Zoho launches Zia Chat, enters vertical SaaS with 7 industry apps

The AI interface brings information, context and workflows into one conversational platform as Zoho expands into seven industry-specific applications

Chennai-based technology major Zoho on Wednesday announced the launch of Zia Chat, an AI interface for frictionless work that gives users one interface to find information, understand context and take action across the applications they use at work.

 

The company also announced its entry into vertical SaaS, with seven new industry-specific applications designed around the regulatory, operational and workflow requirements of specialised industries.

 

Built natively into Zoho’s business applications and extensible to other business systems through MCP integrations, Zia Chat brings the information, context and workflows users need into a single conversational interface.

 

“Every day, employees waste their time navigating menus, hunting for dropdowns and fighting with fragmented software interfaces. There is an interface crisis, and people spend too much time searching for the right context and data. We strip away the UIs of different applications and give employees a single, unified AI interface across the business,” said Sridhar Vembu, Chief Scientist and Co-founder, Zoho.

 

 

“Behind the interface problem is a deeper issue, fragmented business context. When information and workflows are spread across multiple applications, AI has only a partial view of the business. Zia Chat brings that information and context together, so users can find information, understand context and take action across applications through one conversational experience. Business context is also shaped by the workflows, rules and regulatory requirements of each industry. Our expansion into vertical SaaS brings that industry-specific context onto the same platform,” he further added.

 

The announcement comes as Zoho continues to grow in India, with revenue in the country increasing 47 per cent year-on-year in 2025. The growth drivers of this momentum are prominent offerings including Zoho Workplace, Zoho One, Zoho CRM, Zoho Books and Zoho People. ITES, manufacturing, BFSI, professional services and retail are among the leading industry sectors contributing to this growth. The automotive sector has also emerged as a strong area of growth for Zoho in India, with increasing customer traction across the industry.

 

Zia Chat, an AI interface for frictionless work, is built directly into the Zoho ecosystem. It gives users a single conversational interface to find information, understand what is happening across their business, create what they need and take action across the applications they use at work.

Zoho enters vertical SaaS

For more than two decades, Zoho has built a broad, integrated suite of business applications that addresses common business needs across functions. But businesses operate within industries, each with distinct workflows, business rules, regulatory requirements and operating realities.

 

Zoho is now extending its platform into these industry-specific contexts through vertical SaaS, combining purpose-built applications with its existing suite to address critical industry needs while connecting workflows, applications and data on a single platform.

 

This combination of horizontal breadth and vertical depth also creates richer business context for AI. By connecting industry-specific applications with the broader business environment, Zoho can enable AI to understand the entities, relationships, rules and workflows that shape how a business operates, beyond individual applications and their data.

 

The company is initially expanding its vertical offerings across seven industries: retail, automotive, BFSI, healthcare, education, real estate and restaurants. Across its vertical portfolio, Zoho is combining industry-specific capabilities with the breadth of its business suite and interoperability with other systems where required. The applications are designed to be configurable and extensible as businesses evolve. Zoho plans to expand its vertical SaaS portfolio across more industries over time.