Hyperlocal platform for small merchants: Financial services corporation American Express, on Wednesday, announced the launch of its hyperlocal platform Offers Next Door in India, which will feature offers available nearby in the Delhi-NCR, Mumbai and Bengaluru regions. The platform will feature offers by businesses across fashion & lifestyle, departmental stores & grocery, and health and wellness, in order to attract customers and help in boosting their reach.
The offers can be availed by the American Express cardholders shared with them or displayed at the merchant store, and pay using the American Express card. The users can filter through the city, category of business, sub-category and pin code to get the offers specific to their choice.
Anurag Gupta, Vice President and Head, Global Merchant and Network Services, American Express India said, “Through ‘Offers Next Door’, we are reinforcing our commitment to backing small businesses by encouraging and rewarding Card members to spend at local merchant outlets, as the campaign is focused on mom-and-pop stores.”
Card members can explore and avail of these offers in their neighborhood stores, conveniently and for a longer period. Our unwavering focus on both, Point of Sale (POS) and online has helped us grow our acceptance exponentially, further helping local merchants expand their reach, he said.
Financial services and payments companies have of late launched multiple initiatives focusing on small businesses.
Last month, payments company Mastercard had announced the launch of the Mastercard Strive India programme to join a portfolio of philanthropic programs supported by the Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth for supporting 5 lakh small businesses with digital tools by 2025.
Similarly, digital payments company Visa, in July, launched its She’s Next initiative in India, part of Visa’s global grants programme, to support women entrepreneurs in growing and funding their ventures. The programme provided three shortlisted women-led small businesses, following a screening process, with networking, mentoring, and funding opportunities with Visa.
Also, in 2022, Visa had committed $1 million to United Way Mumbai (UWM) to support women-owned and women-focused businesses across 170 villages in four states, in a programme aimed at benefitting at least 8,500 women.