A voice assistant for shopping

Amidst COVID-19, online shopping has been gaining popularity as people are avoiding physical contact. As demand grows, companies are trying to make the process of shopping online easier for customers, including voice assistants.

However, Slang Labs Co-founder and CEO Kumar Rangarajan says most ecommerce players have adopted the most basic level of voice-to-text service available out there.

To solve this problem and ensure a hassle-free and seamless voice experience for customers while shopping online, Bengaluru-based Slang Labs has launched ‘Slang CONVA’, which it says is “the world's first voice assistants as a service platform”. 

Although it is a completely B2B (business-to-business) product, it has a direct connect with the end consumer, as it is instrumental in creating the final user experience via voice.

The product promises to drastically simplify the process of adding in-app voice assistants to a matter of minutes from the six months or more that is usually required.

The Interview

With the onset of COVID-19, many professionals were working from home and chose to return to their native places out of urban centres. This shift was felt by furniture subscription company Furlenco. 

CEO Ajith Karimpana says that the increasing number of unsubscription requests had created uncertainty. However, the relief came when, at most, only 20 percent of the users stopped renting the furniture, which Ajith says was the test of the business model.

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News & Updates

• Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa says US carmaker Tesla will set up a car-manufacturing unit in the state, and that an industrial corridor would be developed in Tumakuru, creating 2.8 lakh jobs.
• Sharing his struggle to stay fit during the lockdown, Nithin Kamath, Founder of India's largest stockbroking firm Zerodha, said that his fitness levels worsened as he put on seven kilograms and his body fat percentage grew to 27 percent. He rolled out a few tips on staying fit on Twitter and shared his goals.
• Following a meeting between Twitter representatives and the Information Technology Secretary, Twitter has blocked over 97 percent of the accounts and posts flagged by the IT Ministry for provocative content and misinformation after the platform was issued a stern warning.
• The Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) announced the adoption of a comprehensive Implementation Toolkit for self-regulation of OTT platforms, with Netflix, Amazon Prime, AltBalaji and others as signatories.

Before you go, stay inspired with… 

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— Ben Horowitz, Co-founder of Andreessen Horowitz

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