Usually, businesses may start by selling on Amazon, but eventually they all need their own store to create their own brand and grow global. With Zoho Commerce you can do that. It doesn't limit you to geographical boundaries. What they need is a platform like this to run their ecommerce store.
- Pulkit Om Gupta,
Partner, Ushma
The Partner
Ushma, a brand under Om Sri Matre Namah LLP, has been helping small and medium enterprises (SMEs) automate their business since 2018. Four years back, with their expertise in product development, marketing and sales, they wanted to grow their business further and decided they would focus on enabling automation in businesses with the help of tech.
The Challenge
While automation helps founders focus on growth rather than dwell upon day-to-day business functions, the search was on to find a suitable partner for this work. In 2021, Ushma began their association with Zoho as its implementation partner. In the words of Pulkit Om Gupta, co-founder, Ushma, they wanted to "shake hands with one of the finest products available in India."
The Solution
In Zoho they found a brand that has a range of applications for end-to-end business operations, from accounting and inventory to commerce. The products offered by Zoho were clean and simple. Ushma began their implementation journey with Zoho Finance. "We had an understanding of Zoho Books and Inventory so got started with them," Pulkit says. "We began receiving requests from people for Commerce when people wanted to build their online store."
Ushma did the first Zoho Commerce implementation in June 2021. "Our first client was a wholesaler of footwear that wanted to build a B2B website for their business. While a lot of options were there online like Shopify and Prestashop, we felt Zoho Commerce was the right fit in terms of features and cost. It hit the sweet spot, and since then, we have had a fruitful journey with Commerce," Pulkit says. By the end of the year, one more Commerce implementation was done.
A lot of SMEs are not very keen to promote their work on websites because they do not realize the potential of online selling," he says. "Some have a website but do not know to promote it. Zoho Commerce is a good option for all of them. We are in touch with many SME forums in India, and the fact that there are around 6.5 million registered SMEs in India shows the scope of Zoho Commerce .
- Hariharan M
Partner, Ushma
Commerce Customer
Being a Zoho Commerce partner, Hariharan, Ushma' co-founder, believes that a typical Commerce customer is a new-age entrepreneur or even someone who is a home-based seller. "A lot of SMEs are not very keen to promote their work on websites because they do not realize the potential of online selling," he says. "Some have a website but do not know to promote it. Zoho Commerce is a good option for all of them. We are in touch with many SME forums in India, and the fact that there are around 6.5 million registered SMEs in India shows the scope of Zoho Commerce."
Ecommerce has seen phenomenal growth since the beginning of the pandemic. People are increasingly placing their orders online, and Pulkit believes that a new-age business cannot be imagined today without ecommerce to propel it. "The reach is wider with ecommerce. The other impractical option is to set up a brick and mortar store in every nook and corner of the country."
Pulkit points out the fact that businesses follow two channels for online selling: the marketplace and their own e-store. "Usually, businesses may start by selling on Amazon, but eventually they all need their own store to create their own brand and grow global. With Zoho Commerce you can do that. It doesn't limit you to geographical boundaries. What they need is a platform like this to run their ecommerce store."
A lot of the work of the partner goes into locating the customer in the right place. To start with, Ushma has been using cross-selling to suggest Zoho Commerce to their clients. "Our customer base is varied," Hari says. "We also use events as a platform to create awareness about Commerce, and we reach out to ecommerce groups to introduce Zoho Commerce. A typical customer of Commerce is conscious of the budget and likes simplicity. It works well."
Why Commerce Sells
Simplicity lies at the core of ecommerce, according to Pulkit. He points out three factors that make Zoho Commerce an exciting option. "The interface is simple and it is easy to set up. A person can quickly go to the market with a store. Secondly, the integration with Zoho Inventory and Zoho Books is a big advantage. Many of our clients struggle maintaining offline and online inventories separately and this integration solves that issue."
And then there is the cost. "I have gone through other platforms and known clients who have been paying huge sums before migrating to Zoho Commerce, which gets done the same work of those expensive site builders at half the cost. We have got a very good response for Zoho Commerce from the market. Nothing beats Commerce for standalone users."
The Road Ahead
The future seems promising to Hari, and he hopes to see more traction in Zoho Commerce. "We will be targeting specific events to promote Zoho Commerce as an option for entrepreneurs. We are planning to increase our digital marketing presence, which will provide us with better leads."
Presenting Zoho as a comprehensive business solution seems to be the way ahead. "The integrations work seamlessly in Zoho, and it solves the bigger goal of enabling automation in business," Pulkit says. "Our work will be in that direction."