They just released a mobile app that helps small Indian businesses go cashless

If you’re a small business owner in India, November’s probably not looking like your month. In addition to running your business, you might be worried about going digital as cash transactions become harder and harder following the government’s move to demonetize some notes. ATMs have put a limit on withdrawals, making it hard for consumers to get their hands on cash. It’s also difficult for merchants to make change.

Tackling digital payments may seem daunting for a shop owner who has always operated with cash, Singapore-based Shopmatic has released a product that might help.

Shopmatic lets users in India, Singapore, and Hong Kong build their own online stores, complete with a payment gateway.

This month, the company released Shopmatic Go, which is a streamlined version of its product, specifically for Android. Shopmatic Go allows sellers to set up their online stores, get their own online domains, accept online payments, advertise to customers and a social circle, and get reports on successful sales.

See: Airtel Bank opens its doors as India grapples with demonetization crisis

Much like its parent product, users can take snapshots (or pick from the app’s photo gallery) of their products and/or services, fill in the product details, and share the store (and its stock) through channels, including WhatsApp, Facebook, and email.

See: The startup doing the splits on online and hyperlocal commerce in India

Open for business

It wasn’t about leaving PayPal as much as it was about creating a solution.

I was able to set up a shop of my own on Shopmatic Go. It took about five minutes instead of the two advertised, but it was surprisingly straightforward, much like signing up for a subscription. I put in my business address and phone number. Then I took pictures of my merchandise and enter in pricing information, along with how many of each item I had in stock. I enabled the payment options I wanted with a couple of finger swipes, and my store was published. I had the option of publishing it on different social media outlets as well.

Insta-store

The business is not limited to startups – Anurag brings up an entrepreneur who makes cupcakes at home and wants to organize her orders through an online channel or someone who makes earrings. “[That type of business] is not a startup in a true sense, but we’re helping them to startup their business,” he says. Creating a mobile version was the next step on the way to hitting that goal.