Gen Z entrepreneurs India (Img AI Generated) (1)
New Delhi: Now, anyone—from vegetable vendors to grocery store owners—can start a business on WhatsApp for just ₹10. Similarly, an online business for any product can be launched for merely ₹99. Technology can be leveraged to boost product sales and popularize items among the public.
At the 'Bharatiya Vyapar Mahotsav' (Indian Trade Festival) that began on Wednesday at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi, Gen Z entrepreneurs are showcasing their tech-savviness. A Gen Z-led startup has developed special glasses for the visually impaired; wearing them allows users to read like sighted individuals, search for content on the internet, and place online orders.
Saksham Arora, who is showcasing an AI-based startup called 'Click' at the trade festival, explained that their AI tool allows an online store for any product to be set up in just one minute. This creates an online shop through which merchants can sell their products.
The fee for this service is only ₹99. Currently, business owners often face significant hurdles when trying to showcase and sell goods online. Y. Ravi, the founder of 'Chhotu.com', stated that their app enables anyone to easily sell items—ranging from vegetables to groceries—via WhatsApp.
Vegetable and grocery vendors with limited formal education often avoid online platforms due to the complex formalities involved. However, almost everyone uses WhatsApp. With this app, business owners receive orders directly on WhatsApp.
This also provides the merchant with the buyer's phone number, allowing them to take future orders over the phone. Ravi clarified that while WhatsApp plays no direct role in the 'Chhotu.com' platform itself, they charge merchants ₹10 per day to use the app for their business.
A team led by AI engineer and SmartOn co-founder Deep Parmar has developed AI-powered glasses that allow a visually impaired person to listen to the text of a standard book placed before them. Users can also read and search on Google. Visually impaired individuals are able to read various books written in Braille.
Another startup, HandsOn, has created a 'smart hand' capable of holding a spoon for eating as well as a pen for writing. Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal, who attended the trade festival, remarked that India's traders and manufacturers are the nation's strength—a fact clearly demonstrated by the Indian Trade Festival. Their products are leaving an indelible mark on the global market.
