Small businesses are riding the ecommerce wave; UPI transactions cross 1 trillion

Thursday January 03, 2019 , 3 min Read

Say hello to startups that are enabling small businesses to go online. When it comes to ecommerce, the conversation unsurprisingly includes a mention of biggies like Amazon and Flipkart. But there’s an emerging crop of startups – like ShopX, LaYuva, Meesho, Shopmatic, Shyplite, Shop101, GlowRoad, Ezmall Zepo, Kartrocket, and Shopify – who are enabling small sellers to ride the ecommerce wave in India. These ecommerce startups are providing end-to-end services for these small businesses, from sourcing products from India or abroad to ensuring last-mile delivery.

What is AI?

Simply put, it is basically a bunch of algorithms that learn constantly and take actions cognitively when challenged with complex tasks. Why is it important? Other than the fact that the entire world seems to be talking about and leaning towards artificial intelligence and machine learning, most businesses and startups are actively utilizing this new tech, which means it’s imperative for Indian job seekers and professionals to upskill in order to keep pace with the growing demand.

UPI transactions cross the Rs 1 trillion mark

In November, the total number of transactions processed by payment infrastructure Unified Payments Interface (UPI) stood at 524.94 million. A month since then, the transaction volume has increased by 18 percent, with UPI registering 620.17 million worth ₹102,594.82 crore in December. The 18 percent growth rate seems promising especially after November had seen one of the slowest growth rates of 8.8 percent for the network.

All about unleashing the power of storytelling

Rob Biesenbach’s book Unleash the Power of Storytelling: Win Hearts, Change Minds, Get Results is all about – as you would have guessed it – storytelling. In a world of information overload, noise and hype, the author suggests that stories can cut through the clutter, get the message across, and influence people. His book covers company origin stories, the use of stories during presentations, and personal brand stories.

Zomato’s year in a review

2018 has been significant for foodtech unicorn Zomato in several respects. Apart from launching new programmes, the 10-year-old company made multiple acquisitions and even raised two rounds of funds from Ant Financials. It was also in the past year that the company diversified into areas where its competitors are yet to make inroads – its entry into the supply chain business.

Google Maps for chat? Yes it’s happening

Google Maps announced the launch of Messages – its instant messaging service to chat with local businesses – in November last year. And now the feature has caught attention, thanks to media reports. The feature is an extension of the company's Business Profile feature. Just in case you were worried about the cons of yet another instant messaging service – there are way too many chat services/apps already – this feature is not for exchanging messages with your friends and family.