Zoho Joins ONDC With Seller App Vikra, Launches Low-Code Platform Zoho IoT

Continuing its spree of new launches, SaaS unicorn Zoho has launched two new offerings – Vikra and Zoho IoT.

While Vikra is a seller app that will facilitate onboarding of businesses on the state-backed Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC), Zoho IoT is a low-code platform that will allow companies to build and deploy custom IoT (Internet of Things) solutions.

In a statement on Wednesday (September 25), the company said that Vikra will offer a seller app on the government-backed ONDC and facilitate businesses with easy onboarding, setting up stores and making product catalogues on the network. 

Besides, it will also offer personalised solutions for managing operations, reconciling payment settlement from the ONDC network, and resolving customer disputes.

Built on Zoho’s finance and operations platform, the company said that Vikra can also be integrated with its other applications such as Zoho Books, Zoho Inventory and Zoho Commerce. The Chennai-based SaaS major said that users will be charged a seller app fee of 1% of the total transaction amount on every sale as part of its introductory offer.

“Vikra represents the kind of innovation that supports ONDC’s mission to make ecommerce accessible to all. By integrating such advanced solutions from Zoho, we are not just simplifying technology for businesses, we are also opening doors to a vast, inclusive digital economy,” said ONDC’s managing director and chief CEO T Koshy.

Meanwhile, the second new product Zoho IoT will allow customers to collect and manage IoT device data in real time, and leverage this information to gather insights and streamline operational analysis. 

“The platform’s (Zoho IoT’s) AI capabilities transform data into actionable insights, predict system outages, identify anomalies or forecast trends, optimise operations, and enhance customer experiences,” said a statement from Zoho. 

Zoho IoT will be chargeable at plans starting INR 2,940 for up to 25 devices and INR 29,940 for up to 500 devices. 

The launches come at a time when the Chennai-based company has been on a launch spree lately. Earlier in the day, CEO and founder Sridhar Vembu said that Zoho has applied for permissions to launch a semiconductor venture, adding that the matter was currently being evaluated by the authorities. 

Work on multiple aspects, like finalising the technology and various partners, is currently underway, he told reporters, adding that it is “too premature” to talk about details including the final location for the project.

Earlier this year, Zoho also rolled out a host of product offerings for its global enterprise customers, including revamped ‘Zoho CRM for Everyone’ to boost customer growth and improve their experience.

In February, the company rolled out Zakya, a new business division for retail business in India to offer a point-of-sale (PoS) solution for retail stores to streamline their day-to-day operations.

Zoho reported a 30% jump in its operating revenue to INR 8,703.6 Cr in the financial year 2022-23 (FY23) from INR 6,710.7 Cr in FY22. Meanwhile, net profit rose 3% to INR 2,836 Cr during the year under review as against INR 2,749 Cr in the previous fiscal year.