With the discontinuation of high-value notes, e-commerce has become popular among small vendors, such as those who sell fruits, tea, paan and street food in Noida.
Vendors are opting for e-commerce applications, such as Paytm, to work around the problem of shortage of low-value notes. According to them, they have also become popular among customers after the demonetisation.
Pramod Kumar, who has tea stalls outside Noida Authority’s office in Sector 6, said, “Most customers are paying for tea through e-commerce applications. It’s easy and customers don’t have to worry about change. Earlier, payment through e-commerce at my stall was rare. But now, about 100 people use this mode of payment.”
Paytm provides vendors with a quick response code (QR code), which is linked to their bank accounts. Customers need to instal the app on their mobiles to make payments. They need to scan the QR code of the vendor using the app. Once the code has been scanned, payment can be made.
Pramod Goel, who works with an e-commerce company, said, “E-commerce has certain benefits. I don’t need to stand in long queues for withdrawing Rs 100 or any other amount. Online payment through apps also saves time.”
Interestingly, as more and more vendors are going for e-commerce apps, they have also witnessed an increase in the number of customers.
Pushkar Singh, who has an eatery at the market in Sector 12, said, “The footfall at my stall has increased after November 8.”
