Apple iPhone 6s and 6s Plus - They are 'Uncommonly' Common

Since its inception, Apple has surprised the tech world with its every single iPhone. You may wonder, as every other smartphone user, now, what kind of technological leaps do Apple iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus have in store? Well, through its subtle tagline, “The only thing that is changed is everything”, Apple has cleared all those clouds of anticipation.  

Yes, change has touched every feature of these new iPhones 6s and iPhone 6s Plus that were officially launched at a media event in San Francisco, California on September 9, 2015. The forecast is that these iPhones will be available by the end of the year in more than 130 countries around the world. Surely, both the tech-geeks and simple smartphone users have gone gaga with the incredible '3D Touch' and 'Live Photos'  features that have phenomenally changed the way one browse and click pictures. 

Soon, after its official launch, Tim Cook, CEO, Apple informed that they have received unbelievably great feedbacks from their customers, and the sales for both Apple iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus has beaten any previous first weekend sale's record in Apple's history. When the world is responding beyond imagination, Apple team is looking forward to make these iPhones available in other countries by October 9.

Infibeam's Big Bang Sale comes with Killer Deals

Don't lose hope if monsoon is expected to be below normal. Don't panic if inflation rate is hiking up. Just relax! Infibeam is back with the guaranteed lowest price Big Bang Sale to make you all HAPPY. That too with killer deals.

The three-day #BigBangSale will begin from 0000 hours of June 15, 2015 offering huge discounts on various brands, categories and several products. With the Big Bang Sale, Infibeam is all set to cater customers in over 20,000 pin codes covering the remotest corners of India.

The Big Bang Sale with discounts of up to 80% will not only make consumers’ dreams come true but take the experience of online buying to a new level. The online retail portal, www.infibeam.com ensures of no false promises or technical hurdles.

The Big Bang Sale features mouthwatering offers on leading lifestyle, electronics and media brands. Wrangler, Woodland, Puma, Titan, Timex, Fastrack, Spaces, Fossil, American Tourister, Tommy Hilfiger, Hidesign, Addons, Scullers, Blue Heaven, Oriflame, Mafatlal, Raymonds, Tissot, Davidoff, Adidas, Ray Ban, FCUK, Axe, Burberry, Hugo Boss, Marc Jacobs and many international and national brands.

Iconic Author Nikita Singh Talks About Her Latest Book, Love Stories & More

The star of popular fiction in India, Nikita Singh, is a Delhi-based Indian writer, and the author of 8 books at the age of 23. Her first book, Love @ Facebook (2011), came out when she was only 19 and studying pharmacy. She is also the recipient of a Live India Young Achievers Award, 2013.

Nikita Singh has sold thousands of copies of her books named Accidentally In Love..With Him? (2011), If It's Not Forever… It's Not Love (2012), The Promise (2012), Someone Like You (2013), The Unreasonable Fellows (2013), and Right Here Right Now (2014). If It’s Not Forever...It’s Not Love is a book she co-authored along with another eminent writer of the day, Durjoy Dutta. Her books are mostly about young adult romance fiction that cater to young adults and older audience.

Infibeam launches Wrangler's New Range of Men's Clothing

Infibeam, the flourishing e-store, has inculcated the international brand Wrangler in its Lifestyle collection. The limited range of Wrangler men's apparels, which is available at up to 20% Off, is likely to expand further soon.

The leading e-commerce and e-commerce solution company, has got yet another fashion brand in its kitty. Seven-decade old American brand, Wrangler has introduced its wide range of jeans, t-shirts and casual shirts on the popular online retail store. At present, the portal offers men's clothing with a discount of up to 20%.

Wrangler is popular for men's denims and the comfort and style they provide. On Infibeam, Wrangler has come up with a range of new colours and shades of jeans in black and blue. The jeans are being made available in different sizes, and the price starts from Rs.1,800 to over Rs.3,500 per pair. This new range aims to caters to the niche segment.

With time, the catalogue of Wrangler on Infibeam will increase. At present, one can find cool v-neck and polo t-shirts in various solid colours and stripes. The price range of the t-shirts in different sizes varies between Rs.700 and Rs.1,700.

Gyan Prakash, The Indian Origin History Author Talks About His Newly Released Book Mumbai Fables

Indian born History professor at Princeton University, USA, Gyan Prakash is a historian of modern India whose general field of research and teaching interests concerns urban modernity, the colonial genealogies of modernity, and problems of post-colonial thought and politics. He teaches graduate students about modern South Asian history, colonialism and post-colonial theory, urban history, global history, and history of science.

Author: Gyan Prakash

The historian is a B.A. (history) from Delhi University, an M.A. (history) from JNU, and a Ph.D. (history) from the University of Pennsylvania. He is the author quite a few books like Bonded Histories: Genealogies of Labor Servitude in Colonial India (1990), Another Reason: Science and the Imagination of Modern India (1999), Worlds Together: Worlds Apart: A History of the Modern World, 1300 to the Present (2002), etc.

One of his recently published books, Mumbai Fables has been made into a major Bollywood motion picture named bombay Velvet. The book is a detailed description of the history of the city and its rise as a metropolis. Here is a sneak peak into the mind of the eminent historian as he speaks on the book, his love for history, and more:

Que: Your new book Mumbai Fables explores and depicts Mumbai city and its rich history with excruciating detail. Why did you decide to make Mumbai as the centre of your next book? Why not any other city?

Mega Sale: Number of orders jump over 1000%

"Lifestyle witnesses 40 times growth in two day sales"

The ‘Guaranteed Lowest Price’ offer has benefited customers across the country in a great way with maximum customer satisfaction. The five-day long ‘Infibeam Mega Sale’, which started from March 30, 2015, witnessed over 1000% jump in the number of orders in just first two days of its start.

Thanks to the advertisements that appeared in The Economic Times and The Times of India! They made customers aware of the Infibeam Mega Sale. Customers availed great offers that guaranteed the lowest price. When compared, the average daily sales was seven times more than the usual in these two days from March 30 to March 31, 2015.

The Second Day of the Mega Sale, March 31, 2015, despite of being a weekday and the last day of the Fiscal Year 2014-15, witnessed the highest ever sale at Infibeam in one single day in last few years. The day alone witnessed growth of five times in Total Sales and eight times in the number of orders.

Interestingly, there was also rise in the ratio of Cash on Delivery (COD) against non-COD. On the second day of the Mega Sale, almost every second order was COD.

The products are generally sold in three categories - Electronics, Lifestyle and Media. Electronics, is the largest followed by media and Lifestyle. But in these two days of the Mega Sale, to all of ours' surprise, Lifestyle had the maximum growth in demand. Meanwhile, the share of Electronics marginally fell and Media’s share too came down. Lifestyle had witnessed maximum growth in sales.

Lifestyle comprises of fashion, accessories, footwear and other leading products. Interestingly, on the second day of the Mega Sale, the sales under Lifestyle category increased around 30 times. While the Total Sales in these two days increased 40 times when compared with the Average Daily sales under Lifestyle category. The share of Lifestyle in the Total Sales also increased by more than 400% in these two days of the Mega Sale.

Infibeam Mega Sale Advertisement on Times of India

Categories under Electronics include mobile phones, Computer Accessories, Home Appliances, home entertainment and many other products. While Lifestyle includes Toy Games, Watches, Kitchenware and many more. 

With the beginning of new Financial Year, 2015-16, Infibeam is all set to come up with more and more ‘Guaranteed Lowest Price’ offers or Mega Sale. The largest e-commerce technology growing company of India, Infibeam wishes all to have a healthy, wealthy and cost saving Fiscal Year. Infibeam vows to help customers in beating the rising inflation.

1.5 ton AC freezes 80% share of air conditioners' total sales

Split ACs have marginally become expensive

With the onset of early summers, the demand of air conditioners has suddenly increased this year. The demand for ACs have surged tremendously even before the start of the April month. However, the prices, when compared with previous summer, have marginally climbed up by up to 5%, depending on the models.

The statistics generated from the online demand of ACs in previous summers reveal that 1.5 ton ACs including split and window with 2 and 3 star ratings have more than 80% of share in the total sales of ACs in entire summer of 2014. The trend is expected to continue in 2015 as almost every brand is focusing on 1.5 ton.

Last year, the starting range of split AC was around Rs23,000. This year, it has marginally increased by around Rs500 to Rs700. The half ton split AC this year is available for Rs23,700 and above.

Meanwhile, the Window AC and air cooler too have demands, but their share is believed to be less than 20%. This year the air coolers have also become expensive. The entry range last year was around Rs4,700, which has increased by up to 15%. The price of the air coolers this year, is above Rs5,400.

The demand of Window AC is decreasing every year. Few years ago, the share of Window AC was more than 30% while these days it has fallen to 20%, 10% lesser than the previous one. Window ACs have some demand, only because of their affordability. However, the price of Window Acs, due to fall in demand, are almost remained flat as compared to the prices in the summer of 2014. This year, the price of Window AC starts from Rs16,500. 

At Infibeam, almost every AC brands sold in India are available online. The brand names include Amfah, Blue Star, Carrier, Daikin, Godrej, Haier, Hitachi, IFB, LG, Lloyd, Mitashi, Mitsubishi, Panasonic, Samsung, Sharp, Voltas and Whirlpool.

Tonnage wise, at Infibeam, ACs with below 1 ton are also available. While with higher capacity it also goes beyond 2 tons and more.  The overall price range of ACs including Window and split is between Rs16,500 and to over Rs92,000.

'Modi is a Complex Person'

Esteemed Journalist & Author, Lance Price Talks about his new book The Modi Effect: Inside Narendra Modi's Campaign to Transform India 

Lance Price

Lance Price is an author, political commentator, former BBC correspondent and media advisor in 10 Downing Street. An Oxford alumni, Price has worked for BBC for nearly 2 decades, and is an avid traveller. He has worked in North Ireland, was a national radio and TV reporter, Defence Correspondent, and finally a Political Correspondent at Westminster.

In 2011, Price left journalism to join the press office at 10 Downing Street as a special adviser for Alastair Campbell. In 2000, he became the Labour Party’s Director of Communications and helped plan -and then run the 2001 General Election campaign.

Since 2001, Price has been a freelance writer, broadcaster and commentator. He also lectures in politics, journalism, and at times does media training as well. He has authored three book so far: The Spin Doctor's Diary, Time and Fate, and Where Power Lies.

His fourth book, The Modi Effect: Inside Narendra Modi's Campaign to Transform India is going to release on the 12th of this month. Infibeam got a chance to have a conversation with the eminent journalist about the book that's been creating ripples on the Indian Political scene. Here is what he had to say: 

Que: Your book The Modi Effect: Inside Narendra Modi's Campaign to Transform India claims to give a never seen before view of Modi's Lok Sabha election campaign from the back-room. Can you say that you have covered every aspect of the campaign?

Lance Price: I was very fortunate to be able to interview Prime Minister Narendra Modi four times and get a great many new thoughts from him about how me managed the campaign and the tactics he used. I also spoke to people at every level of the campaign, from high-level advertising executives to junior foot soldiers who worked at the booth level. I have done my best to cover all aspects of the campaign. Some of it was very modern and high-tech, including the 3D hologram rallies. And The Modi Effect tells the story of what a huge undertaking these were and how sometimes it appeared that it might all go wrong, but by hard work and good fortune it worked! I hope there is plenty of detail for readers who would love to know more about exactly how the election was planned and executed. But it is not just for politics addicts. I have tried to make the book interesting for all readers who would like to re-live some of the great moments of the election and find out how it looked from the inside.

Que: Being an outsider, what inspired you to take up PM Narendra Modi's election campaign as the subject of your book? Do you think you have done justice to the Indian point-of-view?

Lance Price: It is true that I am an outsider but I hope that gives me a unique perspective. I love elections and have seen many in different parts of the world, although nothing to compare with the Modi campaign. I wanted to see how he did it but also to see what lessons people in the west could learn from an Indian election. There will be a campaign in my country, the UK, very soon and in America next year. I think that the Modi campaign was a trend-setter and that many people outside India will be fascinated by the story also. Of course all the people who gave their time to be interviewed were Indian and the book is full of their stories, so I very much hope it does do justice to the campaign through Indian eyes.

Que: Tell us about the research you did for the book. How and where did you begin, what made you decide that you had enough material for the book?

Lance Price: When you are researching something like this, there is no such thing as enough material. I would have been happy to meet more and more and people and hear their stories, because they are all so fascinating. But at some point you have to say that you now have enough to tell the story properly and fairly. And because it is about last year’s election we wanted to make sure the book was available quite quickly while the memories of the election are still so fresh in everybody’s minds. I began with Mr Modi himself, of course, and he had many suggestions for how to tell the story of the triumph of Indian democracy. And I also spoke to academic experts and journalists in India to get a rounded perspective.

Que: Share something interesting that happened during your research.

Lance Price: The minister Mr. Piyush Goyal was very kind to invite me to his house and offer me dinner with his wife. They were both so excited by the campaign and full of good information. At one point during the meal Mr. Goyal told me about a TV advert he had planned to show after Mr. Modi was denied permission for a rally in Varanasi. The first version would have been very controversial because Mr Goyal and his team were quite angry when they made it. In the end they decided to use a more upbeat advert and so nobody had seen the original. But Mr. Goyal still had it on his phone so he pulled out his mobile and shared it with me. You can read all about it and what I thought of it in the book.

Que: How do you think Modi's victory in the elections has affected the world?

Lance Price: Narendra Modi’s election has already had a huge impact. He has already travelled to many world capitals and taken him with him the message that India is changing. His victory has gripped the attention of people all over the globe which is another reason I wrote The Modi Effect. I think if people want to understand the new direction India is taking then first they have to try to understand Mr Modi. And he is a complex and fascinating person. India’s size and economic potential means that whatever happens in India will have a big impact internationally.

Que: Do you think Modi's victory is a reflection of the shift in people's mindset with regards to the minorities?

Lance Price: One of the most interesting things about the Narendra Modi campaign is that it challenged the mind-set of people about all sorts of things, not just the minorities. He said to all Indians that it was time to rethink how politics is done in your country. I call it in the book ‘recasting India’ with a deliberate pun on caste and how people decided to cast their votes. We will have to see how permanent those changes are. Mr Modi preferred not to address his campaign at the minorities but to talk about all Indians and the needs they all have, whether it is jobs or a roof over their heads or a government that is less corrupt. What I found very significant was the stress he placed on women and young people in the election. And he has repeated those priorities since he became prime minister.

Que: Do you think that Modi's campaign and the subsequent victory was a hype created by the Indian media?

Lance Price: No, the election campaign and Modi's victory were very real, not hyped. There was definitely lots of excitement in the media and one of Modi’s successes was to get the media very worked up about him and what he was saying. He managed to dominate the media in many quite clever ways and my book explains how this was done. If Congress and the other parties think they were out-shone in the media then they should study what the BJP did and look again at their own strategies.

Que: You are the only author who has secured interviews with Modi and his core team. How was the experience?

Lance Price: I was very fortunate to be the only author to be granted access to Narendra Modi and several of his ministers and key campaign workers. It was a great privilege and I am very grateful to him for his time and to everybody else also. He is a very busy man but he was always very courteous with me and did not appear to be in any hurry at all. So we were able to discuss many things at some length. It was also important that he said I could write the story in my words without any strings attached in return for the access. Being with him in the room for over an hour at a time was fascinating. He is very engaged in the conversation and he loves to talk about the details of the campaign and how it felt for him. His stamina and energy are like those of a much younger man!

Infibeam Comes Up with a Budget Wishlist Before the B-Day

FM, please tune into growth

Infibeam is not only an e-commerce company, but also an e-commerce technology company. As a part of the emerging e-commerce industry of the country, we are expecting many big announcements from Hon. Union Finance Minister, Mr Arun Jaitley in the coming union budget scheduled for February 28. The expectations are mentioned below:

GST:

Entire country has been waiting for implementation of Goods & Service Tax (GST) for the past a few years. It is proposed to roll out by April 2016 across country. In this budget, we expect that FM will lay more specifics regarding the roadmap of GST implementation. With every state being a different country, it has a different tax structure. Once the GST is introduced, entire country is expected to have a uniform tax regime.

At the moment, every state has different VAT rates and for inter-state the tax rates are different. For e-commerce companies, the warehouses are based in different parts of India and the customers are buying it from almost every corner of the country.

If GST is introduced, state government will lose the autonomy. As per proposal, states will be allowed to levy an additional 1% tax on inter-state supply of goods for the initial two years (levied and retained by the producing states). These initial years, the tax structure will be very complex for e-commerce companies. However, once settled, everything will be very smooth and fast. GST regime will be win-win for government, e-commerce companies, and the biggest beneficiary will be the consumer.

We hope that this will not only minimise the cascading effect of taxes, but will also help consumers as the prices will reduce and consumption will increase. We hope that the new regime of GST will discontinue the existing ones (CST, VAT and other taxes). As an impact, it is expected to contribute to the growth of India's GDP in the coming years.

FDI in e-commerce:

At present, e-commerce is still an emerging industry. In the service sector, directly and indirectly, e-commerce industry is generating a lot of employment with each passing day. To further boost the industry, more investment is needed. At the same time, country also needs FDI. To make it a win-win situation for all classes of the society, we are expecting that the FM will allow foreign direct investment in e-commerce. This will help in generating more employment, increase investment in the country, and will further standardise the quality of life of the consumer. As the Hon. Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi believes in free market economy, the idea of FDI in e-commerce is expected to be implemented.

Exemptions or relief in service tax to boost 'Make in India'

There are many rising brands across country, keen to expand their presence worldwide. They need encouragement from government to create worldwide presence. At initial stage, e-commerce is the best solution for it. It is not necessary for everyone to have a physical presence worldwide, but through an online presence, small scale entrepreneurs or aspirational brands can reach and international audience, and cater to global needs. Hence, we expect FM to give some relief to promote e-commerce technology for Indian brands to 'Make in India' and export.

Compact Cameras With Sub Rs 10,000 Enjoy Over 40% Share

The last decade saw a mass emergence of amateur photographers, thanks to the market that's flooded with affordable cameras with user-friendly image capturing technology. Usually, people want to try their hands on the low priced cameras and once the comfort level rises, they upgrade to the higher versions.

Few years ago, the entry level cameras used to come with 10 mega pixels. Now, the entry segment has got at least 16.1 mega pixels. As and when technology is developed, the price of the cameras reduces. Hence, it is expected that in coming years, the entry level cameras might have almost DSLR kind of features. But that may take some time. Hope that camera makers fulfill our dreams.

In addition, it was seen that in the last one year, the cameras in the price range of Rs 5,000 and Rs 10,000 were easy to carry and very user-friendly, and enjoyed the highest share in the total sales the cameras. Compact cameras in this price range enjoyed about 40% share of the total sales of cameras.

Usually, in this price range, the cameras have 16 to 20 mega pixels, which varies from brand to brand and features. All major brands offer cameras in this price range.

The Cyber-shot series by Sony is the most popular among compact cameras. It seems, no one can beat Sony in as far as compact cameras are concerned. The second largest compact camera selling brand in India is Nikon. While in DSLR, Nikon and Canon top the chart. However, cameras from Panasonic and Fujifilm also have about a double digit share of the total sales.

Despite mobile phones consuming a large part of camera sales, the demand for compact cameras is increasing and so are their sales. However, only the DSLRs priced Rs. 35,000 and more, are picking up sales in double digits, because they come with special lenses and features. Their price is a tad higher than the affordable ones and so the profit share of DSLR or SLR cameras is below 10% when it comes to online segment.

On the other side, cameras in price range of up to Rs. 5,000 are the second largest in the total sales. This price range has over 30% more shares. Cameras priced at Rs. 4,000 and Rs. 9,999, together have a share of over 70% in the total online sales in the country.

In the subcategory of Rs. 5,000, the cameras have less features. Nonetheless, now even the basic cameras have at least 16.1 mega pixels with 5x optical zoom.

Category-wise, overall compact cameras have a share of over 80%. The second largest category is DSLR, followed by camcorders and mirror-less cameras.

An Interview with Sudeep Nagarkar, The Modern Romance Writer

An engineer by education and a writer by profession, Sudeep Nagarkar is an award winning, best selling romance author to have penned books like Few Things Left Unsaid (2011), That's the Way We Met (2012), and It Started With a Friend Request (2013). He is the recipient of 2013 Young Achiever's Award, which he won for writing 3 best selling novels back to back, and being one of the highest selling romance writers in India.

His books, that are inspired from real life incidents, have been translated into regional languages and have sold lakhs of copies until now. He continues to be a top charts of best selling Indian authors.

Sudeep Nagarkar's latest book You're the Password to My Life has been creating ripples in the literary world. Infibeam was lucky to have had a chance to interview him about the book, and more. Here is what he had to say:

Que: You come from a background of Engineering. How did you become a writer? What inspired to take up the pen?

Sudeep Nagarkar: My lost love made me one. It was by chance and not by choice. However, now I realized some people come in your life just to make you reach your destined place. Gradually I developed a passion in writing and I enjoy it. Probably if I would have worked for a software company then I would not have been as enthusiastic as I am while visiting different cities for book tour or when I write a book. Many authors suggest that to be a writer, you need to read many books from different genres. However, I think different. Like just by watching cricket, one cannot be a good cricketer. He needs to play and then analyze his game. Similarly just reading cannot make you a good writer. To be one, first you need to write and then analyze how other authors are building plots and characters by reading more! I did exactly the same.

Que: You're the Password to My Life is your newest book which focuses on the idea that friendship triumphs love. Do you really believe it? How did the idea of writing this story germinate?

Sudeep Nagarkar: Of course I believe in it. It’s a myth that a girl and a boy cannot be good friends. I personally have many girl friends and we share almost everything but never we developed the feeling of love. Its that from childhood we are used to see Bollywood movies where after 3 hours of drama eventually a girl and a guy falls in love no matter what. However, that’s not always the case. We live in a generation where teenagers are very broad minded and understand what exactly they want from any relationship. You're the Password to My Life is a true story and the idea came from social networking. These days, we have options to connect so easily with anyone through social networking. However, somewhere I feel that the strong bond is missing between two individuals. If we have 500 friends on Facebook, we assume them to be our real friends. But what matters is who comes to your rescue when you really need them. This book breaks the stereotype bond between a girl and guy through Virat and Kavya who are thick friends and shows that friendship is the only ship that does not sink.

Que: Take us through your journey of writing the book.

Sudeep Nagarkar: Its difficult to believe but the fact is I finish writing a book in less than a month. I don’t know the rules followed by other famous authors but for me its simple. I keep a broad idea in my mind about what I have to write. I decide on the entire plot, build characters and then start writing. So I believe in doing homework before the beginning the writing of actual manuscript. Despite of that, I am not at all disciplined and there is no fixed time or a place allotted for writing. It completely depends on my mood. However, important aspect of writing is honestly. Your writing reflects your personality and you should be very honest with your work. If so, then success will follow.

Que: Your books talk a lot about love and relationships. Why is that? Why did you choose Romance as your genre?

Sudeep Nagarkar: Probably because, when I started writing I was at an age where we not only seek love but are 'hormonically' charged too. :P Just kidding. On serious note, my first book revolved around my own love story and the second one is a sequel of it. So I continued writing romance and love stories. One thing that I keep in mind when I am writing a book is that through each book I should give at least one positive message to this generation.

Que: Do you believe that great love stories can only come from someone who has experienced intense tragedy in personal life?

Sudeep Nagarkar: Not really. You can’t say that you need to go through a tragedy to write. But you should have loved at least once to express true feelings about loving someone. If you have not loved, then the same intensity which a relationship has will be missing in your writing. Also you should explore more to actually know different people and their minds.

Que: The characters in your book are modern, young Indian adults, dealing with situations that are relevant to the present scenario. Is this a conscious decision on your part?

Sudeep Nagarkar: Yes. Not only they are relatable to our lives, but I believe in writing true stories as I feel there are many interesting stories around us which can be made into a good book. But as I said, your story should have positive messages in it. Doesn’t matter if the climax is a ‘Happy ending’ or depressing. What matters is when a reader closes the book he should have lived all the characters and should have a smile on his/her face with that positive message.

Faraaz Kazi, the Writer Who Put Indian Romance Fiction on World Map, Talks about His New Book, Love and More

With Truly, Madly, Deeply, esteemed writer Faaraz Kazi, made a stunning début and how! Kazi went on to win the 2013 National Début Youth Fiction Award and received the YCOF National Excellence award in Creative Writing. He is also first Indian author to have won coveted ‘Best Début (Romance)’ title at the international Goodreads choice awards.

His book Truly, Madly, Deeply, won him the tag of being called the 'Nicholas Sparks of India.' So far, it is the only Indian book to have been nominated in 7 categories at the Goodreads choice awards. It is also the only Indian book to feature in the 'Top 100 YA Global Fiction' list.

Kazi is a fellow member of the prominent 'Film Writers Association of India.' He is a three-time post graduate and also a certified soft-skills trainer. In addition, Kazi is the founder and CEO of DigiImprint Solutions, India's first exclusive promotional agency for authors and artists. He is a well-known personality in literary fraternity and on social media.



Kazi, one of the top rated mainstream male romance writers in India, is a voracious reader and loves to sing. He is a young marketer who owns a radically innovative blog, and writes for major media houses.


Faraaz Kazi's new book, Love: Lots of Volatile Emotions, which tries to demystify love as an emotion, is due for release on Valentine's Day, 2015. Infibeam had the honour of talking to the eminent author and learn about the new book:

Que: Your first two books, Truly Madly Deeply... Memoirs of a Broken Heart's First Love! and The Other Side have tasted immense success. What inspired you to take up writing?

 
Faaraz Kazi: I guess I was born with the thirst to search for my life's mojo through the art of writing. I first took up the pen when I was seven but before that, I started reading. I started small with fairy tales and comics by the age of five and by ten, I was reading classics. So many words, so many writers influenced my young mind. After relating to various stories at so many different levels of consciousness, writing became a hobby. Inspiration thus, wasn't far away.

Que: Your third book Love: Lots of Volatile Emotions is about to release on Valentine's Day. Tell us what the book is about.

Faaraz Kazi: LOVE is a one-of-a-kind project. It is a cross genre anthology that ties all the stories together by that single emotion of LOVE which multifaceted in nature. The perception of this emotion is what is volatile through the lenses of the fourteen writers in this anthology who have contributed a story each. It gives a key perspective on how people view love these days without tying the emotion specifically to one genre, i.e. romance.

Que: What inspired you to write this book?

Faaraz Kazi: I wrote 'The Doorway' (my story in the LOVE anthology) two years back for the international magazine, L'Officiel. The one featured here is an improvised version of the same story. Around that time, I was working on too many short-stories and the idea was to bring out a romance collection of short-stories all by myself but when I started finalising the project, I realized that there were too many short-story collections and even anthologies in the market dealing with the same kind of subject.

I wondered what could I do to make it unique as my previous two books? The idea to take the perspective of thirteen other writers across genres came to me one fine day after a lot of thought and I realized this hadn't been done before. And LOVE was born.

Que: Whom do you intend to reach out with this book?

Faaraz Kazi: Anyone and everyone who believes in LOVE and is not married to the idea of love as a limited and weak emotion.

Que: How did you research for the contents of the book? 

Faaraz Kazi: My primary research lies in the power of pure observation as I believe, a good writer should be a great observer. I follow three steps- Learn, Adapt and Write.

Que: Since your books are mostly about love, are they inspired from your own life, or someone close to you?

Faaraz Kazi: My books are inspired from real-life. Circumstances I observe, people I meet and things I discover in my travel. But I cannot say that they are true because at the end of the day I write fiction and truth is what you seek from fiction.

Que: You must be a bookworm yourself. Tell us about your favourite writers and what you like about them.

Faaraz Kazi: I love Khalid Hosseini for portaying the life of Afghan people through his beautiful words and making us more human than we realise. I love JK Rowling for her imagination and the sheer power to create new worlds out of vacuum. I love Nicholas Sparks for making us believe in love through his simplistic way of writing.

Que: As a write, what do you prefer more: typing or the pen?

Faaraz Kazi: The pen. My first drafts are all written by hand. I edit when I type them out.

Que: With praise comes criticism as well. How do you deal with it?

Faaraz Kazi: I learn from the useful ones. I ignore the rubbish.

Que: You have been called 'the Nicholas Sparks of India.' How does it feel?

Faaraz Kazi: I take it with a pinch of salt but if people feel so then nothing is as great a honour because he is one writer I've grown up reading and I admire him a lot.

Que: What would you tell those who aren’t passionate readers or those who are reluctant to pick up a book and begin reading?

Faaraz Kazi: Give reading a chance. There are entire worlds waiting for you there, new discoveries to be made and new bonds to be formed. Read a good book and watch your life transform before your very eyes.

Buy new TV and cheer for Men in Blue

32 inch LED enjoys one third share of total TV sold

Usually people prefer to buy a new television during festive season but there are occasions when the demand rises with different reason. This time it is ICC Cricket World Cup, starting from February 14, 2015. It is expected that before world cup begins, the demand for TV will rise by over 30% compared to normal days.

Those who have the old TV sets are upgrading to LED and while some have chosen to upgrade to LED HD TV which gives better resolution for watching live cricket matches of India. In a recent survey done by Twitter, it was once again discovered that Cricket is the biggest religion in India.

32 inch LED enjoys one third share of total TV sold

As per the survey, about 89% of Twitter users in India are cricket fans and about 84% of cricket fans on Twitter are intending to follow the Cricket World Cup. More than 65% will maintain or increase their Twitter activity during world cup.

Similarly, every house of the country is going to watch the Indian matches during the world cup on TV. In last one year, it was found that 32 inches LED TV are the hot favourite. Of the total number of TV sold, the 32 inch screen TV has a share of about 33%. At this moment, the 32 inch TV prices range between Rs19,000 and Rs42,000. While at Infibeam.com, the TVs are available with discount of up to 20%.

The second most popular TV screen is of 22 inch. It has a share of 29%. While the 24 inches and 42 inches TV, both have share of 12% each. The price of the 22 inches and 24 inches starts from less than Rs10,000 and goes up to Rs22,000, depending on combo and other offers.

The large size TV, wherein the price is Rs45,000 onwards, has less share in the total sales. However, the demand for large size LED TV is also rising with double digit growth. Before and during world cup, it is expected that the sale of TV, home theatres and sound system will keep on rise.

Every Indian is hoping that the team of Men in Blue will bring the world cup home again.

Infibeam wishes MS Dhoni & Co all the best. Cheer for Men in Blue! 

A Discussion with Eminent Journalist Biswadeep Ghosh About His Biography on M.S. Dhoni, MSD: The Man, The Leader

Writer and editor, Biswadeep Ghosh, has been in the industry for the last 25 years. He gave up a career as a singer to become a journalist at the age of 18, and since then has been keenly writing on literature, movies and music. Along with an illustrious career in niche publications like The Times of India, Maharashtra Herald, Outlook, & Hindustan Times, Biswadeep has authored four biographies of Bollywood actors Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, Aishwarya Rai and Hrithik Roshan, and two children's book.

Biswadeep Ghosh

His latest biography MSD: The Man, The Leader has been the talk of the town these days for the obvious reason that it's the biography is the man of the moment, the Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni. The book has released right before the beginning of the World Cup 2015, and has been generating plenty of curiosity.

Infibeam had the pleasure of talking to Biswadeep, and getting to know what his latest biograpgy is all about. Here is what he had to say:

Que: Why did you choose MS Dhoni as the subject of your next book? What made you think that Dhoni's story could be worth a tell?

Mr. Biswadeep Ghosh: The inspirational quality in it. Here is a man whose father was once an unskilled worker in Ranchi. He was a decent student and a fine natural sportsperson who excelled in cricket. But he had to dump the thought of completing his graduation and become a Train Ticket Examiner at the Kharagpur Railway Station to support his family.

He hailed from Jharkhand and played most of his cricket for Bihar’s Ranji team during his days as a struggler in first class cricket. Bihar as we all know is a cricketing non-power. To rise from there and become the captain of the Indian cricket team is incredible. In fact, he is so unique that his story has been turned into a case study in some B-schools. Naturally, therefore, I was attracted to the subject.

Que: Which aspects of Dhoni does your book MSD: The Man, The Leader cover?

Mr. Biswadeep Ghosh: Like I said, the story is inspirational, and the book makes that point in simple language which anybody with basic knowledge of English can understand, internalize and learn from.  It covers his background in Ranchi leading up to his growth as a cricketer in his hometown, journeys to Kharagpur where we get to see a young Dhoni and talks about his cricketing highs and lows with Team India thereafter. 

It has a chapter on his stature in his hometown today. He is a God in Ranchi who is not meant to be criticized, which contrasts with his life in the initial stages, has a separate section which analyses his leadership in a larger perspective by talking to established names both within and outside cricket, and concludes with a chapter on a view of his stardom and some thoughts about his future. The structure is slightly different from the run-of-the-mill biography.   

Que: Tell us about the research you did for the book? How long did it take, and how did you go about it?

Mr. Biswadeep Ghosh: It started with a trip to Ranchi. During the initial phase of the book, I was helped by a hardworking Ranchi-based lawyer-journalist Chandrajit Mukherjee who worked as a researcher and had been hired for that purpose by the publishers Rupa Publications. After that, it was all about extensive research and establishing contacts. Several well-known names from the journalistic fraternity helped me along the way. They are old friends, three of them close to me for two decades and more. It was very kind of them, and I have mentioned their names in the acknowledgments, which is the only, highly inadequate thing I can do in return.

Que: There are few controversies surrounding the Indian skipper. Have you covered them in the book?

Mr. Biswadeep Ghosh: This book doesn’t ask unanswered questions. It is about a man from nowhere who has reached where he has, spreading a message of hope for aspiring cricketers from modest backgrounds who play for or in states that are obscure in the context of cricket. Today, they can dream big. If they have the talent, they can believe that they can rise to the top and become a success story like Dhoni has. In fact, his is a story that can motivate anybody from any field. Of course, he or she needs to have genuine gifts and self-belief, neither of which can be acquired easily.

Que: As the Indian Cricket team's captain, where does Dhoni really stand?

Mr. Biswadeep Ghosh: See, the debate on good and better captains of India will be an eternal one. But, let there be no doubt that Dhoni and Ganguly are the most successful captains ever. If Ganguly had an excellent overseas record while Dhoni’s has been ruined in recent years because the newcomers have failed to replace the seniors who faded away one way or the other, he has the best home record in Tests, has won all the ICC trophies and taken the team to the number one position in Test rankings for the first time ever. There are many more, which will extend the debate even further.         

Que: Is the book a good read for those who are not familiar with cricket vocabulary?

Mr. Biswadeep Ghosh: Of course. Even those with a passing interest in cricket - by that I mean, elementary knowledge of the game - can enjoy it since it is jargon-free, and like I said earlier, written in very easy English. If the average reader didn’t understand what the book was all about, the purpose of writing it would have been defeated.

Lingerie tops the chart of Valentines Gift

Roses are red and red is the colour of love on Valentine's Day. Many celebrate it by wearing red on that day. Even the gifts from husbands or boyfriends to wives or girlfriends are preferably red in colour. Interestingly, among apparels, red lingerie were the most in demand on Valentine's Day in 2014.

Believe it or not, but it is true. In India, gifting lingerie to girlfriend or wife on Valentine's Day is becoming more popular day by day. Among apparels, lingerie top the chart during a fortnight before Valentine's Day sale previous year. Even this year, the trend is expected to continue as the discounts are offered up to 95%, depending on product to product at http://www.infibeam.com/Valentine_Gifts/

Apart from jewellery, soft toys, cakes, chocolates, roses, bouquets and other gift items, the demand for apparels is also good during this period. Starting from February 1 to February 15, in 2014, lingerie contributed about 30% of the total sales. Among lingerie, red colour was the most favourite.

Under the categories of apparels, the sub-category of lingerie, night-wears and inner-wears had a share of about 30%. Followed by frocks, dresses and dress materials with 25%. The most common trend reveals that over 60% of total sold items online are bought by men to gift to their beloved on Valentine's Day.

The third top favourite category in apparels is Sarees & Lehngas. This sub-category shares about 22%. This makes true that top three sub-category of apparels bought before Valentine's Day, are for women. In all top three sub-categories - lingerie, frocks & dresses and sarees & lehnagas, it is found that red colour dominates the choice.

Rest other sub-categories like jeans, t-shirts, tops, kurtis and others have less than 23%.

What's in this year?

This year too, lingerie are expected to top the chart of the total sales of apparels before Valentine's Day, which falls on Saturday on February 14, 2015. Considering all the items including chocolates, teddy bear, flowers, apparels, the price of the gift items is ranging between Rs.250 and Rs.35,000 per item.

While in apparels, after discount the price starts from Rs.400 and goes to Rs.2,000 and above. This includes frocks, dresses, dress materials, sarees, lehangas, kurtas, kurtis, ethnic wear, t-shirts, tops, jeans, formal wears, lingerie, nightwear and many more.

At whatever price, men buy Valentine's Gifts, the best friend of women will always remain diamonds. Hence, woo your Valentine! Shop for Valentine Special.

Infibeam wishes you all a happy Valentine's Day.

E-commerce on Mobile Grows Double

The year 2014 has seen a drastic rise in number of online consumers buying it from mobile phones while the share of number of transactions from Personal Computers is reducing. The number of people buying from Infibeam from their mobile phones has seen over 90% growth. It has almost doubled.

Of the total share of number of transactions in 2013, the sale request from mobile phone had contributed about 9% which increased to over 18% by the end of 2014. People buying online on tablets has marginally increased from 2.70% in 2013 to over 3% in 2014.

But, the share of sale through PCs or desktop has decreased. Over 88% Infibeam consumers were buying from PCs until end of 2013. By the end of 2014, it reduced to about 78%. Over 10% consumers including new and existing started buying it from mobile phones.

Even the share of number of visitors on Infibeam using mobile phone has increased sharply. It was less than 30% until December 2013 and increased to about 36% within a year. There is drop of about 7% in consumer visiting portal through their desktops or PCs in one year. The numbers of online consumers using tablet for shopping has marginally increased.

Shopping on Mobile Phones

Sharp and tremendous growth in online buyers shifting from desktop to mobile was obvious. Across India, the total number internet subscribers on mobile phone has increased by 65%. Till the end of December 2013, there were total 4.02 crore broadband subscribers on mobile phone. That increased to 6.65 crore till the end of November 2014.

As per TRAI's latest report, the total number of broadband (downloading speed with 512 kbps or more) users in India increased by 49% in 2014. There were total 5.52 crore registered broadband users in India till the end of 2013 which increased to 8.22 crore by the end of November 2014, reveals TRAI report.

The era has come when there is a generation that is accessing Internet first on mobile phones or tablets instead of PCs or net-books. The next generation is keen on e-commerce and that too buying it from their mobile phones, which are making it more convenient, easier and faster.

Today, the country with over 120 crore population, has over 93.70 crore mobile connections. Of the total number of subscribers in India, mere 7% of them are accessing internet on mobile phone. It is estimated that in coming years, the number of internet subscribers on mobile phone will see multi-fold growth.

Hence, there is a huge potential of e-commerce on mobile as the number of online buyers will continue to rise in the country.

The Republic Day of India = Bon Voyage + Shopping

The three-day long weekend from 23rd January to 26th January, 2015, has filled many hearts with pre-holiday excitement as almost everyone plans to enjoy this mini-vacation by keeping the routine grind at bay. But has this killed their opportunity of shopping and taking advantage of Republic Day offers? No.

Starting from a small single store to hyper-mall, shopping mall and even the online stores, everyone is offering heavy discounts over different categories and products on the Republic Day.

So, if you are on holidays and far from your shopping destinations, you can still buy whatever you like with a single click on your smartphone. Whether you are at home or away, buying from Infibeam on mobile phone or tab is all easy. Now, all brands on Infibeam are available on the mobile responsive site www.infibeam.com.

Brands in different categories such as mobile, tablets, computers, apparels, accessories, home appliances, kitchenware, books, magazines, furnishing and many are on sale of up to 90% discount. Exclusive products on www.infibeam.ooo also have attractive offers.

In India, entire country will be celebrating 66th Republic Day on 26th, January, 2015. For first time, the Honourable US President Barack Obama is visiting India on her Republic Day. Once the Republic Day parade is over, it is believed the people of India will get on to shopping.

But in case of Infibeam, the Republic Day offers are already made available and will last for one week until 28th January, 2015. As a result, one can shop at his or her convenience before, during or even after Republic Day. During this week, Infibeam is offering additional 26% off on several products which may lead to total discount of up to 90%.

It has been over a decade people of India have started celebrating Republic Day as a shopping day. And, it is expected that even on this R-day, people will celebrate it as S-day i.e. Shopping Day!

Big Brands Now on Dot-Triple-O

Entire week, starting from 7 January to 13 January, each and every citizen and guests at Ahmedabad were talking about .OOO (Dot-triple-O) and its campaign appeared in the leading English daily, The Times of India. As an impact, the popularity and awareness of .OOO, Infibeam and Buildabazaar has drastically increased.

NRIs and PIOs from across world have come to Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar for three days from 7 January to attend Pravasi Bharatiya Divas 2015. To welcome guests from different parts of the world, Infibeam ran a campaign with citing examples of people who dedicated their life for country. With messages of entrepreneurship, sustainable development and inclusiveness, the campaign shared the examples of great father of nation, Shri Mahatma Gandhi, one of founding fathers of Republic of India, Shri Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and the monk who introduced India's culture and strength to western world, Shri Swami Vivekanda.

With the help of .OOO, Infibeam and Buildabazaar, one can not only dream of globalisation but can also achieve milestones, create a global identity and can expand reach across world. Under the aegis of 'Make in India' – pet project of Honourable Prime Minister of India - each and every brand in the country should eye exports for which, they need infrastructure. With minimum expense, the Indian domestic brand, with best quality, can easily export their products to the world that too without having their physical presence.

Any best manufacturer simply needs to create an online presence under .OOO and after using Bulidabazaar platform, the company can market its products to consumers across the globe. Using help of international logistics, manufacturers can export their products directly to the consumer sitting in any corner of the world.

Well, there are many corporates who have already started thinking on these lines. Among them are Bakeri Constructions (www.bakerigroup.ooo), which is one of the oldest real estate brands known for affordable houses. The food & beverage and spice companies, Rasna India (www.rasna.ooo), Wagh Bakri Tea (www.waghbakri.ooo), Tejals Patisserie (www.tejals.ooo) and Yours Masala (www.yoursfoods.ooo), have decided to stand out and grow by moving on Dot-triple-O. Housing loan providing company, HDFC Realty (www.hdfcrealty.ooo) is offering wide range of affordable houses and home loans on its portal.

Known for its healthcare services, Sterling Healthcare (www.sterlinghospitals.ooo) and country's leading service tax solution providing portal, Service Tax Online (www.servicetaxonline.ooo) have migrated to Dot-Triple-O platform. Interestingly, even Infibeam has brought its exclusive product line on www.infibeam.ooo. The popular automobile dealer for Toyoto, Infinium Toyota (www.infiniumtoyota.ooo) too has come on Dot-Triple-O platform.

There are many big brands who have already migrated to Dot-triple-O with their e-commerce portals and at the same time, various new brands are all set to create their identity to reach out to the world.

India's e-tail story: Country reads a lot

It seems India read a lot. In top eight cities of India, every second shipment delivered is a book. The category of 'books' has maximum share with average 56% of the total deliveries made in country in 2014. According to Infibeam's report 'Infi E-trend 2014', on consumer behaviour and demand, reveals that in nine big cites of India - Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Gurgaon, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Mumbai and Pune - books dominate in e-tail sales. In many of the cities, share of books in the total sale is more than two third.

Book is a category that does not require warranty or guarantee and nor after sale services. Hence, the consumer across country prefers buying books online compared with other e-tail categories.

Guaranteed higher discounts on books, especially the one like autobiography of Sachin Tendulkar 'Playing It My Way', 'I am Malala' and many others have pushed the sales. Both, the fiction and the non-fiction have almost equal share of the total online sale of the books.

After books, 'computer accessories' have slightly higher share than the category of 'mobiles and tablets'. The average sale of computer accessories is little over than 9% and latter has 8%. Mobile and tablets, which contribute over 50% to the total sales value, stands at third position in sales (volume) in 2014. Interestingly, all kind of accessories, including one for computers, mobile and auto mobile have share of about 20% to the total e-tail sales.

The fourth largest category, portable electronics, contributes up to 5%. Auto mobile accessories, home appliances, kitchenware, home furnishing and apparels, together have share of less than 15%. But among these categories, apparels is believed to be the fastest growing category, that too in double digit.

City-wise e-commerce trend with top four categories in each city in 2014

(percentage of the total number of deliveries)

Ahmedabad

• Books - 46%
• Mobiles & Mobile Accessories - 20%
• Computer Accessories - 11%
• Kitchenware and Apparels - 10%

The vibrant city of India, Ahmedabad is odd one out compared to other top cities of Gujarat. Reading tops the chart, but share of books in total number of deliveries is 46%. In mega city of Gujarat, Ahmedabad, mobile and mobile accessories hold about 20% followed by computer accessories with 11%. The erstwhile Manchester of East, the category of apparels has higher share in Ahmedabad compared to other cities of country. Kitchenware and apparels hold about 10% share in total number of deliveries.

Bengaluru

• Books - 54%
• Mobile, tabs & accessories - 12%
• Computer accessories - 9%
• Apparels & kitchenware - 7%

Like national trend, the category 'books' continues to dominate in e-tail space in the IT city of India, Bengaluru. Of the total shipments delivered in the city, 54% is contributed by books. The category of 'mobile & tabs' and 'mobile accessories' together have share of 12%, followed by 'computer accessories', which has 9%. Portable electronics and auto mobile accessories, each, has contributed 5% to the total online sales in Bengaluru. While home furnishing, home appliances and kitchenware, together eat pie of 11% in the city. Apparel has share of 3%.

Chennai

• Books - 49%
• Computer accessories 11%
• Home appliances & home furnishing - 10%
• Auto accessories - 6%

The metro city of Southern India, Chennai too has seen that every second e-commerce buyer loves to read books. Here, the demand for mobile or its accessories does not fall in top four. But, computer accessories is second followed by home appliances and home furnishing. Compared to other top cities of India, the share of auto accessories in Chennai is higher.

Gurgaon

• Books - 63%
• Mobile & mobile accessories - 14%
• Computer accessories - 8%
• Apparels & Kitchenware - 5%

Part of National Capital Region, Gurgaon has somewhat similar e-commerce trends of Delhi. About one third of e-commerce buyers in city prefer buying books online. Books have 63% share in total number of deliveries, followed by mobile and mobile accessories with 14%. The computer accessories has 8% share while apparels and Kitchenware hold 5% share.

Hyderabad

• Books - 46%
• Computers Accessories - 11%
• Kitchenware & home appliances - 11%
• Mobiles & tabs - 7%

Famous for Charminar and also known as Cyberabad, Hyderabad has seen higher demand for computer accessories after books on top. Like other cities, readers top the chart in Hyedrabad too. Here, the number of deliveries of kitchenware and home appliances is higher than mobiles and tabs. The share of number of mobile accessories sold in Hyderabad is comparatively less than other cities.

Kolkata

• Books - 70%
• Mobile & mobile accessories - 9%
• Computer accessories - 8%
• Apparel & home furnishing - 5%

No one can beat the largest city of eastern part of India, Kolkata, in reading books. About 70% of the total number of deliveries in the city is contributed by books. This share is largest compared to all top cities of country. Rest all categories fall in remaining 30%. In the rest, mobile and mobile accessories have 9% followed by computer accessories is 8% and apparel&home furnishing has 5%.

Mumbai

• Books - 68%
• Mobile & mobile accessories - 12%
• Computer Accessories - 6%
• Home appliances, Kitchenware & home furnishing - 6%

The financial capital of country has witnessed books contributing over two third to its total online sale. With share of 68%, books dominate the number of deliveries done through online sale at Infibeam, discloses 'Infi E-trend 2014'. Here, mobiles and tabs are the second largest category with share of 8%, however, value-wise mobile still dominates as the price per item ranges very high. Computer accessories is third largest followed by mobile accessories, portable electronics, auto mobile accessories, kitchenware, home furnishing, home appliances and apparels.

New Delhi

• Books - 65%
• Mobile & mobile accessories - 13%
• Computer accessories - 9%
• Home appliances, Kitchenware & home furnishing - 5%

People of national capital, Delhi, are always struggling with either extreme cold in winters or extreme hot in summers. But their top choice is books. Of the every three e-commerce buyers, two order books. About 65% of total sales in Delhi is with books. Followed by mobile and mobile accessories with 13%. The home appliances, Kitchenware and home furnishing categories have considerable demand in Delhi while computer accessories has higher share with 9%.

Pune

• Books - 47%
• Mobile & mobile accessories - 21%
• Computer accessories - 11%
• Home appliances, home furnishing & Kitchenware - 9%

In one of the IT cities of western India, Pune, books too have little less than 50%. It can be said that almost every second person is ordering book online. And, mobile & mobile accessories are the second largest category delivered in the city. Here, computer accessories is on third position with 11% share while home appliances, home furnishing & Kitchenware have 9% share.