ShopSe

ShopSe is a Mumbai‑based fintech that operates a point‑of‑sale “pay‑later” and instant‑EMI marketplace for retailers, enabling customers to buy now and pay over time while giving merchants a centralized payments/affordability stack to reduce checkout drop‑offs and lift average order value[1][2][4].

High-Level Overview

• Concise summary: ShopSe is a digital payments/fintech startup that embeds instant EMI and pay‑later options at checkout for online and offline merchants, partnering with banks and NBFCs to provide cardless, no‑cost or flexible installment plans and a centralized acceptance platform for merchants[2][4].
  - For a portfolio company (ShopSe as company): ShopSe builds an instant‑EMI/pay‑later payments platform used by retailers and brands; it serves retailers, brands and their consumers across online and offline channels; it solves the checkout affordability problem that causes high drop‑off on high‑ticket purchases by enabling immediate credit at point of sale; it has shown traction through partnerships with major banks and hundreds of retailers and brands and has completed a Series A funding round to scale further[2][1][3].

Origin Story

• Founding and founders: ShopSe (legal name Newbazaar Technologies Pvt Ltd) was founded in 2020 by former PayU employees Pallav Jain, Abhishek Nimonkar and Yagnesh Desai[1][3].
  - How the idea emerged: The team identified a material revenue leak at checkout—high‑intent buyers dropping off due to lack of affordability—and built a payments layer to surface instant EMIs and pay‑later choices at purchase to retain conversions[2].
  - Early traction / pivotal moments: Early growth included partnerships with major Indian lenders such as HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank, Kotak, Axis Bank and IIFL and expanding merchant/brand coverage (tens of thousands of retailers and 100+ brands across categories) as well as raising Series A funding (reported ~₹88–90 Cr / $6–11M range across sources) to accelerate expansion[1][3][5].

Core Differentiators

• Product differentiators: Cardless, instant EMI/no‑card EMI at point of purchase and a single centralized acceptance platform that supports full payments and multiple EMI/BNPL products for merchants[4][2].
  - Merchant value (speed & ease): Omni‑channel integration (online + offline) and claims of materially reducing checkout drop‑offs (ShopSe reports up to ~40% reduction) and increasing average order value and conversions for high‑ticket items[2].
  - Lender network & partnerships: Deep integration with major banks and NBFCs (HDFC, ICICI, Kotak, Axis, IIFL) enabling a marketplace model where merchants can present multiple financing options to customers[1][5].
  - Go‑to‑market / distribution: Focus on partnering with large appliance, consumer electronics and retail brands (examples reported: Voltas, Asus, Whirlpool, Bluestar, Daikin, Realme) and a growing retail footprint across hundreds of locations[1].

Role in the Broader Tech Landscape

• Trend alignment: ShopSe rides the accelerating global and Indian trend toward embedded finance and BNPL/EMI solutions at checkout, driven by consumer demand for affordability and merchants’ need to monetize conversions on higher‑ticket goods[2][4].
  - Why timing matters: Growing e‑commerce and omnichannel retail in India plus lenders’ appetite to extend digital consumer credit create a favorable environment for a marketplace that simplifies lender integrations and makes instant credit accessible at point of sale[1][3].
  - Market forces in their favor: Large addressable market in durable goods and services, rising consumer credit penetration, and merchant economics that reward higher AOV and conversion improvements support ShopSe’s value proposition[2][3].
  - Influence on ecosystem: By aggregating lenders and merchants, ShopSe reduces integration friction for both sides—helping smaller merchants offer EMI options and helping lenders reach new customers—thereby expanding digital credit distribution channels in retail[1][4].

Quick Take & Future Outlook

• What’s next: Expansion of merchant coverage (reports suggest plans to scale to many more retailers and millions of consumers), deeper productization of the payments stack, and continued growth of lender partnerships following Series A funding to scale operations and geographic reach in India[3][5].
  - Key trends that will shape progress: regulatory developments in consumer credit and BNPL, lenders’ risk appetite and pricing, merchant adoption of embedded finance, and competition from larger BNPL players and banks embedding similar offers[4][3].
  - Potential evolution of influence: If ShopSe sustains merchant and lender network growth while keeping transaction economics attractive for merchants and acceptable risk for lenders, it could become a standard affordability layer for mid‑to‑large Indian retailers; conversely, commoditization of BNPL by larger platforms or regulatory tightening would force differentiation on product, margin or service levels[2][3][4].

Quick framing tie‑back: ShopSe positions itself as a merchant‑facing embedded finance marketplace that turns lost checkout intent into financed purchases by combining lender integrations, cardless instant EMI and a centralized acceptance platform—making it a notable participant in India’s embedded payments and BNPL expansion[2][1][4].