The Indian Institute of Management Udaipur successfully organized the first edition of the “IIM-Udaipur E-commerce Excursus” on 23rd November 2013 at the institute. Focusing on the importance of innovation, the theme for the summit was “Shifting Gears: New trends in E-commerce.”

The event was inaugurated with a Welcome Address by Prof. Janat Shah, Director, IIM Udaipur, where he emphasized on the significance o f management education in being a transformation experience for the students.

He spoke on the importance given at IIM Udaipur towards entrepreneurship, analytics and developing leadership capabilities in students.

Srikant Gokhale, the Founder & CEO of East Avenue, a global research company gave the inaugural speech for the panel discussions. In his address, Gokhale shared his knowledge on the E-commerce & the Online Retail industry in India. He also educated the students on the future growth prospects present in this field.

The Conclave encompassed a Presentation Challenge and a Panel Discussion. The Presentation Challenge comprised of a competition amongst student teams presenting solutions to issues faced by the Indian E-commerce firms. The panel discussion was a platform for industry leaders to share their expertise through engaging dialogues on the theme “Shifting Gears: New trends in E-commerce”

The event saw stalwarts from the top E-commerce firms expressing their knowledge and views regarding the future of the industry. The panel comprised of Hitesh Oberoi, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer at Info Edge (India) Ltd and Naukri.com; Pranay Chulet, Founder & CEO of Quikr India Pvt. Ltd; and Manish Godha, CEO and Founder at Advaiya Solutions Pvt. Ltd.

The speakers brought in different perspectives to the discussion sharing their vast experience in the E- commerce business. They discussed the fast pace at which the E-commerce industry is expanding in India and the implications of the same. They shared their views on how companies can bring improvements and adopt various innovative techniques to meet the demands of the future.

As part of the presentation challenge, the students of IIM Udaipur presented their analysis and recommendations for specific business challenges existing in the Ecommerce industry.

The challenges were pertaining to adopting the right marketing strategy and supply chain management strategy to resolve the issues faced by the E- commerce firms. The presentations were judged by the esteemed guest speakers.

The E-commerce Excursus concluded with declaration of results for the business challenge competition followed by a vote of thanks. The panel discussion, the student presentations as well as the quality interaction with the industry leaders was an enriching experience for the students of IIM Udaipur.