Bizom collaborates with Accion and Mastercard to boost business for small retailers

Homegrown retail intelligence Bizom has partnered with global nonprofit Accion and Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth, the philanthropic arm of Mastercard, to expand its digital Consumer Packaged Goods’ (CPGs) marketplace.

The collaboration seeks to serve more than 4 million small retailers through embedded credit offerings to grow their businesses.

What does Bizom do?

India has more than 63 million MSMEs, including 13 million kirana stores selling CPGs, that represent nearly 75% of the country’s consumer goods market. 

The CPG retail market is characterized by a wide network of MSMEs, with small retailers and distributors facing numerous challenges including supply chain disruptions, inefficient inventory management, delays in payments against procurement, and lack of access to financial services that can help them overcome recurring capital requirements.

The credit gap in the MSME industry in India is estimated at approximately $230 billion. Bizom claims that it works with over 8 million retailers, 200,000 distributors and more than 600 brands operating in the CPG industry to automate route-to-market (RTM) operations. 

The startup's SaaS platform provides real-time visibility to sellers into ground operations, informing them of products’ market demand and enabling sales.

Bizom’s Distiman is a marketplace to connect small retailers with distributors and sellers, providing the former with reliable procurement channels to source inventory.

Providing strategic consultancy support

Accion works alongside local partners, providing investment and advisory services to develop and scale responsible financial solutions for small business owners.

Accion Advisory will provide strategic consultancy support to help Bizom expand its network of retailers and distributors using Distiman, Bizom’s retailer app, and develop scalable and cost-effective credit offerings to allow small retailers to access formal financial services at reduced costs to purchase inventory and meet their working capital requirements.

Leadership comments

"We, at Bizom, believe in the future of retail where mom-and-pop shops are digitally empowered to serve consumers who are going online,” said Lalit Bhise, CEO of Bizom.

“Our partnership with Accion is helping speed up our reach to these millions of retailers by clearly defining the need and enabling the right go-to-market channels.”

Victoria White, Managing Director, Accion Advisory, said, “India is a world leader in digital transformation, and the small business owners that contribute significantly to its economy must not be left behind. Through this partnership, we aim to leverage Bizom’s retail intelligence platform and Accion’s expertise in building customer-centric financial products to connect millions of micro enterprises to the digital financial ecosystem, paving the way for sustainable growth in one of the world’s fastest growing economies.”

“India’s micro and small retailers play a vital role in generating employment and furthering economic growth. That’s why it’s important that they are equipped with the right digital tools and solutions that help them overcome operational hurdles and record business growth. This collaboration underscores Mastercard's long-standing commitment of supporting this segment with digital adoption and credit access,” said Vikas Varma, Chief Operating Officer, South Asia at Mastercard.

The initiative is part of Accion’s ongoing partnership with the Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth that aims to help over 10.5 million people, including women entrepreneurs, actively use digital financial services to improve their financial health by 2026.