India is ahead
In this week's podcast from egypt-business.com we explore what tech giants have in store for India and how it compares to Egypt.
Google offers Multi Search
Google announced that its multi search feature will be available in India in English now, and in Hindi next year. Multi search is combined image and text search, you can use a photo of a pattern, and type blouse or dress and let google find you the dress or blouse in this pattern.
Google goes to India because India is digitally forward, they are also offering a UPI based search (Unified payment interface) which you can ask how much you spent on something in a month, let's say and it will tell you.
What do we learn as companies? Set up test markets, choose ones who are digitally forward and try your products/services there.
Amazon let’s play
Amazon launched Prime Gaming in India as 1 of the 1st nations where the service was tested. People in India will be able to access a multitude of games with their prime subscription for $18 a year.
What do we learn as companies? Retain your valuable customers by offering them something more.
Youtube brings edtech
Youtube has been used as a marketing tool for teachers, they put their courses on youtube to get students that then they continue with outside of the platform and earn money. Now Google wants to change that and keep them on the platform, that’s why they announced they will launch Courses in India.
Through Courses, you can add your text material, videos and questions directly in the app and people can interact with it, you can offer it for free or with subscription.
What do we learn as companies? Identify your valuable customers and incentivize them, they are creative.
5G disrupts planes
Aircrafts usually have an altimeter (the device that helps pilots keep the required altitude) and it works in C band in frequency about 3 GHZ. These can be the same frequencies used for 5G, and telecommunication companies in India were instructed not to build 5G networks close to airports. Europe, South Korea and Japan who have similar frequencies had no interference, but authorities in India are strict.
What do we learn as companies? clear everything with the authorities before you start your project.
TiKTok monitors journalists
The Chinese company behind TikTok, Bytedance, is being accused of monitoring 3 US journalists and their families through the TikTok app. Emily Baker-White, Katharine Schwab and Richard Nieva who have formally been with Buzzfeed are the monitored journalists.
India since the beginning has been wary of Chinese applications and banned 200 mobile apps from China like TikTok, Alipay and Wechat, in the US they are very critical about Chinese apps especially TikTok and they are banned in some states.
What do we learn as companies? If you give a mobile to your employees as a work phone, watch out what they do with it and set rules to avoid them being monitored by certain apps.
Egypt Business Directory
Digital marketing expert and author of 25+ books, is an online marketing guru in Germany, known for starting one of the world's first web servers.