The coronavirus pandemic changed the way India does business. From ordering food, medicines to groceries, the restrictions brought by the pandemic hastened the adoption of technology. Small businesses and entrepreneurs, too, hitched a ride on social media to reinvent themselves.
The second edition of Fuel For India, the annual flagship event organised by Meta, formerly Facebook, on December 15 is a nod to the digital transformation of India, where growing internet penetration is fuelling new enterprises and ideas.
Jio Platforms, the digital arm of Reliance Industries, has been leading the charge. Its tie-up with Meta’s messaging service WhatsApp has reshaped retail in India. For customers, shopping is as easy as sending a message. For retailers, JioMart has helped them access a larger customer base through WhatsApp.
In a conversion with Meta Chief Business Officer Marne Levine during the virtual event, Akash and Isha Ambani, Directors, Jio Platforms, share how digital shopping is now an extension of messaging, how Jio has simplified prepaid recharge through WhatsApp and how the two companies are revolutionising customer ease. Edited excerpts:
Marne: Among Reliance Jio’s many contributions to India, it has made affordable internet access available to millions of Indians today. And that has been truly revolutionary— both for people and for businesses. It’s part of the reason our company has been so thrilled to partner closely together with you because we both share a vision of empowering small businesses and entrepreneurs.
And, so first I want to talk about the future of retail in India. How do you think our partnership has been able to deliver on our shared goals, particularly in the midst of the pandemic?
Isha: Both Meta and us believe that small businesses are the bedrock of our country’s economic backbone. The pandemic really brought home the truth that kirana shops, retailers, and small businesses urgently needed to convert their physical brick and mortar stores to digital storefronts.
For us, it meant an acceleration of delivering our responsibility to enable them digitally. We’re glad that through the power of our partnership we could decide to quickly leverage the strength of the WhatsApp platform that provides access to over 400 million people.
With an equal number of Jio subscribers, it seemed like a natural progression for us to be able to support these businesses not only through a digital connection with their customers online but also to quickly develop and build e-commerce solutions.
Akash: We currently have a base of over half a million retailers and are growing every day. We were very clear that JioMart’s unmatched network—both in online and offline retail should be leveraged optimally, given the size of the opportunity.
We continue to be so excited about our partnership with Meta and in collaboration with the WhatsApp team, we intend to build out native features that will not only help users shop seamlessly on WhatsApp but will also have help retailers increase stock assortments, improve margins and get them closer to perhaps a larger base of customers like they have never touched before. They will be able to get new orders in addition to keeping their relationships with their regular user base intact.
Isha: For Akash and I personally, this will be particularly of great significance. It means that we have moved a step closer to realising our father Mukesh Ambani’s vision of enabling millions of small retailers to become digital-first via Jio and JioMart. This for us is a really, really big motivating factor.
Marne: It is such an inspiring vision! JioMart is not only adding value to businesses but also having a material socio-economic impact. Small merchants, or kiranas, have been the backbone of India’s economy for ages. And as more and more of them join the world of e-commerce, how has this transformed the shopping experience for consumers?
Akash: The JioMart experience through WhatsApp is actually, very simply put—‘conversational’ in nature. WhatsApp is extremely simple and easy to use, so there's no customer inhibition when ordering for supplies. It’s extremely intuitive, so barriers to technology are naturally removed. Digital shopping is now just an extension of messaging via WhatsApp to JioMart, and it’s all taken care of in a couple of steps effortlessly. Really, it is a revolution in consumer ease.
Isha: All a customer needs to do is to just order away on JioMart. Bread, butter, vegetables, beverages, everything that you need in your household that day or that week… Look up a product, set up a subscription for a regular buy if that’s what you want, or get personalised recommendations based on your past purchase history, it’s all there.
Marne: Just incredible. So simple, easy and convenient for consumers. But I know it’s taken a ton of hard work, and deep collaboration to make that experience happen—and to do it at a time when nothing was normal. So let me just say thank you and congratulations to you—Isha, Akash and to everyone at Jio—for making JioMart a reality, and for trusting us in that partnership. We’re so proud of this work.
I want to pivot slightly and talk about Jio’s strong subscriber base. Jio Mobile has brought millions of people access to affordable data plans. As we’ve said, that access has been transformational. But a plan has to be more than just affordable for consumers to really rely on it—it has to also be convenient to use and easy to access. This is another area where we’ve seen a lot of potential to partner together.
A majority of mobile phone users in India are on a pre-paid recharge format, which basically means that people pay for their phone usage rentals on the go. I’d love to hear more about how Jio Mobile recharge is operating through WhatsApp, and how it’s making that experience easier for people.
Akash: I am glad you brought this up. Jio on WhatsApp is simplifying the entire “prepaid recharge”. This will bring consumers convenience like they’ve never had before.
Marne: Convenience at the fingertips of millions—I love it! Related to this, payments through WhatsApp are now live on the UPI platform. And I feel like the Jio Mobile recharge process could become even simpler for people as a result. Is that your thinking as well?
Isha: Yes, it makes it very simple for anybody to adopt. For example, for older citizens who at times may find it difficult to step outside, this Jio recharge feature through WhatsApp is so helpful! And payments on WhatsApp add to that ease!
Akash: It is really exciting how the end-to-end experience for recharge through WhatsApp along with the ability to make payments can potentially make the lives of millions of Indians more convenient.
Marne: Akash and Isha, Thank you. It’s been so lovely chatting with you. There’s so much exciting transformation happening in India right now, and we’re grateful to be partnering so closely with you and Jio. Like you, we believe we’re at an inflection point in India’s growth, and I can’t help but be inspired about the potential that lies ahead to help more businesses grow, and to create greater social and economic opportunity across the country.
Thank you so much for joining us today. I wish you the very best.
Isha and Akash: Thank you, Marne. It’s been an absolute pleasure.
Disclosure: MoneyControl is a part of the Network18 group. Network18 is controlled by Independent Media Trust, of which Reliance Industries is the sole beneficiary.
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