Flipkart Minutes struggles to make a mark
Among its quick commerce counterparts, Flipkart Minutes has emerged as the platform with the lowest prices. And yet, it is struggling to make a mark in the landscape. The eCommerce giant’s quick commerce segment was launched in August — and according to reports, it is the weakest of the quick commerce players currently in play. According to some reports, this might have to do with the platform’s product catalogue not being diverse enough.

Rising prices impact confectionery sales
In the last fiscal year, the sales of confectionery products have seen reduced growth. What was called the snacking boom during the pandemic, has come to a stop, with consumers being wary about inflationary pressures. According to leading news portals, companies like Mondelez and Hershey's have seen a slowdown in their profits.

The way ahead for Godrej Consumer Products
In volume terms, Godrej Consumer Products has registered a flat third quarter, the opposite of the almost eight per cent growth the company observed in the first half of the fiscal year. According to news portals, two segments have contributed to this sluggish performance — home insecticides and soaps.

Retailers choose to expand despite eCommerce boom
eCommerce and quick commerce have taken the country by storm in the past year, but that isn’t stopping retailers from increasing their presence in tier-two and tier-three cities. The view is that offline retailers with direct consumer interaction will have higher business growth. 

FMCG: Urban vs rural
Price wars are going strong in the FMCG sector, but this is not trickling down to rural markets. The battlefield is urban, what Kantar Pulse Q3 has observed as a stagnating market. The report said, “FMCG volume growth in urban areas slowed down in the last quarter; a contrast to Q3 of 2023 when it was urban consumers propelling volume growth (7.5%). This is due to the impact of key factors such as inflation of raw material costs, stagnant wages, unfavourable weather conditions and government elections.”

PepsiCo sees India as an anchor
In India, PepsiCo has seen organic double-digit growth, according to the company, in keeping with its beverage business in the global market. It has identified India as one of 13 anchor markets. In related news, the company is investing upwards of Rs 1,200-crore in a new facility in Madhya Pradesh. Trials are well underway to replace palm oil in its brand Lay’s.

In G-series funding round, Rebel Foods raises USD 210-million
With support from Evolvence, Rebel Foods’ existing investor, the company has raised USD 210-million with Singapore-based Temasek. Rebel Foods is a Mumbai-based cloud kitchen company that operates brands like Oven Story, Faasos, and Behrouz Biryani. This deal was first reported in August and fructified recently.

The strength of scent
Because of the increase in eCommerce traction, the fragrance industry has seen an uptick in sales. According to leading business portals, experts estimate that the industry can be valued at Rs 4,500-crore. The growth of the premium segment in the last year has impacted this segment too — we observe several luxury brands dipping their toes in the Indian market.

Japanese brands — the underdogs
Electronics companies from Japan are focusing on products like large televisions, sidestepping the price wars that are frequent in the consumer electronics market. Slowly but surely, this strategy has borne well for Japanese electronics manufacturers, who used to struggle to keep up with their Korean and Chinese counterparts.