Paytm Mall, which is operated by Paytm E-Commerce Pvt. Ltd, has delisted about 85,000 sellers who failed to meet its quality standards.
According to the company, the move was part of its strategy to revamp its seller registration and onboarding process to enhance customer experience on its platform.
From now on, merchants who want to sell their products through Paytm Mall will have to furnish brand authorisation letters, besides running strict quality and service audits. They will also have to submit their registration number, shop location and photos, and goods and services tax identification number in order to list their products on the platform, Paytm said in a statement.
“This criteria blocks potential fraudulent merchants on signing up and creating a bad customer experience on the platform,†the company added.
Paytm Mall will also enable brands and shopkeepers to set the return, exchange and refund policies for their products, and offer complete support through its network of logistics partners.
“Our goal is to set the benchmark for a platform that empowers reputed local shopkeepers and brands to sell quality merchandise. We will work closely with existing sellers and continue onboarding further,†said Amit Sinha, chief operating officer, Paytm Mall.
Shops will also be provided with Paytm Mall QR Codes, which will allow consumers to scan and browse the products and place an order instantly. This will enable local shops to tap additional revenue streams from customers who can buy their products online.
Last week, Paytm Mall had said that it is scaling up its partner network with 3,000 new agents as it seeks to go deeper into Tier II and Tier III cities, digitising catalogues of neighbourhood shopkeepers and brand-authorised stores. It is also looking to tap the offline customer base with an offline-to-online strategy.
Last year, Noida-based One97 Communications Ltd had separated its e-commerce and payments businesses under Paytm E-Commerce and Paytm Payments Bank Ltd, respectively. In June, Paytm E-Commerce had received $200-million in funding from Alibaba and venture capital firm SAIF Partners.
Through this transaction, Alibaba’s and its affiliate Ant Financial’s stake in Paytm E-Commerce rose from 40% to 62%.