Offering a 'digital operating system’ to every corner store: Why We Invested in QueueBuster

^{"By partnering with banks, payment companies & embedding its solution in point of sales devices, QueueBuster helps small merchants digitise business critical processes including billing, inventory management, creation of product catalogues and managing customer loyalty programs in an economical manner and also helps them increase the efficiency of their daily operations"}

The micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) sector continues to be one of the significant contributors to the Indian economy, chipping in with almost a third of our GDP. From the neighbourhood grocery stores to local tailors to home-run caterers — the sector is vast and drives employment, especially in the unorganised sector.

Though a vibrant part of the Indian economy, the sector has it unique challenges. Owned and often managed by micro-entrepreneurs, these businesses are very informal, geographically dispersed and tend to mostly transact in cash. Demonetisation, GST and lastly Covid induced lockdowns  brought in some sweeping changes in this sector such as increasing adoption of digital payments led by UPI, increasing online/ digital sales and better book-keeping. However the sector continues to lack relevant technology tools to manage their day to day business operations such as invoicing, collections, reconciliation, tax records, etc. This leads to a variety of inefficiencies such as poor visibility on sales and inventory, inadequate business records and consequently poor access to credit and other financial products.

Business management software tools are available but these are mostly suited to large businesses. The smaller merchants need a simple, on-the-go solution for their daily business operations. Something that can be used by the entrepreneur or their staff, both of whom have limited time and patience for complex and sophisticated tools.

QueueBuster’s solution — real time, simple and smart

QueueBuster provides an easy-to-use Android based SaaS solution that helps merchants address inefficiencies in their existing process. The software, which is simple and easy to use, provides the following services:

• Billing software which generates invoices and tracks sales
• Inventory management and creating product catalogues
• Generates business reports
• Helps with the launch of digital storefronts
• Offers loyalty programmes for customers

The form-factor-agnostic software can be integrated with or embedded into any payment point of sale (POS) devices, android phones, or any billing device. As a go-to-market strategy, QueueBuster has tied up with leading Banks and POS players in India such as Pinelabs, Ezetap, Mosambee, etc., who offer the software as a bundled solution to the merchant. The software is versatile and customisable with segment-specific features for general retail, restaurants, grocery stores, and spas and salons.

Led by Varun, QueueBuster has a stellar management team that has worked in the small merchants segment for the past decade. The product was launched in 2019 and today, QueueBuster is used by over 40,000 merchants ranging from Hindustan Unilever (HUL) dealers to railway tea vendors.    

At Omidyar Network India our mission is to improve the financial health and resilience of MSMEs by helping them to manage and grow their businesses, increase efficiencies and mitigate risks. Aligning with our mission, QueueBuster with its best in class product and deep domain expertise is bringing a digital revolution amongst the small merchants segment, and that is why we have invested.