India's consumer price inflation likely surged to a 14-month high in October, driven by soaring vegetable and edible oil prices. Economists predict inflation hit 5.81%, just below the central bank's 6% tolerance limit. A weak rupee and rising global commodity prices add to inflationary pressures, potentially delaying anticipated interest rate cuts.

Despite the persistent inflation and sluggish demand, several leading FMCG and retail brands are doubling down on their premiumization strategies, reshaping their approach to appeal to discerning customers.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is set to meet with state counterparts on December 21-22 for pre-budget discussions and a GST Council meeting. Key agenda items include potential GST exemptions for certain insurance policies and rate reductions on various goods. The Council may also consider raising GST on luxury items like high-value shoes and watches.

The fund will back startups in the early stage and pick stakes in pre-IPO companies through secondary transactions. It will focus on sectors such as climate and sustainability, fintech and consumer businesses.

China's Singles' Day shopping extravaganza has lost its sparkle as consumers, wary of promotional tactics and facing economic headwinds, prioritize necessities over extravagant purchases. Major e-commerce platforms have ceased publicizing sales figures, reflecting this trend. Merchants are also scaling back, citing high advertising costs and diminishing returns, prompting a shift towards international markets.

Wakefit cofounder Chaitanya Ramalingegowda attributed the increase in revenue to the company’s focus on strengthening its omnichannel presence, with some stores reaching maturity and a new wave of outlets opening, along with the benefits of an automated mattress factory.

Godrej Interio aims for a 10 per cent contribution from e-commerce sales by fiscal-end. The company is accelerating digital transformation efforts, experiencing significant online sales growth and expanding reach across 17,200 pin codes. It introduces AI-based 'Visual Search' and an integrated dealer network to enhance customer experience and operational efficiency.

Tupperware Brands has been granted approval to sell its assets to its lenders, enabling the company to exit bankruptcy. Unable to find a buyer to pay off its $818 million debt, Tupperware will transfer its brand name and key assets to investment firms Stonehill Capital Management Partners and Alden Global Capital. The company plans a digital-first, asset-light business model post-bankruptcy.

Commenting on Q2 performance, Stove Kraft's managing director Rajendra Gandhi said, “With positive market momentum supporting us, we remain committed to driving volume and value growth in revenue and margins in the upcoming quarters." He further said that ​​the company's expansion of Pigeon outlets through the COCO and COFO model has been promising. During this quarter, the firm added 22 new stores, bringing our total to 213.

Asian Paints faced a challenging second quarter with muted demand due to uneven rainfall and a slowdown in metro cities. Despite price hikes, competitive intensity remains high. The company is cautiously optimistic about single-digit volume growth in the coming quarter while closely observing AkzoNobel's strategic review of its India business.

An investigation by India's antitrust body found food delivery giants Zomato and SoftBank-backed Swiggy breached competition laws, with their business practices favouring select restaurants listed on their platforms, documents showed.

Colgate-Palmolive India is experiencing growth in the expanding oral care market. The company reported a 10% rise in revenue. However, it recognizes market difficulties like fluctuating demand and rising costs. Colgate remains dedicated to improving oral health awareness in India. It aims to achieve this through education and product innovation. The company is focused on sustainability and social responsibility initiatives.

Britannia Industries reported a 10% drop in profit for the quarter ended September as surging housing costs and low income growth in urban areas led to a slowdown in demand for fast-moving consumer goods. While rural demand has been stable, urban demand has seen a significant downturn, mirroring global trends of consumer confidence returning but wages lagging behind inflation.

Coca-Cola India's consolidated profit plummeted by 41.82% to Rs 420.29 crore in FY24, despite a 4.24% increase in revenue, reaching Rs 4,713.38 crore. The company's advertising and sales promotion expenses surged by 35.47% to Rs 1,520.21 crore, while royalties paid to its US parent company also rose.

On its listing day, brokerage firms - Macquarie and JM Financial - became the first ones to initiate coverage on the debutant but came out with polar opposite views. Macquarie's initiating coverage report gave it an underperform rating with a target price of Rs 325, which indicates downside potential of 17% from IPO issue price of Rs 390.

Samsung India Electronics' revenue grew by a mere 4% in FY24, reaching Rs 102,626 crore, marking its slowest growth in eight years. This slowdown, largely attributed to a stagnant smartphone market and heightened competition, is believed to be behind recent layoffs and cost-cutting measures.

Sault, a new consumer electronics company, is set to significantly increase its sales volume by FY25. Focusing on tier-2 towns, the brand plans to expand its reach within western India and eventually target southern markets. Sault will incorporate in-house manufacturing for certain products while continuing partnerships for others, aiming for nationwide expansion and exploring digital sales channels.

Industry executives said the latest generation chipsets, set to power high-end Android handsets, are already around 20% more expensive than their predecessors due to a more complex circuitry and advanced manufacturing process. High demand for premium handsets is also contributing to improving the product mix of chipset makers towards more high-end chipsets.

“We have been able to grow a little from 15.4% to 16.7% in H1. But this is coming more from the operational efficiencies point of view. And also a very little from probably I can say, there is an advantage currently where the raw material prices are at most low. This is the advantage we have been able to get in H1. ”

Bharat Puri, MD of Pidilite Industries, discusses the company's revenue growth driven by volume growth and reduction in prices due to normalized raw material prices. Puri expects double-digit volume growth going forward and highlights the company's focus on investing in rural markets, which have shown no decline or softness. Pidilite Industries has added 30,000 new retail points to its rural network and sees rural markets as a driver of growth. Puri also mentions the improvement in international business and sustainable EBITDA margins at the higher range of 20-24%.

India's Pidilite Industries , which makes Fevicol adhesives and Dr. Fixit waterproofing products, posted a 6.2% jump in fourth-quarter profit on Tuesday, driven by lower input costs.

Pidilite Industries Ltd. managing director Bharat Puri expects volume and value growth to align in the second half of Q2 2024, with value growth potentially surpassing volume due to improved product mix. The company reported a 9.6% increase in volume and a 21% rise in net profit to Rs. 571 crores. Export sales were affected by geopolitical tensions and shipping delays.

Indians purchased 220 tonnes of silver during this year's Dhanteras-Diwali. This is the highest amount in two decades. The surge in silver sales is attributed to its rising prices and its appeal as a safe-haven asset. Gold sales, however, declined by 15% this year. Experts predict silver prices will continue to rise.

Trent Limited, a Tata Group company, witnessed a 40% rise in net sales for the quarter ending in September. The retailer's revenue reached Rs 4036 crore, while net profit saw a 46% increase to Rs 423 crore. Despite the growth, consumer sentiment remained subdued. Trent opened 43 new stores during the quarter, expanding its presence to 184 cities.

Under Armour's shares surged 20% after the company raised its annual profit forecast, driven by cost-cutting measures and a focus on full-price sales. Founder and CEO Kevin Plank's strategy of reducing discounts and inventory helped boost gross margins, signaling a potential turnaround for the sportswear brand.

Driven by central bank purchases and geopolitical tensions, gold prices soared to 39 new all-time highs in 2024, marking the highest number in 45 years. The surge, influenced by strong Asian demand and US election anxieties, saw gold reach $2,734 per ounce, prompting predictions of further increases.

Mankind Pharma is spinning off its consumer brands business into a wholly-owned subsidiary, aiming to increase its revenue contribution. Similar moves by Sanofi, Cipla, and Zydus Lifesciences have yielded benefits. Mankind Pharma seeks to unlock investor value through focused marketing and potential stock market listings.

Secret Alchemist, a wellness startup focusing on aromatherapy, onboards actress Samantha Prabhu as co-founder after securing $500,000 in seed funding led by Inflection Point Ventures. The company, co-founded by Ankita Thadani and Akash Valia, plans to expand its product line and enhance brand reach with pure-grade essential oils for holistic wellness.

Marico Limited finalized its acquisition of Just Herbs in September 2024, securing the remaining 40% equity in Apcos Naturals Private Limited, which owns the Just Herbs brand. With this acquisition, Just Herb's expansion momentum is poised to accelerate.

Highlighting the brand’s expansion trajectory in terms of physical retail presence, Sanjay Sharma, Country Head of Shiseido India said that since launching with 15 touchpoints last year, NARS has already doubled its reach to 30 points in India and plans to double again in the next two years.

Coty expects lower annual profit than previously forecasted. Demand for beauty products is slowing down in the US and Australia. Consumers are choosing essential products over beauty items. Coty's prestige fragrance segment, however, reported a 9% rise in sales. This is due to new launches such as Burberry Goddess and Marc Jacobs Daisy Wild fragrances.

Net sales rose 40% to $301.1 million for the quarter ended Sept. 30, compared with analysts' average estimates of $285.8 million, as per data compiled by LSEG.

FirstCry's CEO Maheshwari saw a 49% compensation drop. The company plans an IPO, approaching SEBI. Employee benefits decreased, with a Rs 23,000 crore valuation and an expected IPO of $3.5-3.75 billion.

We'll continue to invest in our brand, technology, products, and grow our offline online touchpoints. We are going to open around 350 stores over the next three years and grow our multi-channel competitive strengths. We will also enhance our in-house brands and their distribution through pharmacies and grocery stores. We also plan to invest in manufacturing, international markets and Globalbees, our brand aggregator platform,Supam Maheshwari, cofounder and CEO of FirstCry said.

Tuco Intelligent, a kids' personal care brand, has secured $2 million in seed funding led by Fireside Ventures and Whiteboard Capital. Founded by ex-Unilever executive Aishvarya Murali, Tuco offers natural and sustainable products for children. The brand emphasizes eco-friendly packaging using reclaimed ocean and landfill plastic.

Presentation is one of the 5 cornerstones of podcasting (content, presentation, production, promotion, and P.R.O.F.I.T.), and how you communicate in your podcast can make the biggest difference in whether people enjoy and benefit from your content.

The post 6 Free Ways to Podcast Better by Communicating Better first appeared on The Audacity to Podcast.

Podcast cover art is usually the first and most prominent thing people will see about your podcast! So should your photo be in the cover art?

The post Should Your Photo Be in Your Podcast Cover Art? first appeared on The Audacity to Podcast.

There are many ways to earn income through podcasting: affiliates, sponsorships, sales, and more. Disclosing when you get compensated is not only the law, but it's also a good way to earn your audience's trust!

The post You MUST Disclose Whenever You’re Compensated! first appeared on The Audacity to Podcast.

Bonus content can be a fun way to engage and reward your loyal podcast audience, either publicly, through an opt-in, or in a premium subscription.

The post 8 Bonus Content Ideas for Your Podcast first appeared on The Audacity to Podcast.

Apple provides a portal for you to submit and manage your own podcast called Podcasts Connect. I suggest you check these 8 things right away!

The post 8 Things You Should Check in Apple Podcasts Connect first appeared on The Audacity to Podcast.

AI has rapidly advanced for content creation. But should you actually trust it? With this potential comes some crucial warnings for using AI in podcasting.

The post 11 Warnings about Using AI in Content-Creation (including podcasting) first appeared on The Audacity to Podcast.

Ring Digital's latest FutureOfTV.Live quarterly report included revealing survey data on the state of live captioning in the TV and streaming ecosystem. We'll delve into the questions we asked and the survey's findings here.

On Thursday, November 14, media and entertainment technology strategist Chris Pfaff will moderate the panel "Removing the Friction of Content Discovery on CTV." Incorporating viewership data into the content discoverability process can remove the pain points that have bubbled up in the new streaming landscape, lead to more engagement with the content, and open up more opportunities for advertisers to reach their target audiences. This panel of experts from NBCUniversal, Pluto TV, Revry TV, and Gatsby TV looks at the success of genre channels and provides attendees with insight into how they help their viewers find their content faster.

The results of a joint study between Hub Entertainment Research and the Advertising Research Foundation (ARF) fielded as part of Hub's annual "Decoding The Default" survey found significant differences between liberals and conservatives in which entertainment TV shows they find appealing. Mark Loughney, Senior Consultant at Hub, discusses some of these findings and what they might mean for the industry.

On Tuesday, November 12, streaming industry consultant Nadine Krefetz will moderate the panel "Cloudsplitting: Tackling Common Cloud Live Broadcast Workflow Challenges." Some elements of streaming workflows and architecture may always stay on-prem. However, the cloud affords streaming pros opportunities for scaling and cost-cutting that make the lure of cloud workflows too powerful to resist for most live streamers intent on managing large and unpredictable audiences, improving QoE, increasing ROI, and satisfying brands. The panel of experts from AWS, TV 2 Danmark, Alibaba Cloud, and Console Connect will discuss actionable insights on refining and streamlining your scalable cloud live-streaming workflows and jump and dodge the hurdles that threaten to break your stride.

On Wednesday, November 13, streaming industry consultant Nadine Krefetz will moderate the panel "Cutting Streaming Delivery Costs With AI." AI is making inroads into streaming workflows and experiences at nearly every stage, from ingest all the way through discoverability. This panel explores how AI promises to streamline and reduce investments on the processing and delivery end through time-efficient, cost-efficient encoding tools that minimize buffering, fine-tune image quality, and enable workflow optimization. This panel explores how AI is currently impacting streaming delivery and playback experiences, how we can expect its role to continue to evolve over time, and how you can leverage AI's benefits in the streams you deliver. Confirmed panelists include leading industry figures from Microsoft, Netflix, and more.

Warner Bros Discovery (WBD) has reported financial results for Q3, with highlights including 7.2m new Max subscriptions.

Public service access to TV is to remain at the heart of UK government policy as a new report warns that over a million viewers are at risk of being excluded in the longterm transition to streaming.

President-elect Donald Trump has gone against media expectations by tapping Marco Rubio, Kristi Noem and a number of other Capitol Hill veterans to fill posts in his second administration.