Pharma-Doctors Nexus Denies Low-cost Medicine for Poor: MedKart

Ahmadabad, July 29, 2016: The unholy nexus between drug makers and doctors to prevent affordable generic medicines reaching poor is a blatant violation of Medical Council of India (MCI)’s directives and also against the Constitution, which guarantees citizen their right to access quality, safe and affordable medicines.

According to an MCI notification, all registered medical professionals in India should write the generic or chemical names of drugs in their prescriptions and not the brand names. But how many doctors in our neighbourhood follow this practice religiously?

Ankur Agarwal

“Medical practitioners, who are supposed to serve patients’ interests, are unfortunately aiding to fill the coffers of pharmaceutical companies who swamp their clinics and make doctors prescribe their costly drugs to gullible patients, denying them the cheaper generic alternatives. This leaves “no-medicine” for poor who can’t afford to buy branded drugs from chemists, who seldom keep generics owing to low demand and unprofitable margin,” says Ankur Agarwal, CEO of MedKart Pharmacy, which offers life-saving generic medicines to needy through physical and online outlets.

The exorbitant prices of branded medicines and non-availability of affordable generic alternatives force poor patients to go without medicines thereby risking their lives. The vicious cycle continues to haunt them every time they fall sick, as in India a good 26 per cent go below poverty line in every hospitalization, says Ankur.

There is, however, a silver lining in the otherwise dark side of the generic medicines market in India. People can still reach out to government health centres and hospitals to buy affordable medicines and treatment. But seeing the poor upkeep and quality of health services available across these places, people have no option but to depend on private clinics, hospitals or medical practitioners to get their illness treated. But, the branded medicines prescribed by doctors are out of bound for them who are invariably caught between the devil and the deep blue sea.

However, there is an argument that even if doctors prescribe generic names, it is the pharmacists who are going to choose the medicine from a series of generic brands available with the same chemical formula. These drug stores can easily be influenced by manufacturers who want to popularize their version. Will this not put patients at serious health risk of getting substandard medicines?

Though agreeing the possibility of druggists getting influenced by pharma companies, Ankur argues that such possibility can be nullified with the improved awareness among people on generic drugs and doctors pitching in to ensure that the store representatives offer the right medicine with correct combination as majority of neighborhood drug stores are associated with the nearby clinics or hospitals.

The government should make suitable amendments in the existing laws to break the nexus between medical practitioners and drug makers, regulate druggists supplying generics and open up more Jan Aushadhi stores across India to provide low-cost and quality medicines to all, says Ankur, who has been spearheading a relentless campaign to spread the awareness on generic medicines among masses and medical fraternity.

According to an ASSOCHAM study, the domestic generic drug market will worth USD 28 billion from the current USD 13 billion by 2020 registering over 16 per cent growth annually due to USFDA approvals to several Indian generic drugs and ending of patent to 21 drugs by 2019 which the domestic drug makers is likely to capitalize.

About MedKart Pharmacy

Medkart Pharmacy is a leading generic medicine store which guides patients to get low-cost and quality generic alternatives from the best pharmaceutical companies following international quality standards. In the last 18 months alone, MedKart has helped over 35000 patients to save over Rs 8 crore by switching to generics. 

The purpose of launching Medkart was not just to spread the idea and availability of generic drugs among people but also ignite a campaign against doctors who are forcing patients to buy the prescribed branded medicines. Medkart, which has an exhaustive list of medicines, also offers online support to find the most authentic generic medicine with complete details.

Following PR websites published the article:

http://www.merinews.com/article/pharma-doctors-nexus-deprives-poor-of-low-cost-medicine/15918288.shtml

http://www.pressreleasepoint.com/pharma-doctors-nexus-deprives-patients-low-cost-medicine

http://www.briefingwire.com/pr/pharma-docs-nexus-deprives-poor-of-low-cost-medicine-medkart

http://www.einnews.com/pr_news/337247230/pharma-docs-nexus-deprives-poor-of-low-cost-medicine-medkart

http://www.indiaprwire.com/pressrelease/health-care/20160728418898.htm

http://www.freeprnow.com/pr/pharma-docs-nexus-denies-poor-low-cost-medicine-medkart

Media contact:

K Ramanathan

kr.iyar@gmail.com

GST Roll-out to Bring Cheers to Indian Logistics Sector

The proposed Goods and Services Tax (GST) Bill, which is again testing waters at the Parliament for a possible sail-through, will come as a bonanza for Indian logistics industry, which, according to Care Ratings, will help the industry trim cost by 20 per cent with CAGR pacing at 15-20 per cent till 2020.

Though much-delayed, the GST roll out will facilitate uniform taxation structure and cheaper and faster delivery/movement of goods across India, the report noted.

The one-nation-one-tax structure can bring down the tax cost considerably for logistics sector which is primarily classified into transportation, warehousing, freight forwarding and value-added logistics,  and truckers can avoid long queues at entry points or check-points of inter or intra states and deliver goods early at much lower operational cost.

The logistics cost can go down drastically as operators can restructure and rationalize warehouses and logistical infrastructure. Trucks remain idle for most part of the day at check posts or entry points due to entry tax, Octroi, local body tax and other such hurdles, which lead to loss of huge man-hour and fuel, the report pointed out.

The levying of GST on goods transportation and availability of full credit on interstate transactions will lower the logistic cost by 1.5-2 per cent of sales supported by go down optimization and lower inventory cost.

A World Bank report has recently pointed out that uniform taxation can save corporates up to 40 per cent of their logistic expenses which are mostly incurred at toll plazas and check-posts.

“GST will create a positive environment of uniform taxation system instead of the current cascading taxes faced by traders through Central and State Tax Policies. The central GST, which is proposed for inter-state movements of goods, will reduce enormous paper works and complexities faced by finance people. They now have to only follow one policy with astute transparency. For those moving cargo within the state, will have to comply only with the state laws as for as taxation is concerned. This will reduce the tax for traders who may pass on the benefit to the end customers,” opines Bhaskar Venkatraman, the Founder and Director of JusTransact.com, the e-commerce wing of Millennium India, which caters POS technology products to logistics and other industries.

The transportation aids more than 60 per cent growth of logistics sector followed by warehousing, which meets agricultural and industrial storage at 25 per cent, while packaging and other related businesses contributes the rest, he says.

Currently India follows double taxation policy – central and state taxes, creating complex web of taxes on goods and services with each state imposing taxes at various rates on goods that cross its borders, leading to multiple taxation and complex calculation processes.

At present, the taxation rate goes up at 26.5% (Central VAT (Cenvat) of 14 per cent and State VAT of 12.5 per cent) apart from 2 per cent state-level corporate tax for moving inter-state goods.

The proposed GST model, which includes both central GST and state GST, proposes to convert around 29 Central and State taxes and tariffs into a single tax at the point of sale (POS).  According to the draft proposal, GST is expected to bring down the combined Centre and State rates to 18-21 per cent from the current 26.5 per cent.

GST will also eliminate the current practice followed by companies to manage multiple warehouses at different states due to the existing interstate taxation policy. Companies are forced to maintain warehouses in each state and on an average each company maintains 20-30 warehouses in addition to have 20-30 carry & forwarding agents in each state making the supply chain longer, complicated and inefficient.

About JusTransact.com

Justransact.com is an e-commerce venture of Millennium Retech Ventures India Pvt. Ltd promoted by Millennium Group. JusTrasact.com was launched with a sole motive of providing reliable, affordable and scalable POS solutions to the fast growing retail sector in India. POS technology facilitates small, medium and large businesses automate their activities, enhance customer experience and also make them competitive with established players. The portal has made world-class cutting-edge POS Hardware, Software and Knowledge accessible to retailers. Headquartered in Chennai and having branches in major cities in India, Justransact.com offers one-stop solution for all kinds of POS needs to both retail and non-retail business applications. The portal currently sells 1000+ POS products of 15+ categories from 40+ world’s leading brands.

Media contact:

K Ramanathan

kr.iyar@gmail.com

Also published in:

JusTransact.com

Press Release Point

Merinews.com

IndiaPRwire

FreePressRelease

Briefingwire

FreePRnow

MedKart Urges Indian Doctors to Prescribe Generic Drugs

Ahmadabad: In the absence of stringent regulations and monitoring system, generic medicines in India, which are much cheaper than the branded ones having a market share of over $13 billion, are yet to take wings to reach the poor and middle class people, who are already burdened with mounting medical bills.

Doctors, who are supposed to mention the generic names of the medicines in their prescriptions as per the Medical Council of India (MCI)’s diktat, are simply flouting the rules by writing the brand names which are invariably costlier than the cheap and genuine alternatives containing the same chemical composition. In simple terms, the right to prescribe medicine is being misused by them for the benefit of a few pharma brands.

The government’s initiative to open up Jan Aushadhi stores across India to supply low-priced and quality generic medicines to poor has found a chink in its own armor as  Drugs Technical Advisory Board (DTAB) under Union Health ministry has recently instructed all retail chemists and pharmacists not to sell ‘cheaper drugs with identical  ingredients’. 

Ankur Agarwal

However, the government is determined to bring in a new legislation in the Parliament to make doctors write the chemical composition of drugs instead of the names given by the pharma brands. DTAB, however, argues that it can’t let pharmacists/chemists to select the cheap generics alternative to patients, though all generic medicines usually get the mandatory approvals and considered safe.

Arguing that pharma giants are allegedly colluding with medical practitioners to promote their brands thereby denying patients cheaper alternatives,  Ankur Agarwal, CEO of MedKart Pharmacy, who strives to spread the awareness on generic medicines in India, says, “It is unfortunate that though most of the leading Indian pharmaceutical companies are making a good use of the huge international market for generic medicines, when it comes to India, they want their brands to be used by colluding with physicians  and drug stores. There is also a lack of awareness among doctors and general public about the advantages of generic medicines. Government should break this sinister campaign and create a level playing field for all drug companies to sell their products through an open market system.”

Allying DTAB’s apprehension that retail chemists/drug stores may offer ineffective and even harmful cheap drugs to patients, Ankur says, “Patients can always cross-check the medicines with the doctors if druggists offer them with generic medicines. For this, doctors should be cooperative and not be brand conscious. For drugs other than the patented ones, they should encourage patients to use cheaper alternatives by prescribing generics. DTAB’s notion that drug stores are not authorized to sell matching drugs of branded medicines prescribed by the doctor can’t be accepted as they are the last mile gateways for patients to get prescribed medicines.”

Though we welcome the government’s initiative to introduce a Bill in the Parliament to mandate the sale of generic drugs, much needs to be done to plug the loopholes in the system as drug stores selling generic medicines also need to be monitored and regulated for the benefit of needy patients, feels Ankur, whose MedKart Pharmacy not only ignites the idea of generic medicines among Indians but also strives to instill social responsibility  among doctors to prescribe low cost alternative drugs to patients instead of the costly branded ones.

According to a recent study by the leading industrial body ASSOCHAM and market research firm RNCOS, the generic drug market in India is expected to cross $28 billion by 2020 from the current level of $13 billion registering a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of about 16.3 per cent. 

The growth is apparently due to the expiry of USFDA patent to over 20 Indian drugs by 2019, which the other drug companies would capitalize it by developing their own generic drugs in India.  Presently the market size of the pharmaceutical industry in India stands at US$ 20 billion.

About MedKart Pharmacy

Medkart Pharmacy is a leading generic medicine store which guides patients to get low-cost and quality generic alternatives from the best pharmaceutical companies following international quality standards. In the last 18 months alone, MedKart has helped over 35000 patients to save over Rs 8 crore by switching to generics. 

The purpose of launching Medkart was not just to spread the idea and availability of generic drugs among people but also ignite a campaign against doctors who are forcing patients to buy the prescribed branded medicines. Medkart, which has an exhaustive list of medicines, also offers online support to find the most authentic generic medicine with complete details.

Media contact:

K Ramanathan

kr.iyar@gmail.com

Also published in: 

Merinews.com

Open PR

How much can you save with your POS system?

Even as India is placed among the fastest growing retail economies in the world, almost 80 per cent of businesses, small, medium and large ones put together, are running the show with traditional means notwithstanding the pressure exhorted by technologically advanced peers, advantages of having POS system at checkouts and growing demand from customers for enhanced shopping experience.

Though there are various reasons for their loyalty towards traditional business transactions, the common one being the misconception about the recurring cost and low business output due to the usage of Point Of Sale (POS) technology products, chiefly at checkouts. 

However, the situation is changing now in India as more and more new and existing businesses are relying on POS technology to give customers a unique shopping experience. According to experts, a basic POS system, which contains a cash register, card reader, barcode scanner and a thermal receipt printer, can actually benefit retailers in several ways. Though it may require a small initial investment, these systems not only make their retail business organized and attractive for customers, but also help them increase sales and profit without recurring expenses. 

With an efficient POS system at checkouts, retailers can enhance the functions of cash registers and cut costs by improving the overall operational efficiency. 

Read my full Point of Sale blog here.

Take the Right Step to Modernize Point Of Sale!

Can you afford to make your customers frown in the long queues at checkouts? If you don’t have a suitable “queue-busting” mechanism, you are sure to lose your customers to the more sophisticated stores in your area.

With “time” becoming premium for people to waste, standing even a few minutes at check-outs would be the last thing they would expect at your store. With retail boom happening everywhere pinning on improved shopping experience, checkouts invariably decide the possibility of customers returning to your store. Simply put, the make or break of your business can be unfolded at the checkouts.

As competition is rife among retail businesses for survival in India, the ones who have better store management technology and customer friendly checkouts will have an edge over others.  Also, long queues coupled with unskilled POS attendants can make customers switch their loyalty swiftly leaving you high and dry.

Read the full article here.

Also published in Press Release Point & Merinews.com

Consumer satisfaction and personalized services still hold the key for physical stores

The global retail industry, which is being swept by digital revolution, is redefining the shopping experience altogether. In-store, Online and Mobile technology solutions are enhancing and easing how we shop — and unprecedentedly changing consumers’ purchasing pattern. Shoppers are also exposed to internet for shopping, indicating the end of season for standardized merchandising and marketing.

So as businesses reach shoppers through a myriad of touch points, that is from the store to their laptops, smart phones and tablets, consumers these days are more than willing to share their personal details with retailers in exchange of targeted product deals and offers, but with a rider. They want a say on how their personal data will be utilized to add value to their shopping experience.

Shoppers also look to store loyalty programs, particularly at drugstores and supermarkets chains, for tailor-made digital perks, such as coupons and discounts, says a study.

Revealing that over 76% of shoppers surveyed feel positive about shopping in stores rather than doing it on-line, the survey by Zebra Technologies, the leading POS products manufacturer, says that in the era of digital technology, the personal touch still makes a big difference.

Despite reports by several surveying agencies over the past few years that e-commerce will eat-up physical stores, consumer satisfaction, touch and feel merchandising and personalized retail services are offsetting the otherwise dominant e-commerce and mobile shopping, the findings noted.

The brick and mortar stores too are becoming smarter these days. They offer consumers new shopping experience by updating themselves with digital POS tools like mobile checkouts and flexible delivery options through omni-channel mode which facilitates them to buy online and pick up in-store.

Shoppers too prefer personalized offers on their mobile or mail box from the retailers so that they can plan in advance. Most of the net-savvy consumers research products online before heading to the mom and pop stores to make the purchase. They also don’t mind if stores send relevant sales text messages once they come nearer to their shops, shoppers surveyed said.

Mobile commerce has added a new dimension to store loyalty programs. About 70 per cent of consumers said they preferred to receive exclusive mobile coupons and sales perks from the retailers with whom they had shared their personal information, the Zebra survey noted.

With the focus on personalized services/offers and consumer shopping experience, these stores, with the help of modern POS technology, are here to stay against the bitter competition experiencing from e-commerce and mobile shoppers.  

Millennium showcases advanced POS technology at IWS 2016

New Delhi, 08, June 2016: Millennium Soft-Tech (India) Pvt. Ltd., a leading POS technology provider in India having wide partner network, is showcasing the most advanced POS technology to support warehousing, logistics and supply chain management at ‘India Warehousing Show (IWS) 2016, which begins on June 8 at Pragati Maidan in New Delhi.

Millennium will be displaying some of the widely used, industry specific and application-oriented POS devices such as wired and wireless barcode scanners, portable data terminals, industrial and domestic barcode printers, colour label printers, data collectors, portable data terminals and table-top scanners from the world’s leading brands like Toshiba, Honeywell, GoDex, Epson and Opticon.

Speaking on Millennium’s second successive participation in India Warehousing Show, Bhaskar Venkatraman, group Director of Millennium India, said: “We are overwhelmed to be a part of one of the largest warehousing expos in the world. We have over two decades of market exposure in the Point Of Sale technology in India, which we are bringing in here to showcase the latest advancement in technology to benefit warehousing, logistics, material handling and supply chain businesses. We strive to reach out to them with the most modern and latest POS technology and help them sophisticate their businesses through wide range of POS products suitable for their application and industry.”

The sixth edition of the three-day mega supply chain event is expected to be visited by over 10,000trade visitors representing high level decision-makers and buyers from across the globe.

Bhaskar Venkatraman

To make visitors understand the relevance of products suitable to their business, Millennium is offering demos of various products applicable for warehousing and supply chain management at their stall (12 A).

“With the advent of e-commerce industry in India, the need of warehousing and logistics infrastructures has grown manifold and we strive to address the huge demand

for quality and efficient supply chain management needs from warehouses and logistics players by introducing the advanced technology to make their day-to-day operations organized, faster, easy and hassle-free.”

The Fair offers visitors a complete view of the entire process chain of the warehousing, transportation and logistics industry. Over 200 domestic and international exhibitors are presenting innovative products and services for trade visitors and entrepreneurs who will get an opportunity to exchange ideas and make new business contacts.

The exhibition is being organized by Reed Manch Exhibitions, a joint venture between Manch Communications of India and UK’s Reed Exhibitions.

About Millennium Soft-Tech

Established in 2002, Millennium Soft-Tech (India) Pvt Ltd has been in the forefront of providing Point Of Sale (POS) technology products and solutions to Indian businesses through astute marketing strategy supported by huge partners’ network across India. Launched and lead by Bhaskar Venkatraman, a veteran in POS technology having over two decades of market exposure, Millennium has a clear motive of empowering millions of unorganized small and medium enterprises spread across the country by automating their transaction activities and make them competitive with established market peers.

Headquartered in Chennai and having branches all across India, Millennium is credited with excellent logistics supports and capable of reaching products to customers’ doorsteps even in remote areas. Providing nation-wide distribution for leading multinational POS brands including Epson, Posiflex, Casio, Toshiba, Honeywell, Godex, and Opticon, Millennium offers POS solutions to corporate brands, retail giants and SMEs across India.

Published by: Merinews, 

EPR Retail News, 

Open PR,  

Press Release Point, 

PR Log

Check-outs can Make or Break Customer Relationship!

Customers are always king! They expect, if not a royal treatment, a comfortable environment and courteous staff to guide them shop around. These things can make them revisit or recommend others about your store. So, what happens, if more than 80 per cent of a country’s retail outlets are technologically backdated, following age-old business strategies, or denying customers the best shopping experience? They lose customers and experience stagnated growth.

This holds true to the over 12 million retail outlets spread across India, the country which is one of the fastest growing economies in the region. Having congenial business environment and friendly government policies notwithstanding, these outlets, most of them are family-owned, are losing out business to more organized and technologically advanced retail outlets, which are, in real count, far less in number.

Read my full PR Media blog here.

The press release published by other media sites: - Merinews, Pr-log, Pressreleasepoint, Eprretailnews, Free-press-release, Briefing wire & Openpr.

Large Mobile Workforce and On-The-Go Printing Drive Portable Printer Market

Increasing mobile workforce and on-the-go print requirements are expected to trigger the global portable printer market growth during 2016-2020 and if experts are to be believed, the market will have the growth momentum of over 17 % CAGR with thermal portable printer market alone is estimated to cross a whopping USD 725 million with a CAGR of20 per cent.

The research report titled, ‘Global Portable Printer Market 2016-2020’ by TECHNAVIO has categorized the global portable printer market into three major categories based on technology - Thermal, Inkjet and Impact.

Thermal portable printer

The report by Technavio said that the thermal portable printer market would be valued more than USD 725 million by 2020 with 20 per cent CAGR during the forecast period. Apart from being useful in field support and entertainment services, thermal printers are widely used in industrial applications in retail, transportation and logistics, healthcare and manufacturing.

Read the full article here.

'POS terminals need secured access to thwart data thefts'

LISTECH Services Solution Pvt Ltd is a Mohali-based company for software development and customisation. Launched by Mr Durgesh Sharma, who is the Director of the company, LISTECH has pioneered in providing software support to various retail applications. Having completed his MCA from Pune University, Durgesh has held various positions from system analyst to project manager in various IT firms before launching his own. 

Durgesh, who has close to 15 years experience in software industry, speaks about Indian POS market, POS software and its importance, security threat to POS devices and more.

• How will you differentiate cloud-based software support with the conventional one? Which, according to you is the best for an Omni-channel retail environment?

Cloud based software support has a lot of advantages over the conventional one. Some of them are:
24/7 Accessibility
Real time info sharing
Easy Info Updates
Easy Problem Fixing

The market is slowly changing from conventional software application dependence to Cloud-based one. Customers are increasingly demanding for the retrieval of available data in real time from every location. So, Cloud-based solution is the best option for retailers to scale-up their business and customer’s shopping experience.

Read the full Interview here

Barcode-effect that revitalizes retail business

Everyone knows that the omnipresent BARCODES printed on every single package on sale provides complete information about the product for the manufacturer, vendor and customer.

It has become obvious these days that without using barcode technology, no retail business can function smoothly and effectively. There are a lot of benefits barcodes can hold for retailer with some of them being it makes business processes and operations easier. Barcode scanners are helpful to automate businesses thereby helping traders save a large amount of time, resources and money which in turn improve the profit margins.

With technology equipping consumers to scan the barcodes to understand the information embedded in it, they can’t be taken for granted by retailers by providing false information on the packages. These mobile devices grant consumer access to information about the products from the barcodes such as location, date and ingredients of the product. For food items, these details are rather most important to consumers.

Read my full blog here

Omni-Channel is History; IoT is Future!

There has been a lot of discussions about ‘Omni-channel business’ in India in the recent past and before we could understand the relevance of it to Indian business environments, there comes another technology update -  the Internet-of-Things (IoT), which is catching up fast in the world of business.

While Omni Channel refers to a business which virtually opens up all possible “doors” for customers to enter into a shop to do transactions simultaneously, Internet-of-Things makes devices across Point Of Sale wired through internet for dynamic data handling and transfer and anytime access for better business management.

Both these technologies have become a fad in the West. It is surprising that India, which is among the fastest growing retail markets in the World, is still to catch up with a suitable technology to sophisticate her Point Of Sale (POS) counters. It is only during the past few years that POS technology has invaded into tier I and II cities, thanks to overwhelming presence of super and hyper market stores. Still millions of Kirana stores and other small and medium businesses across India are following traditional means to do business.

According to a recent study, more than 80 per cent of Indian retailers are still relying on traditional billing system with majority of them using hand-written bills or outdated cash registers forcing customers to fret out standing on long queues to complete transactions. The poor inventory management, haphazard business strategy and improper sales and staff handling add to the woes of these old-gen retailers as they become no match to technologically advanced peers in their respective localities. And of course, they lose customers and struggle to hold on to stiff competition.

Read My Full Article here

Also Published in Linkedin & Merinews.com

Hip hop and go mobile!

We are in technology-driven world that more often than not experience ‘yesterday’s luxuries becoming today’s essentials’. When mobile printers came into the market for the first time a few years ago, retailers thought them as mere accessories but not necessary for their business. Even, the effervescent cell phones too once thought to be accessories of indulgence by conservatives.

But technology proved them wrong by casting its spell on the modern living and one would appreciate that the run-of-the-mill mobile phones invariably come with high-resolution cameras, fast net compatibilities and hordes of facilities. Similarly, mobile receipt printers have seen a complete makeover during the last decade loaded with facilities such as wireless network connectivity, fast checkout/payment process and printing receipts.

So much so that in today’s marketplaces, mobile printing has become an integral part of any retailer who wants to increase precision, productivity and speed.

According to a recent survey, the global mobile printing market is expected to reach USD 3.81 billion by 2020 with a CAGR of 32.5 per cent driven by demands from retail, hospitality, healthcare and transportation & logistics sectors.

Read full article here

Also published in LinkedIn

How to enhance customer experience at POS

Customer is always the King. They only decide what they want, where and how the products should be displayed, how it should be shopped and, finally, the best suitable mode of delivery. The market, no doubt, revolves around customers’ needs and their expectations. Today’s customer expects great shopping experience with utmost convenience.

They want the shop to be accessible round-the-clock, if not physically all the time, but through smart phones even in odd hours. The competition is rife among the trading community to outwit each other to win more customers. Today, if a trader isn't aware or tuned to an integrated point of sale (POS) solutions that offer seamless sales across all counters (omni channel) and all modes of payment, then he is surely running an outdated business module.

If you are adopting the sales solution focused on cash or card payment, then it’s time for you to integrate payment solutions at your store which will help you to connect with consumers whenever they want to do business with you...

Read my full blog here

Read @ LinkedIn ;  @ Merinews.com

Mata or Ammi all are same if we are one

Is “Bharat Mata” only for Hindus? It looks the fatwa issued by Darul Uloom Deoband shows that. Deoband says Bharat Mata is a god worshipped by a particular community in India. So, chanting this will go against the tenets of Islam. Do the same tenets approve massacring innocent people by the followers of that community? Will Deoband issue fatwa against them too?

Or will Deoband agree if they are asked to chant Bharat Ammi Ki Jai, as suggested recently by Shabana Azmi to All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen leader Asaduddin Owaisi. What is the need of this controversy?

Bharat Mata is not belonging to any particular community but for the people of India. Anyone who is the citizen of India has the right to say it with proud. Our freedom fighters used this slogan to energize and electrify the freedom struggle. Did Islamic freedom fighters refrain from saying this slogan then, just because it was “un-Islamic”? No historical evidence to support this. Then why these people are now raising this meaningless issue when the country is passing through the crucial phase of development?

This is just because, we don’t have a common constitution to bind the entire community in India, irrespective of having different religions. We need one common rule for everyone, be it for education, jobs or marriage. The constitution of India should be amended equally for every citizen and those who oppose should not be allowed to enjoy the government and social benefits.

Hindus, Sikhs, Muslims, Christians, Jains and other communities are living in harmony and people should not allow the sectarians/politicians to divide them in the name of religion. The “Bharat Mata” issue is one such attempt to weaken the common thread which unites every citizen of India. Let’s say Bharat Mata Ki Jai and Jai Hind together with proud, irrespective of who we worship at home.

Also published in Merinews.com

How POS can transform Indian hospitality industry

The advancement in technology has played a major role in transforming our daily lives, and the effervescent Hospitality Industry in particular, has been, in the recent times, witnessing major developments due to the entry of highly sophisticated Point Of Sale (POS) systems.

Today's customers and guests are increasingly used to personalised services that are more efficient and smoother than ever before, thanks to the availability of clear customer data and dynamic payment system that has replaced the time-consuming, obsolete and laborious processes. So, to stay ahead in the business, it's imperative for those in the hospitality industry to keep attune to the innovations in POS technology.

Enhancing customer experience with efficient POS solutions

If you want your hospitality business to gain competitive edge, you need to take the advantage of the positive transformation brought by the POS technology products. More hospitality outlets in India are now using modern payment and other back-end solutions that have replaced the time-consuming and traditional means of serving customers. With the right POS system, you can enhance customer experience by giving them fast and efficient service, even during rush hours.

Read Full Article Here

Read all my POS articles @ Scoop.it

Honeywell AIDC Eyes LoT for Retail and E-commerce Sectors

Aseem Joshi

As a regional head for Honeywell’s Sensing & Productivity Solutions business, Aseem Joshi has been developing strategies and spearheading sales and marketing teams to grow business. Aseem came to Honeywell from Eaton, where he worked in various roles, including Plant Manager, Marketing Manager and APAC Marketing Strategy Manager for their Hydraulics business. 

Prior to Eaton, he was an Engagement Manager with McKinsey & Company and later associated with IBM as an Industrial Engineer. He has an MBA from INSEAD, MS from Virginia Tech and a BE from Pune University. Married and having 2 children, Aseem is currently based in Pune.

Aseem speaks to K Ramanathan on Honeywell’s AIDC market in India, notable product launches, and how technology can help retailers meet omni-channel challenges. Excerpts…

What is the current market size and demand for AIDC products in India? What is Honeywell’s contribution in terms of meeting the demands?

According to “India Barcode Scanners and Printers Market Forecast & Opportunities, 2017” the revenues of the barcode industry in India are likely to grow at a large Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of around 30% during the period 2011-2017. This presents many opportunities for companies in the AIDC space, including Honeywell. Going forward, Honeywell AIDC is at the forefront of Internet of Things (IoT) for retail and e-commerce sector.

Honeywell has been and continues to working with our channel, our solution partners and with a number of customers across Indian sub-continent to identify and address their business challenges, through automation. One example includes India Post, who we are helping to automate their 130,000 post offices across the country. By integrating scanning technology, Honeywell assisted India Post to leverage our world-class AIDC technology.

How do you envisage Honeywell’s overall growth in the next five years in India?

Honeywell has been in India since almost 100 years, successfully working with our customers in a diverse range of sectors across India, supporting growth through technology and innovation. We have almost 15,000 employees (including 8,000 engineers) in country and physical presence across 50 cities.  Our 7 manufacturing locations and 5 global technology & engineering centers will continue to contribute to our commitment and growth along with our customers.

The retail sector is a priority for Honeywell Sensing & Productivity solutions. This is because Indian retailers, 3PLs and transport and delivery businesses here, like their counterparts around the world, have seen rapid growth and increasing operational pressures as a result of the rise of omni-channel. The increasing number of consumer shopping options, including online, in-store and click and collect, as well as the small piece orders, the increased number of delivery destinations that have to be reached in shorter timeframes, pose challenges for local retail businesses. 

To help address these operational pressures Honeywell will increasingly work with Indian retailers so that they have the right systems and technologies in place to keep pace with the omni-channel.   We are in a vantage position to enable brick-and-mortar retailers, be it neighbourhood groceries or hypermarkets, adopt technologies that are most suitable to their needs : bee it around from POS to mobile couponing, queue-busting to cross-selling and from in-store to back-end.

Honeywell Sensing & Productivity Solutions will also in the coming years be concentrating on developing and delivering end-to-end solutions that enable seamless measures, controls and collection of data across all business systems and devices. Business connectivity and data collection allows for optimisation of workflow processes and worker productivity and accuracy.

Honeywell will leverage our heritage of industry leading technology and innovation, and work with our partners to invest in hardware, software, cloud technology and analytics solutions that best support true business connectivity.

What are the latest offerings from Honeywell for Indian POS market?

Being at the forefront of innovations in custom-engineered sensors, switches and controls, and productivity solutions built around high performance data collection hardware for more than 40 years, Honeywell Sensing & Productivity Solutions prides itself on delivering best practice technologies to businesses across India.

Honeywell’s acquisitions of Intermec and Datamax-O’Neil highlight our ambition for continuous investments that strengthen the depth of our technology solutions and portfolio. Today, Honeywell offers the most comprehensive range of products in the industry, with over 50,200 products, including controls, global tracking, printers, scanners, mobility, RFID, Voice solutions, sensors, software and electromechanical.

Honeywell Sensing & Productivity Solutions allow businesses to manage their data, assets and workers in order to optimise performance and processes in every corner of their facility.

Our Orbit 7120 presentation scanners and Eclipse 5145 are already brands by themselves! Last year our thermal desktop printer PC42t was also very well accepted by the end-users.

This year, Honeywell is releasing a number of exciting technologies in the retail space, including the Solaris 7980g scanner, which meets the needs of the growing mobile payment trend. The scanner has the ability to read 2D barcodes off mobile phones, as shoppers increasingly want to use their mobile devices in place of credit cards and loyalty cards.

For retailers after an affordable scanner, Honeywell has also released the Voyager 1602g pocket 2D Bluetooth scanner. The ergonomically designed Voyager 1602g scanner can be coupled with tablet-based retail POS systems, mobile POS solutions, inventory management, backroom/stockroom and in-store customer engagement.

Can you tell us how technology can be a game changer for retail sector?

Honeywell solutions are designed to help retailers compete in an increasingly competitive environment by increasing store associate productivity, reducing operating expenses and increasing customer loyalty.

Honeywell’s innovative solutions are primed for many key retail applications including store operations, fixed Point of Sale, omni-channel fulfillment, in-store mobile and warehouse.

The retail worker of today is not tied to one station and is instead moving throughout the store. These workers need technologies, such as the Voyager 1602g, which enable mobile productivity and accuracy with ease. A mobile barcode scanner has the power to not only increase productivity and accuracy, but also allow workers to interact with customers and provide a much higher level of service.

Customer service is also being improved with the launch of mobile payment offerings like Apple Pay and Google Wallet. This means customers and retailers benefit from a faster and more seamless check-out experience. With the use of a 2D barcode scanner such as the Solaris 7980g, consumers can now pay for their goods with a simple tap, while simultaneously earning loyalty points, discounts and promotions directly to their device.

Those retailers who invest in 2D barcode technology will be best placed to provide the best in-store shopping experience for their customers as mobile devices become more commonplace for payment.

Also published in: JusTransact.com