Paytm looks to sell offline with its QR shopping tech

BENGALURU: Digital wallet company and marketplace Paytm has launched its online-to-offline channel for shopping on Paytm Mall. The QR-code-based system has been launched by Paytm for its current partnership with Samsung and will be extended to brands in fashion, electronics and other categories.

Consumers can shop products from Paytm Mall by scanning the QR code given by Paytm to its offline merchant partners.

This allows the offline merchants to participate in assisted commerce without having to stock inventory and manage deliveries.

"The seller would earn a percentage margin on each purchase made after scanning the Paytm QR code. This margin would vary 3-20% based on the product. Currently, more than 99% of all shopping in India happens offline. We strongly believe this model will allow us to drive online traffic from offline retailers," said a Paytm spokesperson in response to emailed queries from ET.

Alibaba-owned Tmall, which showcases products from brands and authorised distributors, also incentivises purchases made through QR code scan offline on its online platform by driving additional discounts.

Online chat platform WeChat in China initiated the use of QR code for users to scan products offline and add them to their virtual carts which can be processed for transaction later.

"We aim to create an offline network as a platform for brands to reach out to millions of consumers, thereby, optimising the supply chain and marketing expenses on their behalf. This platform will also be beneficial for the partner merchants enabling them to grow their business and garner additional revenue. We are delighted to have Samsung on board for the launch of the new platform," said Amit Bagaria, vice-president of Paytm Mall.

Paytm, which has raised an additional $177-million round for its marketplace from Alibaba and subsidiary Ant Financial, is also looking to deploy similar strategy for its marketplace as Tmall.