As Paytm’s ecommerce arm Paytm Mall has massive plans of scaling up operations and build offline-to-online (O2O) commerce, it plans on onboarding trusted local stores across India to sell their inventory on its platform.
Paytm Mall plans to hire 3000 agents across the country to expand its reach to shopkeepers in tier 2 and tier 3 cities, Paytm said in a statement. These agents will enable shopkeepers with the Paytm Mall QR code solution, which consumers will be able to scan to browse their products and place an order thereby creating a smoother discovery and buying experience.
The idea is to help shopkeepers bring their catalogue online which will enable discovery of their products on Paytm’s platform.
The company says that this will help local shops sell products without having to manage inventory, payments and logistics, thereby opening up additional revenue streams for them.
Additionally, online merchants and brands can leverage this influencer network to expand their presence in the offline world.
Amit Sinha, chief operating officer – Paytm Mall says that the company aims to enable the country’s trusted local shops with technology to sell on Paytm Mall’s platform.
“Our team will on-board trusted merchants and will offer end-to-end support. This will help bring a much larger base of merchants who have been traditionally selling offline to become a part of mainstream digital e-commerce,” he adds.
The advantage for consumers, the company says, is that they will get the benefit of buying products from their local trusted retailers while also getting access to same day or next day delivery. They will soon have the option to get products delivered from the store as well as pick them from the store directly.
Paytm Mall also recently launched a comprehensive seller assistance programme to help merchants on its platform to become GST-compliant.
It claims that over 70% active merchants on its platform are already GST-compliant.
The company is supporting sellers get access to Goods and Service Tax Network (GSTN) numbers and is simplifying the process of owning multiple GSTNs across states.
For compliance, it has partnered with ClearTax, which will offer GSP and ASP to its merchants. The company also has a dedicated GST help desk to facilitate direct communication with merchants.