Sameer Jain

​In a recent conversation hosted at Share.Market by PhonePe, Nilesh Shah, Managing Director of Kotak Mutual Fund sat down with Priya Patankar, and shared timeless principles on wealth creation and smart investing. This isn't about market trends, but about building a solid financial foundation. ​Here are 3 key takeaways from the discussion: ​Financial Discipline is Key: The most important rule of investing is to live within your means and save first. As the video states, "Income - Savings = Expenses." ​Focus on the Process: Think of investing as "karma." Don't get distracted by daily market noise; focus on the consistent process of investing, like through Systematic Investment Plans (SIPs), and the results will follow. ​Common Sense over Complexity: Investing is not rocket science. The video highlights how a simple, common-sense approach can lead to significant returns, like the story of a woman who invested in a bank by simply observing their customer service. ​This is a must-watch for anyone looking to build a disciplined and intelligent approach to investing in the long term, especially given the "India growth story" he discusses. ​You can watch the full video here: https://lnkd.in/gxR5J5hs ​#Investing #Finance #WealthManagement #NileshShah #FinancialPlanning #SIP

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In a country where 90% of beverage sales still come from general trade, Lahori Zeera didn’t build its brand on advertising. It built it on access. When most beverage players were chasing margin led SKUs and “premiumization,” Lahori went back to the basics of Indian retail, the ₹10 price point. That single decision unlocked something most brands underestimate: instant trial. At ₹10, the product sits in the same decision frame as a packet of chips or a small biscuit. No hesitation or evaluation, just an impulse purchase. And in India, that’s scale. The brilliance lies in how Lahori turned that pricing into its growth engine: ₹10 isn’t a discount, it’s a penetration strategy. The low barrier to trial fueled repeat purchase through familiarity and habit, not advertising. And once volumes kicked in, economies of scale did what marketing budgets couldn’t. From ₹83 Cr in FY20 to ₹530 Cr in FY25 is not just demand; that’s design. A design that understood India’s consumption psyche better than many MNCs operating here for decades. What makes this story even sharper is the contrast: While legacy FMCG players chased high-margin subcategories and D2C brands built for urban aspirants, Lahori doubled down on Bharat’s middle belt where affordability equals accessibility. We’ve seen this pattern before. 👉 ParleG built generational loyalty at ₹5. 👉 Frooti’s ₹10 tetra pack made mango drinks part of every child’s summer. Lahori is simply the newest name on that list but it’s playing the same timeless Indian game: price first, brand later. Because in a price sensitive yet high volume market, the right entry price isn’t just about affordability, it’s about building the funnel for trust. As someone who’s spent years decoding retail behavior, I believe Lahori’s biggest innovation wasn’t product or packaging. It was restraint. The discipline to stay mass when the market glorifies premium. That’s how you build adoption before aspiration. And that’s exactly what creates long term category leadership. #retail #pricestrategy #consumerproducts

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I saw this full-sized hoarding in Mumbai yesterday in a high-traffic zone. It was by OpenAI, showcasing a use case for ChatGPT: “I want to practice my first in-class presentation. Act as my public speaking coach.” I saw a couple more in different areas of Mumbai. The intent is clear — awareness and familiarity. But I couldn’t help but wonder if this is the right move for a product like this? ChatGPT is a digital product. Lives on your phone. Works best when experienced, not explained. It’s personal, functional, and constantly evolving. If I were to spend marketing dollars on it targeting an Indian, I’d go all-in on: - organic content - real user journeys - niche use-cases brought alive via reels, tweets, blogs, and podcasts That’s where discovery and the 'aha' moments happen. Not while driving past a junction in Mumbai traffic. Out-of-home media can be powerful, no doubt. But the real question is, what's the job of this media? Is it building consideration? Or just burning budget? Today users swipe more than they stare. Hence, maybe the best way to promote a digital product… is to act digital. And if I really had to use OOH for ChatGPT, I would rather pick a digital billboard. And run a video ad showing real users prompting, and the output being created for them in real-time by ChatGPT. Curious to know what you think?

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88% of consumer app spending today is only on Google & Meta. But when performance marketers smartly diversify their budgets beyond these walled gardens, their return on ad spend increases by up to 214% 💡💰 📈 Spoke about the limitations of over-indexing on Google & Meta in this story by Campaign India. Read the 'Performance through Independence' report by Moloco, Sensor Tower, & Singular for more. Tom Shadbolt Paul D'Arcy Diana Adair Shweta Sachdeva Burcu S. Kezia Vere Nicoll https://lnkd.in/gsSkkgXd

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I have been attending ET Retail Ecommerce & Digital natives summit for 3 years.. every year, the eminent panelists inspire me... A few takeaways for me personally from this edition: 1. Rajesh Jain from Netcore talked about "Neomarketing"... the session provided a framework for reducing Ad Waste, focusing on maximising customer LTV through retention and engagement, unified customer intelligence.. Found the 'rule of 40' insightful (Revenue growth% + EBITDA growth% > 40%).. Post the session, I read his blog and soon, planning a demo with their team! 2. The panel discussion on Trust, transparency and talent for achieving global scale with Gopal Asthana Sandeep Varaganti Chakradhar Gade Gaurav Malik Vivek Gambhir and Dr.Panneerselvam ( PS ) Madanagopal covered interesting points like: a) need for trust while entering a new geography while adhering to the cultural and regulatory norms, b) while India doesn't have a shortage of tech talent, the ecosystems need to evolve to foster a culture of innovation and design thinking, c) balancing hyper-localisation with standardisation for scale 3. Vani Kola offered insights on playing the long game as an investor comparing "product companies" vs "platform companies" . Platform companies need to scale faster and create network effects therefore needing capital upfront. Product / D2C brands need to burn less and focus on determining a market fit, loyalty and brand building. Both need the right investor base that can work with founders to balance growth & profitability 4. My favourite session was the cross-industry panel discussion on "Customer of 2030" which featured Sibabrata (Shibam) Das Subhash Chandra L Amitabh Suri Murali Krishnan Amar Nagaram and Pallavi Goel... - Was truly inspired hearing the story of how Sangeetha Mobiles has protected its legacy of 50+ years in a changing market and has also embraced quick commerce to meet the changing needs of customers - How Amitabh believes that brands like USPA will continue to be relevant to gen-Z and gen-Alpha and beyond as long as they can continue to sense the trends and offer a "retail theatre" experience in their offline stores - How Shibam from Atomberg explained their true omni-channel strategy that in today's world and the need to be an "AI-native organisation". Loved the idea of after-sales service should be "quick" and their 8 hours pilot - Amar from Virgio spoke about personalisation-based demand prediction and their technology TESLA (trend early signal learning and analysis) system for sensing fashion trends - How WOW Momo embraces trends to come up with new offerings; looking forward to trying their gluten-free momo. Also, loved his insights on the need for fluidity in marketing experiences and owning 'day in the life of customer' like Spotify or Youtube playlists. Unfortunately, I couldn't attend the rest of the event, but as always, kudos to Pallavi Goel Charu Lamba and the entire ETRetail team for a stellar event! #ETEcomSummit

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Individual agent Data for 25-26 till Aug 2025 Highlights: # Industry grew the resources just by 2% and Pvt companies by 5% # After many decades we could observe shrinking of agency forces of LIC- notable fact is 95% of business of LIC procured through agency force. Company think tank still in Utopian state to expect market share recovery, retail business share has gone down below 30% # A few private companies showing no intent to grow with showing negative agency force- Central generali, Shriram Life, Bharti Axa and ABSLI- a serious question and concern about what the companies are trying to do. In the pretext of consolidation and quality improvement- leadership teams actually killing the worth of the companies # Newer companies showing rapid growth- Digit life started their agency force, India First, Star Union dai ichi, Ageas federal, Axis Max showing double digit growth # bigger players like SBI Life, ICICI, HDFC, TATA still growing visibly and showing intent to diversify to maintain top line # Bank promoted companies started having standalone agents too # Agency- which is key for retail sales in a 140 crore nation being neglected for a long and whole domain's growth stagnation and inability to spread to tier 2/ 3 cities is only due to this # The neglect is naive amidst so many experts fully knowing the power and depth of agency channel, we are yet to see tech+agent, hybrid model to take any shape sooner. # Insurance for all by 2047 can not be achieved by online direct selling, banks forcing insurance or corporate agents/ brokers rushing with any quality sales- it requires massive agency force, waiting to see who brings any disruption in agency with making the profession preferred and justified working longer.

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🛒 Blinkit Beats Zomato: The Quick Commerce Tsunami Has Arrived Who would’ve thought? In Q1 FY26, Blinkit clocked ₹2,400 Cr in revenue, surpassing Zomato’s ₹2,261 Cr — both under the same parent company! This isn’t just an internal shift — it’s a bold headline for the startup ecosystem: > “Quick Commerce is officially bigger than Food Delivery.” And it’s not just Blinkit. Zepto, Instamart, and BigBasket Now are riding the same wave. But while some are flying high, others like Dunzo have stumbled. Let's unpack why. 🚀 Why Blinkit Surpassed Zomato Zomato = Indulgence Blinkit = Daily Necessity You order food 5 times a month. But you run out of milk, bread, fruits, or shampoo 15 times a month. Quick commerce solves high-frequency, low-involvement needs — at breakneck speed. That gives Blinkit: Higher order volumes Better customer stickiness More recurring revenue With Zomato’s logistics, funding, and deep consumer data, Blinkit had the perfect runway to scale fast. 💡 Why Quick Commerce Is Booming 1. Urgency is the New Currency 10-minute delivery has become an expectation — not a luxury. 2. Use-Case Variety Q-commerce isn’t just groceries. It’s: Chargers Makeup Pet food Emergency meds Even birthday candles at 10 PM! 3. Repeat Orders > Fancy Biryani Groceries = higher frequency = lower CAC and better LTV. Simple math. 📉 But Why Did Dunzo Fail? Dunzo was once the pioneer. So what went wrong? ❌ Lack of Focus — Tried to do everything: taxis, parcels, groceries. ❌ Capital Crunch — No major backing after Google; Q-commerce needs deep pockets. ❌ Weak Infra — No strong warehouse network = no scale. ❌ Branding Gap — Blinkit was fun and fast; Dunzo stayed functional but forgettable. ⚠️ The Real Battle Ahead It’s not Blinkit vs Zomato anymore. It’s: √ Blinkit vs Zepto vs Instamart vs BB Now √ Who builds faster, leaner networks? √ Who cracks private labels and unit economics? Biggest challenge? ● Turning convenience-led behavior into habit-led loyalty. 🏁 What This Means for Brands & D2C Founders ✅ Be Q-commerce-ready ✅ Launch platform-first SKUs ✅ Leverage utility + impulse buys ✅ Speed > shelf space 💬 Final Thought Zomato isn’t losing — it’s evolving. Blinkit isn’t just winning — it’s reshaping how India shops. ◆ This isn’t just growth. ◆ This is a signal: ◆ Quick commerce is the new normal. Are you ready? #Blinkit #Zomato #QuickCommerce #Zepto #Instamart #BigBasketNow #Dunzo #RetailRevolution #StartupIndia #ConsumerTrends #EcommerceIndia #D2C #makeinindya

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When you buy insurance, you want to be vv sure the insurer can pay your claims when the time comes, right? 🌟 That’s where the solvency ratio comes in! It shows how much financial cushion an insurer has to meet their current and future obligations - like settling your claims. 🧐 Here’s the math behind it: Solvency Ratio = (Available Solvency Margin) / (Required Solvency Margin) 🧮 Required Solvency Margin (RSM): The minimum capital the insurer needs to have, as per regulatory guidelines, to handle all its risks and obligations. 🧮 Available Solvency Margin (ASM): The extra money the insurer actually has after covering all its liabilities. In the below infographic, Beshak.org Insurance dug deep into the solvency ratio of SAHI (Standalone Health Insurers) & General Insurers in FY 2023-24. Oh oh, the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) has set a solvency ratio benchmark of 1.5. This means insurers MUST have 1.5 times the required capital to be deemed financially sound. But remember! There’s more to an insurer than just solvency ratio. So if you are looking for the full picture before buying a plan, check out our totally unbiased Beshak⭐️Rating. The ultimate tool to compare top health insurance plans, all in one click! ✨ Pl find the link here: https://lnkd.in/g-3V6Jnt

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NEW: Zomato-backed hyperlocal retail platform Magicpin tripled its revenue in FY24 and reduced its losses by 25% in the same period. Notably, the Gurugram-based firm achieved this growth without raising external funds in the past two fiscal years. Story by Kunal Manchanda via Entrackr

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Festive marketing in India is often seen as a battle between the old and the new — TV vs. digital, print vs. influencer. But in reality, it’s not a competition. It’s a collaboration. Newer channels bring speed, precision, and data. Traditional ones bring emotion, reach, and trust. The real magic happens when they work together — amplifying each other instead of replacing one another. Shared my thoughts on why the future of marketing is not replacement, but integration in this piece for Social Samosa. https://lnkd.in/gsRcCfCZ

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🧘🏽‍♀️ Lululemon x India: A masterclass in premium brand play or a cautionary tale in market misread? India is a complex beast when it comes to aspirational consumer brands. You’re speaking to a market where: – Premium ≠ expensive – Fitness ≠ lifestyle (yet) – Aspiration often looks more bling than breathable Which is why athleisure, despite its global boom, remains a tricky category to crack here. lululemon is launching in India via Tata CLiQ Luxury + Tata CLiQ Fashion — a move that signals curiosity and a smart test of premium appetite before going full throttle. But beyond distribution, the real opportunity (and challenge) lies in reframing value for the Indian shopper: 🔸 How do you justify ₹12K leggings when Zara sells a lookalike for ₹2.5K? 🔸 How do you shift the narrative from gymwear to self-investment? 🔸 And how do you localise rituals of wellness in a country that invented yoga, but under-indexes on sportswear? If Lululemon can win here, it’ll be by: ✨ Selling how you feel, not just how you look 🧠 Educating a new premium mindset, not just riding the West’s halo 🤝 Partnering with creators and communities that blend fitness, culture, and everyday luxury India isn’t just a growth market, it’s a creativity test. And I'm sure many brands will be watching this drop closely. #Athleisure #ConsumerBrands #IndiaMarket #Lululemon #BrandStrategy #RetailInIndia #PremiumConsumers

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