By Abhay Ray 
Introduction
The rapid rise of quick commerce has been both a boon and a bane for the retail industry. While it has revolutionized the way consumers shop, offering everything from groceries to gadgets in as little as 10 minutes, traditional mom-and-pop stores, or kiranas, have faced severe consequences. With declining sales and mounting inventory, many of these small businesses are struggling to survive in an era dominated by big players like Zepto and Blinkit. However, a startup called KiranaPro has emerged as a lifeline for these retailers, using artificial intelligence (AI) and a government-backed initiative to bring kiranas back into the game.
The Rise of Quick Commerce and the Decline of Kirana Stores
Quick commerce, or q-commerce, is the delivery of goods in minutes, driven by demand for speed and convenience. From daily groceries to food, beauty products, and fashion items, the sector has experienced unprecedented growth, with startups raising millions of dollars to meet customer demand. According to a Deloitte-FICCI report, Q-commerce accounted for 35% of online FMCG sales in FY24, with that share only expected to grow.
Yet, in the race to fulfill quick deliveries, traditional kirana stores, which have served as the backbone of India’s retail sector, are feeling the heat. The rise of dark stores—centralized hubs fulfilling online orders—has forced many small businesses to shut their doors. A report from the All India Consumer Products Distributors Federation (AICPDF) highlighted that nearly 200,000 kirana stores have been forced to close, with metro cities bearing the brunt. Smaller towns are not immune either, with several kiranas going out of business. The sustainability of these stores, often family-run, is at risk.
KiranaPro – A Bridge Between Customers and Local Kiranas
Launched in 2024, KiranaPro is a startup that seeks to address the challenges faced by kirana stores by providing them with a platform to connect directly to customers. The platform works through the Open Network of Digital Commerce (ONDC), a government initiative designed to democratize digital commerce and give smaller businesses a fighting chance in the digital economy.
KiranaPro provides small businesses with the tools they need to compete in the fast-paced world of online commerce, without the need for hefty investments in technology or infrastructure. By offering an AI-based model, KiranaPro simplifies the ordering process for both consumers and store owners. This initiative enables kiranas to tap into the growing demand for quick commerce without being swallowed up by larger e-commerce giants.
The Founders’ Vision
KiranaPro was founded by Deepak Ravindran and Dipankar Sarkar, who recognized the increasing divide between large digital players and small, traditional retailers. Ravindran, who previously founded Lookup, a chatbot-based platform, and Sarkar, an expert in AI and automation, saw an opportunity to bridge this gap. “It feels like a classic David-versus-Goliath battle,” says Ravindran. “But just like David had a stone to defeat the giant, we want our product to be that stone—challenging the status quo and empowering kiranas to compete.”
The vision behind KiranaPro is simple but powerful: to create the world’s largest decentralized marketplace, starting with the neighborhood kiranas. By tapping into the ONDC network, KiranaPro connects customers with local stores, allowing them to place orders digitally in a matter of minutes. This not only helps traditional businesses survive but also thrive in an increasingly competitive market.
AI-Powered Speech-to-Cart Model
KiranaPro stands out in the tech-driven e-commerce landscape with its innovative AI-powered speech-to-cart model. The platform supports 35 languages, allowing customers to place orders in the language they are most comfortable with. Whether it’s “Mujhe ek kilo chawal chahiye” (I need one kilogram of rice) or “I want to make chicken biryani for four people,” the system instantly understands and generates the right shopping cart.
This speech-based model simplifies the shopping experience for consumers, especially in rural and semi-urban areas where literacy levels may be low, and mobile-first digital access is growing. The technology works in real-time, sending updates to the kirana store about new orders and their fulfillment status. A seller-side application provided by ONDC ensures that stores are always up-to-date with the orders placed through KiranaPro.
Sarkar, who oversees the technical side of the startup, explains that the platform uses large language models (LLMs) to process voice information from customers. As the startup scales, they plan to build proprietary AI models to make the shopping cart generation process even faster and more efficient.
Expanding to Smaller Cities
While large cities like Bangalore and Hyderabad were the first to see KiranaPro’s launch, the startup has deliberately chosen to focus its efforts on smaller towns and cities. Ravindran believes that these underserved areas present the greatest opportunities for growth. “Rather than competing in oversaturated metro markets, we see a bigger opportunity in empowering kirana stores in smaller cities,” he says.
By leveraging the ONDC network, KiranaPro has the flexibility to expand rapidly across the country. As soon as stores in a given area are onboarded, KiranaPro can go live in that region, bypassing the delays typical of traditional e-commerce platforms, which need to manually launch in each new PIN code. With a strong focus on Kerala, the startup is already expanding to multiple cities and plans to target other smaller regions in the near future.
Road to 100 Million Users and 1 Million Kirana Stores
KiranaPro has set ambitious goals for 2025, aiming to onboard 100 million users and 1 million kirana stores onto its platform. Ravindran compares the startup’s potential to the rapid adoption of UPI by Paytm, which revolutionized digital payments in India. “Just as UPI transformed payments, we believe KiranaPro has the potential to transform how neighborhood stores operate,” he adds.
However, this journey is far from easy. The quick commerce sector is heating up, with deep-pocketed competitors like Zepto and Blinkit aggressively expanding their reach. Moreover, maintaining strong partnerships within the ONDC network is crucial, as store availability directly impacts service quality. Any delays in the network’s expansion could hinder KiranaPro’s growth.
Overcoming Investor Skepticism
Convincing investors to back KiranaPro has been one of the biggest challenges. Many were initially skeptical about how a new platform could succeed in a market dominated by well-funded players. “Many dismissed the idea, citing the massive capital raised by players like Zepto and Blinkit and questioning how another commerce platform could survive,” Ravindran recalls.
Despite the initial challenges, KiranaPro secured moderate but crucial investment, enabling the company to build a sustainable product that has found its product-market fit. The startup’s unique value proposition lies in its AI-driven platform that helps small businesses offer a level of service on par with larger competitors.
Will KiranaPro Succeed in Democratising Quick Commerce ?
KiranaPro’s innovative model has the potential to reshape the future of small retail in India. By integrating AI, speech-based ordering, and the ONDC network, it offers a simple and effective solution for kiranas to compete with the rise of quick commerce. While challenges remain in terms of user adoption and competition from deep-pocketed players, the startup’s focus on smaller towns and unique technology gives it an edge. Only time will tell if KiranaPro can truly democratize quick commerce for smaller businesses. But with its groundbreaking approach, it is already showing that even in the face of giant competitors, innovation and technology can empower small businesses to thrive.
Conclusion
KiranaPro represents a bold and timely effort to empower India’s traditional kirana stores in the face of quick commerce disruption. By leveraging AI, voice-based ordering, and the ONDC network, it bridges the digital divide and equips small retailers with tools once reserved for large e-commerce giants. Its focus on smaller towns, real-time localized service, and user-friendly technology positions it as a unique player with strong grassroots potential. While competition and scaling hurdles remain, KiranaPro’s vision of a decentralized, inclusive retail network could redefine the future of commerce in India making room for both innovation and tradition.
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