CXOToday has engaged in an exclusive interview with Krishnan Naranapatty, Founder & CEO – Zupain
Q- Why should retailers start building online stores and how does technology help?
There is an anecdote that I always like to share with our clients. Picture this: your neighbor opens a big shop right next to your home, it’s convenient, and so you start selling your homemade pickles at his shop.
As soon as you make your first sale, he takes away 20% of your sales money, and on the top of that, he covers the faces of your customers, so you don’t know who they are, where they live, or how to reach them ever again!
Strange right?
This might sound unusual, but it mirrors how small businesses list their products on large online marketplaces. While these platforms can boost sales due to their extensive reach, they also take a significant share of profits and keep crucial customer data under lock and key.
Over the past decade, navigating the evolving e-commerce landscape in India with Zupain has shown me that while platforms like Amazon, Flipkart, and social selling sites like Instagram offer substantial visibility, owning an independent e-commerce store provides unparalleled benefits.
Here’s why every small business should consider creating their own online store, especially as the industry is projected to grow by 26% year-over-year in FY-2023 in India:
- Brand Autonomy: When small businesses operate their websites, they completely control their brand narrative. This autonomy allows them to stand out without having to navigate the complex algorithms of marketplaces that often bury individuality in a sea of competitors.
- Direct Access to Customer Insights & Customized Marketing: On marketplaces, critical customer insights remain inaccessible. However, when small businesses manage their own e-commerce platforms, they gain direct access to valuable data. This enables them to tailor their marketing strategies effectively, enhancing customer engagement and fostering loyalty.
- Higher Profit Margins: Marketplaces charge fees that can significantly cut into profit margins. By managing their own e-commerce sites, small businesses eliminate these middleman fees, allowing them to keep a larger portion of their revenue.
- Personalized Customer Relationships: Unlike the minimal and generic interactions facilitated by marketplaces, having their own e-commerce sites allows small businesses to personalize their service. From customized loyalty programs to engaging content, they can create a community around their brand. An example includes a local artisan from Chennai who transformed his business by using his website to share his journey toward sustainable sourcing with his customers.
- Operational Efficiency: Advanced e-commerce solutions help streamline everything from inventory management to payment processing and logistics. This not only improves operational efficiency but also frees up small business owners to focus more on strategic growth initiatives rather than daily operational tasks.
While marketplaces are a good starting point for gaining initial exposure, they do not support the depth of engagement or strategic control that a dedicated e-commerce website offers.
By investing in their own platforms, small businesses ensure that every aspect of the customer experience is tailored to reflect their unique brand ethos and meet their strategic goals.
This direct connection with customers not only builds a loyal community but also transforms casual shoppers into lifelong patrons, setting the stage for sustained success in the competitive digital marketplace.
Now, talking about how can businesses create their e-commerce store:
Entrepreneurs today don’t need to get bogged down even if their tech knowledge is limited to clicking selfies on a smartphone.
It’s 2024, and with the democratization of e-commerce by global players like Shopify, and Woocommerce and players like Zupain and Dukaan in India; a local artisan in Ambala can market her products as widely as a seasoned entrepreneur in Mumbai.
Today, many platforms help budding entrepreneurs build an e-commerce store and provide a user-friendly interface with integrated payment gateways, shipping partners, and communication tools like WhatsApp, facilitating a seamless start and expansion of their online operations.
Although, working closely with micro-entrepreneurs from India’s T-2/T-3 towns for the last 2 years, we realized that while there were quite a few DIY website builders available, many Indian entrepreneurs come from a non-tech background and find it challenging to devote time and resources to understanding the platforms and creating their e-commerce site using the DIY website builders; that is where Zupain started handholding them end-to-end and took charge of the creation, launch, and maintenance of their e-commerce platforms, becoming India’s first WeDIY: We-do-it-for-you E-commerce Platform.
I can confidently say that with an e-commerce store being created for as low as ₹6999/- by platforms like Zupain; technology today is not an entry barrier for small and micro-entrepreneurs to start their D2C journey. . They just need to select a platform that creates for them/ lets them create an intuitive UX and integrates essential functionalities in their budget.
As India’s 1st We-do-it-for-you e-commerce platform, we, at Zupain, try to further lower this entry barrier for micro-businesses by handholding them through the entire journey and handling 100% of their tech requirements as they scale their online business.
Q- What visual techniques or engaging customer interest features do you add to e-commerce websites to increase sales? How does Zupain aim to play an important role in enhancing the shopping experience of customers?
To increase sales on e-commerce websites, particularly for micro-businesses, we at Zupain incorporate a suite of advanced features designed to enhance customer engagement and streamline the user experience.
Our target customers are India’s micro-entrepreneurs; a motivated lady from Jodhpur creating preserves with her family recipes, a boutique owner from Lucknow trying to take his physical shop digital, an IT employee and painter from Mysore who’s looking to launch his designs and art online.
What they truly need is personalized support in their e-commerce journey, and we believe no one does it for them at the scale we do. Not having the resources and bandwidth to use the DIY website builders to create their e-commerce store is their most significant pain point, and Zupain is the only one in the market today filling this need, making them feel valued and important.
Here’s how we optimize small business e-commerce platforms to be both functional and engaging:
· Customizable Storefronts
We provide micro-businesses with customizable storefront options that allow them to align the look and feel of their site with their brand identity, and give them options of layouts and designs that are at-par with D2C brands all over the world. This personalization extends beyond mere aesthetics, encompassing user experience elements that make the site intuitive and shopper-friendly.
· Seamless Integration with Payment Gateways and Logistics
Understanding the technical challenges micro-businesses face like tedious payment collection, running to courier companies for each delivery, etc., Zupain facilitates easy integration with trusted payment gateway partners like Razorpay and logistics partners like Shiprocket and Delhivery. We also make sure to tie this all together with communication tools like WhatsApp for Business to ensure the order, and delivery updates reach their customers instantly, and the communication channel can also be used for community building and more.
This not only simplifies the transaction process but also ensures smooth and reliable product delivery, critical components of customer satisfaction, and repeat business.
· Personalized Customer Support
At Zupain, we believe in personalized support throughout the e-commerce journey. Our approach is tailored to address the unique challenges faced by each business. We provide ongoing assistance, from setting up the e-commerce platform to optimizing it for sales, ensuring each business feels valued and supported.
· Strategic Marketing and Sales Tools
Zupain also offers a range of marketing tools that help businesses engage with customers effectively. From email marketing integrations that facilitate direct communication to analytics dashboards that provide insights into customer behavior, these tools empower business owners to make data-driven decisions to optimize their sales strategies.
· AI-Powered Product Descriptions
For many micro-business owners, crafting compelling product descriptions is a significant hurdle. Recognizing this, we at Zupain integrated AI-driven technology that automatically generates detailed, persuasive product descriptions as soon as an item is uploaded. This tool not only saves time but also ensures that all product listings are professional and appealing, greatly enhancing the shopping experience and boosting SEO.
- AI Image Background Editing
Visual appeal is critical in e-commerce. Zupain’s AI-assisted tool allows users to effortlessly modify product image backgrounds. This capability is crucial for creating visually cohesive and attractive product pages. Clean, distraction-free backgrounds focus the customer’s attention solely on the product, improving visual appeal and thus, increasing the likelihood of conversion.
By focusing on these key areas, Zupain not only addresses the immediate needs of micro-businesses to launch their online presence but also supports their growth and scaling efforts in the competitive digital marketplace. This comprehensive support system is designed to make every micro-business feel like a major player in the e-commerce domain.
Q- How does Zupain Academy aim to empower and upskill needful small retailers?
I am thrilled to introduce Zupain Academy, a project that is particularly close to my heart. This initiative is still in the works, and is slated to launch by the end of this month, but to sum up, Zupain Academy reflects our deep commitment to empowering micro-entrepreneurs, offering them a comprehensive, free educational program tailored to their unique needs.
The Academy is designed to equip small business owners with the skills necessary to launch, manage, and grow their online stores effectively. From transitioning from social selling to full-scale e-commerce operations to mastering product optimization and social media strategies—all at no cost—Zupain Academy embodies our dedication to supporting every aspect of our clients’ business journeys. We believe that empowering entrepreneurs with knowledge and tools is fundamental to fostering digital inclusivity and business success.
The post Role of Zupain in helping micro-entrepreneurs start their D2C e-commerce journey through Innovative Solutions and Technology appeared first on CXOToday.com.