Abinash Shaw

By June 2022, Koo, raised more than $50 Mn at valuation $285 Mn. Fastfoward to July 2024, Koo has shut shop. 🐤 Be its logo featuring a yellow bird (strikingly similar to erstwhile Twitter’s blue motif) or the VOKAL pitch, Koo left no stone unturned to attract users amid the growth of social media platforms due to the nationwide lockdown. Let's look at the financials, and where it went wrong! 🛑 Revenue 💹 Source of Income : Marketing Services FY21 0.08 Cr. FY22 0.14 Cr. just 14 lakh INR as revenue against operating cost of 202 Crores. Operating Expenses 💱 FY21 24.8 Cr. FY22 202.0 Cr. EBIDTA Margin 🔻 FY21 -3,002.56% FY22 -4,022.54% Even after having raised capital in excess of $50 Mn (400+ Cr.) since its inception, the startup found NO INVESTORS for its Series C round as the financials were “not impressive enough,”. In late 2023, even cofounder Bidawatka conceded the fact saying that Koo was caught in a sour market and had to switch its focus from growth to generating revenue. Many Indian startups are struggling due to its failure to raise funds as investors tightened their purse strings amid a raging funding winter in the past two years.Trajectory has changes from GROWTH to REVENUE. #e-commerce #startups #funding #koo #product 

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Swiggy your tech sucks. So many issues in your app. First it’s continuously picking up wrong address even after explicitly selecting a different address. Then when you to type in on the chat you can’t see what you are typing. I have lost money on couple of orders already because of this. I am using iPhone 15 latest app version if that helps. Attached is screenshot of the chat issue. Simple things like this is not being tested thoroughly, it’s surprising to see.

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Looking forward to talking with Rajiv Srivatsa about the decision to switch from CTO to Founder. One year ago, a lot of people asked me "why do you want to leave a good CTO role and take the risk of starting up? " . Rajiv and I will unpack the thought process behind this decision. I hope this provides some insight to other tech leaders who may be considering this switch themselves. Link to sign up is in the post below. Antler

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The Cashback Strategy is Not Gonna Work Anymore! Here's why Remember the excitement surrounding GPay's launch and its cashback scratch cards? Feels like forever ago seeing the cashback, right? Back in 2017, the UPI market share looked like this: BHIM - 52%, PhonePe - 16%, Google Pay - 12%, Paytm - 4% Within a year, by 2018, here's how the market share changed: GPay - 39%, BHIM - 34%, PhonePe - 14%, Paytm - 6% It's all the transformation that happened because of the referral strategy and cashback offers; they played a significant role in GPay's user base growth in 2018. Referral incentives likely attracted new users, and cashbacks encouraged existing ones to make repeat transactions. So, the change in 2018. Now, CRED enters the market with the same strategy of cashback, coupons, and great ad concepts that are everywhere. Three and a half years later, this is the state today: PhonePe - 50%, GPay - 35%, Paytm - 9%, Cred - 1%, Others - 5% The reasons for Cred to be at that state of a bare 1%, even after providing great cashback, are multiple. Here are a few: ▶ Cred is only for users with more than 750 credit scores (top 5% of the Indian audience). ▶ Cred's UI is pretty complicated for regular users. ▶ Most of their users belong to India-1; they care about product efficiency, not cashback. If these are the reasons for Cred, here are the other reasons why cashback doesn't work anymore: ▶ Users value transaction success rate more than cashback. Users need the UPI which even works at very low signals; PhonePe is the name I hear often that it even works on 2G. ▶ It's hard to teach a new UI to India-2&3. Once they get used to the product, they don't like to change often because of trust issues. ▶ Indian 2&3 don't know much about coupons as they don't know these new brands, which is the major percentage in the market share. So, with all these points, isn't the Indian UPI market looking saturated? With these observations, do you think Jupiter has any scope of entering and making an impact on the market share? I don't think so. I will soon share a detailed analysis of why it's hard for Jupiter or any new platform to create a change in the UPI market. Liked the above read? Follow Chaitanya Athukuri for valuable insights in business and product management. #marketshare #referralstrategy #cashback #Cred #PhonePe #Paytm #credit score #UI #transaction #India #coupons #Jupiter #marketanalysis

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So recently, when I was doing my expenses analysis. I saw a huge jump in my groceries cost. I was regularly buying groceries from zepto and swiggy instamart and then I did shopping at local shops, what did I notice? 1. In comparison with local groceries shop, prices are almost 30-40% higher on these apps even for items that are for daily use like vegetables. 2. The quality of their products will always be under scanner because you will not see how is it when you buy compare to local shops 3. You will be charge platform fees, handling charge, delivery charge, convenience charge, and if you are buying on odd time then you might have to give surge fee which constitutes around 20-40% of overall price just for you being inactive or being lazy not to go to market. While it is easy and convenient to buy on these apps but giving almost 60-70% higher price just for convenience doesn’t justify the cost where you can always go to market within 1 km range and get the groceries in a cheaper price. Now the question arises, Can these app become successful in non-metro cities, towns and villages? Is this business sustainable enough in long term because the customers are most selfish and they will go wherever they find the cheapest prices. You doesn’t create a brand loyalty here in this business that will help customers to stick to one platform. Building for Bharat doesn’t only means build for high net individuals which resides in metro cities and get first time freedom of ( >8 LPA income) The research says purely online or offline player cannot stand in indian market in customers point of view and they have to go to omnichannel way to cater both the online and offline segments customers. The day any Indian startup can figure out how to build a business and startup out of India will be historical progress for India in long run? Only time will tell if it is achievable or not. PS: I have resuced my consumptions of these app because I was spending 2x more on groceries purchases in order to reduce the cost and it was costing me big time. #zepto #swiggy #instamart #groceries #buildforbharat #10minsdelivery #indianmarket #india #tier1 #tier2 #tier3 #progress

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A common problem among all PMs today⬇️ A recent feature update by Zomato sparked the debate on whether features should be launched at whims and fantasies of our stakeholders or should there be a data backed need for it!!🛠️ Let me know your thoughts in comments ✅ #productmanagement #features #zomato

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How will Swiggy One or Zomato Gold's new KM limit affect the best restaurants' total orders they receive? Recently both Swiggy One and Zomato Gold limited the maximum distance they allow for their subscription to 7km which was previously 10km. This will affect the best single restaurants in a city. Like in Hyderabad, we have Kakatiya mess or bawarchi which are the top single-branch restaurants in the city. Like, suppose these restaurants get orders from these subscription users around 90 percent of total orders. For each 1 km radius of the restaurant, they get 10 % of their total orders. now the limit is reduced to 7 km, so they might lose the 3 km extra distance radius they used to get orders from people. That’s around 30 percent of their total orders. This does not affect people who do not have subscriptions which is around 10 percent of users, but for the other 90 percent of users, it will affect them. For the people whose order distance from this kind of resturants greater then 7km, they have to pay delivery charges even if they have subscribed to Swiggy One or Zomato Gold. The normal delivery charges for more than 7 km to 10 km are around 80 to 110 rupees without any surge charges, if we include surge charges it will come to around 130 or more than that during night or rainy times. A large number of people may not be okay with that amount of delivery charges and may order from other similar restaurants within 7km. Thereby these best single resturants lose their orders. This might come around 20 to 25 percent of their total orders loss for these resturants. Restaurants with many branches like Mehfil may not be affected that much, the effect might be around 5 to 10 percent based on the locality they are in. This move will take away power from good restaurants, and give more power to swiggy where the resturants below these restaurants in terms of quality food will see an increase in their orders. 

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Wondering if Splitwise Inc. should re-evaluate its Pro subscription, currently priced at INR 149/month (INR 999/year) Here is pricing for a few other popular subscriptions in India: Netflix at INR 149/month (Mobile) Swiggy One at INR 75/month (starting) JioCinema at INR 999/year Assuming that primary target segment of Splitwise Inc. is bachelors, either in college or recently employed, is current pricing really the most optimal? Splitwise Inc. has 100M+ downloads on Android, so clearly it has resonated well with users However, recent reviews on Android play store show that users are not willing to convert to customers at current pricing. And they dislike the daily limits and Ads What can Splitwise Inc. do? Not to overstep, but I can think of a few things: 1) re-evaluate pricing - while revenue per customer will go down but more customers and hence higher overall revenue may make up for it (there are services such as Licious that ask for nominal subscription fee, offer significant value in return and keep you hooked) 2) offer group plans - splitting expenses is a group thing, why keep plans for individuals (not straightforward but can be worked out) 3) communicate benefits better - currently "Unlimited expenses" seem to be the only perceptible benefit, value of rest of the benefits can be communicated better (if users indeed see those as benefits) PS: all of this is based on very high level assumptions #product #monetization #pricing #subscription

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While Dune 2 has an overall 8.7 stars on IMDb.com, it is "7.1 stars, based on ratings from people with preferences similar to you" Should products like IMDb.com Swiggy Zomato start providing such personalized ratings & reviews? In addition to overall ratings & reviews from all users After all, don't we choose to trust a feedback based on who is giving it and whether they are like us PS: I know Amazon owns IMDb #product #personalization #imdb #dune2

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Shares of Travel Distribution giant TBO Tek ended with a premium of 53% against its issue price yesterday. Its IPO was subscribed 86 times on the closing day. It all started in 2006, as the founders noticed the white space in the B2B travel sector. While everyone aimed directly serve customers, TBO wanted to address the inventory management pains of over a million hotels and 700 airlines, and an easy selection process for anyone wanting to book them. They would pioneer the B2A or Business to Agent model, enabling travel agents to have the most extensive catalog of services across the world. By 2012, they would expand to Dubai. 2014 and 2015 would see them expand to Europe and become a global player. While the pandemic would make travel more or less irrelevant, TBO would bounce back strongly in the following years. A spree of acquisitions, strategic partnerships, and strongly fuelled growth would see them cross over INR 1050 Cr in Revenue by 2023, and profits growing 300% Y-o-Y. Read more about their incredible story here (https://bit.ly/42Zz094) #travel #makemytrip #cleartrip #yatra #travelboutiqueonline #tbo #leisure #luxury #india #asia #europe

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DoorDash is five years younger than Zomato but its business is bigger by more than seven times compared to its Indian counterpart. The difference between DoorDash and Indian peers Zomato and Swiggy is not in what the companies do⁠ — it’s where they do it DoorDash’s average order value comes to almost $31. This is over five times higher than Zomato’s average order value of $5 (₹407). With DoorDash's AOV of $30 vs $3-4 AOV for Zomato and Swiggy - which kind of makes it difficult for India to be a food-delivery-oriented market, proving its worth in terms of the bottom line. #doordash #zomato #swiggy #india #value #market #food #delivery

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but then, to increase the Average Order Value (AOV), y’all come up with fees that are out of the world Swiggy, Zomato, Blinkit, Zepto, Instamart, and Doordash 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝘀: It seems someone is taking inspiration heavily from Indian railways. On searching for the “platform fees,” I have yet to find an answer. 𝗣𝗮𝗰𝗸𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝘀: This is controversial, but the good part is it directly goes to the pocket of the restaurant. But again, when ordering a Mcaloo Tikki for ₹62/- from McDonald's, one needs to pay ₹36/- as a packaging charge. 𝗦𝗺𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗳𝗲𝗲: Already one is paying for the delivery fees; why this good-for-nothing fees comes into play boggles my small mind sometimes. 𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗽𝗼𝗻 𝗿𝗲𝗱𝗲𝗺𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝘀: This is the latest fees in town. While these fees are good from a business perspective, they put a cognitive load on the user’s mind. Consider this post as the continuation of the load. But, Sourabh, don’t we pay convenience fees in thousands for a flight trip? Why aren’t you mad at that? I used to be but with time, we became habitual. ₹450 convineance fees when compared to a flight ticket. I Have a high level of empathy with the delivery folks, no matter where they are from Swiggy, Zomato, Blinkit, Zepto, Instamart, Doordash, Amazon, and Flipkart even if it’s - Raining - Extreme sun’s heat - Late night They deliver, having talked to 100’s of the delivery riders, it’s tough out their people; they're the the one's whose AOV per ride should be increased while being in sync with business too both are important

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First thing that pops ups on my mind is - Does Zomato being in the business means better days for Cinema owners? Through better (a)margins: more likely as Zomato cornering the business means some downard pressure on margins.(b) driving higher seat occupancy: Less likley. Just because there are more apps dont mean more excitment to watch content (c)better upsell of add-ons - dependent on UX but more impact is driven by bundling strategies from the cinema owners. There is also some opportunity in the non-cinema events market too. I feel there is little value that consumers will get out of this for a very long time. I wonder, is the play here to be a low cost diversified another vendor in the market, cornering away some revenue cheaply becasue >>they are able to drive eyeballs through there app. Either ways, big questions to the BMS team - how do they respond :)

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Everyone wants their groceries fast these days, and 3 companies in India are battling it out to be your quickest delivery hero Let's delve into some key metrics to understand who might come as a winner: Blinkit currently leads with a 40% market share and a whopping $1.5 billion annualized GMV (FY24). Instamart follows closely with 32% market share and $1 billion annualized GMV (CY23). Zepto, despite having a smaller presence (7 cities), boasts a good $1.2 billion annualized GMV (April'24). Who Might Win? It's too early to declare a clear winner. Here are some factors for consideration ▶ Blinkit: Needs to find ways to improve profitability while maintaining market share. ▶ Instamart: Cash flow positivity is a strong advantage, but needs to expand presence and potentially AOV. ▶ Zepto: Efficiency focus and lower AOV strategy could gain traction, but expanding to more cities is vital. The Indian quick commerce war is far from over. It will be exciting to see how these companies adapt their strategies and which one emerges as the leader by focusing on the most impactful KPIs for long-term success. Do share your thoughts in the comments. #India #QuickCommerce #Ecommerce #Profitability

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Wow, what a journey! It's hard to believe I've already spent 5 years at Zomato. My time here has been a mix of roles—from Individual Contributor to Engineering Manager, PM for consumer products, and Tech Architect for core projects. I've been accountable for some of the most critical business impacts and faced many exciting challenges. Learning here never stops, especially when you work with incredibly talented people. But we're just 1% of the way there! One piece of advice from a mentor that really stuck with me: your impact should far exceed the investment the company puts in you—aim for 100x or more! Too often, we focus on the tasks we've completed instead of the impact we've made. Quality always trumps quantity, and progress is measured by outcomes, not just activity. If you’re an engineer who prioritizes impact and outcomes over mere activities, let’s connect! Make sure your resume highlights your impact in bold, not just paragraphs of tasks. #impactfirst #growthmindset #zomato #quality

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Heads Up! Fake Courier Scam Targeting Indian Users A recent scam targeting Indian users impersonates well-known courier companies like FedEx and DHL. Here's how it works (similar to the one described in https://lnkd.in/gNhRNPUj): - You receive a call claiming to be from a courier company. - They inform you of a package linked to your phone number containing illegal items. (They often mention Mumbai and Singapore in their script.) - They pressure you by mentioning involvement of law enforcement. Remember, this is a scam! Here's how to protect yourself: - Don't engage. Don't confirm personal details or provide any information. - Ask for specifics. Legitimate courier companies can provide details like tracking numbers, labels, service levels, sender/recipient addresses, etc. Scammers will struggle with these details. - End the call. Block the number and report it as spam. By staying vigilant and sharing awareness, we can help protect ourselves and others from these scams. #Logistics #ScamAlert #India

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Swiggy is launching "Daily" to compete with Zomato "Everyday" and totally proves how timing is very critical 👇 Swiggy was the first mover in the space of daily food subscription for office goers. Due to strategic decisions and Covid, they shut down this "Daily" offering. But guess who started it as soon as world declared complete normalcy? Zomato Zomato successfully launched Everyday and is an integral part of the app if you see. I see my colleagues having a daily subscription of it. Now Swiggy is in pre IPO stage and has decided to re introduce it after seeing how Zomato has scaled this segment of the business now. Swiggy isn't far from Zomato in terms of transacting users and will definitely catch up with the same kind of margins as Zomato enjoys today. Today Swiggy has more losses than Zomato but the food ordering space + quick commerce is the best segment to witness a healthy strategic competition. What do you think about this? Let me know!

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Do you want to get hired at top startups as a Product Manager? Thrive successfully in your current role as a Product Manager? Want to get promoted in your product career? Then this podcast is for you! I had a great time interacting with Mayank Agarwal, the Director of Product at Urban Company, who has also worked as a Project Leader at BCG and in Process Excellence at ITC. A graduate from IIM Bangalore, Mayank shared invaluable insights. In this video, we discussed about various topics : 🌟 Product Management vs. Management Consulting 🎓 Choosing the right career path for MBA grads ❌ Common career mistakes to avoid 📈 Tips for getting promoted in your organization 📱 Building products for millions of consumers 🔍 Learnings from working at startups, established companies, and consulting firms 📝 Key things a Director of Product looks for when hiring PMs and APMs 💬 Communication and Stakeholder management for product management Don't miss the podcast! Check out the link in the first comment. #productmanagement #productmanager #hiring #jobs

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