Digitisation is helping traditional retailers resolve problems related to the multi-layered process of ordering products and paying for them. One of the companies aiding this transformation is Bengaluru-based start-up Shotang, which connects retailers and manufacturers. “We have an app in which the retailer places orders. The system, over a period of time, tells him what to order for; he makes payments for all the orders, in cash or digitally,” explains Anish Basu Roy, Co-Founder & CEO.

There is a platform for sellers too, where the products are listed. “We feed intelligence to them as well, like the price range, what is moving and so on, so that they can build their inventory intelligently,” he explains.

In the traditional, manual process, manufacturers didn’t know where the demand was coming from, or where it was likely to come from, or at what price products might sell. At the other end, retailers were unaware of the products manufacturers had and what offers they were running. Digitisation resolves these issues.

Shotang now operates in seven cities, with a team of over 300 employees, and has around 16,000 retailers on board. The company was part of the Microsoft Accelerator programme. “Shotang was chosen for its strong business model and its relevance to retail businesses. They have demonstrated it is possible to take on a local problem and solve it with great success,” says Bala Girisaballa, Managing Director, Microsoft Accelerator India.

Read more about Shotang in the full article on The Hindu.