Archives 2023

February 14, 2023 — People in the United States bought 250 million roses to give to their valentines on Feb. 14, 2019. The very next year, during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns, consumers stopped buying flowers. The growers in South America who supply American florists and supermarkets with beautiful blooms couldn’t sell their crops and had to burn them.

Photo of roses courtesy of Pexels“The industry was highly affected by the 2020 pandemic. People stopped getting married, people stopped having graduations, they stopped having big conferences, or any type of meeting where you would need flowers,” said Barbara Leshyn, floral design instructor for Virginia Tech’s School of Plant and Environmental Sciences. “People lost jobs, from the grower to shipping, to wholesale, to retail.”

However, as the U.S. emerged from lockdown, Leshyn said the floral industry rebounded in a huge way, and so far the recovery, and the fondness for giving flowers, show no signs of slowing down. “We saw record sales in 2021, we saw record sales in 2022, and our projection is that in 2023 we will have record sales specifically for Valentine’s Day.”

Leshyn said the floral industry is doing even better now than it was before COVID-19 arrived. In 2021, the industry rapidly ramped up to meet demand and ended up clearing $6 billion in sales, a new record. That figure includes both cut flowers and the potted plants one buys for home gardens. Breaking out flowers alone, florists made $360 million in sales as opposed to $220 million in 2019, according to the Society for American Florists. Though final figures for 2022 are not yet available, they are likely to be even higher, Leshyn said.

“Valentine’s Day shoppers will see prices higher than they were in 2019, but on par with prices from 2022,” said Leshyn. “Though the European floral industry has been affected negatively by recession and the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the U.S. market’s ties to South America provide security. We look good for the next year or two.”

Florists have a lot to look forward to this Valentine’s Day, with the National Retail Federation predicting that consumers will spend a record $25.9 billion and that 37% of those shoppers will buy flowers. Yet what about the long view for these fragile blooms?

“Long-term concerns have grown because older generations have generally been florists’ dependable customers. The industry has responded by courting new, younger customers through TikTok,” Leshyn said. “When you have an industry that relies on a perishable product, they have to be pretty forward thinking all the time.”

Submarine Pens, is India’s Largest manufacturer of a range of high-performance roller pens and ballpoint pens. Submarine Pens, home to the finest writing instruments and currently featuring over 5 models, never shies from surprising its customers. This time, Submarine Pens’ new Coffee Pen is a COFFEE TREAT (literally!) for its patrons to powerfully express themselves. Mrp for coffee pen – ball pen 300 roller pen 400.

This one-of-a-kind collection comes in five modern styles and emits the passion, finesse, and amazing quality that let one relate to the enjoyment of being in a café. As they write with the new Coffee Pen from Submarine, customers can sense the aroma of the coffee beans.

The Coffee Pen collection includes a number of modes, such as Americano, Cappuccino, Mocha, Espresso, Latte & Macchiato. You can buy the Submarine coffee pen collection very soon at Archies gallery, top A+ Stores, & online retail. So the next time you’re frantically jotting down notes, you can take a break for a moment of relaxation and take a good, long whiff of your coffee-scented pen.

The season of love has arrived! And what better way to celebrate the day than binge-watching some of the most intriguing love stories Netflix has to offer? Forget the old cliched displays of affection, be it long-stemmed roses or boxes of chocolate or candlelit dinners, as we have curated a list of films that you can stream with your beloved on this Valentine’s Day.

Ante Sundaraniki

Featuring Nani, Nazriya Nazim in the lead role, Ante Sundaraniki, a Netflix Telugu rom- com takes you through the lives of a Christian woman, Leela (Nazriya Nazim), and a Brahmin guy, Sundar (Nani), who fall in love and get married. In an attempt to convince their parents, the children tell different stories, and create a comical disaster by complicating their situation. Ante Sundaraniki is a sweet romantic comedy movie and a perfect binge watch for Valentine’s Day

Available in Tamil, Telugu, and Kannada.

Virata Parvam

Vennela (Sai Pallavi), a typical Telangana country girl who draws a lot of inspiration from literature and her father’s Oggu Katha. The most wanted naxal commander Aranya alias Ravanna (Rana Daggubati), whose poem Vennela just so happens to read, captures her heart. The central conflict of this romantic action thriller is how Vennela and Ravanna’s paths connect and if Vennela succeeds in winning her heart. A romantic action film that celebrates love and has powerful emotions, Virata Parvam proves to be a memorable Valentine’s Day film.

Available in Telugu, Tamil & Malayalam

Krishna Vrinda Vihari

Directed by Annish Krishna, the Telugu romantic comedy stars Naga Shaurya, Shirley Setia and Radhika in prominent roles. The story revolves around Krishna (Naga Shaurya), who falls in love with his project manager Vrinda (Shirley). However, descending from an orthodox family, he strives to convince his family to marry Vrinda. This rom-com is an inspiring watch on Valentine’s Day as it takes you through a series of twists and tales of love.

18 Pages

18 Pages, Netflix romantic drama features Nikhil Siddhartha, Anupama Parameswaran, and Ajay in the lead. The movie takes you through the life of Siddhu (Nikhil Siddhartha) and Nandini (Anupama Parameswaran). Heartbroken Siddhu finds himself immersed in the enigmatic world of Nandini when he stumbles upon her two-year-old diary. This love-story will enlighten your Valentine’s Day as it will anticipate you to see whether Siddhu and Nandini actually meet.

Love Today

Consider giving your partner access to your phone for the entire day. That sounds impossible, right? Well, that is what Love Today is all about. This rom-com features a young couple who swap phones for 24 hours, at the request of the girl’s suspicious father. Directed by Pradeep Ranganathan, the movie stars Pradeep Ranganathan, Ivana, and Yogi Babu in the lead. This film is a great watch for Valentine’s Day as it makes two strangers fall in love.

Available in Tamil, Telugu, and Kannada.

New Delhi, February 14, 2023: Times Prime, the leading lifestyle subscription app has forged an association with Prooh Technologies Pvt. Ltd, an AD network of uber premium digital and static road-facing inventory, to further engage the brand’s audience with its successful quirky campaign – ‘Members’ Fest. This expansion of the outdoor campaign is from Cyber Hub, Gurgaon to 35 sites across the Delhi NCR region and will showcase the brand’s new offer launches and exclusively curated events. It will run for three months and feature 35 digital screens strategically placed in popular shopping and dining destinations.

Placed at strategic high footfall locations across Delhi NCR, we were able to touch over 30 million prospective members in a span of just 15 days during our unique benefits campaign called Members’ Fest. A campaign designed to spark curiosity about Times Prime, drive engagement and encourage new customer trials.
The 360 approaches to the campaign helped us set new landmarks with a 247% increase in organic traffic, 85% increment in website visits, and a 700% jump in purchase intent shown through searches of Times Prime coupons. The 15-day campaign introduced benefits from fan-favorite brands like MX Gold, McDonald’s, WOW Skin Science, Zoft, Organic Harvest, Myntra and gratified over 1 lakh members.

“Our 15-day extravaganza of exclusive benefits and experiences was a major success. The targeted approach drove engagement, brand awareness, and interaction. To keep raising the bar, we’re partnering with PROOH Technologies for better innovation and adopting the latest marketing technologies.” – Harshita Singh, Business Head, Times Prime.

“This is an industry first initiative combining audience planning, programmatic DOOH AD placement around cohort movement patterns and buying DOOH and OOH space on no fixed rental instead on impressions delivered,” says Vishnu Mohan, Co-Founder of PROOH Technologies Pvt. Ltd.

As one of the most preferred lifestyle super-apps, Times Prime offers an extensive range of benefits on a single platform, from shopping to entertainment and lifestyle, brands like Starbucks, Myntra, Uber, Disney+ Hotstar, SonyLIV, Google One, and many more. Times Prime positions itself as a unique Super App that curates subscriptions and benefits besides elevating lifestyle with superior & exclusive access to global brands and experiences. The campaign is designed to create a sense of urgency and dramatize the importance of availing the benefits of Times Prime subscription.

New Delhi, 14th Feb 2023: Leading AI-enabled one-stop solution provider for school education, Zamit got the opportunity to present its services at the first conference of the Boarding Schools’ Association of India (BSAI). The Boarding Schools Associations of India is a pioneer body that supports, represents, and advances the goals of India’s fully residential, private, and unaided boarding schools. The conference was held at Welham Boys’ School, Dehradun.

“We are delighted that BSAI gave us the platform to showcase our innovative AI ideas to the heads of prestigious boarding schools in India. The facilitators from Zamit and its partner Qualification and Assessment, UK, demonstrated various services for teachers, students, schools, and parents, including the 360-degree holistic report card, ZQ for students, and teacher professional development opportunities. Our presentation was well-received by the community, which encourages us to keep thriving in AI. The conference was empowering as we got valuable input on the needs of the teaching fraternity. We look forward to meeting the market demands to aid in the delivery of quality education,” said Mr. Aarul Malaviya, Founder & Director of Zamit.

Mr. Manpreet Singh Badal, former finance minister of Punjab and alumnus of the Doon School, Dehradun, was the conference’s chief guest. The forum was attended by over twenty-five eminent educationists, principals and senior teachers of premier boarding schools in India, including The Doon School, Welham Girls’ School, Welham Boys’ School, Hopetown Girls’ School, and Mayo College.

In line with the government’s initiative Make AI in India, Zamit is playing a pivoted role in delivering advanced AI-driven solutions to enhance education quality worldwide. It believes in creating future-ready solutions for students and teachers on the global stage. Its visionary approach led to the creation of Zamit Quotient, the world’s first AI-enabled measurable future readiness indexing system. Besides, its 360-degree holistic report card provides individualized support plans for students based on their academic progress and skill level.

The facilitators, principals, and heads of the participating schools as well as eminent educationalists and academic advisers, had the chance to interact with our team over lunch and discuss ideas and opportunities to establish a cooperative partnership between schools and Zamit.

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New Delhi, 14th February 2023: EduBridge, India’s leading Workforce Development platform, organized SkillsFactor 2023, the largest skill marathon in the country. The event was in its third successive season, which was conducted recently in association with UNICEF-YuWaah.

SkillsFactor is an of its kind platform that brings CXOs of renowned multinationals and startups under one platform to engage with the youth in a purposeful interaction that can deliver them to sustainable careers. The day-long event was strategically planned, with 10 sessions of 60 minutes each from 8 am to 8 pm. Each speaker was given time to interact with an audience comprising of fresh graduates and young professionals, who were seeking to accelerate their career prospects or were looking to switch careers. Over 30000 registered participants had the opportunity to garner insights in the spheres of Technology, Banking and Finance, and Self-Development topics from prominent industry experts.

Over 10,000 youth attended the program this year and with many more following the live stream on the Learn Online with EduBridge YouTube channel. The topics helped participants understand the need for required skills in the workforce in order to build sustainable career paths or make career switch decisions. The event assumed the format of a ‘Marathon’, giving experts an opportunity to answer a maximum number of questions and conduct back-to-back sessions throughout the day.

Some of the topics included 10 Must-Know Things about a Career in Data Analytics, Roadmap to Full Stack Development Career, Move your Career Forward with AWS, Talk to our Young Entrepreneurs, Investing in Mutual Funds, How to Master Skills for Data Analytics, Ultimate Investment Banking Career Guide, Top Career Options for Finance Graduates, Building a Career in Software Programming, and many others. Top Industry Experts like S.Karthik (Delhivery), Ramesh Ekambaram (Leading MNC Bank), Rohit Sharma (AWS), Neelabh Sanyal (Kuvera), Rajat Khatri (Ferns & Petals), Sudarshan Ramakrishnan (Leading Investment Bank), Deepak Jain (Ather Energy), Dhairya Gangwani (Dhairya Decodes), Dhinakar Selwyn (Capgemini), and more have conducted these sessions. The audience participation was riddled with enthusiasm, each session ended with an average of over 15 questions.

EduBridge has also given participants access to useful tools, a book to read, website links, etc. which were shared with the audience. To mark the success of SkillsFactor 2023, EduBridge launched the Elite Learner’s Club, giving learners an opportunity to become part of the EduBridge family. Learners can avail of attractive discounts, prizes, cash-back, and other rewards on making a referral.

According to Girish Singhania, CEO, EduBridge, “We commenced with SkillsFactor in 2020 with the intention of educating the youth on the merit of skilling. Over the years, the event got bigger and better. We invite industry experts across disciplines to strike up a one-on-one conversation with the youth while addressing the in-demand requirements. SkillsFactor is an open platform enabling learners to exchange their views and resolve queries relating to their career path and start accelerating their interest in the desired direction to achieve growth. This season we launched the unique referral program extending our gratitude to the learners and including them as we enliven our efforts at skilling the youth. We look forward to another successful season in 2024.”

Mumbai, February 14, 2023: HDFC Bank has launched a pilot in partnership with Crunchfish, to test offline digital payments for merchants and customers under the RBI’s Regulatory Sandbox Program, known as ‘OfflinePay’.

HDFC Bank’s ‘OfflinePay’ will enable customers and merchants to make and receive payments even when there is no mobile network. HDFC Bank is the first bank in the industry to launch a digital payment solution in a completely offline mode. This can boost the adoption of digital payments in smaller towns and rural areas with poor network connectivity.

Even in urban centers, it can enable cashless payments during large public events, fairs & exhibitions despite network congestion; underground metro stations, parking lots, & retail stores with network blind spots; and even in airplanes, sea ferries, and trains with no network.

HDFC Bank has been working with the regulator to pilot offline digital payments under the Payments cohort of RBI’s Regulatory Sandbox program. In September 2022, RBI approved HDFC Bank’s application, in partnership with Crunchfish, to access the Regulatory Sandbox. Crunchfish Digital Cash AB is a subsidiary of Crunchfish AB, a publicly listed company on the Nasdaq First North Growth Market in Stockholm, Sweden. The pilot, if successful, will provide the basis for RBI’s guidance and regulatory support in providing offline digital payments based on ‘The Crunchfish Digital Cash platform to the payment ecosystem of India.

Digital Payment typically requires one party (either the customer or the merchant) to be online. This limits the usage of such payments to areas with good data connectivity. HDFC Bank’s ‘OfflinePay’ brings in the unique capability where both customer and merchant can be fully offline and yet do the transaction. Merchants can receive an instant payment confirmation even in an offline mode. As soon as either the merchant or the customer goes online, the transaction gets settled.

“HDFC Bank is pleased to work under the regulator’s guidance and partner with Crunchfish Digital Cash to launch ‘OfflinePay’, an industry-first digital solution. This innovation will accelerate financial inclusion in remote areas by enabling the adoption of digital payments as both merchants and customers can do transactions without any network. HDFC Bank is committed to bringing more digital innovations and payment solutions to its customers and merchants,” said Parag Rao, Country Head for Payments Business, Consumer Finance, Digital Banking, and Marketing at HDFC Bank.

As of now, HDFC Bank would roll out this service as part of a limited pilot for 4 months in 16+ cities & towns across India. Bank would be enabling merchants and users of even other banks to experience ‘OfflinePay’ via an invitation link. During the pilot, the offline transaction amount would be limited to up to Rs. 200 per txn. To showcase off-us transactions with other banks’ customers and merchants, HDFC Bank has partnered with IDFC First Bank. For building customer & merchant apps for a pilot, HDFC Bank enrolled M2P Fintech Pvt Ltd.

TOKYO, Feb 14, 2023 – (JCN Newswire) – JCB International Co., Ltd., the international operations subsidiary of JCB Co., Ltd., Japan’s only international payment brand, today announced the issuance of one million Rupay JCB Cards in India. These credit and debit cards, issued by 12 public and private sector banks and co-badged as RuPay JCB Cards, offer their card members a seamless payment experience within and outside India.

Along with the 3-fold growth in card issuance, a significant growth in Rupay JCB Card usage was also seen with international spending growing 8-fold between April 2022 to December 2022. This is expected to further grow rapidly given the extremely lucrative international campaign currently available for RuPay JCB cardmembers. All RuPay JCB cardmembers are eligible for a whopping 40% cashback on face-to-face transactions in Singapore, Thailand, and Bahrain. The maximum cashback amount per transaction is 3,000 INR and the maximum cashback amount per card is 15,000 INR within the campaign period. The current campaign started on December 29, 2022, and will conclude on March 31, 2023.

This is the second such campaign as RuPay JCB just concluded a similar 40% cashback campaign in UAE, Qatar, and Australia. The offer was on face-to-face transactions from October 1 to December 31, 2022. This campaign has also successfully increased the number of transactions and was well appreciated by bank issuers and cardmembers.

In addition to this, there are multiple ongoing offers across countries in different categories such as a retail stores, restaurants, hotels, and transport.

Mr. Yoshiki Kaneko, President & COO, of JCB International Co., Ltd. said, “We are very proud of our strategic partnership with NPCI. This first million Rupay JCB issuance milestone is a testament to the strength of our partnership which will continue to grow in the coming years. India is a key market for JCB with huge potential given the aspirational young and vibrant base of consumers who especially enjoy international travel and new experiences. We are confident the feature-rich RuPay JCB Card, which offers many international benefits to its cardmembers including an international airport and JCB PLAZA Lounge access, besides many special offers, discounts, and cashback that saves our cardmembers’ money, will be well enjoyed outside India. We will continue to focus on and invest in growing the India business through our esteemed partner, NPCI, to ensure that our issuing partners always have access to the best-in-class technology to create path-breaking products.”

Bengaluru, February 14, 2023: Myntra, one of the leading fashion, beauty, and lifestyle destinations of the country, has released a series of ad films featuring its brand ambassadors, Ranbir Kapoor and Kiara Advani as a part of its latest brand campaign, ‘Be Extraordinary Every Day’. Myntra offers its customers the best of fashion, beauty, and lifestyle, from a wide selection of over 6000 leading international, domestic, and D2C brands and a whopping 1.7 million trend-first styles at a wide range of price points. The brand campaign is aimed at highlighting Myntra’s unique offering for every customer across the country and fulfilling their everyday fashion needs, thus elevating the everyday fashion quotient of the country.

Ranbir Kapoor and Kiara Advani appear individually in two films each, with Ranbir showcasing men’s casual wear while Kiara, women’s ethnic and western wear. Both celebrated actors and style icons, Ranbir and Kiara’s casual dressing sense and uber-stylish demeanor are admired by their fans across the country. Their personas, unmistakable swagger, and strong collective appeal across the country, are poised to position Myntra as the preferred destination to elevate one’s everyday fashion.

As part of the association, the actors join the power-packed ensemble of superstars, who are promoting Myntra’s fashion proposition and showcasing the platform’s wide range of offerings and services, across electronic and digital mediums while also playing a crucial role in enabling Myntra to deepen its connection with their wide fanbase.

Bengaluru, February 13, 2023 – Boeing [NYSE: BA] today announced an investment in a new logistics center in India to cater to its regional customers. Continuing to expand its footprint in the country, Boeing is investing in building capabilities that support an efficient and cost-effective service solution for regional customers to maintain higher fleet utilization and mission readiness rates.

In the initial phase of the operations, the India Logistics Center will focus on supporting airline customers as the civil aviation sector continues to rapidly advance towards becoming the world’s third largest passenger market, surpassed only by the U.S. and China. The fleet of Indian airlines is projected to nearly quadruple in size by 2041 compared to 2019. With a growing domestic market and increasing opportunities for international growth, the airlines will require more holistic service support to drive efficient fleet operations. Today, more than 150 Boeing airplanes, including the Next-Generation 737, 737 MAX, 757, 777, and 787 Dreamliner, are operated by leading Indian commercial airlines.

“The further expansion of our footprint in India with the India Logistics Center supports our long-term investment strategy for the country. We remain excited and committed as we provide critical service support towards the growth of the Indian civil and defence aviation ecosystem,” said Salil Gupte, president, Boeing India.

In the second phase, the India Logistics Center will cater to the larger network of Boeing’s customers in the region. Through the Boeing India Repair Development and Sustainment (BIRDS) hub program, Boeing is already supporting local customers by creating an ecosystem of comprehensive support packages and indigenous Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MRO) capabilities with its partners. This initiative is a testament to Boeing’s commitment to “Make in India” and “Aatmanirbhar Bharat”. Currently, India operates a fleet of Boeing aircraft, including 11 C-17s, 22 AH-64 Apaches (with an additional 6 on order), 15 CH-47 Chinooks, 12 P-8Is, 3 VVIP aircraft, and 2 Head of State aircraft.

“A key element of efficient customer support is rapid response and distribution of replacement parts. The India Logistics Center will allow better responsiveness and build on Boeing’s existing global reputation for the highest quality of customer service,” said Ashwani Bhargava, senior director, India Supply Chain, Boeing India.

India is well-positioned to localize maintenance services capabilities and provide cost-effective solutions given its large technical labor force, including uniquely qualified and highly trained technicians and industry capabilities. With over eight decades of presence in India, Boeing has built a strong network support for its customers in the region through various initiatives and partnerships while contributing to the growth and development of Indian aerospace and defence sector.