Google CEO unveils digital tools and training prog. aiming to help Indian SMBs go online

NEW DELHI, INDIA: A joint study by Google and KPMG states that 68 percent of the 51mn Indian SMBs are offline. Highlighting the macro-economic impact of the internet, the research found that rising penetration and greater uptake for digital by SMBs could help increase their contribution to India’s GDP by 10 percentage points, taking it up to 46-48 percent by 2020.

The study also determined that profits of digitally engaged SMBs grow twice as fast compared to offline SMBs. Likewise digitally engaged businesses are able to grow their customer base significantly with 52 percent catering to customers beyond their home city versus only 29 percent offline SMBs.

To address the gap, Google CEO, Sundar Pichai in an event in Delhi yesterday, announced the launch of Digital Unlocked, a training program to empower thousands of Indian SMBs with essential digital skills. The trainings are certified by Google, Indian School of Business and FICCI.

The offline training is being conducted in partnership with FICCI. The offline training is being conducted in partnership with FICCI and over the next three years, 5,000 workshops will be held across 40 Indian cities.

The online training comprises a set of 90 self-paced video tutorials, curated specifically for India and is available free of charge at g.co/digitalunlocked. The tutorials cover a comprehensive set of topics ranging from building a web presence and driving online growth to reaching customers over mobile and video.

Google also previewed My Business Websites, an easy-to-use offering to help businesses to have a rich, mobile optimised digital presence that will be launched later this year. My Business Websites will be available in English, Hindi, Bengali, Telugu, Marathi, Tamil, Urdu, Gujarati, Kannada, and Malayalam.

At the event, Pichai also spoke to the representatives from hundreds of small and medium business from across the country on the benefits of the web and digital technology.

“The Internet and digital technology will be an engine of growth for the Indian economy. Today, anyone can become an entrepreneur, a developer, or a creator, but it is important that they have the right tools and skills to digitize. We believe it is important for us to invest in training and equipping these individuals and small businesses to accelerate their journey of growth,” said he.

Further, for India’s mobile-first audience, Google also launched Primer, a free mobile app uniquely designed to teach digital marketing skills in a quick, easy and interactive way. It is available for download through the Google Play and iOS app store. Primer also works offline and is currently available in English and Hindi with Tamil, Telugu and Marathi versions coming shortly.