How Qaddoo’s hyperlocal approach helps small retailers go digital with its app

Qaddoo App

With online transactions becoming the new normal, consumer buying has migrated to online platforms. This is affecting small retailers who are not just losing out on regular walk-ins, but also on their loyal customers. However, for a business to sustain, it is vital to retain these pool of customers and Qaddoo helps in overcoming the problem. The company has formulated an easy way to assist mom and pop shops, vegetable and fruit vendors, road-side hawkers and small kirana stores by moving them to a digital place via the Qaddoo App.

"Using hyperlocal approach, the company enables the small marketers to fulfill the needs of a limited geographical area. This ecosystem enables customers to buy anything from their neighbourhood store, while the seller gets to decide the factors such as price, time and point of delivery," inform co-founders Anurag Gupta and Sumit Kapoor.

Presenting an option of creating location based retail stores, Qaddoo enables joining groups for sharing news, events, videos etc., promoting offers to attract visitors, creating real-time posts for any location, and chatting one-on-one with the user or admin of the group.

Hyperlocal technique stands to contribute majorly to the Indian economy, and Qaddoo identifies the need to bridge this gap between small and large scale retailers. With a shifting trend, consumers have chosen to engage with big e-commerce platforms, but this activity harms local vendors situated in close proximity.

In order to tackle such situations, Qaddoo works as an enabler rather than just being a facilitator at any stage. By this method, the company allows a local vendor to sell products at a price of their choice, which eliminates a situation whereby they have to sell their products at a lower price, thus, giving an upper hand to small retailers.

One-size never fits-all. Hence, the company has created a platform that empowers the retailer to manage and curate their stores as they please. From vegetable stores and hawkers, kirana stores to home chefs, and personal and home care services, all kinds of businesses get to run their operations digitally. The USP of the application remains that each retailer has an option to maintain his catalogue and keep all his user data. Moreover, the company does not charge any commission and the transactions remain exclusive to retailers and consumers.

When a big retail giant opened its branches in America, the idea seemed simple, i.e., to generate more employment. And as early as 2006, some months before the store was opened in Austin, researchers counted 306 small businesses operating in the surrounding area. But only two years later, an astounding 82 of those closed. The amplification of such an activity is what Qaddoo seeks to nullify.

"Today in India, especially after the dawn of COVID-19, the need for nearby stores, vegetable vendors and pharmacy stores is strongly felt. And with the introduction of Qaddoo, the same retailer gets to open an online store, saving their business from going insolvent," explains Anurag Gupta. He adds that if India lets the idea of buying from the big stores prosper, it would lose small chains just as the US had over the years.

As per the stats provided by the Udyam Registration portal, India has approximately 63 million small retailers, vendors and hawkers. And this sector contributes one-third of the nation's GDP. So, the loss would be staggering to take, unless companies like Qaddoo come to the aid. Currently, more than 10 million of these stores have adapted well with the technological changes, but that still leaves a major chunk out from this ever evolving loop.

One such small business owner left out from going digital was Rahim, a vegetable and fruit vendor we interviewed. His life had been severely impacted by the pandemic. He explained that his daily income fell drastically and that he was barely making ends meet. The vegetables and fruits he purchased, often ended up getting rotten because people did not show up. Also, if he bought small amounts, the overhead costs multiplied, causing more financial crunch.
"Rahim is only one such individual Qaddoo aims to help and make him feel equal and privileged in what he does, elaborates Sumit Kapoor.

But challenges still surmount; and among issues often neglected, one such scenario is avoiding the language our local retailers can understand. With Qaddoo App, this barrier has also been taken care of.

If an order is placed in English, but the retailer has selected Hindi as their preferred language, they would receive the order in their desired language. The company continues to work in this arena and is committed to introducing more vernacular languages on the platform.
"Small businesses are the backbone of the Indian economy. They highlight the nations true potential. By being able to fight this disparity between retailers of small and large segments, the company is saving the jobs of hundreds of workers employed at these stores," explains Anurag Gupta.