Latest news with #WalmartInc.
Mint
15 hours ago
- Health
- Mint
Trump Officials Met with Walmart on Direct-to-Patient Drug Sales
US health officials met with with Walmart Inc. and other retailers this week as part of an effort to help Americans get their medicines more directly from companies that make them, according to people familiar with the talks. The conversations between the Trump administration and experts from the nascent straight-to-consumer drug industry are intended to explore streamlining the way Americans get their medicines, said the people, who weren't authorized to speak publicly on the matter. Officials at the US Department of Health and Human Services conducted the meeting to discuss options, the people said. It was unclear what the department's approach and timeline would be in pursuing such a venture. Walmart and HHS declined to comment. Reducing America's drug prices, currently the highest in the world, is one of President Donald Trump's top health policy goals. In May, he signed an executive order calling on the pharmaceutical industry to cut costs to the lowest level paid by similar countries. Part of that proposal instructed HHS to help Americans directly buy their medicine at those lower prices. One reason drugs are so expensive in the US is because they go through so many bureaucratic steps before they reach a patient. Most Americans get their drugs from pharmacies, which are paid primarily by insurance companies. The insurers work with other companies, called pharmacy benefit managers, to negotiate the prices with manufacturers. That process involves rebates, a fee that critics say inflates costs and the industry says is essential to prevent drugmakers from charging exorbitant prices. Trump has been talking about cracking down on PBMs since his first administration. Walmart started offering prescription delivery in October, making it a competitor to Inc. in the space. This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
Time of India
a day ago
- Business
- Time of India
Walmart-backed Flipkart turns to videos and livestream to woo Indian online shoppers
Flipkart India Pvt., the e-commerce giant owned by Walmart Inc., is using social videos and livestreams to convert young consumers spending a lot of time on their smartphones into loyal videos to showcase and sell products is one of the leading new forays at Flipkart, Neha Agrahari, a senior director at the retailer, said in an interview to Bloomberg the concept of online retailers using videos to boost sales has been around for years, Flipkart hopes this strategy will give it an edge over rivals like Inc. and Reliance Industries Ltd. in India. The world's most-populous country has about 650 million smartphone users — of whom over 270 million make purchases online, making it the second-largest e-retail market ahead of the US. About 200 million users engaged with videos on Flipkart while shopping in the first half of 2025, up from 75 million a year ago, data from the retailer showed. 'Users prefer to watch a video and make a decision' when shopping, making video commerce the obvious direction to take, Agrahari said. Two in three Gen-Z users now prefer this format of shopping, with 65% of video and streaming engagement coming from India's smaller cities. The firm launched video offerings on its app about 18 months ago to promote everything from sunscreen to gadgets. It also features livestreams to answer buyers' questions about products in real-time and let shoppers interact with influencers. Flipkart's foray into this segment, along with other Indian platforms like SoftBank Group Corp.-backed Meesho, follows a trend in China and other parts of Asia where top retailers routinely invest in promoting items via live videos, hiring influencers to hawk everything from lipstick to protein powders. Video-led shopping is currently driving sales in fashion, beauty, personal care and home decor categories, Agrahari said, adding that the next move is to include electronics and fitness-related content. The platform is building physical studios in the Indian cities of Gurugram, Mumbai, and Bengaluru to offer 'seamless' shooting and editing experience to its video creators, Agrahari said. User engagement numbers for daily livestreaming show the strategy is paying off. The number is up 17 times compared to the previous year, according to Agrahari. The surge is boosted by product videos which include clips of users dipping t-shirts in water to see if the colors bleed and using a variety of food in kitchen appliances to test reliability. The 'stress tests' work for livestreams and viewers want to see more, she said. 'We don't mind dropping a mobile phone just to prove that it is strong enough.'
Economic Times
a day ago
- Business
- Economic Times
Walmart-backed Flipkart turns to videos and livestream to woo Indian online shoppers
ETtech Flipkart India Pvt., the e-commerce giant owned by Walmart Inc., is using social videos and livestreams to convert young consumers spending a lot of time on their smartphones into loyal videos to showcase and sell products is one of the leading new forays at Flipkart, Neha Agrahari, a senior director at the retailer, said in an interview to Bloomberg News. While the concept of online retailers using videos to boost sales has been around for years, Flipkart hopes this strategy will give it an edge over rivals like Inc. and Reliance Industries Ltd. in India. The world's most-populous country has about 650 million smartphone users — of whom over 270 million make purchases online, making it the second-largest e-retail market ahead of the US. About 200 million users engaged with videos on Flipkart while shopping in the first half of 2025, up from 75 million a year ago, data from the retailer showed. 'Users prefer to watch a video and make a decision' when shopping, making video commerce the obvious direction to take, Agrahari said. Two in three Gen-Z users now prefer this format of shopping, with 65% of video and streaming engagement coming from India's smaller cities. The firm launched video offerings on its app about 18 months ago to promote everything from sunscreen to gadgets. It also features livestreams to answer buyers' questions about products in real-time and let shoppers interact with foray into this segment, along with other Indian platforms like SoftBank Group Corp.-backed Meesho, follows a trend in China and other parts of Asia where top retailers routinely invest in promoting items via live videos, hiring influencers to hawk everything from lipstick to protein shopping is currently driving sales in fashion, beauty, personal care and home decor categories, Agrahari said, adding that the next move is to include electronics and fitness-related content. The platform is building physical studios in the Indian cities of Gurugram, Mumbai, and Bengaluru to offer 'seamless' shooting and editing experience to its video creators, Agrahari engagement numbers for daily livestreaming show the strategy is paying off. The number is up 17 times compared to the previous year, according to Agrahari. The surge is boosted by product videos which include clips of users dipping t-shirts in water to see if the colors bleed and using a variety of food in kitchen appliances to test 'stress tests' work for livestreams and viewers want to see more, she said. 'We don't mind dropping a mobile phone just to prove that it is strong enough.' Elevate your knowledge and leadership skills at a cost cheaper than your daily tea. Profits plenty, prices attractive, still PSU stocks languish. Why? Why Sebi must give up veto power over market infra institutions Oil, war, and the Hormuz gambit: Why the 2025 standoff won't mirror the 2022 shock! Second only to L&T, but controversies may weaken this infra powerhouse's growth story Stock Radar: Titan Company bounces back after testing 200-DMA in June; breaks out from 1-month consolidation – what should investors do? Long- or medium-term investing: Invest in ability & balance sheet; 6 large-caps from different sectors, with upside potential of up to 36% Weekly Top Picks: These stocks scored 10 on 10 on Stock Reports Plus These large- and mid-cap stocks can give more than 23% return in 1 year, according to analysts
Time of India
a day ago
- Business
- Time of India
Walmart-backed Flipkart turns to videos and livestream to woo Indian online shoppers
Flipkart India Pvt., the e-commerce giant owned by Walmart Inc., is using social videos and livestreams to convert young consumers spending a lot of time on their smartphones into loyal videos to showcase and sell products is one of the leading new forays at Flipkart, Neha Agrahari, a senior director at the retailer, said in an interview to Bloomberg the concept of online retailers using videos to boost sales has been around for years, Flipkart hopes this strategy will give it an edge over rivals like Inc. and Reliance Industries Ltd. in India. The world's most-populous country has about 650 million smartphone users — of whom over 270 million make purchases online, making it the second-largest e-retail market ahead of the 200 million users engaged with videos on Flipkart while shopping in the first half of 2025, up from 75 million a year ago, data from the retailer showed.'Users prefer to watch a video and make a decision' when shopping, making video commerce the obvious direction to take, Agrahari said. Two in three Gen-Z users now prefer this format of shopping, with 65% of video and streaming engagement coming from India's smaller firm launched video offerings on its app about 18 months ago to promote everything from sunscreen to gadgets. It also features livestreams to answer buyers' questions about products in real-time and let shoppers interact with foray into this segment, along with other Indian platforms like SoftBank Group Corp.-backed Meesho, follows a trend in China and other parts of Asia where top retailers routinely invest in promoting items via live videos, hiring influencers to hawk everything from lipstick to protein shopping is currently driving sales in fashion, beauty, personal care and home decor categories, Agrahari said, adding that the next move is to include electronics and fitness-related platform is building physical studios in the Indian cities of Gurugram, Mumbai, and Bengaluru to offer 'seamless' shooting and editing experience to its video creators, Agrahari engagement numbers for daily livestreaming show the strategy is paying off. The number is up 17 times compared to the previous year, according to Agrahari. The surge is boosted by product videos which include clips of users dipping t-shirts in water to see if the colors bleed and using a variety of food in kitchen appliances to test 'stress tests' work for livestreams and viewers want to see more, she said. 'We don't mind dropping a mobile phone just to prove that it is strong enough.'
The Star
a day ago
- Business
- The Star
Walmart-backed Flipkart turns to videos and livestream to woo Indian online shoppers
NEW DELHI: Flipkart India Pvt., the e-commerce giant owned by Walmart Inc., is using social videos and livestreams to convert young consumers spending a lot of time on their smartphones into loyal customers. Using videos to showcase and sell products is one of the leading new forays at Flipkart, Neha Agrahari, a senior director at the retailer, said in an interview to Bloomberg News. While the concept of online retailers using videos to boost sales has been around for years, Flipkart hopes this strategy will give it an edge over rivals like Inc. and Reliance Industries Ltd. in India. The world's most-populous country has about 650 million smartphone users - of whom over 270 million make purchases online, making it the second-largest e-retail market ahead of the US. About 200 million users engaged with videos on Flipkart while shopping in the first half of 2025, up from 75 million a year ago, data from the retailer showed. "Users prefer to watch a video and make a decision' when shopping, making video commerce the obvious direction to take, Agrahari said. Two in three Gen-Z users now prefer this format of shopping, with 65 per cent of video and streaming engagement coming from India's smaller cities. The firm launched video offerings on its app about 18 months ago to promote everything from sunscreen to gadgets. It also features livestreams to answer buyers' questions about products in real-time and let shoppers interact with influencers. Flipkart's foray into this segment, along with other Indian platforms like SoftBank Group Corp.-backed Meesho, follows a trend in China and other parts of Asia where top retailers routinely invest in promoting items via live videos, hiring influencers to hawk everything from lipstick to protein powders. Video-led shopping is currently driving sales in fashion, beauty, personal care and home decor categories, Agrahari said, adding that the next move is to include electronics and fitness-related content. The platform is building physical studios in the Indian cities of Gurugram, Mumbai, and Bengaluru to offer "seamless' shooting and editing experience to its video creators, Agrahari said. User engagement numbers for daily livestreaming show the strategy is paying off. The number is up 17 times compared to the previous year, according to Agrahari. The surge is boosted by product videos which include clips of users dipping t-shirts in water to see if the colours bleed and using a variety of food in kitchen appliances to test reliability. The "stress tests' work for livestreams and viewers want to see more, she said. "We don't mind dropping a mobile phone just to prove that it is strong enough.' - Bloomberg
