Thursday 15 August 2019

Ready to revolutionize Retail [ 3R ] ?

Source :

RIL eyes $700 bn opportunity in unorganized retail with ‘new commerce’ plan

( 12 Aug 2019 )

Highlights :

Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) aims to revolutionize India’s retail industry by connecting as many as 30 million kirana or neighbourhood stores, through its offline-to-online initiative.

……….Mukesh Ambani said on Monday that the so-called ‘new commerce’ platform would connect consumers, merchants and producers across the country.

“The main purpose of new commerce is to completely transform the unorganized retail market, which accounts for 90% of India’s retail industry.

He said RIL is working towards enriching and empowering the merchants and kirana shop owners with its end-to-end digital and physical distribution stack.

“For this, we are deploying blockchain, internet of things (IoT), artificial intelligence (AI) and other new technologies on a pan-India basis.

This tech-enabled partnership will link producers, traders, small merchants, consumer brands and consumers."

Through the differentiated business model, RIL plans to provide a technology platform for millions of small merchants across India to strengthen and grow their business.

“New commerce will transfer significant new value to consumers, producers, and merchants.

Our merchant point of sale (PoS) solution—Jio Prime Partner PoS—is integral to our plan to create an ecosystem around small merchants," Ambani said, adding Jio Prime Partner PoS will modernize even the smallest neighborhood kirana shop to become a future-ready digitized store.

In the past year, RIL made significant progress in developing and testing its merchant technology platforms. It’s beta trials with thousands of merchants across multiple locations established the premise of new commerce with significant increase in sales and improvement in margins for the participating merchants.

Ambani said RIL is now preparing to roll out the platform at a larger scale. The new commerce platform thus represents the digital symbiosis of big and small enterprises.

“I believe that the small must not only survive, but also thrive in new India," he added.

On the business of Reliance Retail, he said the company had crossed ₹1.3 trillion in revenue last year and added that two-third of its stores were in tier-II, III and tier-IV towns.

“It is four times larger than the second-largest retail player and also larger than all the other major retailers put together," Ambani said.

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Public got the first hint of the “ New Commerce “ , one year back, in RIL AGM of July 2018

That 2018 AGM speech by Mukesh, made me wonder :

“ What could possibly be the framework of this F – Commerce ( “ Future Commerce “ is my favorite term for NEW COMMERCE ) ?

Following aspects came to my mind , about which , I conceptualized RIL strategy :

# Sales

# Supply

# Inventory

# Delivery

# Finance ( Working Capital )

# Marketing

- and Lo and Behold !

Over the past one year, the script that I wrote in the following blogs, seems to be playing out , rather accurately :

MA = DA x 4,000,000 ? [ 17 July 2018 ]

Who needs Fulfillment Centres [ FC ] ? Not Reliance Retail [ 23 April 2019 ]

Bypass E : Go from D to F [ 07 Feb 2019 ]

Weave a Wondrous World [ W3 ] [ 20 Jan 2019 ]

Mukesh has the last laugh ! [ 31 Dec 2018 ]

Re-defining Retail : Maini and Mukesh [ 30 Oct 2018 ]

Jio Hubs : Entrepreneurs Apply [ 19 Sept 2018 ]

Reliance Juggernaut Rolls ! [ 06 July 2018 ]

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16 Aug 2019

Rsvp : hcp@RecruitGuru.com

Wednesday 7 August 2019

A Partial Solution ?

NDA government has taken the long overdue / bold step of scrapping Article 370

It will definitely serve the following purposes ( though, not overnight )

# Bring economic prosperity ( VIKAS ) to the people of Kashmir

# Give Kashmiri Children, equal opportunity, with children, all over India

# Industry and Tourism will flourish

# Corrupt middlemen ( elected and non-elected politicians ) will , no more be able to siphon off
funds meant for the ordinary Kashmiri citizens

But that still leaves open, the question :

# Can PoK ever be re-taken through peaceful negotiations with Pakistan or through an all out war ?

Abolition of Article 370, cannot solve this problem !

If anything , Pakistan will surely rake up this issue in UN and other world forums, with greater vigour !

All over the World, there are vested interests ( aka " Arms Lobbies " ), which , through their respective governments, will try their best to " keep the pot boiling " , between India-Pakistan !

Their multi-billion dollar exports of arms, are at stake !

There is only one way to settle this issue, viz :

> Negotiate to convert LoC into an International Border ( - even thru make-believe Mediation ! )

For over past 6 years, I have sent following emails :

Permanent Solution for Kashmir

https://myblogepage.blogspot.com/2017/06/permanent-solution-for-kashmir.html

With a massive majority in Lok Sabha, Shri Modiji is in a position to achieve this

Of Course, first of all , he will have to convince himself of,

# the futility of a nuclear war between India and Pakistan

# the fact that the " Powers that be " ( USA - Russia - China ) are NOT interested in a peaceful and bilateral resolution of this problem

Then , he will need to convince his party and later on, all other parties

I hope , someone forwards this blog to Shri Imran Khan [ imran.na56@na.gov.pk. ]

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08 Aug 2019

rsvp : hcp@RecruitGuru.com

Tuesday 30 July 2019

Data becomes an Air Molecule : Free to travel anywhere

Just came across following :

Apple joins Google, Facebook, and Twitter in data-sharing project

The Data Transfer Project wants to make it easy to move data between services

Highlights :

# Just over a year after its official launch, the Data Transfer Project is announcing a new set of partners and features.

Today, Apple announced that it will be joining the project, developing interoperable systems to bring data in and out of iCloud.

A number of alternative social networks have also joined the project, with Tim Berners-Lee’s Solid project enabling the import and export of contacts, and Mastodon allowing for the import and export of posts.

# An open-source project aimed at making it easier to transfer data from one service to another, the Data Transfer Project has mostly consisted of back-end coding to make data export tools like Google Takeout and Facebook’s Access Your Information tool compatible with each other.

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I am tempted to reproduce from my earlier blog,

Nightmare ? #Aadhar #Privacy #DataProtection [ 04 March 2016 ] :

Extract :

# Technology has advanced so far – and continues to accelerate even faster –

that it is possible to treat “ Content ( personal / private data ) “ like an air

molecule , which keeps travelling freely around the earth and gets inhaled a

trillion times ( content consumption ) by a billion humans .

Introduction of 5G

and Li-Fi technologies will speed up this process even further

# With the arrival of Quantum Computing , it will soon become possible for the

same content ( personal / private data ) , to exist simultaneously at multiple

places , but in differing formats

A “ Text Posting “ on Facebook may well appear on different media as

Voice or Image or Smell or Touch !

FOR CONSIDERATION BY THE READERS :

Parallel to the Theory of Thermodynamics , I would like to propound the

following as far as the “ Theory of Information “ is concerned :

“ Like Entropy , content keeps growing with each and every human

interaction , either with other humans or with his environment , and content

can no longer remain hidden , nor can it be destroyed “

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What I envisaged above 3 years ago , seems to be around the corner

What is heartening is that many respectable persons and organizations have joined together to “ release the content “ from its various “ bondages “ of websites – apps – databases – hardware – software applications – operating systems etc

It is high time Bureaucrats in charge of drafting our own Data Protection Bill, ask :

“ At the rate at which data is getting generated / transmitted / transformed / mutated / migrated / consumed , by 7 billion citizens of the World, all without their knowledge or permission , is it at all possible to even “ define “ what is DATA ( and what is not ) , much less possible to “ protect / confine “ it in any manner ?

Is it possible that “ indestructability “ of Data renders futile all questions as to its “ Beginning / Origin “ or its “ End “ ?

Will any Data Protection Law become obsolete even before the President signs it ?

Dear Shri Ravi Shankar Prasadji,

Your mobile service provider ( MSP ) has the AUDIO-LOG of each and every word that you have ever spoken in your mobile phone . And if your MSP does not want to sell it, some one is bound to steal it !

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31 July 2019

Rsvp : hcp@RecruitGuru.com

Monday 29 July 2019

Microdot Technology : A solution in search of a problem ?

Just came across following report :

Road Ministry proposes implementing traceable technology for vehicle components

Highlights :

# The proposal is to use a technology termed — microdot — which requires spraying the body and parts of the vehicle or any other machine with microscopic dots that can be read with a microscope and identified with a ultra violet light source, which give a unique identification.

Use of this technology will help check theft of vehicles and also use of fake spare parts, said an official release. This can potentially be used for mandatory vehicle recall as well.

# The proposal includes amending Central Motor Vehicle Rules, to allowing motor vehicles and their parts, components, assemblies, sub-assemblies to be affixed with permanent and nearly invisible microdots that can be read physically with a microscope and identified with ultra violet light source. The Ministry has sought comments / objections on the draft notification within 30 days.

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What next ?

Ø Forensic Labs for vehicles ? ( who else can afford microscope / UV light source ? )

Before we reach a stage of “ tracing stolen vehicle components / sub assys, “ , why are we unable to trace entire stolen vehicles for months and years – despite both the chassis and the engine block carrying unique ID numbers ?

In a typical Petrol / Diesel vehicle, there are as many as 2,000 parts. Have you asked Car Manufacturers :

Ø How soon can you install into your assy-line, this Micro-dot technology ?

Ø What will it cost you for the microdot plant ?

Ø What will be the additional “process cost “ to spray 2000 parts ?

Has the Road Ministry carried out a “ cost benefit “ analysis of this scheme at national level ?

Dear Shri Gadkariji,

nitin.gadkari@nic.in

If – and when – someone in Road Ministry takes up such a COST – BENEFIT analysis, I urge him to evaluate the following alternative :

Internet of Vehicles ( IoV ) ? [ 04 March 2017 ]

Intelligent Transport System [ 07 Oct 2017 ]

Transport : an Integrated Logistic Plan ?

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30 July 2019

Rsvp : hcp@RecruitGuru.com

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Electric Vehicles : A Work in Progress ?

As far as EVs are concerned, some “ cautious “ reforms are being undertaken as can be seen from following news :

Another push for electric vehicles: GST cut, will be cheaper by up to Rs 1.5 L

A good beginning but small and hesitating !

From one of my earlier email to Cabinet Ministers , I summarize the reforms that are essential for our EV dream to materialize – with least possible disruption to the Buyers / Manufacturers :

What would you recommend next ?

FAME III ( Apr 22 - Mar 26 ) – 4 years

[ A ]….. MANUFACTURERS

( A.1 ) Policy Instrument > Corporate Income Tax for Incentivizing the manufacturers of

Batteries

( A.2 ) Abolish Corporate Income Tax ( for 10 years ) for the entire E Mobility Eco-System

( A.3 ) Incentivizing the E Vehicle manufacturers

( A.4 ) Dis-incentivize manufacturers for production of Petrol / Diesel vehicles

( A.5 ) Incentivizing manufacturers to get into the “ Recycling of Old Vehicles “

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[ B ] BUYERS

( B.1 ) Incentivize for purchase of E Vehicles – especially, leasing of buses

( B.2 ) Incentivize Retro-fitting of old Petrol / Diesel vehicles

( those which are non-compliant with BS VI norms )

( B.3 ) Incentivize to switch-over to E Bikes

( B.4 ) Policy Instrument > Taxing all Vehicles based on their “ Harm Quotient “ for

environment

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[ C ] GOVERNMENT

( C.1 ) Policy Instrument > Wet Leasing [ Thank You , Shri Jaitleyji / 25 Dec 2018 ]

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[ D ] PASSENGERS OF PUBLIC TRANSPORT ( Non-Vehicle Owners )

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[ E ] SOLAR POWER for ELECTRIC VEHICLES

Policy Instrument > Amendment to Electricity Act

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FAME IV [ April 2026 – March 2030 ] - 4 YEARS

At the end of FAME II / FAME III ( 3 + 4 = 7 years ) , government must focus its attention and efforts on finding and implementing, long term solutions .

Solutions which are aimed at “ Reducing Vehicles “ of all kinds from roads, by “ Reducing Need to Travel “

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Details of each of the above-mentioned reforms can be found at :

1 ) EV juice from Alu-Air Battery ? [ 16 Jan 2018 ]

2) Ashok Leyland is not waiting ! [ 17 Jan 2018 ]

3) Holy Grail for Electric Vehicles [ 17 Feb 2018 ]