempts were a rogue or not, it's clear that Airbnb is going all-out to compete in its new experiences business. Airbnb needs to expand its tour supply for its newly relaunched Experiences business, and two rival tour platforms say Airbnb tried to poach their guides. Canada-headquartered ToursByLocals and Netherlands-based Withlocals said separately that people with Airbnb email addresses created accounts on their sites, and then violated their terms and conditions by messaging tour guides to recruit them to Airbnb Experiences. 'There's a better way to grow the travel experiences space and it's not by scraping platforms or poaching hosts," ToursByLocals CEO Lisa Chen said in a statement. "At ToursByLocals, our entire model is built around empowering local business
