Learn How Google is Helping Small Business in India

The pandemic has affected millions of lives and businesses globally. On one side, lives have been halted due to the contagion, on the other hand, businesses do not see clients or customer footfall. In such a situation, technology has turned into an effective medium to run the business despite shutting down the office and small business temporarily. The American technology firm, Google has said it has played a pivotal role in this transformation, reported Money Control.

There are over 26 million small businesses, which are discoverable on Google. These companies can be found on the search button of Google as well as on the maps, helping them to be discovered. Google also facilitates more than 150 million direct connections between online businesses and customers through its multiple platforms, the cited media agency reported quoting Caesar Sengupta, Google Vice President for payments and the next billion users' initiative.

There are three million merchants who are using Google Pay Business, which was launched last year, to accept digital payments. During the lockdown, when discoverability became a challenge, Google launched Nearby Stores on Pay, which enabled consumers to look for availability of products around them. Within two months of the launch, more than two million people used this service, Sengupta said. 

Apart from small business, large players have also been employing Google applications to enhance their customers’ experience. The tech giant is leveraging its payment unit, Google Pay to form an omnichannel consumption experience for its users. All Google-backed applications are the crux of a plan to motivate SMEs to step into the Internet realm and sell products as well as services online.

In this segment, Google is in competition with the social media platform, Facebook. Facebook already runs messaging app, WhatsApp in collaboration with Reliance Jio. The collaboration will help transform SME into digital business, accept online orders, approve digital payments and deliver orders on the customers’ doorstep.  

This is the same ecosystem that Google is also trying to create. Discover shops through Google Search, find them on the app, find out what is in stock, order online and make payments online. In partnership with delivery players, the shop can undertake deliveries as well.

Google Announces Fund to Invest in India’s Digital Economy 

To uphold India’s digital economy, the tech player, Google has lately proclaimed a series of plans to increase digital services across the country. Under this new fund, the tech giant is committing money for 4 areas that are: 

• Enabling affordable internet access and information for Indians in Indian languages.
• Building new products and services that are relevant to India’s unique needs and challenges.
• Leveraging technology and AI for social good in areas like health, education and agriculture.
• Empowering businesses in their digital transformation journey.

The digitisation of SMBs across the country has also been pivotal to the transformation with 26 million SMBs now discoverable on various apps of Google. Online payment app,Google Pay has been a success story of the tech giant that has offered the Indian families access to essential goods during the lockdowns, reported Inc42.

"Just four years ago, only one-third of all small businesses in India had an online presence. Today, 26 million SMBs are now discoverable on Search and Maps, driving connections with more than 150 million users every month," Pichai said in the company’s official statement.

According to the tech giant’s top executive, Google Pay has reached more than 3 million merchant users in the country.