Consumers have shorter attention spans for Apps

Consumers are using apps for shorter bursts of time and opting to "snack" on content more frequently, according to newly released data.

 

A record 70 billion smartphone and tablet apps are expected to be downloaded globally this year, according to market research firm ABI Research. But consumers' attention spans for apps are dropping.

"People are spending overall a fairly decent amount of time in the app, but it's small intervals of time repeated more frequently," said Raj Aggarwal, chief executive of Boston-based web analytics company Localytics, which conducted the study.

The study looked at how consumers used over 500 news apps across 100 million iPhone, Android and Windows smartphones between July 2012 and July 2013.

It found that consumers spent on average 26 percent less time interacting with the apps during each session, but that they opened the apps 39 percent more often, for an average 25 times a month, up sharply from 18 times the previous year.

"The whole goal of mobile is to get people the information they need as quickly as possible," said Aggarwal, who said shorter, more frequent sessions with apps were a sign of their increasing integration into consumers' daily lives.

"They're more engaged with the device, and not just using it as a way to kill time," he said.

Apps are also leveraging context - such as a user's location, or the current weather in their area - to pull users back into the app more frequently with information that is relevant to where they are and what they are doing.

"The weather apps might proactively message people and say, 'Hey, there's a storm coming' or 'Today's going to be really hot day' as a way to bringing people back in," Aggarwal explained.

He said consumers were similarly using social media apps for shorter bursts of time but much more frequently.

"Social networking apps have continued to grow rapidly in terms of the total amount of time people spend with them, but the average session is actually pretty small. But when you look at the amount of time people open these apps over the course of a month it's huge," he added.

"It's close to 45 times a month, so people are coming back to them multiple times per day."

Accordingly, apps are limiting content that people can post, to keep it brief and palatable for consumers.

Vine, for iPhone and Android, allows users to share videos as long as they are shorter than six seconds. And in June, Instagram updated their app to allow users to share videos, but only if they are shorter than 15 seconds.

The one area where average session length grew longer was games. According to the data, games captured consumer attention for 78 percent more time, increasing to 8.7 minutes per session in 2013 from 4.9 minutes for each one the previous year. Source: TOI

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Consumer demand for gold hits record high

Investors are deserting gold and consumers are buying gold jewellery and coins. The world consumer demand for gold has been the highest in the second quarter going upto 1083 tons, up by 53% in comparison to the demand last year. The demand has mainly been in china and India where consumers have rushed to buy gold jewellery, coins and gold bars. The latest report from the gold council showed hat jewellery sales made up for more than half of the total gold tonnage sold to consumers in the quarter. The average price of gold declined by 12% to $ 1,415 per ounce. At present gold is trading at just over $ 1,330 per ounce, down by roughly 30% from its all-time high near $ 1,900. The average price of gold   over the period fell by 12% to $ 1,415 per ounce. At present its price is just over $ 1,330 per ounce, down by roughly 30% per ounce from its all-time  high of $ 1,900 in September 2011. During difficult economic times the precious metal is typically seen as a safe haven for investors. Due to recovery by developing economies investors are not interested in investing in gold. China and India -- which are the biggest markets for gold -- were not the only countries seeing a spike in buying. Demand from consumers in the middle east and turkey was also on the rise, with jewelry demand up by 33% and 38%, respectively.

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Before going for a loan, look at the fine print

Banks are giving attractive offers such as low interest rates and no processing fees

Looking for a loan? You don’t have to look too far. Faced with slackening credit demand from the corporate sector, banks are pushing retail loans. Calls offering upgrades of credit cards, pre-approved loans and unsolicited cheques one can deposit in his/her account and treat these as a personal loan are doing the rounds again.

Since the Diwali season, banks started reducing interest rates and waiving or lowering processing fees on secured products such as home loans. With the latest cut in interest rates, State Bank of India ( SBI) continues to offer the lowest rate on home loans. Now, the interest on an SBI home loan of up to Rs 30 lakh is 9.95 per cent; for loans of more than Rs 30 lakh, it is 10.1 per cent.

ICICI Bank and Axis Bank also have innovative offers on home loans. ICICI Bank offers one per cent cash back on every equated monthly instalment ( EMI) for the entire tenure of the loan. Axis Bank has the ‘Happy Ending Home Loan’ scheme, which waives the last 12 EMIs, provided the initial loan period is 20 years and the borrower has made repayments for at least 15 years.

Many banks have also extended discounts announced during the Diwali season. Some also have innovative offers on unsecured products such as credit cards and personal loans. HDFC Bank, for instance, offers a personal loan approval in two minutes in case the application is online and the loan amount is less than Rs 7.5 lakh., Axis Bank, says banks have been focusing on the retail segment, especially in the last two years. As part of its retail bouquet, Axis Bank is offering personal loans at special rates for government employees and defence personnel. Small banks, too, have been quick to jump on the retail bandwagon. Federal Bank, which recorded 25 per cent growth in its retail segment in the December quarter, is focusing on small and medium enterprises and the retail segment, even as it cuts corporate exposure, both in loans and deposits, says D Sampath, head (retail). The bank has been growing its gold loan and automobile loan portfolios. After the repo rate cut by the Reserve Bank of India, it was one of the first to cut rates on automobile loans. The bank is offering automobile loans at a flat 10.45 per cent (earlier it offered these at 11.2-11.7 per cent, depending on the tenure). It has also reduced the turnaround time for approval of automobile loans.

Non-banking financial company Bajaj Finserv offers online approval of personal loans to premium salaried professionals. For loans of up to Rs 15 lakh, the company promises approval in five minutes and disbursal within 72 hours. The company’s personal loan segment was growing at 20 per cent a year, said a note by Bajaj Finserv. In the case of personal loan offers that seem too good to be true, one must check if the rate being quoted is on a monthly reducing balance or a fixed balance, says Aadhil Shetty of Bankbaazar.com. If it is on a fixed balance, the rate might be much higher in the long run. Borrowers must also ensure the processing fee is not too high for such products.

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5 Best Home Remedies to Cure Dark Circles

Dark circles look unpleasant and concealing them with makeup is hardly effective.

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Most of the cosmetic products designed to remove them are expensive and laced with chemicals that can be harmful to the delicate skin under your eyes. However, there are certain effective natural remedies that can help you greatly in getting rid of these awful marks around your eyes and will also prevent its occurrence in the future. Here are five natural remedies for treating dark circles around your eyes.

Tomato paste
Tomato paste is one of the most effective remedies for dark circles. You can make it easily at home. Take one or two fresh tomatoes, one tablespoon of lemon juice and a pinch of gram flour and turmeric powder. Blend these ingredients nicely until they become a thick paste and apply it very gently around your eyes. Rinse it off gently with clean water after 10 or 20 minutes. Repeating this process twice or thrice every week will make your skin tone around your eyes lighter and will eventually make your dark circles go away completely.

Cucumber and Potato
Putting slices of fresh cucumber or potato over your eyes can help reduce dark circles to a great extent. It also provides your eyes a soothing touch which further prevents the occurrence of dark marks around your eyes. Besides the slices, you can also apply fresh juices of cucumber or potato around your eyes with the help of a cotton ball. It will better to apply the juices for entire night for quicker and more effective results.

Almond oil
Almond oil is another natural ingredient which is very beneficial for the delicate skin around your eyes. All you need to do is to apply a little almond oil over the dark circles before going to bed and wash it off with cold water the next morning. Repeating this for at least a month will make your dark circles disappear almost entirely.

Crushed mint leaves
Applying crushed mint leaves over your eyes will not only soothe your eyes but will also help you in getting rid of dark circles. Apply freshly crushed mint leaves all around your eyes and leave it for 5 or 10 minutes. Then gently wipe it off with a clean and cold cloth. You will feel extremely relaxed and will also get rid of under eye circles gradually.

Orange juice and glycerin
Regular application of orange juice mixed with glycerin is an effective way to get rid of dark circles. However, besides removing your dark circles it will also provide your overall skin with an inner glow and will make your skin around your eyes smoother and softer than before.

If you want to get rid of under eye dark circles without spending a fortune and without harming your skin, try these perfect homemade remedies. 

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Signs of ageing
Turmeric is an excellent exfoliating agent and can help you defeat the signs of ageing. Take besan (gram flour) and turmeric powder in equal proportions and prepare a paste by adding water. You may alternately prepare this paste in raw milk or even yoghurt. Apply it evenly on your body and leave it till it dries off. Wash it off with lukewarm water and scrub your face gently in circular motion.

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Consumers not responsible for meter theft, tampering, PSERC

Punjab State Electricity Regulatory Commission (PSERC) has given relief to consumers. In case a meter was installed outside the premises of a consumer, he would not be held responsible for damage or theft to the apparatus or tampering with the seal. 

'Supply code' regulations have been amended after it came to notice that although the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) had installed meters outside premises of consumers, theft cases were registered if seal was found broken or tampered with although the meters were consumers custody.

The clause in a new notification states that in case the meter was installed outside the consumer's premises, he would not be held responsible for damage to the meter or theft or tampering with the seal.

In the same notification, another clause has been amended wherein it has been provided that in case the cost of burnt meter was charged on the consumer, he must be provided with a investigation report giving reasons for the damage.

A third amendment has been made for calculating the penalty in case of 'unauthorised use of electricity' (UUE). The penalty under UUE is charged if consumer is found to be using some load for other purpose(s) or has extended the supply to other premises. In such cases, the PSPCL was charging penalty on the total load but now onwards it would charge only for the unauthorised load.

Fom now onwards the area lineman and junior engineer concerned would be liable to protect the pillar boxes to ensure no damage was done to meters. Most of times the PSPCL employees didn't seal the pillar boxes in which meters were installed outside the house.

Amended clause 21.2 of supply code
In case a meter is  installed outside the premises of a consumer the entire cost of installing the meter outside the premises and providing a display unit within the premises will be borne by the licensee. However, the cost of display unit will be treated as part of the meter cost while determining meter rentals. The display unit may not be installed by the licensee if the consumer so opts. In such an event, monthly rentals on this account will not be levied. In a case where the meter/metering equipment is installed by the licensee outside the premises of a consumer, the consumer will not be responsible for the protection of the meter from theft or damage to the seals/meter or tampering of the seals /meter."

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