To boost the digitization, Flipkart-owned PhonePe said it will enable digital payments for over 2.5 crore small merchants or ‘kiranas’ across India. The company will also onboard small merchants on its ‘PhonePe for Business’ app. The app will offer them end-to-end control of payment process, including instant payment confirmations, receipts and reconciliations.

PhonePe plans to reach 5,500 talukas via its merchant acquisition team that will lead to over 10,000 jobs being created in semi-urban and rural areas, it added. Despite the rapid penetration of digital payments, kiranas across India still rely on cash.

The firm said, “Kirana owners have smartphones, data and the aspiration to adopt newer technology, and are looking to acquire customers and forge deeper relationships with them”.

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Customers can discover local stores in their vicinity and connect with the merchants using the call or chat feature to place their orders, and pay remotely via the stores tab on the PhonePe app.

“Kiranas and merchants across small villages and towns are striving to progress and prosper. We are really excited to partner with them in this journey and take digital payments to the last mile of India across every village and town,” said Vivek Lohcheb, Vice President – Offline Business Development.

PhonePe has over 230 million registered users and is accepted at over 11 million merchant outlets across 500 cities nationally.