In recent times there has been a rapid rise in quick commerce. The convenience of instant deliveries and the wide range of products they offer has led to a big boom for companies like Zepto, Blinkit and Instamart among others. A report last year claimed that as many as 2 lakh neighbourhood kirana stores had closed due to the shifting consumer preferences towards quick commerce.
Bengaluru-based quick commerce startup KiranaPro wants to give kirana stores a new lease of life. Unlike other quick commerce companies, which typically open dark stores from where they fulfil the orders, and thus compete with kiranas, KiranaPro connects the consumer with local kirana stores via the ONDC (Open Network of Digital Commerce) network. It runs on an AI (artificial intelligence)- driven model. In a way, KiranaPro is partnering with kiranas and empowering them through technology.
"We all use Siri or Google Assistant. So, Kirana Pro is like an AI assistant for you for shopping...We are the first AI agent to talk to a local kirana store and find the product for you," explained Deepak Ravindran, the co-founder of KiranaPro.
The company has so far onboarded around 30,000 kiranas.
"We will accelerate our expansion, bringing more kirana stores into the digital economy and strengthening their ability to compete in the era of quick commerce," said Ravindran. It plans to onboard 1 million kirana stores and serve nearly 100 million customers.
Recently, KiranaPro roped in badminton star PV Sindhu as an investor brand ambassador. Last year, KiranaPro raised seed funds, with participation from venture capital firms like Unpopular Ventures, Snow Leopard, Turbostart, and Blume.
KiranaPro is currently live in Thrissur and Kochi in Kerala. The company is also live in Hyderabad, Mumbai and Bengaluru, but Ravindran says the core focus will be on smaller cities.
"We want to deliver to the underserved market," he said.
While KiranaPro may have started with grocery, the company has plans to expand into other categories like electronics and apparel this year.
"We are rebranding ourselves K.Pro. The launch date is April 15, Vishu, the Malayalam new year," said Ravindran.
With plans to expand into newer categories, the company has started discussions with some of the retailers present in these categories.
Ravindran noted that the company was in talks with companies to get KiranaPro integrated into the audio payment confirmation devices (commonly known as soundbox) offered to stores by fintechs, a move he says will help the company get access to more neighbourhood stores.
"The grand plan is to build a kirana operating system, which will include accounting, QCommerce, billing... everything together in a suit," stated Ravindran.
Recently, KiranaPro acquired Joper.app, a hyperlocal grocery delivery service that connects kirana stores with customers, a move that also helps it get access to more neighbourhood stores.