Retailers Digitization

 With the arrival of mass media in every nook and corner of our country, it has started knocking doors of retailers.

For what has been followed for decades, in the business practice of small shops, an orthodox nature is inevitable. Retailers account for over 10% of GDP and 8% of employment in India.

With the customers moving online, companies have started to approach Kirana shop owners, in a bid to digitize their whole process. But the shop owners are reluctant in joining the trend for they cannot see any profit in using these digital platforms. According to them, WhatsApp is solving the purpose of reaching their customers.

In the retail sector, 4% of these you can find online, 12% have organized offline business whereas 84% include the unorganized Kirana shops. It is for this unorganized section that companies are aiming for. 

Around 1.5 crores of Kirana shops, 1 shop is available for every 100 people. They have a margin of 7-8% and an average earning per month is around INR 20k.

Various firms are directly offering plug and play services. They want to deliver services related to tax filing, inventory management, payment options, delivery of the goods and services, etc.

With the customers moving on to the indulgent buying, as a result of lockdown, in order to keep themselves entertained, there's a need for retailers to expand their businesses. But few things, such as their bonds with the distributors, who are readily available in delivering products in smaller lots and take back the damaged goods, prevent them from moving forward.

Apart from this, many Kirana shop owners find it difficult to deal with the ever-changing technology. Hence, there is a need for user-friendly platform which is hassle-free, in order to share a vision and ownership, for the expansion of their businesses and bring them out of the glut that they're are facing right now.