Jamshedpur: Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) in association with Laghu Udyog Bharati and Jamshedpur Distributors Association organized a workshop on “Business with WhatsApp” at the Centre for Excellence, Jamshedpur. Shabbir Ahmed of social media giant-Meta conducted the workshop.
The welcome address was given by Suresh Sonthalia, National Joint Secretary General, CAIT. He welcomed the guests and highlighted the need for next generation digitalization in our business.
The Chief Guest was Amitav Bakshi, former Chief Procurement Officer, Tata Steel Ltd. He shared his experiences on digital transformation at Tata Steel. He explained the business models of today’s e-commerce companies, their data collection and subsequent analysis, and reverse logistics modules. He emphasized that these companies are not competitors of traditional business. Therefore, by learning lessons from them and using technology the traditional business can be transformed to the next generation.
Dr. Sanjeev Varshney of XLRI’s Marketing Faculty was the guest of honour. He emphasized the need for development instead of struggle in this era of generational change. He said that there are 2.5 crore retailers across the country. Many countries in the world do not have their total population, so there is no dearth of growth. Therefore, no e-commerce/quick commerce company can eliminate this huge number. He said that still 94% of the business is being done by traditional retailers. There is a need to consider expansion in new markets and with new products.
Former Head of Corporate Communications, Tata Steel, Prabhat Sharma said that there is immense potential for co-existence. India is a country where hand rickshaws and Tesla exist together. So there is immense potential for growth.
Shabbir Ahmed told about business through WhatsApp. He advised the participants to download the WhatsApp Business App. He further said that many features are available to increase the business. These include messaging tools, catalogues, QR codes, etc. Customers can interact through this app and their queries will be answered without your personal intervention. We can display professional catalogues and product images on all Meta products with one click. To provide more authenticity to the business, Meta will provide a paid verified blue tick, giving customers confidence that it is not a scam. An algorithm will work on behalf of the business owner to provide specific leads of specific geographical areas, gender, age, and other interests. This will help the business grow.
