NEW DELHI, April 5, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — HarperCollins is excited to announce its latest publication, DIGITAL LEAPFROGS: How technology is reshaping consumer markets in India by Vijay Mahajan which is slated for release on 7th April 2022.
Non-fiction | Hardcover | INR 599
Digital Leapfrogs illustrates how technology is changing markets and lives throughout the developing world—from its upscale urban neighborhoods to its downtrodden slums and its far-flung rural farming regions, backed by comprehensive data and extensive research covering over 150 organizations.
Releasing 7th April 2022
Author Vijay Mahajan says, “Every day, it becomes all clear that technological innovations are playing a pivotal role in the continued emergence of developing countries where 86 per cent of global consumers work, shop, play, live and dream like consumers anywhere else in the developed world. In my research covering over 150 organizations and markets in developing countries, from their upscale urban neighbourhoods to slums and far-flung rural farming regions, I have witnessed the exponential changes brought about by technologies. Understanding the nature and power of these technologies provides insights into how they can transform entire economies, open new market opportunities and enhance the welfare of billions of people. I have tried to capture this revolution in Digital Leapfrogs”
Sachin Sharma, Executive Editor, HarperCollins India, says, “We are standing at an interesting cusp of time. World over, technology is bringing about changes that are not only reducing the gap between convenience for the rich and poor, it is offering novel solutions to some of the hardest problems faced by humanity. In Digital Leapfrogs, Prof. Vijay Mahajan looks closely at these technologies and how they are reshaping consumer markets in the developing world. His findings are an eye opener as he lays bare the future and what it holds for us in this very important book”
ABOUT THE BOOK
In north India, Laxman, a truck driver, takes great pride in his work. Earlier in the day, he had driven his truck to the Pataudi hub, exchanged trailers and was able to drive back to Jaipur–about 250 kilometres and four to five hours each way. Unlike other truck drivers in India, he had more free time and could go home, rather than stay on the road for days on end. He works for a company called Rivigo that uses digital technologies to create what it calls ‘relay as a service’ which makes it possible for drivers to relay trailers from hub to hub, allowing them to stay within a certain distance of their home and spend more time with family. In Kerala, Genrobotics, a start-up, has created Bandicoot, a 50-kg spider-like robot designed to shimmy down manholes and extract the waste that clogs sewers. Working wirelessly, it can do in twenty minutes what two or three manual scavengers would do in three to four hours, ensuring safety and efficiency.
In the aftermath of Covid-19 pandemic, the Indian government’s digital platform, COWIN, is helping ensure vaccination of the world’s largest democracy with maximum efficacy. The platform has now been made open source for all countries to adapt and use. Every day it becomes all too obvious how critical a role these technological innovations will play in the continued emergence of developing countries and the 86 per cent of global consumers who work, shop, play, live and dream like consumers anywhere else in the world.
Backed by comprehensive data and extensive research covering over 150 organizations, Digital Leapfrogs illustrates how these technologies are changing markets and lives throughout the developing world–from its upscale urban neighbourhoods to its downtrodden slums and its far-flung rural farming regions. Understanding the nature and power of these platforms and technologies will reveal critical insights into how they can transform entire economies, open vast new market opportunities and enhance the welfare of billions of people.
PRAISE FOR THE BOOK
‘The rapid expansion of affordable smartphones and access to data network in developing countries like India are reshaping consumer markets. Digital Leapfrogs provides a powerful analysis of the opportunities offered by digital technologies to improve the everyday lives of rural and urban populations.’
– Sanjay Mashruwala, managing director, Reliance Jio
‘Digital technologies not only expand reach and democratize access, but they also enable the development of brilliant new products and services. Vijay Mahajan’s book documents how entrepreneurs and an increasing number of unicorns in a developing country like India are developing cutting-edge solutions in various sectors including education, finance and payments, healthcare, agriculture, retail, transportation, public services, media and entertainment.’
– Rajan Anandan, managing director, India, Sequoia Capital
‘Digital platforms have become an integral part of the integrated marketing communication strategies. Advertising companies are developing innovative ways to reach consumers not just for sales but also to inspire social change. The data and case studies from a developing country like India presented in this book are a must-read to understand the leapfrog impact of digital technologies on the hearts and minds of consumers.’
– C.V.L. Srinivas, country manager, India, WPP
Social technologies provide tools to connect people and businesses everywhere. These tools provide the unique capacity to fuel inclusive economic and social growth and transformation. Insights and case studies included in this book highlight how digital technologies are helping countries like India simultaneously navigate the opportunities and issues of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.’
                                                                 – Ajit Mohan, vice president and managing director, India, Meta
‘Digital leapfrogs are no longer restricted to social media campaigns and online marketing efforts. Digitization touches every facet of an organization—from the supply chain to manufacturing to the workplace. Today, technology enables organizations to have a workplace without walls, to address demand and supply through the click of a button and reach consumers in their homes—and therein lies its true value. Vijay Mahajan, in his new book, succinctly highlights the power of digital technologies in managing complex consumer markets in a developing country like India.’
                                           –Sanjiv Mehta, chairman and managing director, Hindustan Unilever Limited, and president, Unilever South Asia
 
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Vijay Mahajan holds the John P. Harbin Centennial Chair in Business at the McCombs School of Business, University of Texas at Austin. He is a fellow of the American Marketing Association (AMA) and has received several lifetime achievement awards including the Charles Coolidge Parlin Marketing Research Award for visionary leadership in scientific marketing. In 2006, he received the Distinguished Alumnus Award from the Indian Institute of Technology (Kanpur) for his contributions to management research. He served as the dean of the Indian School of Business in Hyderabad from 2002 to 2004. Mahajan is the author of thirteen books including Africa Rising, The 86% Solution, The Arab World Unbound and Rise of Rural Consumers in Developing Countries.
For reviews, interviews, excerpts, and more information, please contact Vandana Rathore at vandana.rathore@harpercollins.co.in
About HarperCollins India 
HarperCollins India publishes some of the finest writers from the Indian Subcontinent and around the world, publishing approximately 200 new books every year, with a print and digital catalogue of more than 2,000 titles across 10 imprints. Its authors have won almost every major literary award including the Man Booker Prize, JCB Prize, DSC Prize, New India Foundation Award, Atta Galatta Prize, Shakti Bhatt Prize, Gourmand Cookbook Award, Publishing Next Award, Tata Literature Live! Award, Gaja Capital Business Book Prize, BICW Award, Sushila Devi Award, Sahitya Akademi Award and Crossword Book Award. HarperCollins India also represents some of the finest publishers in the world including Harvard University Press, Gallup Press, Oneworld, Bonnier Zaffre, Usborne, Dover and Lonely Planet. HarperCollins India is now the recipient of five Publisher of the Year Awards – In 2021 and 2015 at the Publishing Next Industry Awards, and in 2021, 2018 and 2016 at Tata Literature Live. HarperCollins India is a subsidiary of HarperCollins Publishers.
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