When the nationwide lockdown came into effect on March 24, 2020, kiranas, vegetable vendors, small pharmacies and local stores came to the rescue to service India’s essential needs.
But now, as restrictions around the country ease, these small businesses are staring at uncertain times. Supply chain disruptions and reduced consumer spending on the back of the COVID-19 pandemic have put their survival at risk.
Over 24 percent of Indian small businesses are facing an existential crisis of sorts today, and could shut down permanently if conditions worsen.
The need to support small businesses and help customers realise they play a crucial role in this mission is now more pressing than ever.
In keeping with this, Google recently announced a Make Small Strong initiative to start a community-wide drive and encourage consumers to go vocal for local. It partnered with Dunzo and Swiggy to fast track the on-boarding process, with both partners committing to provide additional support to small businesses to start accepting orders online and enable delivery logistics.
To tell us more about how Google India is addressing some of the key survival challenges faced by small businesses, we’ll hear directly from Sapna Chadha, Senior Marketing Director, Google India and Southeast Asia at TechSparks 2020 on Effective Marketing as a Strategic Tool.
During this important session that is a must-attend for businesses big and small, Sapna will shed some light on the various tools small ventures can use to recover from the slump they’ve been forced to face.
From her vantage point which gives her a wide-angle view of several sectors, she’ll be able to tell you exactly what small businesses, across industries, need to do to build a digital presence; how they can leverage the offerings of some of Google’s other partner-firms - like Zoho and Instamojo; what logistics network they need to build on the ground to enable better customer-reach; and how small businesses can build resilient supply chains, among others things.
Catch this conversation between Sapna Chadha and YourStory Founder and CEO Shradha Sharma only at TechSparks 2020, India’s largest startup-tech conference, coming to your homes in an all-virtual experience on 26-30 Oct 2020.
For this and other such events, check out our TechSparks 2020 website. You can also book your place for this all-virtual conference via Paytm Insider or BookMyShow or TownScript.
Edited by Aparajita Saxena
Link : https://yourstory.com/2020/10/techsparks2020-google-india-make-small-strong
Author :- Rishabh Mansur ( )
October 18, 2020 at 07:35AM
YourStory