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India’s Growing Smart Home Automation Market

India has been a growing country for a while now, people have started to make a different kind of shift in their lifestyle by switching to home automation. With a busy lifestyle nowadays time management has become the most important aspect of daily life. People are looking forward to use this automatic equipment to make their life more comfortable and lessening the amount of time spent on daily chores.

Smart home is a process in which all the devices in our household is connected to the Wifi network of our houses and helps to make things much easier. For example instead of changing the speed of the fan with a regulator we can directly control its speed with the help of our mobile by changing the speed automatically through remote. The CCTV cameras placed at the entry of the houses also come under the same as it helps for the safety of the people.

Also Read: Flipkart – India’s Leading E-Commerce Marketplace

Home automation system has started to become a major part of today’s generation as it is helping the people in every aspect. Home automation has also started playing an important role in providing relief to a busy daily life of a person. IoT based home automation tracking the daily life for example the taste in their music and the device plays it in the morning to provide a relaxed mind to the user. Smart mattresses have also started to develop which helps in adjusting their comfort according the required needs of the person. People have started to rely on this and their has been a growth in demand for a better future in the past 5 to 6 years.

Iot has played a major role in developing this type of market across India and is a great opportunity for the development of the nation. It can be play an important role and can become a revolutionary element in the country’s development.

Smart Home India

Prospering Market In India

India Home Automation Market

According to the stats given by Statista, $3 billion market has been estimated this year and a two times of increase is expected in the next two years ( $6 billion by 2022). At the global front it is expected to cross around $54 billion.

Panasonic has become one of the key companies to bring this revolution in the Indian market. They have brought lot of new home automation products which helps in creating a better Eco friendly environment and also an automatic eco system. Panasonic have created a system in which person can operate with any of the device and can get to know the power consumption of the product and how much energy is not required and many other automated things.

Also Read: Amazon Prime Launches Free Gaming Benefits for Indian users

Different devices being controlled by just a click

Smart TV

Smart TV has been one of the great revolution in the modern day era which has been switched by many of the households. Netflix, Amazon and many other streaming services has created a big impact in the entertainment industries and Smart TV has been a great help for this industry by making it easier for viewers to only watch what they want to. It is much user friendly than the old cable services and customers only have to pay for what they want to watch. People can also control their Smart TV just with the help of their mobile phones which makes it more easier for them.

Air Conditioners

Air Conditioners have also been the part of this revolution of home automation as new Air Conditioners are being made which automatically changes its temperature with the help of sensors according to the temperature outside and inside the room. These sensors sense the atmosphere around and customize the changes accordingly. User does not even need to change the temperature time to time. They have also created a new technology in which if the filter of the air conditioner is choked with impurities the sensors will send an alert to the company and an expert will be at your doorstep in a while and fix that. There is no need of complaining and waiting for a person to fix the issues. Even when the servicing is needed the devices will send a message to the experts and there is no need of contacting customer care anymore.

Smart Speakers

Smart speakers like Google Home and Amazon Alexa has become one of a big hit in the home automation market and India’s market has played a major role in this revolution. It helps to adjust and play song just by listening to the command of the user and plays the song according to the mood of the user. These devices not just a normal speaker to just play musics it also helps to set up the lighting according to the mood, helps in getting daily news and does many other things according to the command.

Air Purifiers

Having an healthy environment in and outside have become a necessity now. Due to increase in pollution day by day and carbon emission through vehicles the environment has become a big threat. Air Purifiers plays an important role in making a better environment around us. Automatic Air Purifiers has been a boon to this deteriorating environment. These automated air purifiers helps in emitting a fresh air while taking in the impurities and converting them into the fresh ones. It helps in providing a anti allergy atmosphere and helps cleaning the inside air fresh and clean.

Demand of these automated devices has increased in India at a faster pace as aspects like connectivity, entertainment, security, etc. have played an important role in helping this automation market to create a web of large market around India. With the 5G connectivity on its way, it is expected that this market gonna boom more in the coming years and will create a very big impact as more and more people will try to become a part of it.

These automated devices are although costly as compared to the normal devices as they come under the luxury category, but changes are being made to make them more affordable for the normal customers. Automatic bulbs were launched 7 years ago and were having a cost of around Rs 2400 but the prices have been dropped to 1200. Even this amount is around 6 times higher than the normal bulb, but changes are being made so more and more people are able to afford and help themselves for a better change in their life.

June 4, 2020
Top Companies Providing Contactless Services to its Customers
As we look forward to the next normal, customers are already indicating a preference for companies who delivering contactless services by taking care of proper safety measures, reducing risk all along the customer journey. Companies are moving forward quickly to institute new policies that will allow them to resume their operations post COVID-19

As India is going into a recovery phase, all its companies are looking for ways to provide goods and services seamlessly to its customers keeping in mind the safety of both its customers as well as its employees. Here is what the big companies are planning to do to provide a contactless service to its customers.

1. McDonald’s

Westlife Development, the company that owns and operates McDonald’s restaurants in India has launched fully contactless take-outs in selected cities. The company stated that this move is aimed at providing a safe, hygienic, and convenient food take-outs for its customers who decide to step out of their homes to avail essential services. This contactless service delivered by McDonald’s allows its customers to place their take-out orders from their preferred stores ( nearest McDonald’s restaurant), pay online, and pick-up their order from the take-out counter on their way to home or work.

The company ensured that the entire process from placing the order till receiving the order will be completely safe, contactless, and with adequate social distancing at every step. The company was one of the first QSR brands to resume their services with contactless deliveries and are currently delivering out of more than 150 delivery hubs.

McDonald’s contactless policy

Also Read: How to Provide a Contactless Experience to your Customers

How Does This Contactless Service Works?
- Open the McDonald’s app and select the take-out option.
- Select the preferred store for the take-out ( nearest restaurant).
- Order your meal and pay online.
- Collect your order at the take-out counter at the restaurant
1. Swiggy-Zomato-Dunzo

The Directorate General of civil aviation (DCGA) has given permission to Swiggy, Zomato, and Dunzo to deliver the products to its customers using Drones. This will mark the first step in India’s plan to develop local drone-based services capabilities. This will set a benchmark for other companies as this will be the most appropriate method for contactless delivery. All these companies launched ‘contactless delivery’ in early March when India had less than 100 cases of the novel coronavirus. The companies continued their services throughout the pandemic with safety and hygiene measures being taken by their employees. As the cases in India have crossed lakhs and the fact that the virus’s impact is going to continue in the near future too, made these delivery startups to take the bold decision of serving its customers through drones.

“We will start flying in the first week of July and plan the clock around 120 hours of flights in two and a half months.”

said Nagendra Kandasamay, founder and director of Throttle Aerospace, which received approval from the Directorate-General of Civil Aviation in March along with Dunzo. India is looking at these experiments as a way to fast-pace its policies and preparing the local industrial sector to push into the drone service segment on a global basis.

Volume of drones in Amazon’s fleet from 2016-2020 (per 1000 people)

Also Read: The Role Of Drones In The Upcoming Future

2. Uber-Ola

After four iterations of nationwide lockdown, the Indian government has lifted the restrictions from public transports as well. As public transportation services resume, Uber and Ola have come up with guidelines using which they will be rendering service to its customers in a ‘contactless’ way. With the fear of contagion of the virus being in the people’s minds, these companies have released guidelines using which a person can travel confidently. The things to be taken care of while using cabs are:
- The driver should ensure that there are only two passengers traveling in the cab at a time
- Wearing of masks is essential
- Cab users can only occupy the back seats
- Both Uber and Ola will need to discontinue their pooling services,i.e. Uber pool, and Ola pool
- Cabs should be disinfected after every ride
- Both the drivers and the customers should maintain hygiene inside the cab.
Keeping in mind the Government policies, Uber also issued some guidelines which were also reflected on the Uber app.

a) Checklists

The online checklist available on the app cross-checks that both the driver and the customer are taking required precautions before requesting/accepting the ride.

b) Mask Verification

Uber is urging the drivers to click a selfie with a mask on before accepting a ride and also allows the driver to cancel a request if they feel that the customer is not wearing a mask.

c) Free Cancellation

The updated policy for cancellation by the company now allows the passenger to cancel the ride anytime if they feel that precautions are not being taken by the driver. The driver has the same rights to cancel under such circumstances.

Similarly, Ola cabs have also taken such measures to ensure the safety of both its drivers as well as the customers.

Conclusion

As India struggles to get back the normalcy, the government, as well as the different sectors, are coming up with policies and guidelines for its citizens who do not have the luxury of staying at their homes and have to come out of their houses to do their respective jobs and duties.
June 4, 2020
7 Coolest Workplaces in Bengaluru for Extraordinary Experience

Well built workplaces in Bengaluru to work in.

Okay, we are well aware of the IT connection with the southern city Bengaluru which showcase ultimate workplaces in Bengaluru. Every big multinational company has their office located in the prime location of the Bengaluru. But apart from establishing one cubical based office, this companion took the needs of their employees into consideration and established the coolest workplace. The offices in the Bengaluru are designed to lure employees into the office and trap them in the alluring design of it. Well, on serious note in Bengaluru some very well built and equipped offices are present. So, if you are hunting for a new job in the IT city, then don’t forget to apply in these stunning offices to get ultimate experience at workplaces in Bengaluru.

Myntra

Myntra is India’s leading fashion e-commerce company and recently worked with Designtude to create a new office for their Bangalore office operations. The reception has an interesting retail store like display, unlike a typical office. Graphics on pillars and walkways add to the visual appeal. Small meeting rooms have dramatic black & white graphics of world’s famous designers. The space breathes ‘fashion’ and spells out Myntra’s values and beliefs.

Razorpay

Razorpay Office

Razorpay is a payment solution for forward-looking businesses. Razorpay recently moved into a new office at Koramangala, Bangalore. The office is a 11,000 sq. ft floor at SJR Cyber in Hosur Road. The meeting rooms are sleek and sparse, with geometric patterns and straight lines. The wooden cabinets here bring a nice homely feel to this space. When Razorpay employees are not crunching numbers, they can unwind at the recreational room equipped witha TV, music system and a gaming system.

Cisco Systems

Well, the Cisco Systems has one of the largest offices in India after the US. This office is ranked seventh in the office as the office of Cisco Systems is loaded with the every freaking utility. The office is located in the SEZ of Cessna Business Park, Sarjapur-Marthahalli Outer Ring Road on 31 acres, the 2.18 million square feet Cisco Smart Campus in Bengaluru houses eight glass-and-concrete buildings showcasing a digitally connected and sustainable environment with an employee strength of 8,500-odd techies. In the building, you can find the cafeteria, state-of-the art gym, table tennis and billiards room, wellness center, a dedicated multi-level car park, world class child care center, informal congregation spaces, and facilities for both indoor and outdoor sports. You will surely get an extraordinary experience for this workplaces in Bengaluru.

Also Read: List of Top Startups in Bangalore | Best Bangalore Startups

Flipkart

Flipkart has numerous offices inside the Bengaluru, but the real piece of art is the main head office of the Flipkart, where Binny and Sachin themselves works with the 80% of Flipkart employees. From the outside building is made up of glass with the new Flipkart logo on the top. Inside the office, you will be welcomed with the images of great achievers, such as Steve Jobs, Albert Einstein, John Lennon and Steven. Some hallways of office are designed as a runaway and some as an Olympic logo. The office is designed basically on the young and colorful theme. In the office, Furthermore, Flipkart doesn’t forget to give tribute to the online bookseller business of Flipkart with the stunning book shaped roof.

Oracle Financial Services Software

The office of the software company Oracle is very well architect with the magnificent view. The office is located at C.V Raman Nagar in Bagmane Tech Park, Bangalore, the building has a peculiar design with superb infrastructure which distinguishes it from the other buildings. The view from this building is unbelievable and hard to phrase in the words. I personally envy the techies working in this cool building.

Intuit

Intuit is an American business and financial software company that develops and sells financial, accounting, and tax preparation software and related services for small businesses, accountants, and individuals. At Intuit Bangalore office over 1,000 employees drive product development and management for Turbo Tax and Quickbooks Desktop, and use Cloud, AI and ML technology to drive innovation for platforms like Quickbooks Online Advanced and Mint.

LinkedIn

LinkedIn is an American business and employment-oriented online service that operates via websites and mobile apps. LinkedIn office in Bangalore spreads across two floors and over 2 lakh 30,000 sq ft, the office is not only massive, it’s beyond amazing. Office is equipped with state-of-the-art work stations, meeting rooms, collaboration spaces, cafeteria, gym, yoga room, music room, shower room and sleeping room.

Also Read: Best Coworking Spaces in Bangalore

June 4, 2020

Oxedent – Make Your Business Reach New Heights with Stunning PPC Management Services!

There is a lack of access to digital marketing for small businesses looking for ways to grow their business. Big agencies don’t really work for the SMEs and people/agencies that work for SMEs are not effective at making them profitable from online ads spend. Biplab Poddar started Oxedent with the mantra to make them profitable, not just maintain the digital presence. The company has created an online advertising strategy exclusively for SMEs that turn their Online Ads into a profit center.

Read this article about Oxedent, how it works, founder, tagline, business model, challenges, growth, and future plans.

Oxedent – Company Highlights

Startup Name	Oxedent
Headquarter	Kolkata, India
Sector	PPC Management, Online Ads management
Founder	Biplab Poddar
Founded	2017
Parent Organization	Oxedent Technologies Pvt. Ltd.
Website	oxedent.com
Contact	hello@oxedent.com

About Oxedent and How it Works
Oxedent – Target Market Size
How was Oxedent Started?
Oxedent – Product/Services
Founders of Oxedent and team
Oxedent – Name, Tagline, and Logo
Oxedent – Business Model and Revenue Model
Oxedent – User Acquisition
Oxedent – Startup Challenges
Oxedent – Growth
Oxedent – Future Plans
Oxedent – Recognition and Achievements

Check out this List of the Best Startups in Kolkata | Exhaustive List of Kolkata Startups [Updated]

About Oxedent and How it Works

Oxedent deals with Pay per click (PPC) management which includes Google Ads, Bing Ads, Facebook Ads, LinkedIn Ads campaigns setup, and management.

The company has been successful in executing 250+ projects since the last year across 54+ countries with the maximum clients from the UK and EU Countries.

“We ensured that our clients get the maximum of the ads spent. Our average client sees a 6.5x ROI, meaning every $1 they spend on ads we gave them a sale of $6.5. We want to expand to a 50 people team and expand our reach to the Australian market.”, says Biplab Poddar, Founder, and CEO of Oxedent.

The company is working on building a SaaS app which won’t just automate the campaign setup and optimization but also make the campaigns profitable for eCommerce businesses. E-commerce business owners will be able to tell the app their advertising goals and the system will choose the audience, ad platform channels, placements to get the most out of their ads spend and increase store revenue.

Oxedent – Target Market Size

There are an estimated 20 million – 24 million e-commerce sites across the entire globe, with more and more being created every single day. Only about 2M of them generate $1000 per month in sales. On the other hand there are 2.05 Billion active people shopping online. So there is clearly a gap or limitation in the way e-commerce businesses advertising online.

Also read: ADOHM- Optimizing Digital Marketing Campaigns for the Indian Businesses!

How was Oxedent Started?

Biplab Poddar, the owner of Oxedent, pursued a B.Tech Degree from Kalyani Government College in Electronics. Like all other parents, it was expected from him too, to get a 9-5 job in an MNC and get his life settled. But it was way too different from what he thought.

Biplab started doing paid internships right from 3rd year of his college and helped many startups with their digital marketing who were just starting up and can’t afford full-time employees. Going forward he started learning advanced techniques and tools of Digital marketing.

“I read an interview of a freelancer making $30000 per annum from consulting on digital marketing to foreign clients, then I learned about freelancing platforms like PeoplePerHour and UpWork. I created a profile immediately, got my first job in about a few weeks. It was a London based Law firm, I helped them create Google AdWords campaigns, and they are still my client”, recalls the Oxedent founder.

This was the turning point of his life and since then, he never looked back and was making a handsome sum of money every month in the final year of his engineering days. Poddar never wanted to join a full-time job but was unable to convince his parents and had to join a full-time role as Digital marketing manager in a real estate company.

The founder paralleled freelancing with his job and continued like this for 3 months after college. More companies were inquiring for his services and single-handedly he couldn’t deliver.

“Then finally the fire in me made me quit my job to be on the crest on a wave and hired more digital marketing enthusiasts, trained them, and made them a part of my team. It was September 2017, I registered Oxedent as a Pvt. Ltd company”, says Biplab.

Oxedent – Product/Services

The company is into PPC management services and the biggest USPs are:

They’re ROI & Focused
One of the few Google Partners
They only do PPC unlike other agencies that do everything from social media management to SEO, email marketing etc.

Relevant read: Digital Marketing Agencies of the East: The Rise of Online Marketing

Founders of Oxedent and team

Biplab Poddar is the founder and CEO of Oxedent.

They are a 9 person team at the minute. They maintain a very friendly environment in the office, all of the team members are under 30 so there is a lot of work and a lot of parties.

Hiring: It doesn’t matter if the candidate has a college degree or not as long as he/she knows what he does (PPC) and how to make campaigns generate sales.

Oxedent – Name, Tagline, and Logo

Oxedent has its name derived from the term “Oxygen” for the company acts like oxygen to the brands who are suffering due to online absence and who need a complete transformation in the digital sphere.

Oxedent Logo

The company has a distinct clear vision to break through the clutters of internet marketing agencies, hence the name Oxedent, far unique than the typical “solutions”, “info” in the names of most marketing agencies.

Also read: C Com Digital: A 360 Degree Digital Marketing Agency

Oxedent – Business Model and Revenue Model

The company has a very simple flat fee business model based on your marketing budget. This is a list of ad spend vs company price:

Ad Spend (INR)	Oxedent’s Fee (INR)
70K-100K	20K
100K-150K	25K
150K-200K	30K
200K-250K	35K
250K-300K	40K
300K-350K	45K
350K-400K	50K
400K-450K	55K
450K-500K	60K

Oxedent – User Acquisition

Biplab already had a client base and a strong portfolio since he was doing freelancing for 2 years before he started the company. The company has got its first 100 clients organically through the website. They also have an amazing blog where they share how-to, strategy and step by step articles on Google Ads, Facebook Ads, conversion rate optimization(CRO).

“As I mentioned earlier most of our clients are SMEs and they try to run ads of their own and look for help online and found through our blog and we help them get maximum ROI from their ads spend”, says Biplab Poddar, owner of Oxedent.

The team hasn’t spent a single Rupee on ads in the first one and half years but focused on creating content that helps business owners utilize the Online Ads to scale their business/sales. They have 100+ amazing articles on their blog that brings them 80% of the website traffic.

They also have tie-ups with UK and USA based digital marketing agencies and offer white label PPC services to their clients.

Relevant read: Pulno – Ace the SEO Game with This Website Audit tool!

Oxedent – Startup Challenges

Hiring the right talent was/is a challenge in Kolkata for a very niche service (PPC management). When Poddar was managing clients’ ad campaigns single-handedly, he ensured all of them are profitable (made sure they get at least $4 in sales for each $1 they spend on ads). While growing the client base it was his main concern that the quality of his works is the same and clients get maximum ROI.

Biplab Poddar initiated a training program called ‘oxedent mini’ where he teaches PPC & CRO to candidates with digital marketing experience and then hire them, to maintain the quality of his service and highest ROI for the clients.

Oxedent – Growth

Operating locations: The majority of the clients are from the UK, EU Countries, Middle East, and the USA.
Revenue: About 1 crore
Profit: 25-30 Lacs
Userbase/Client base: The team has worked with 250+ clients so far. They are currently working with 18 clients.
Notable clients: Tata Housing, UNICEF Ireland, Boy London.

The revenue of Oxedent has grown from 22 Lacs in the first year to 47 Lacs in the second year to 1 Crore in the third year.

Also read: Mad Influence – Get the Best Influencers to Promote Your Business

Oxedent – Future Plans

There are an estimated 20 million – 24 million e-commerce sites across the entire globe, with more and more being created every single day. Only about 2M of them generate $1000 per month in sales. On the other hand, 2.05 Billion active people are shopping online. So there is clearly a gap or limitation in the way e-commerce businesses advertising online.

Oxedent is building a SaaS platform where the e-commerce business owners can reach engaged shoppers with buying intent and only spend on ads channels and audiences that are likely to generate sales and revenue. The platform will automatically suggest the best advertising channels, keywords, ad copies by scanning their website, and products.

Oxedent – Recognition and Achievements

Oxedent Awards, recognition, achievements — Awards won by Oxedent

June 4, 2020

Google Removes Rivalry Apps from Google Play Store
It’s pretty obvious how Google got succumbed to Chinese pressure and has removed two rival apps which had posed a challenge to the Chinese apps. Google removes apps from play store because google is playing hard for China. Google deleted 2 apps from the play store: MITRON and REMOVE CHINA APPS.

Google’s been playing hard to rescue social media platforms of China and yet such a mysterious behaviour like that is still not-known.
- Firstly, it deletes millions of negative reviews from Play Store to improve the rating of the TikTok.
- And then, it deletes 2 apps from its play store.
We, as Indians , behave in such naive manner that we have to be the good ones always because this is what Gandhian policies taught us for a long time. And believe me , these are the ethics we eventually behave. The most live example is the short form video app Mitron which shot to fame for its alleged Indian roots amid the backlash against TikTok.

mitron and remove china apps

It was crystal clear that whoever it maybe , even Google didn’t fail to gag for China . Pro-Chinese economy wins with a clean background and left no grey area because at the end of the day it’s only black and white.

Mitron goes Down-The-Hill

Google’s arbitrary regulation of Android apps has yet again come to the fore as Play Store seems to have remove it from the app list. ‘Mitron’ – the popular alternative for TikTok, which was developed by a Pakistan-based software development company Qboxus and later purchased by an Indian student.

The app was taken down as it was repetitively offering the same content and experience that is already being provided by TikTok. Google claimed in a saying” We don’t allow apps that merely provide the same experience as other apps already on Google Play Store. Apps should provide value to users through the creation of unique content or services.

As the tension between India and China mounted on the border within the army troops, online campaigns urging people to uninstall Chinese apps also gathered momentum. Mitron app turned out to be best alternative to TikTok and millions of rushed towards it. . The app went on to 5 million downloads on Android in a few weeks in May. Despite its huge success and significant number of user base, it had bugs and did not have a robust privacy policy.

List of 177 Chinese Mobile Apps that got Banned In India

The government on 2nd September banned 118 applications- a majority of beingChinese, including popular ones such as PUBG, WeChat Work, CamCard, Rise ofKingdoms: Lost Crusade and Alipay; stating that these were “prejudicial tosovereignty and integrity of India, security of State and public order.”…

StartupTalkyAvantika Bhardwaj

Based on a report, it was found that Mitron app was first developed by a Lahore-based company named Qboxus. The Pakistan-based company had created an app called TicTac, similar to TikTok. Later, the app was later rebranded in India as ‘Mitron’ whose source code was purchased from a website called CodeCanyon.

According to Irfan Sheikh – the founder of Qboxus, claimed that an IIT Roorkee student, Shivank Aggarwal purchased the source code from them and did not make significant changes to the original app. Mitron has no customisations and is a direct copy of TikTok clone app called TicTac so Sheikh said it’s not appropriate. The QBoxus team has claimed that the TicTac app was actually created by them before putting up the source code of the app on sale.

It seems that developers were in a hurry to rush the Mitron app to the market, they neglected the fact to make any amends. They thought to make it a show-bust but remorsefully it didn’t land properly as it was expected.

It is to be noted that the Mitron application had a rating of 4.8 on Google Play Store with 5 millions of download. It’s funny how Google confirmed the removal of the Mitron app stating that it doesn’t comply with Google’s privacy policies.

google removes 2 apps from playstore

Indian TikTok clone ‘Mitron’ Records 5 Million Installs within a Month

Mitron, an Indian short video-sharing app and a clone of ByteDance-owned TikTok[/tag/tiktok/], has taken India by storm. Mitron is becoming the preferreddestination for millions of Indians as they look to move away from TikTok due tothe on-going ‘YouTube vs TikTok’ internet war. Mitron has gained…

StartupTalkyVarad Kitey

‘Remove China Apps’ Got Removed

Another application ‘Remove China Apps’, which had gained popularity in India in recent weeks has also been removed from the Google Play Store. The app allowed users to detect and easily delete apps developed by Chinese firms.

More than one million people in India had installed the application on their phone to delete Chinese apps present on their smart phone. The app was developed by Jaipur based Indian firm OneTouch AppLabs, which eventually gained popularity in the country at a time when there was rising anti-China aggression among nationalists due to ongoing tension between two countries at LAC( Line of Actual Control).

When the app bags around 5 millions of users, Google intervened on Tuesday to remove the app from its Play Store. The developer of the app announced on Twitter that their app has been suspended from Play store. The firm are not aware of why Google removed the app from Play Store. They announced that If a user has already downloaded the ‘Remove China Apps’ application on their phone it will still work for you, but new downloads cannot be made.

Google has not specified the exact reason as to why the app was delisted from its app store. However, it is likely to have removed the app owing to the rising security and privacy concerns, Indian Express reported.

How to Remove China based Application

Boycotting Chinese products has become a trend for a while. It’s the most we cando at the moment to fight off the country which is responsible for creating asituation of a global pandemic. With an increase in the number of cases ofcoronavirus on a daily basis and the wait for a perfect vaccine st…

StartupTalkyYash Raj Srivastava

It was crystal clear that whoever it maybe , even Google didn’t fail to gag for China . Pro-Chinese economy wins with a clean background and left no grey area because at the end of the day it’s only black and white.
June 3, 2020
Top Skills To Check When Hiring Your Distributed Tech Team

Gone are the days when all the employees of the company worked from the office. With the increasing penetration of high-speed internet, tech companies realize the value that remote workers bring to the firm.

The trend may have started with only a few employees working remotely, but it has definitely caught on. Distributed teams are teams where most of the employees work remotely, working from different geographical locations.

These teams are rapidly becoming the norm instead of being outliers. A diverse workforce leads to more creative thinking and therefore, better solutions to problems. Hiring a distributed tech team also gives you access to a larger and more diverse talent pool.

Distributed teams also bring a new set of challenges with them. Hiring the team, managing it and ensuring that the workflow progresses smoothly requires careful planning and talented staff.

To reap all the benefits of hiring a distributed team, you need to start filtering the applicants right from the interview stage. The skills that a remote employee and a regular employee must have are vastly different.

Here are the top skills to check when hiring your distributed tech team.

GitHub Basics

With multiple employees working on a large block of code from multiple locations, you need a way to ensure that only high-quality and bug-free code is integrated into the end product. Github is an excellent way to guarantee this.

Every time a piece of code needs to be added into the product, the code should be reviewed by someone who was not involved in writing it. The reviewer will go through the code line by line to weed out any issues.

Github pull requests and code reviews are part of a tech team’s daily routine. They assume more importance when it comes to a distributed tech team. Since the team is not located in the same office, Github may be the only way to guarantee the quality of the code.

Every new hire should have some basic knowledge of Github’s pull requests, code reviews and other such features. You can check if their ValueCoders profile lists Github or if they have mentioned GitHub in their resume. If they haven’t, then you can also ask them about it during the interview if the candidate is a match on all fronts except for this.

Cybersecurity

Data is the most important commodity in every tech enterprise, and its security is paramount. When the data is being accessed from locations outside the office, the possibility of a data leak increases manifold.

Every member of the distributed tech team must have some basic knowledge of cybersecurity. They should know safe practices and the importance of following company security policies while accessing sensitive information.

Cybersecurity has become an indispensable skill set in today’s world, owing to the rising number of cyberattacks. Your potential employee doesn’t have to be an expert, but be aware of some of the fundamentals.

Knowledge of Testing Tools

Every product in the tech world today consists of thousands of lines of code. It has become impossibly inefficient to separate the developer and the tester. Therefore, every member of the tech team is responsible for testing their own code.

You must check if the prospective employee has previous experience or knowledge of working with testing tools such as Selenium, TestComplete, IBM Rational Functional Tester, etc. If you are using a particular testing tool, then you must check for their knowledge of that tool.

You can even check their Toptal review to gauge the quality of the code and the extent of testing they do on each product. A lot of good reviews are indicative of the fact that the candidate tested their product thoroughly and removed any errors before sending it to the client.

Ability to Modularize Problems

Every tech team works on a large problem as a whole. However, the problem is usually broken down into smaller parts. Each team member works on one of those parts at any given time. Almost every coding problem or software product can be viewed as a set of multiple smaller blocks.

You need to hire people who have the ability to look at a large problem and modularize it. When a new problem comes up, they will be able to contribute to modularizing it.

Not only will it help the whole team, but it will also aid each member’s coding process. It will help them gain a better understanding of the product and guide their coding philosophy.

The best way to check this is to give them an imaginary development scenario and ask them how they would approach it. If the candidate starts by analyzing the needs and then breaking down the problem into smaller, easily manageable chunks, then you have a winner.

Impeccable Communication Skills

A distributed team will communicate using emails, documents, user manuals, and calls. Since there won’t be any face to face conversation, the documentation and emails must convey all the information accurately as miscommunication can be costly.

Communication skills, both verbal and written, become indispensable in this scenario. All the team members must be able to put their thoughts into writing, clearly and unambiguously.

You can check this during the screening stage by asking the applicant to summarize certain requirements or document a conversation.

Apart from this, the team members must also communicate with each other proactively. They must provide regular status updates, inform the team about any changes in the product and provide appropriate clarifications regarding the work when needed.

Data Science and Analytics

Data science has permeated into every industry. Every enterprise either already has a data science-based product or is looking to incorporate data science to improve their product.

You are selecting employees who would stay with you in the long run. Therefore, you must check their knowledge of data science fundamentals. If the fundamentals are in place, you can build on them when the need arises.

However, training someone with no background in data science to work on a data science product would be incredibly difficult.

Get Started Right Away!

Hiring a distributed tech team may require a bit more consideration, but the end results are worth the extra effort. As with anything else, a look at their previous work experience and reviews by previous clients will tell you most of what you need to know before making the hiring decision.

June 3, 2020
Generate Leads with HelloBar
Visit any website, and you find pop-ups. While some says ‘subscribe to our newsletter’, some others are there to inform you about offers and discounts. You might find them annoying, however they are very useful to get a response from the visitors. They are call-to-action which reminds people what they have to do. It is totally worth having one on your website, and HelloBar is a tool that can help you in this regard. Here is all about HelloBar and how it can help you in making your website grow.

What is the HelloBar?
Why HelloBar?
Uses of HelloBar
How to Set Up HelloBar on your Website?
Who created HelloBar?
HelloBar Pricing
HelloBar Alternatives
Conclusion

What is HelloBar?

HelloBar is a popular lead generation tool, that allows you to show attractive notification to visitors who visit your site. Whether you have a HTML site, WordPress site or you are using some other CMS, HelloBar can be used with all. Moreover, using HelloBar not only increases your conversion rate but also impacts UX. User experience is much more important in terms of websites. If a user is unsatisfied with your website’s content, they are most likely go back which will negatively impact your website’s performance. HelloBar provides message pop up service which will make users read and interact with your website.

Hello Bar Logo

Why HelloBar?

HelloBar attract people’s attention, and interact with them. Furthermore, the best thing about the HelloBar is that they don’t bother users. However, you can customize them according to your need but most of them don’t irritate users like other pop up ads.

Uses of HelloBar

Some of the main uses of HelloBar are:
- Do surveys: You can conduct easy and quick surveys and find out what your visitors want.
- Get Subscribers: HelloBar is useful to get subscribers. People can and will easily subscribe to your website by seeing the HelloBar on the website.
- FOMO Strategy: You can use people’s fear of missing out (FOMO) by providing a discount for a limited time and advertise it in HelloBar.
- Promote Posts: You can promote your other posts in the helloBar.
- Ebook: You can provide a link to download your free or paid ebook.
- Social Media: You can use it to promote your social media pages or profiles.
Although these are some of the main uses of HelloBar, they are not limited here, you can use your creativity to explore the possibilities.

How to Set Up HelloBar on your Website?

Here are the steps you need to follow to create a HelloBar for your website
- Go to HelloBar website and enter your website’s URL.
- After receiving your URL, they will ask you to sign up to their website.
- After signing up, they will ask you to chose your goal, i.e. “Target a URL” ; “Collect Email”; “Make Sales”; “Announcement”; “Get Phone Calls”
- Now, you will have to create the bar. Just insert the message and chose the color.
- Then you can just customize the bar according to your need.
- After customizing, just choose the platform (CMS) you have your website associated with. Though, you can also choose for assistance, if needed.
- Your universal code will be generated and all you have to do is to copy and paste this code in the header of your website. You can add them separately in pages if you don’t want it in every page of your website.
- Now, you can just publish your website. However, if you need then you can always edit the setting on their website.
How to use Hellobar on a Website | Tutorial

Who Created HelloBar?

The most famous name in the blogging industry. Yes, you guessed it right, it is Neil Patel. Neil Patel acquired the rights to the HelloBar. However, the tool was created by another company, Digital Telepathy. Crazy Eggs, a company of Neil Patel, acquired the HelloBar as they wanted products that were similar to its own . They wanted something which helps website builders to improve the user experience. And HelloBar is focused on the same.

HelloBar Pricing

HelloBar has both a free and a paid version. But 10 bars are the limitations in the free version. Some other limitations include
- No bar targeting
- No custom message
- HelloBar branding
In the paid version, packages include, ‘Elite’ which costs $99/month & ‘Growth’ package which costs $29/month. Some interesting features of paid packages include –
- No Hello Bar logo
- Unlimited bars
- Custom messages
- Targeted bars according to the device, location, etc
HelloBar Alternatives

HelloBar is definitely not the only one in the market who is providing you with this service. There are many other companies for it. And you might even find them suit you better than HelloBar. So, some of the top alternatives of HelloBar are:
- SumoMe
- WordPress Notification Bar
- Fluid Notification Bar
- Attention Grabber
- Icegram
- OptinMonster
- Notify Bar
- GetSiteControl
- Optimonk
- Unbounce
Read More: How can we generate leads with Email signature

Conclusion

If you are a newbie in blogging or doing it as a side project, then we would suggest you to go with free version only. However, if you are very serious about it and already earning some money from your website, then you can consider going for a paid version

HelloBar is a great service to increase your conversion rate. It makes your work easy and efficient. So even if its the free version, including a bar on your website, will definitely help you grow your website. Are you already using HelloBar? Which do you think is the best alternative of HelloBar? Let us know in the comments box.
June 3, 2020
How to Provide a Contactless Experience to your Customers

As the fight against the contagious coronavirus continues, this world seems like a changed place. This pandemic is going to leave an everlasting effect on consumer behavior, with concerns shifting towards health and safety. Various guidelines have been published on how to continue with daily life without the fear of contracting the virus. This had made one thing clear- A contactless tomorrow is not just a remote possibility but is also a necessity. People are reassessing their ways of interacting with different organizations, demanding a whole new contactless experience. Here are a few practices that will help the business to ensure a contactless experience to it’s customers.

1. Contactless Deliveries

With the e-commerce organizations resuming their operations post this pandemic, consumers would feel safe with the deliveries only if it was contactless. Contactless deliveries can be executed in a myriad ways. It depends on the type of business, kind of item purchased, and environmental conditions of delivery. The organizations must be ahead of time in giving their customers a positive experience in a contactless market.

practice contactless delivery

i) Gaining Consumer Trust

The organization’s first step in such unprecedented times should be to ensure its customers about the safety measures being undertaken to give them a contactless experience. Different companies must have designed their own guidelines for different scenarios, but regardless of what those guidelines might be, expectations must be established with customers much ahead of time.

ii) Clear Communication

The business must maintain clear communication about the delivery,i.e. When, where, and how the item will be delivered. Unlike normal deliveries, contactless deliveries demand more transparency. There should be alerts when the order is processed, dispatched, or delivered. In other words, there are countless scenarios in which a business can respond to different situations. But the bottom line is that there must be clear communication and specificity between the business and the consumer.

Also Read: 9 Founders Shared their tips on Surviving Coronavirus Outbreak

2. Contactless Payments

Contactless payment is a way to pay for goods and services without using credit cards, debit cards, or hard cash. Normalcy in life is surely going to be hard to achieve post-pandemic. Unlike debit cards and credit cards, contactless payments never touch the point of sales thus making it one of the safest methods of payments for the current situation. thus, creating a contactless payment market would be a wise choice for all the businesses.

contactless payment providers

Also Read: The Rise Of Digital Contactless Payments Post The COVID-19 Pandemic

i) Some Examples of Contactless Payment Providers

There are a number of ways in which proper contactless payments can be done with the help of some payment providers. Most of the organizations already use all such payment methods and for such businesses who were not using these payment methods much actively, this could be a great opportunity for introducing those features. The following are examples of different payment providers.

a) Apple Pay

Apple pay is a preprogrammed app called ‘wallet’ present on IOS mobile phones. There is no need of downloading any extra app because all of the transactions can be managed by apple pay itself. Users can feel secure using the app as it is one of the safest payment methods.

b) Samsung Pay

This contactless payment method is used py Samsung mobile users where one can carry all their debit cards, credit cards, or membership cards all in one place. It allows the user to pay online, in person, or in the app.

c) Google Pay

Google pay is another popular form of contactless payments used for users who do not have any in-built app on their mobile phones for online transactions. Users can feel confident as the transactions are protected with fingerprint, passwords, face-locks.

d) Paytm

Paytm helps the user to transfer money instantly at zero cost using the ‘Paytm wallet. This app can also be used for payments for online recharge, utility bill payments, book travel, or event tickets. The most appealing part about these payment methods is that the user gets gift coupons and vouchers regularly.

e) PhonePe

PhonePe is another famous contactless payment provider that ensures its users a seamless payment experience. Users can easily transfer money, pay utility bills, recharge phones, buy gold, and shop online as well as offline.

iii) Benefits of Contactless Payments

There are countless benefits of contactless payments not just in times like these. These payment methods, not just help the consumer but also allows the businesses in several ways.

a) It is More Secure than Regular Payment Methods

These are authenticated payment methods and are safer than regular transactions through debit and credit cards. The bank details provided by the user are encrypted which makes it hard to breach.

b) Quicker Checkouts

In this fast-tracked world, people want to get their work done faster. With contactless payments, you can speed up the check out process which benefits both the customer and the business. It rids you of returning the change and even saves you from entering pins of different devices.

c) It allows the Business to handle Customers smoothly

When a business reduces its time for completion of a transaction, it also attracts more customers. By providing contactless payments, a business can improve its customer experience and make them feel safe and confident in such hard times.

Conclusion

As we navigate this unprecedented crisis together, it’s important that all the sectors work together as a team. We hope that these research notes shed some light on the contactless customer experience.

June 3, 2020
Venture Capital Ideas For Business Startups
Are you dreaming of starting your own start-up? You may feel you can’t as you don’t have a substantial amount of cash. This can be very disheartening, but many businesses have been “bootstrapped” into the realization that is, some others have started with practically no cash. As it is very well known that for starting a business, it’s important to knock financial resources. Venture capital is the best possible solution that can help out the people who need to start their business, but don’t have sufficient cash to look after for the same.

Venture capital or venture leasing is known for being a specific type of balance financing delivered to the early venture capital-backed companies, and we can say that to small business startups by some non-bank investors or specialized banks to an endowment working capital and capital expenditures, such as buying tools.

Venture leasing can provide counterpart venture capital, and they offer money to mounting companies as well as to their investors. Venture lending is basically provided three to four-year credit and equipment tenancy. But unlike to customary bank lending venture capital is offered to startups and growth companies that do not have significant cash flows and major resources to use them as a security. Venture lending can be viewed as a way to start for entrepreneurial companies.

If the venture capital that is provided by the lenders is organized properly, then it can be a striking option for the entrepreneurs as because firstly, it does not need a valuation for selling a business. Secondly, venture providers do not require board seats. Moreover, it also results in less equity mixing for entrepreneurs as well as for investors. Last but not the least the due diligence procedure is less meticulous as compared to equity. So, it provides cash landing field to startups so that they can achieve the following landmark.

Various kinds of venture lending or leasing

Venture commitment is structured typically as one of the three types:
- First is growth capital, usually termed as loans which are used as fair play round replacements for the M&A activity, breakthrough working capital or financing.
- Second is the accounts receivable financing, which means borrowing against accounts receivable items that appear on the balance sheet.
- The third one is equipment financing or leasing which is termed as loans available tool acquisition like network infrastructure.
Also Read: List of 11 Best Crowdfunding Platforms for Startups

The Value of smart financing: Venture Capital

Nowadays, Venture lending or venture capital is the precious resource of capital for the growing business or startups. Because of this smart financing, people are able to develop their business which they couldn’t do prior as because they don’t have that much amount. Day by day more companies are indulging in taking venture loans from a variety of lenders so that they can catch the next milestone of their business. Most entrepreneurial companies prefer multiple portions of venture capital to enlarge their business easily and comfortably. As we have discussed above, Venture capital can be organized as a loan, or accounts receivable business line of credit or an equipment lease that is offered by so many venture lenders. There are three primary scenarios where venture debt can help to foster the company and moreover, it can finance its capital requirements more powerfully:
- It encompasses the cash runway of growing business to the next milestone: when a company wants incremental money to quicken the growth of their company without taking equity then venture debt is the best option for an individual. It helps to embrace the cash runway of an entrepreneurship company to the next valuation. however, it raises the next equity round at a higher valuation. Administration, as well as staffs, would profit from a reduced amount of dilution because of smaller equity raises and on another side prevailing investors would also advantage from the less equity dilution as well as from less cash that is necessary to uphold their own position.
- It extends the cash runway to profitability: Venture lending may spread the runway of a company to be “cash flow positive.” The company can use venture lending to eradicate the last round of equity financing if one use that. When the amount of capital required is too small for an equity round, then venture lending is a good option to be used. It pushes the company forward during their acute period of growth.
- It also evades the down round: Undertaking loaning can serve as a beanbag when someone does not have that much amount of cash so that they can stay between equity rounds. When you feel that your business’s performance is not up to the mark, then it will likely result in rising equity at a down round. But venture capital can easily link the gap until and unless your company is again on the path.
What kind of startups should look at venture financing?

For the startups which have high visibility in the income, predictions are well-matched for the venture lending or leasing. Those companies basically have an optimistic unit of finance. Saas companies are pretty more striking to the venture lenders. Venture lenders often piggyback on the due assiduousness that is done by the venture capital firm. Whereas, on the other hand, taking a venture loan is not suitable for the startups which are having revenue stream or receivables highly. The companies whose previous loans are not clear yet, or they had a low cash balance should not use venture lending. When the loan payments rise to more than a quarter of the company’s operating options, then it is a bad idea to choose a venture loan.

When is the right time to raise loan financing?

The apt time at which an individual should rise loan financing is when it is easily reached, all business material is fresh and moreover when your company has impetus. Over time, startups are indulging venture loan as the counterpart of equity round instead of waiting a few years to raise loan round separately. By hovering over an average 20-30% of the financing round as liability, founders can save equity, and they will feel more reliable and flexible to build up their startups.

Also Read: What are a few things a VC notices in a pitch?
June 3, 2020
Tech Giants, Facebook,Instagram, and Twitter reacts to George Floyd Protest

Recently a horrific incident took place in Minneapolis which led to massive protests by citizens of the USA. The incident happened On May 25, Minneapolis resident George Floyd was pinned face down on the ground in handcuffs, by a white police officer who pressed his knee against Floyd’s neck for more than eight minutes.

George Floyd, a 46 year old black man, was suspected of passing a counterfeit $20 bill. Floyd was unresponsive when paramedics arrived, and he was declared dead later.‌‌This led to a massive protest in the USA which left protesters vandalizing vehicles and was set on fire.‌‌To present solidarity and in honor of George Floyd, most of the brands stood up against racism. They have shown their support to the protests by primarily using the medium of social media to align themselves.

Twitter

Major tech giants have also came forward to provide solidarity to George Floyd and stand up against racism. Twitter has officially revised its logo to black and added the hashtag “black lives matter” to its bio, this comes after when twitter added a warning label on tweets posted by President Donald Trump and the white house threatening to shoot protesters in Minnesota.

Twitter changed their logo in solidarity to support George Floyd

Facebook

Following this Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube also stepped in, Facebook has also changed its logo to black, but Facebook CEO faced massive criticism from the citizens of the USA as well as from its employees for over his refusal to act on President Donald Trump’s incendiary tweets about protests.

Facebook changed their logo in solidarity to support George Floyd

Unlike Twitter Facebook has not appended any warning label to posts by President Donald Trump that threatened “looting” in Minneapolis would lead to “shooting.” Zuckerberg has said his company “read it as a warning about state action, and we think people need to know if the government is planning to deploy force”.

Also Read: Facebook Launches Yet Another Application, CatchUp

Instagram

Speaking about Instagram, Instagram has also updated its cover image and display picture to black. The cover image says, ‘#ShareBlackStories.

Instagram changed their logo in solidarity to support George Floyd

Whatsapp

WhatsApp a famous messaging platform owned by Facebook has also dyed its logo to black, to present solidarity to George Floyd, which pleasantly surprised fans of the instant messaging application.

Whatsapp changed their logo to honor black lives matter movement_Startuptalky

‌YouTube

YouTube has committed $1 million “in support of efforts to address a social injustice,” with CEO Susan Wojcicki noting on Twitter alongside the donation announcement that, “We stand together.” YouTube also changed the shade of its typically red logo to black on all of its social media platforms as a sign of solidarity.

YouTube changed their logo to honor black lives matter movement

These are times when we realize the power of social media, with the help of social media this incident came into light. We all are humans we all are same, We have end racism and hate towards a particular community because of#blacklivesmatter.

Americans are not new to racism, racism has been carried out in America from an early age. there are several occurrences reported of racism by the cops towards white and black, but many leave unattended this was one such incident which spread like a wildfire, and the citizens of America came forward to fight against racism.

How to Remove China based Application

Boycotting Chinese products has become a trend for a while. It’s the most we cando at the moment to fight off the country which is responsible for creating asituation of a global pandemic. With an increase in the number of cases ofcoronavirus on a daily basis and the wait for a perfect vaccine st…

StartupTalky – Your Entrepreneurial Journey Starts Here!Yash Raj Srivastava

June 3, 2020