WhatsApp launches SMBSaathi Utsav to help small biz adopt digital mediums

SMBSaathi Utsav has kicked off with a pilot in Jaipur's Johri Bazaar and Bapu Bazaar where over 500 small businesses are being trained on various aspects of running business online

WhatsApp India today announced SMBSaathi Utsav - an initiative that aims to support small businesses by helping them adopt digital mediums such as the WhatsApp Business App to run their business.

SMBSaathi Utsav has kicked off with a pilot in Jaipur’s Johri Bazaar and Bapu Bazaar where over 500 small businesses are being trained on various aspects of running their business online. Launched in collaboration with Josh Talks the intent of this initiative is to educate and help small businesses unlock the potential of their business through WhatsApp.

India is home to approximately 6.3 Cr MSMEs accounting for 30% of the country’s GDP and employing over 110 million people at present. During the pandemic, these businesses were severely affected witnessing a 20-50% decline in their overall earnings. One of the major reasons behind this fall was the lack of market access, said a press statement from WhatsApp.

To help these businesses revive from this downturn, WhatsApp launched the SMBSaathi initiative earlier this year, which showcased inspiring stories of business owners across India who pivoted to digital ways of doing business during the pandemic. For many of these businesses WhatsApp was their first digital gateway and an easier and more effective alternative to building and maintaining a website. The SMBSaathi Utsav is the second phase of the SMBSaathi campaign.

Abhijit Bose, Head of WhatsApp India said, “We are excited to launch the SMBSaathi and SMBSaathi Utsav programmes dedicated to India’s small business community. Small businesses are the backbone of our economy and technology has the potential to further boost their business. During the pandemic, we saw several small business owners thriving by using simple platforms such as WhatsApp Business App to stay connected with their customers. We are committed to finding new ways of increasing awareness about simple digital tools for businesses to support and celebrate the spirit of entrepreneurship and innovation in India.”

As part of the SMBSaathi Utsav, trained volunteers are providing one-on-one digital training to businesses in Johri Bazar and Bapu Bazaar in Jaipur. These trainings involve educating the business owners about building a digital presence on the WhatsApp Business App to help them better manage incoming leads and queries, build a product/services showcase and market to key audiences using online tools.

Businesses across sectors such as traditional arts and handicrafts, jewelry, fashion and apparel, food and beverage outlets and several others are being trained on using the various features of the WhatsApp Business App and are being guided on how they can market their product to the right audiences.