Low-code: The secret sauce in eSamudaay's recipe for local entrepreneurial success
"With Creator, the turnaround time is super quick, increasing our flexibility. There's no downtime to worry about, and no concerns about crashes because it's secure in every way. We never encountered any challenges when getting used to or learning Zoho Creator; it was very intuitive and easy to pick up."
Pooja Iyer, Senior Business Analyst, eSamudaay
About eSamudaay
eSamudaay, an emerging ecommerce platform, was born out of the challenges presented by the lockdown period. Their mission is to empower local entrepreneurs in small- and mid-sized cities to establish and operate their own marketplaces. By providing a technology platform, eSamudaay enables entrepreneurs to create and manage their unique ecommerce spaces, similar to how food delivery apps work.
We recently sat down with Pooja Iyer, senior business analyst at eSamudaay, to learn how the organization has reaped the benefits of leveraging the power of low-code with Zoho Creator.
"For smaller entrepreneurs trying to run their own marketplace, technology shouldn’t be a hindrance. We provide the tech platform and we let them run their own show"
- Pooja Iyer, Senior Business Analyst, eSamudaay
The challenge
The organization's platform consisted of three distinct applications: a buyer app for customer orders, a seller app for merchant store management, and a delivery app for order pickup and delivery.
However, they recognized the need for an efficient admin panel that could centralize and streamline the entire local marketplace experience.
Initially, eSamudaay tried out other third-party apps, but they were too slow—their solution needed to be agile. Eventually, they came across the concept of low-code, and decided to work with Zoho after experimenting with Creator for a while.
The organization believed that Zoho's advantages, particularly its vibrant community, were substantial in the decision-making process. This community-based aspect ensured that questions were readily answered on online forums, enabling them to navigate the platform easier.
"We looked at other third-party services and vendors but realized that they're black boxes. We gave them our requirements only to hear 'this is very difficult' and 'this isn't simple,' purely because of the fact that they weren't able to properly understand our needs"
- Pooja Iyer, Senior Business Analyst, eSamudaay
The solution: Driving administrative oversight with Zoho Creator
eSamudaay adopted Zoho Creator to build a powerful admin panel that would help local entrepreneurs view their entire business in a single place. This admin panel was critical to allowing these entrepreneurs to monitor and manage their marketplaces seamlessly. The solution also aligned perfectly with eSamudaay's decentralized model, ensuring each entrepreneur could oversee their businesses' operations in one place.
The Zoho Creator-based admin panel integrated smoothly with eSamudaay's backend system. It facilitated real-time monitoring, intervention, and management of orders, businesses, and other critical aspects. The admin panel's robustness was crucial as it handled admin activities, where any downtime was unacceptable. API calls and data synchronization were also pivotal for accurate insights and efficient management.
eSamudaay's journey with Zoho Creator was born out of necessity. They began with a small team, including an intern and a front-end developer skilled in low-code development. This approach allowed them to scale quickly and develop essential components for their platform in just three months. Eventually, they expanded to build multiple apps on Zoho Creator, including a support desk application for addressing user issues effectively.
"Zoho Creator has given us the confidence that we'll be able to build our solution ourselves—and the assurance that it will run stably is essential. You don’t need highly skilled developers; you just need someone who understands the logic and can implement it. There's no need to waste time thinking about how to implement it."
- Pooja Iyer, Senior Business Analyst, eSamudaay
The benefits
Zoho Creator transformed eSamudaay's business operations. The platform's agility and flexibility aligned perfectly with their startup culture, enabling rapid adjustments to changing requirements. The simplified development process allowed their team to focus on enhancing their offerings, rather than struggling with complex technology.
eSamudaay witnessed a significant increase in productivity. The platform reduced manual workloads, empowered local entrepreneurs to customize their stores, and gave them the power to manage their businesses effortlessly. The intuitive nature of Zoho Creator also made it accessible to team members without extensive technical backgrounds.
With Zoho Creator, eSamudaay achieved their goal of creating a comprehensive admin panel that harmonized with their decentralized ecommerce model. Their success with the admin panel instilled confidence in their own ability to build and customize solutions tailored to their needs, ultimately leading to improved customer experiences and overall operational efficiency.
"Our team’s productivity has increased because Creator reduces our manual workload. We've empowered customers with the ability to customize their stores based on their preferences. This has also resulted in significant time savings."
- Pooja Iyer, Senior Business Analyst, eSamudaay
Moving forward
eSamudaay's journey with Zoho Creator continues, as they explore new features and integrations. Their experience with the platform has driven them to incorporate it into their interview process, showcasing the accessibility and logic-based nature of the platform.
Choosing Zoho Creator has revolutionized the organization's approach to ecommerce, demonstrating how technology can empower local entrepreneurs to excel in their marketplaces. Through Zoho Creator, eSamudaay has not only optimized their operations but also unlocked the potential of their business model for both entrepreneurs and customers alike.
"Even though I don’t come from a tech background, I’ve been able to familiarize myself easily with Creator, because it's user-friendly and logic-based. I even do code reviews on Creator!"
- Pooja Iyer, Senior Business Analyst, eSamudaay
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is Zoho Creator?
Zoho Creator is a low-code application development platform that allows users to create custom applications on their own, with minimal coding experience. The intuitive drag-and-drop interface empowers developers and business users to build web and mobile applications that satisfy all their unique requirements with ease.
Are applications built on Zoho Creator scalable?
Applications built on Zoho Creator are built to auto-scale—the back-end infrastructure seamlessly scales as business demand grows. Currently 14,000+ customers across are using over 6 million applications built using Zoho Creator, a testimony to the power of the platform.
Does Zoho Creator have a free plan?
Yes, Zoho Creator has a free plan. This plan comes with a limited feature set and allows for one user, one application, 250 MB of storage, and 1,000 records. However, you have the option to upgrade to a paid plan whenever you wish.