The 10 Most Trusted Retail Companies to watch in 2020

1. Editor’s Pick Digital Transformation to Drive Customer Experience VOL-04 | ISSUE-03 2020 Expert Speak Convergence of Technology in Retail 4.0: Reimagining Point of Sales (POS) Tech Talk Personalised Tech Experience in the Fashion Retail Industry

4. Editor’s Note The Retail industry, one of the worst hit, is trying to keep up in any and every manner possible. While the small retail shops in India, catering daily essential commodities, are still working under strict guidelines, the major retail outlets have been looking for options to stay in the hunt. While they wait for the virus to be tamed by a vaccine, the retail industry needs to look for alternatives to keep itself afloat. Even when the pandemic is over, the fear is here to stay, and that changes a lot regarding how the retail industry will progress. A VIRAL PUSH TO RETAIL T he Year 2019 ended with the retail segment in India attracting private equity investments of near about US$ 1 Billion. This feat, sort of set the premise, for the coming year of 2020 with trade analysts setting an expectation on total consumption expenditure to reach nearly US$ 3,600 billion. But before the market could think about picking up its tempo, it was struck by an unlikely enemy, a Virus. Once the lock down is lifted, the markets sure will be open, but the now aware citizens will not be thronging the malls and shopping complexes with the same fervour as earlier. eCommerce and doorstep delivery will be the new normal and favoured way of retailing. And the Retail Industry which is already looking for digitalization of its processes needs to ramp up its efforts the meet the demand that is pooling up. The novel Corona Virus or the COViD-19 as we know it has brought the world to a virtual standstill. With the world in quarantine, the retail industry, along with every other component that makes up the world economy, is looking at slow to almost no growth in the current year. In a matter of a few weeks, the focus shifted from profits to people and financial matters to health priorities. The only things, apart from hope, circulating in the current market landscape is essential commodities. In the post-Corona retail world, the focus will be no- contact retailing process. The concept is already in its nascent stage and is expected to become the way of business. Virtual retail shops and retail assistants will gain more popularity. The retail industry will rely more on software and digital service providers to reach and cater to its customers. With manufacturing processes still

5. Editor Sneha Sinha to commence, the focus will be on selling the piled-up inventory at the best possible prices. This will also bring long-term supply chain management in focus. engagement and process automation; and X5 RETAIL (INDIA) PVT LTD, a company that focuses on bringing India’s authentic craftsmanship to the center-stage of today’s retail ecosystem. Overall, the retail industry is in for a makeover and the process has already begun with big retail chains taking up only online orders and delivering them to the customers with minimal to no physical contact. In such times of change, we bring you The 10 Most Trusted Retail Companies to Watch in 2020. These companies are equipped with ideas and are digitally powered to bounce back sooner than expected. We would also like to applaud the efforts of Bombay Rayon Fashions Ltd Nobel Hygiene Pvt Ltd Polson Ltd , Visagar Group Zeba India Pvt Ltd. , and , , This issue also brings forth viewpoints of Anand Asaithambi, Co-founder and CEO of Intuition Systems on Convergence of Technology in Retail 4.0: Reimagining Point of Sales (POS)and Samiksha Bajaj and Abhishek Bajaj, Co-founders of Samshék , on Personalised Tech Experience in the Fashion Retail Industry. On the Cover, we have Hush India Pvt Ltd, a company which has been ideating and creating a wide range of innovative sleep solutions resulting in a special place in its customers’ hearts and minds over the decades. Do go through our in-house article that explains the connectivity between Digital Transformation and Customer Experience titled Digital Transformation to Drive Customer Experience. This issue also features the stories of Angel Arts (Trinity), an online art and creative consultancy service company based in Mumbai, India, which showcases modern, Indian, and contemporary art; Kaya Blenders and Distillers, a rapidly flourishing alcohol beverage developing firm that provides the preferred taste and packaging to its customers; Rise Retail & Payment Solutions Pvt Ltd., a company established with a mission to enable small and medium-sized retailers (SME) with tech-based tools for better consumer We hope you enjoy reading this issue as much as we did while creating it!!

6. 08 Hush India’s Most Recommended Mattress Brand: Trusted, Respected, Recommended C O N T E N T S 32 26 Expert Speak Convergence of Technology in Retail 4.0: Reimagining Point of Sales (POS) Tech Talk Personalised Tech Experience in the Fashion Retail Industry

7. 16 Kaya Blenders and Distillers The Movers and Shakers of Liquor Industry 22 Editor’s Pick Digital Transformation to Drive Customer Experience 20 Rise Retail & Payment Solutions Empowering Businesses for Better Consumer Engagement C O N T E N T S 28 Trinity Enhancing Art Experiences while Delivering Creative Solutions 34 Х5 Retail Group A Multi-format Modern Retailer Empowering Indian Craftsmanship

8. Editor-in-Chief Pooja M. Bansal Managing Editor Rajkunwar Bhosale Publishing Control Team Shruti Jambhale Quality Assurance Team Abhishaj, Sneha, Darshan Contributing Editor Anmol Preet Singh sales@insightssuccess.com APRIL, 2020 Corporate Offices: Art & Design Head Amol Kamble Associate Designer Poonam Mahajan Art & Picture Editor Mayur Koli Co-designer Deepanjali Jena Insights Success Media and Technology Pvt. Ltd. Off. No. 22 & 510, Rainbow Plaza, Shivar Chowk, Pimple Saudagar, Pune, Maharashtra 411017 Phone - India: +91 7410079881/ 82/ 83/ 84/ 85 Email: info@insightssuccess.in For Subscription: www.insightssuccess.in Sr. Business Development Manager Megha Mishra Business Development Manager Nandan Deshpande Business Development Lead Ashwini Pahurkar Sr. Business Development Executive Kirti Vidhate Insights Success Media Tech LLC 555 Metro Place North, Suite 100, Dublin, OH 43017, United States Phone - (614)-602-1754 Email: info@insightssuccess.com For Subscription: www.insightssuccess.com Technical Head Pratiksha Patil Technical Specialist Amar Sawant Digital Marketing Manager Prashant Chevale SME-SMO Executive Atul Dhoran Circulation Manager Tanaji Cover Price : RS. 150/- https://twitter.com/insightssuccess Follow us on : www.facebook.com/insightssuccess/ We are also available on Copyright © 2020 Insights Success Media and Technology Pvt. Ltd., All rights reserved. The content and images used in this magazine should not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior permission from Insights Success Media and Technology Pvt. Ltd. Reprint rights remain solely with Insights Success. Printed and Published by Insights Success Media and Technology Pvt. Ltd. RNI NUMBER: MAHENG/2018/75953

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22. Rise Retail & Payment Solutions Empowering Businesses for Better Consumer Engagement I to come. 2018 saw the Retail industry reach Rs. 66.39 lakh crore (US$ 950 billion) at a CAGR of 13 per cent and the analysts expect it to reach Rs. 76.87 lakh crore (US$ 1.1 trillion) by 2020. From the tech perspective, India is a highly under-penetrated market, especially in the unorganized sector. However, in the organized sector, the industry is more innovative as it is customer-driven and is mostly focused on major cities. ndian retail tech industry has been growing at a phenomenal rate and looks very promising in the years segment about the power of consumer engagement and making our offering user friendly (more automation) at an affordable cost. The key differentiator for Rise is a highly integrated product, which is continuously getting evolved with the need of customers. It believes that staying on this ground would certainly pay it off in the long run. tremendous potential to improve our GDP. Under his guidance, Rise Retail developed an integrated platform which addresses key issues of the retailers. Enabling every retailer would also add value to consumers in getting more value at the store and creating a win-win situation for both buyer and sales. He also believes in contributing to the society and nation and for him, the journey has just begun. After spending the initial 6-12 months on bringing tech infrastructure in place, Rise started with loyalty platform and integrated various other value-added modules into the same. Its product is primarily driven through the need of its customers. It takes a fair enough time to develop a product that is truly SME focused, with the right pricing and offering mix. Rise Retails is operating in 5 cities as a market test for key matrices. The team is confident that its expansion would take the exponential curve with more investments. Tough Times need Strong Resolve Finances have always been a challenge right from the beginning for Rise Retail followed by the readiness of small retailers and a perfect pricing mix. Additionally, there is always a potential threat of disruptions by players who have deep pockets and are ready to penetrate the market with a throwaway pricing strategy. However, the retailers as a segment are very different from end consumers and they do have loyalty towards company and products which are addressing their challenges and are satisfied with the serviceability of the company. Penetration of the unorganized sector has always been seen as a difficult task, especially in the initial phase which makes the finance availability more difficult for the players. Besides, it lacks the right distribution channel for such product which adds to the acquisition cost. This industry requires patience to educate retailers and work along with them to align offerings in the way they require. At the Helm Rise Retail was Founded by Mr. Ajay Prasad who has over 18 years of experience in the SME segment primarily into the payments domain. A management graduate from IMDR Pune, Ajay has been into leadership roles in various MNCs and inspired growth. Apart from being an entrepreneur, Ajay is an avid sportsperson and an amateur singer with a deep interest in human psychology and Indian politics. This is exactly what Rise Retail & Payment Solutions Pvt Ltdhas been offering since its inception in 2014. The Company was established with a mission to enable small and medium- sized retailers (SME) with tech-based tools for better consumer engagement and process automation. Rise Retail identified the key challenges early-on and has worked on it to create more satisfaction and value to customers. Ajay adds: “We are a determined team with a clear sense of vision. I believe the following attributes kept us afloat even during the tougher times: • Strive to develop solutions to customer’s problem in the simplest manner • Patience to provide time to retailers Rise Retail’s online platform provides various opportunities from billing, CRM, inventory mgmt. etc. to consumer loyalty module. Key growth driver for Rise is to educate the target He firmly believes that our unorganized retail sector has VOLUME - 04, ISSUE - 03, 2020 20 | INSIGHTS SUCCESS

23. We must invest time and fund on education, training to the unorganized sector and development of industry at large in the learning process • Our growth is more inward-oriented at present and the same would enable us to expand outwardly • High learning appetite Another large opportunity that Rise Retail is looking at, is the size of the segment, once it has a critical mass, it can certainly bring on more suitable product offerings to create synergy for retailers as well as for the company itself.” Employees, The Core Employees, Rise Retail believes, are the key essentials of any organization and they are building blocks for a product, service, strategy and implementation. The team together has been through a lot of pain in the initial years and yet continued to focus and committed to the deliveries of Rise Retail. Ajay praises them saying, “We being at critical stage, keep facing challenges in offering optimum value to our employees. At the same time, the commitment gets acknowledged and are reciprocated by the company to make employees journey worth taking pains for the growth of the organization.” AJAY PRASAD FOUNDER Rise Retail’s next project is to venture into payments space and build an ecosystem of retailers and consumers together. Web-enabled products and solutions would drive growth on that front. “We believe that for the growth of SMEs in India, we need innovation not just in product offering but also in the distribution, education, marketing and sensitizing the large under- penetrated mass”, concludes Ajay. strategic investors for an exponential growth. The company is focused on horizontal growth which will help them expand their portfolio of solutions and services at the same time. This could be achieved by creating a distribution system which is a first-ever in the retail sector. Though many companies struggle to balance scalability and profitability, Rise Retail & Payments Solutions aims to perfect this balance by first building a strong base and then bring in the next level of products. A great team has helped Rise gain client trust by a string of consistent deliveries making it grow as a brand. Poised for Growth Rise Retail, at the moment, is expansion ready and looking for right 2020, VOLUME - 04, ISSUE - 03 INSIGHTS SUCCESS | 21

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36. ?X5 Retail Group A Multi-format Modern Retailer Empowering Indian Craftsmanship T place of pride in the lives of royalty. But today, they seem to be lost in the annals of time, fighting the battle of survival with the trends-driven dynamics of the contemporary marketplace. he immensely unique heritage and the treasure of India- Crafts and Textiles once occupied a players in the handicrafts sector has raised hopes of empowering artisans across the country. The organizations are giving the freedom to both the weavers and designers to showcase their potential, and sell handcrafted collections, and most importantly preserve India’s treasure. exposure of Indian crafts, it provides retail space to the craftsmen from across the country and budding entrepreneurs. X5 RETAIL, through its business approach, has created happy craftsmen, and entrepreneurs. The Inspiration The Founder of the entrepreneurial venture X5 RETAIL is, Pradeep Singh Shekhawat. Pradeep is very passionate in whatever he does. With an eye on the bottom-line always, his knowledge and habit of getting in the details, has landed him many new projects that he has successfully delivered. The Indian weaving traditions have existed since time immemorial and have been a representation of the many unique cultures of the country. With motifs, patterns, and techniques of woven textiles changing every few hundred km, crafts and textiles have given face and identity to the people of each region. An organization that places innovation and opportunism at its heart to essentially diminish the difference between emerging entrepreneurs, retailers, and craftsmen across the country is, X5 Retail (India) Pvt. Ltd. It has emphasized its focus on bringing India’s authentic craftsmanship to the center-stage of today's retail ecosystem. He has an extensive experience of working with some of the premium global brands in India & overseas. Also, he has successfully launched and set up businesses in India for brands such as Puma, Speedo, Wilson, Marks & Spencer, and for Nike in Vietnam, Laos & Cambodia. A Great Place for Business Opportunities Today, the weaving traditions have succumbed to multiple challenges at various levels. Firstly, the younger generation does not find the craft financially viable anymore to learn and continue the legacy of the family. This notion has arisen in the young minds because, the traditional marketplace (of exports, exhibitions etc.) is very limiting in its remuneration potential. X5 RETAIL is an enterprise which works on brilliant and innovative concepts and explores relatively untapped business opportunities. It is an Exclusive space selling business model. It creates a melange of contemporary and traditional designs with ideas and presents it in a modern exhibition style c o n c e p t . T h e e x h i b i t i o n i s professionally organized at premium shopping malls & other popular venues having high recognition across the country. He has previously worked as a Retail Director of Russia & East Europe Markets for Sports and for the Lifestyle brand ‘Sprandi’. He has also worked for INTIMODA heading Russia & CIS, setting up the retail & distribution company spanning all over Russia. Secondly, the hand-loom weaving industry is grappling with the burgeoning power-looms and mass production lobby. This has threatened the market potential that handcrafted textiles once enjoyed. A Unique Business Model Since 2013, its establishment year, it is in the business of retail space selling in various Malls, Metro Stations and Airports in different cities. As large part of this organization is devoted to the One of the major challenges that this community is facing is, a missing marketplace for the weavers’ products. However, the entry of some prominent Considering the scenario in the retail sector, an entrepreneur has to spend a huge amount of money in paying Mall Deposits, Kiosk to improve retail VOLUME - 04, ISSUE - 03, 2020 34 | INSIGHTS SUCCESS

37. Unique business opportunity to set up your retail business at almost nil or negligible risk experience, and sign a lock-in agreement with the Mall. Due to these obligations the entrepreneur cannot come out of the agreement before six months. X5 RETAIL bridges this gap and takes care of all these risks on behalf of the entrepreneurs/ craftsmen. Its worthy for the craftsmen to work with the company as the risks involved are negligible or nil. The Retail Industry Scenario According to Pradeep’s understanding, the retail industry is quite promising. Though recent Corona Virus sentiments have affected the business, he is confident that the situation would not last forever. According to his perception, domestic travel and tourism in the nearing years will see an upsurge which will be feasible even for the craftsmen from different parts of the country. PRADEEP SINGH SHEKHAWAT FOUNDER the Sand Dunes, or the themes representing hills will be offered. To know more, visit wedding-secrets.in or facebook.com or Instagram.com. Moreover, the company is all geared to launch ‘WEDDING SECRETS’- the themed experiential wedding business. Through its Royalty Weddings the people shall experience the era of royalties with the grandeur and activities revolving around the special occasion. People could choose between real Palaces, Forts, Castles, Havelis, at both Indian & International Destinations. He also believes that the country will witness interstate tourism which will promote crafts of driven parts of the country in terms of sales. Future Perspectives X5 RETAIL, by inaugurating X5 AGRO wants to venture into the value-added products of fruits and vegetables for the food processing industry in India and overseas markets like Russia & CIS. X5 RETAIL, in the next few years, is planning to expand the Retail Merchandizing Units (Retail Kiosks) in the malls and airports of the Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities. Nature Wedding is yet another initiative where themes like Wild Life Sanctuary, 2020, VOLUME - 04, ISSUE - 03 INSIGHTS SUCCESS | 35