Google Pay rolls out Nearby Stores feature in 35 Indian cities

Last month, the feature was launched only in a few cities. The feature referred to as Spot by the company is a commerce layer on the app. It enables businesses to open mini digital storefronts within the payment app where users can browse for products and services.

BENGALURU: Digital payments app Google Pay rolled out Nearby Stores across 35 cities in India, as the country continues to observe social distancing amid a raging Covid-19 pandemic. It is a feature that helps users see which stores in their vicinity are providing essential goods.

Last month, the feature was launched only in a few cities. The feature referred to as Spot by the company is a commerce layer on the app. It enables businesses to open mini digital storefronts within the payment app where users can browse for products and services.

The launch comes at a time when Reliance JioMart is beginning to use WhatsApp to enable millions of hyperlocal stores to do business digitally. Google Pay also competes with PhonePe and PayTM.

Google Pay said merchant establishments can now indicate their business hours, whether social distancing measures are in place at the store and the essential goods presently in stock. Additionally, users in Mumbai can also see if the store is present in a containment zone.