Coming up soon: Zulu – the app that connects the “nukaad ka dukaan” to you

Vandana Biyani a chartered accountant who has just recently stepped into her new journey as an entrepreneur talks to us about her upcoming product – Zulu, which is an app that connects offline retailers to the online customer base.

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Zulu is an app for un-organized retailers to get a complete digital view of their customers and their buying behaviour.  65% of our population is under the age of 35 years and with the increase in mobile internet penetration, the count of digitally influenced customers is increasing exponentially. This app would act as a platform for un-organized retailers to re-define the customer engagement model. Currently, this sector contributes to around 85%-90% of total retail in India.

The idea behind Zulu is quite simple. We have been merchandising with retailers for quite some time. Upon speaking to a few merchants, we realised that even they were looking for a digital platform that would empower them to establish a personal connect with their customers. A loyal customer definitely deserves something more than a new customer; that is something merchants also acknowledge. With the same objective, we developed this platform.

A few challenges we are currently facing involves getting the right set of people. We tried outsourcing some of our work to freelancers and consultants but given our scope of work vis-a vis their own commitments, we noticed that it is hard to stick to a timeline. Further to that, getting investors was also a hurdle. 

The problem which we are trying to address is universal and hence, once we establish our self, we intend to take this to other countries. 

Entrepreneurship throws challenges on a continuous basis which keeps me on my toes and makes me work more on constantly improving my product.

On a professional note, I would want to encourage more and more women entrepreneurs to come up with new innovative ideas without leaving it at an early stage.