Paytm, a leading financial technology firm in India, is embarking on a substantial restructuring of its business model with the aim of accelerating profitability. The CEO, Vijay Shekhar Sharma, has revealed a two-pronged strategy centered on a revamp of Paytm’s wealth management services and an expansion of its merchant network. These initiatives are anticipated to propel the company toward its profitability targets at an accelerated pace.
To cater to the younger, digitally inclined demographic increasingly interested in online investments, Paytm is set to introduce a new suite of money management products. This strategic move is in response to the escalating preference for digital wallets, with 55% of retail purchases in India conducted through this method. Attracting this younger demographic is deemed crucial to Paytm’s expedited journey toward profitability.
In a bid to bolster the number of merchants utilizing Paytm’s platform, the company is launching an extensive recruitment campaign to hire over 50,000 salespeople. This move aims to augment its salesforce by more than 60%, with the objective of onboarding additional merchants in smaller cities and towns across India. As of September, Paytm boasted around 38 million merchants, with nearly 10 million actively subscribing to offerings such as QR codes, Soundboxes, audio payments confirmation machines, and card machines.
In tandem with service enhancements and network expansion, Paytm is harnessing the power of artificial intelligence (AI) and automation to drive cost reduction and operational efficiency. The company is leveraging AI tools from global tech leaders like Microsoft and Google to expedite product development and streamline operations. This strategic use of AI is part of Paytm’s overarching plan to achieve profitability within a year. The company has already realized significant cost savings from AI automation, and it intends to reinvest these savings into expansion and product development initiatives.
Despite facing robust competition from rivals like PhonePe and experiencing a notable drop in its stock value post-IPO in 2021, Paytm has exhibited signs of financial recovery. The company has achieved operating profitability, excluding employee stock ownership plan costs, and generated free cash flow for two consecutive quarters. Sharma expresses optimism that these initiatives will lead to operating profit within a year, laying the foundation for future shareholder returns.
