This comes after the Reserve Bank of India last week directed Paytm, one of the largest payments apps in the country, to cease accepting new deposits and allowing credit transactions after February 29 due to supervisory concerns and non-compliance of rules.
FMCG companies had indicated that consistent decline in rural markets had halted in the September quarter but deficient rains, followed by a spike in food prices affected the second part of the quarter. Sales in villages fell 9.6% year-on-year in November, more than the 3.5% decline in cities, said Bizom, which expects rural consumption rebound to take slightly longer.
The move is an extension of its internal ordering app Shikhar, which allows small neighbourhood stores to order directly from it. For HUL, the country s biggest packaged consumer goods firm, the app now accounts for about a third of its sales from neighbourhood retailers. Last year, HUL became the first fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) firm to join ONDC through its multi-brand direct-to-consumer platform, UShop.
A new generation of kirana store owners is tucking into independent, self-service, modern retail stores with gusto, propelled by rising consumption boom, improved supply chain efficiencies, deep penetration of digital payments systems, and an unmatched understanding of the customer