chotu Launches Owner App to Help Local Shops Build Digital Presence and Receive Orders on WhatsApp

Hyderabad, India – chotu has launched the chotu Owner App, a platform designed to help small local businesses create a digital presence instantly and start connecting directly with customers through WhatsApp.

The app enables merchants to create a digital catalog, generate a shareable link and QR code, and showcase their products or services online without requiring technical knowledge or expensive setup. The platform aims to simplify digital adoption for India’s growing local commerce ecosystem.

With customers increasingly searching online for nearby shops and services, many small businesses still struggle with visibility and direct customer engagement. chotu addresses this gap by offering a lightweight, mobile-first solution that helps merchants become discoverable and receive enquiries directly.

Using the chotu Owner App, businesses can:

Create a digital catalog in seconds

Share shop links on WhatsApp and social media

Generate QR codes for offline and in-store promotion

Receive direct customer enquiries without middlemen

Update products, services, availability, and business details anytime

The platform supports more than 40+ local business categories, including:

cafe, dry-cleaning, salons, kirana, mutton-shop, tailors, astrologers, ayurvedic-shops, bakery, biryani-center, breakfast, chicken-center, restaurant, carpenters, catering-services, chat-bhandar, curry-point, dairy-parlour, dental-clinics, dry-fruits-shop, fast-food, fish-shop, florist, flour-mill, fruits-and-vegetables, gift-shop, home-foods, hot-chips, loan-services, medical-shop, nutritionists, organic-shop, pan-shop, pest-control-services, pet-shop, pickles-shop, rice-traders, sports, stationery, and sweet-shop.

The app follows a freemium model, allowing businesses to get started for free, while premium plans are available at affordable pricing:

₹99 per week

₹299 per month

₹1999 per year

According to the company, the goal is not to replace local businesses with marketplaces, but to help them become digitally accessible while maintaining direct customer relationships.

“Most local businesses don’t need complicated software. They need a simple way for customers to find them, view their offerings, and contact them instantly,” the company stated.

The chotu Owner App is especially focused on helping neighborhood businesses transition from offline-only operations to a hybrid model where they can leverage WhatsApp and digital catalogs to increase visibility and improve customer communication.

As India’s local commerce ecosystem continues to digitize rapidly, platforms like chotu are enabling small merchants to compete online without depending entirely on aggregators or commission-based platforms.

Business owners can start creating their online store and digital catalog by visiting:

https://owner.chotu.com/sell-online