Global e-Commerce sales made via mobile devices are expected to cross $638 billion by 2018, according to the joint study brought out by ASSOCHAM and Deloitte.

Currently, the availability of e-Commerce applications on various mobility devices is helping to drive sales and revenue. E-tailers like Flipkart, Amazone and Jabong now get 50% of their revenues from consumers shopping on their mobile phones. Predictive analytics is helping the e-tailers to provide better solutions in real-time enabling compelling user experience even on mobile screens, said Mr. D S Rawat, Secretary General ASSOCHAM.

However, while shoppers want real-time, relevant, and personalized information and offers, retailers will need to surround this service with very strong privacy and security. Trust, transparency, and protecting customer information will be critical in retaining loyalty as mobile retailing becomes the norm, noted the joint study. 

Online commerce companies should enable all features from search-to-purchase on mobile apps, such as facilitating product research, price comparison, view ratings and reviews, and payment. 

The launch of wearables, such as Google Glass and Apple Watch, opens new opportunities for reaching out to customers. E-tailers would keep an eye on developments in this arena, although it might only be an urban phenomenon at the moment.

Face-Off With Cyber Security Expert Sanjay Sahay (IPS)

The ubiquitous nature of cyber security demands emanate from the realty of an all dependent world of internet, literally anything under the sun directly or indirectly would fall under this mechanism.  Technology is racing to become mankind’s DNA in today’s knowledge-driven world. Transformation changes demand transformational answers. We have not only to match the hackers but to race ahead of them. Terrorism and cyber security happen to be the biggest challenges facing nations today. Countries need to gear up to deliver a safe and secure cyber world.

With this in mind, this multidisciplinary workshop titled Cyber Security - A Challenge to Mankind by Mr. Sanjay Sahay (IPS), ADGP, at Police Computer Wing, Govt. of Karnataka will talk on these issues that impact us. The talk will begin at 3.30 pm on June 17, 2015 at R V College of engineering, Bangalore. It is open to teaching faculty, computer & software professionals, senior managers of IT and other companies, research scholars, NGOs and anybody interested in the field of cyber security. This lecture has lots of takeaways which would enrich their professional life and career in the days to come. Nothing is complete with Cyber Security today.

This is part of an Experiential Learning Series (ELL) that was launched on May 19, 2012 with the noble intention to disseminate top class management learning to the teaching, student and practitioner’s fraternity.

Employees Using Macs at Tipping Point

As bring-your-own-device (BYOD) policies continue to transform the way employees work worldwide, Macs in the workplace are becoming more common.

In fact, a 2014 survey of 376 IT professionals conducted by Dimensional Research found that user preference is the top reason given by IT administrators for supporting Macs. The survey also found that 66 percent of businesses are already using Macs today, and more than 70 percent officially support Macs as a company endpoint.

While many employees clearly prefer Macs, there are challenges from an IT perspective when it comes to file sharing, including compatibility, search performance issues, and a poor user experience.

Jai Ho! Jaipur to be a Smart City

Jaipur will now embrace the benefits of connectivity and digitisation to transform itself into a Smart+Connected city. The Jaipur Development Authority (JDA) has chosen to develop smart city infrastructures that will improve the efficiency and quality of services received by its 3.5 million residents and over 40 million tourists who visit the city every year. With this launch, Jaipur becomes one of the first state capitals in India to showcase a comprehensive roadmap to become a world-class smart city.

JDA will set up the digital infrastructure to offer citizens amenities including connected transport, interactive kiosks, wireless broadband, safety and security services, traffic management and environmental updates. The organisation will install an urban platform of sensors which allows for the sharing of information, giving added value to citizens. JDA will also set up a Command and Control Centre as well as a Response Control Room to manage the city with greater efficiency and effectiveness.

The Digital India program of the government is focused on the digital empowerment of citizens, where infrastructure will be offered as a utility to every citizen, governance and services would be on demand, and citizens would be digitally empowered.

Cisco is on board for this transformative project and Cisco will help enable a city as historic as Jaipur become one of the first and most ambitious city-wide brownfield smart city projects in India. 

Creating Smart Cities to Improve Quality of Life

As digital technologies become a more pervasive part of everyday life, there is a growing need to unlock consumer and industry value by removing barriers that prevent users from transporting and accessing their data—particularly their personal data and digital identities—while continuing to respect user privacy, according to a new combined World Economic Forum and Boston Consulting Report — Expanding Participation and Boosting Growth: The Infrastructure Needs of the Digital Economy.

The next five years are going to be critical for the future of internet and the required digital infrastructure. The world needs to address challenges of bringing the next 1 billion people online, creating a robust infrastructure for the expected explosion in demand and create forward looking policies and ecosystem that allow the dream of 30 billion people + Internet of Things (IoT) devices to be connected and ensure that we create smart cities to improve quality of life for existing urban inhabitants as well as the additional one billion people who are expected to move to urban centres by 2030.

If Content is King, Then Application is King Kong!

Content will become more vernacular as the user base diversifies and grows to include larger numbers of rural consumers. The use of vernacular content online is estimated to increase from 45 percent in 2013 to more than 60 percent in 2018, mirroring broadening consumption patterns in off-line media such as print and television.

Marketers have an opportunity to engage with consumers in new and powerful ways and to develop new offerings based on clearly identified user groups. Marketers that fully embrace the changes taking place can go even further and craft offerings that address the personal preferences of microsegments or even individuals, on the basis of data that defines their online behavior.

Consumption is becoming a shared experience for many. Social interaction, pictures, blogs, and videos are growing in importance. Websites and apps such as Google, Facebook, and YouTube are often the first destination for digital consumers.

India’s Growing Digital Market Means Big Changes for Media Cos

As Internet use spreads to more older people, rural residents and women, marketing and media companies face opportunities and challenges in evolving customer base, says a new report.

According to a report released by the Boston Consulting Group (BCG), Digital India: Insights for Marketers and Media Companies, there will be as many as 550 million connected consumers—40 percent of the population—in 2018. Equally significant are the changes taking place in who these consumers are and how they are using their devices. The report is based on two recent consumer surveys by BCG’s Center for Consumer and Customer Insight.

Content will become more vernacular as the user base diversifies and grows to include larger numbers of rural consumers. The use of vernacular content online is estimated to increase from 45 percent in 2013 to more than 60 percent in 2018, mirroring broadening consumption patterns in off-line media such as print and television.

Consumption is becoming a shared experience for many. Social interaction, pictures, blogs, and videos are growing in importance. Websites and apps such as Google, Facebook, and YouTube are often the first destination for digital consumers.

Bengaluru (Namma) Metro has reported a physical and financial progress of about 92 per cent. The entire network of 42.30 kms in Phase I will be completed in all respects by December this year, of which 38.30 kms would be operational for public service and the balance 4 kms would be ready for testing and commissioning.

Madhusudhan Prasad, Secretary (UD) said this during the review on Friday last has asked the six Metros being implemented on 50:50 basis to ensure that there are no time and cost overruns. He said that infrastructure projects are top priority for the government and they are being monitored by the Prime Minister’s Office.

Bengaluru Metro has a North-South corridor of 24.20 km between Puttenahalli and Nagasandra and East – West corridor of 18.10 km between Mysore Road and Baiyyappanahalli. Three Reaches with a total length of 17 km with 16 stations have so far been commissioned.

India Roars at Hannover Fair!

India as a Partner Country at the world's largest industrial fair world's largest industrial fair - Hannover Messe - reflects the new confidence in India. Altogether 15 states, 20 CEOs and 350 companies from India are participating in this fair.

India’s presence as a partner country says something else too. India will naturally pursue its goals on the strength of its own resources, skills and enterprise. But, it knows that it can be more successful when India partners with the world. For people in India, Germany is a valued partner; and, an enduring symbol of technology and innovation, quality and productivity.

Even more, India and Germany share a close and warm relationship. It goes back centuries, in the intellectual journey of German scholars. Through the passage of history, Indians and Germans have formed a relationship of mutual fascination and goodwill.

At the inauguration, Prime Minister Narendra Modi India invited Germany to a partner in making a new India.