Flipkart plans free video service, rivals beat Patanjali at its own game, and more news

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Flipkart plans to start video-streaming to take on Amazon Prime, MoneyControl reports, citing sources. The service – likely to be launched ahead of the Diwali festive season – will be offered free to members of the Flipkart Plus loyalty programme, which provides faster shipping and exclusive deals. But unlike Amazon, the Indian e-tailer won’t initially produce originals – it’d license content from the likes of Walt Disney and Balaji Telefilms. The move will help Flipkart level the playing field with Amazon, which has doubled down on its entertainment offerings. India’s $500 million video-streaming market is estimated to grow 10-fold by 2023.

Baba Ramdev’s Patanjali Ayurved is losing its grip on the very segment that helped it take on FMCG giants: natural brands. A Kantar study says the company’s urban volumes dipped 2.7% in the year to April 2019 while rural sales grew just 15.7%, down from 45.2% the previous year. Part of the reason is that competitors have cottoned on to the importance of herbal brands – three in five consumer launches in 2018 were in the natural space, with HUL, L'Oréal and Colgate-Palmolive rolling out several products. Patanjali’s sales have also suffered due to concerns around product quality and poor planning. Join the conversation.

The government has moved to scrap two key constitutional provisions — Article 370 and Article 35A — that provide special status to Jammu and Kashmir. Experts say that the decision will boost job creation as businesses will be able to operate under Indian law, acquire property and establish a permanent base in the region. Also, J&K is set to be reorganised into two separate Union Territories: Ladakh (without a legislative assembly), and J&K (legislative assembly with curtailed powers). Check out how the move will change life for localites and join the conversation.

Swedish furniture maker Ikea, which completes a year in India this week, is already localising its strategy. The company is scouting for locations in Mumbai to set up 5-6 smaller stores in the range of 50,000-150,000 square feet – a departure from its sprawling stores that go up to 500,000 square feet. If the trial is successful, Ikea will open smaller stores in other cities as well. What’s behind the move? Competition from e-tailers such as Urban Ladder and Pepperfry (which also have offline stores), better accessibility of smaller stores set up within city limits, and challenges in securing large lands. Join the conversation.

Kerala wants to build its brand as a hub for space-tech startups, Economic Times reports. The southern state is setting up India’s first space systems park in Thiruvananthapuram to attract global ventures and develop a base for space-related manufacturing and research. The facility, likely to cost ?200-250 crore in the initial stages, will aim to create an end-to-end ecosystem that handles everything from rocket science infrastructure to space data analysis. ISRO – which launched Chandrayaan-2 last month – has several ambitious programmes lined up: a follow-up mission to Mars, a fresh trip to Venus, a solar mission, even a space station.

Idea of the Day: “When you really stop having fun then it’s time to change what you do,” advises Mauro Porcini, SVP & Chief Design Officer at PepsiCo.

“Own your own destiny like a sailing boat and steer it where the wind of happiness takes you. You need to understand when the wind is about to change and make the right adjustment early on.”

- LinkedIn Editors India/Share this using #DailyRundown