A few weeks ago we saw Google Play Store take down one of the most popular apps in India, PayTM on the grounds that it wasn’t adhering to the policies laid down by the app store.
The app eventually came back online in a few hours. However, now, PayTM has gone ahead and actually launched a made-in India app store for Indian apps.
Reuters
The reason it calls its app store a ‘mini’ app store is because it features mini-apps. Unlike conventional apps that you need to download for using, the Mini Apps run on a browser-like interface which doesn’t require you to download the apps on the phone, thus saving storage space as well as data, along with time.
PayTM has developed a platform that allows small developers to set up low-cost mini-apps based on the HTML5 and Javascript. Along with this, PayTM offers access to PayTM Payments Bank account as well as UPI transactions for free, with 2 percent fee while transacting from credit cards.
As of now, over 300 apps are a part of the Mini App Store, including some major players like Decathlon, Ola, Park+, Domino’ Pizza, Netmeds and several others. Developers also get access to a dashboard for analytics, payments collection as well as marketing tools to better engage with its users. In fact, during September, the app had been on beta and it has seen over 12 million visits during the month.
PayTM
Vijay Shekhar Sharma, Founder & CEO – Paytm said, “I am proud that we are today launching something that creates an opportunity for every Indian app developer. Paytm Mini App Store empowers our young Indian developers to leverage our reach and payments to build new innovative services. For Paytm users, it will be a seamless experience that doesn’t require any separate download and enables them to use their preferred payment option.”
Do you think this could cause a revolution that could dethrone Google Play Store and its lead in the Android smartphone scene in India? Tell us in the comments below.