NEW DELHI: With the pandemic and subsequent social distancing norms likely to put a crimp in the normal way of business for many small and medium firms, the utility of contact-less, networking mobile applications and online platforms in facilitating business transactions remotely is becoming apparent very fast. For example, the Anar B2B application, the brainchild of two IIM-Lucknow alumni, has seen downloads and usage shoot up over the course of the consequent lockdowns.
Launched in January 2020, the platform had onboarded more than 1,500 businesses within the first two months. Five months on, the number stands at over 10,000.According to the company, the Anar B2B app has attracted attention because it is a network platform for businesses where they can connect and interact virtually, engage in trading and build their business from their smartphones —a crucial requirement at a time when social distancing norms are mandatory.
“The pre-Covid19 scenario saw a pool of retailers visiting the wholesale markets to make bulk purchases. A large number of wholesalers and retailers come in one place to interact and trade. Another prevalent way was wholesalers sending their sales team to retailers to display their offerings and trying to get a transaction in place. Post-Covid19, businesses will be more cautious in trading in populous markets or entertaining salespeople, who must be coming to their place after visiting scores of other businesses,” the company said.
The Anar B2B platform is focusing on leveraging this behavioural change to drive usage. Users can create business profiles on the app and upload their products to begin networking on the platform. The app enables users to connect with buyers online, share information on products and take orders and manage deals--all from the app. Anar also has an advanced reporting feature which helps suppliers see which buyers saw, liked or shortlisted their products.