Google India launches new features for small enterprises to go digital

Google India on Thursday announced a slew of new products and initiatives for small enterprises to help them to recover and rebuild their business amid the Covid-19 pandemic by going digital.

It has launched 'Grow with Google Small Business hub' in India that will serve as a single destination for all small businesses to get access to all the products and tools they need to go digital, maintain business continuity and get access to helpful resources like quick help videos and support pages to learn digital skills, a statement said.

This will soon be made available in Hindi as well, it added.

To help these businesses start using digital payments, Google has also introduced new features on Google My Business app and Google Pay for Business. These features will help small businesses to be discovered by customers across Google search and maps and start accepting digital payments, it said.

"We have consistently invested in programmes and solutions to remove the barriers that come in the way of small and medium businesses benefiting from digital. And every month we drive over 150 million direct connections between these businesses and customers including calls, online reservations and direction requests," Google Director India Customer Solutions Shalini Girish said.

However, the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic and the ensuing lockdowns have accelerated the need for many more businesses, especially small businesses to adopt technology and get online to minimise the disruption and recover, Girish added.

"We recognise that recovery will come in different stages for different businesses and navigating the digital world can be a daunting experience for many. Under our Digital Unlocked programme, we are proud to have supported over 1 million businesses and individuals to gain from our digital skilling programme in India," she said adding that the company will double down on this effort.