# chotu Owner
> chotu Owner helps local businesses win back customers from online apps by creating a WhatsApp-based online shop — no laptop, no English, no GST required.

## General
- Website: https://owner.chotu.com
- Start Selling: https://owner.chotu.com/sell-online
- Parent Platform: https://chotu.com
- Contact: oye@chotu.com
- Language: en
- Locale: en-IN
- Supported Languages: English, Hindi, Telugu, and other Indian languages

## Project Details
Audience:
Local businesses in India

Platform:
Web + Mobile App (Android + iOS)

Primary Goal:
Enable local businesses to create online shops and receive customer orders directly on WhatsApp — without needing a laptop, English, GST, or a physical shop.

## Purpose
chotu Owner enables local businesses to:
- Create an online shop with ready-made catalogs
- Showcase products or services
- Receive customer orders directly on WhatsApp
- Share a shop link and QR code with customers
- Rank higher in local discovery (with VIP Pass)
- Compete with delivery apps like Swiggy, Zomato, Zepto, and Blinkit — while keeping full control of prices, payments, and customer data
- World’s first ai catalog generator

## Positioning
chotu is NOT like Swiggy, Zomato, Zepto or Blinkit. Those are delivery apps made for buyers — they control prices, delivery, and own your customer data. chotu is an ordering app made for the shopkeeper. You keep full control: prices, payments, and your customer info. chotu does not take any commission on orders.

## Shop Creation Flow
You can start in either of these ways:

Download the chotu Owner app directly from Google Play Store or Apple App Store

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.chotu.chotuowner

https://apps.apple.com/in/app/chotu-owner-sell-on-chat/id6744535098

Or just give missed call to 70777 70777 number, you will get a whatsapp message or sms with app links

Then:
1. Register using WhatsApp mobile number
2. Tap Start a New Shop
3. Select relevant business category
4. Select preferred language
5. Add shop details
6. Add products or services
7. Publish shop
8. Share your shop link and QR code with customers
9. Start receiving customer orders directly on WhatsApp

## Supported Categories

### Fresh
- Dairy Parlour
- Fruits and Vegetables
- Juice Shop
- Meat Shop

### Grocery
- Kirana
- Dry Fruits Shop
- Cold Pressed Oils
- Rice Traders
- Flour Mill
- Organic Shop

### Medical
- Medical Shop
- Ayurvedic

### Food
- Bakery
- Sweet Shop
- Home Foods
- Pickles Shop
- Cafe
- Breakfast
- Chaat Shop
- Fast Food
- Curry Point
- Restaurant
- Biryani Center

### Services
- Dry Cleaning
- Astrologer
- Carpenter
- Caterers
- Hair Saloon
- Loan
- Nutritionist
- Pest Control
- Tailor

### Others
- Florist
- Gift Shop
- Ladies Corner
- Paan Shop
- Pet Shop
- Sports
- Stationery
- Electricals
- Hardware
- Mobiles
- Pooja Store
- Toys Shop
- Tent House

## Features
- Online shop setup with ready-made category templates
- Just turn off items you don't sell
- Category-based onboarding
- Multi-language support (Hindi, Telugu, and more)
- WhatsApp order collection (orders arrive directly on your WhatsApp)
- Shareable shop link and QR code
- "Ka-ching" order notification in chotu Owner app
- Local customer discovery
- VIP Pass for top order visibility and catalog editing
- No commission on orders — customers pay you directly (cash or UPI)
- Works on mobile — no laptop or computer needed

## Two Apps
- Golden chotu Owner app — for shopkeepers (this app)
- Red chotu app — for buyers/customers
Both apps are available on Google Play Store and Apple App Store. Shopkeepers can install both.

## Payments & Delivery
- Customers pay the shopkeeper directly — not through chotu
- Accepted payment methods: cash, UPI (PhonePe, Google Pay, Paytm, etc.)
- chotu does not handle delivery. Options: customer pickup, shop helper/boy, or third-party services like Rapido or porter
- Orders can be placed 24x7; shopkeeper fulfills when open

## Pricing
- Basic shop: Free forever
- VIP Pass: Starts from ₹5/day
  - Higher ranking in customer searches
  - Ability to fully edit shop catalog (add new products, set prices)
  - Priority customer support


## Requirements
- Only a WhatsApp mobile number is required
- No GST, physical shop is optional , no laptop, no English needed
- Works in all major Indian languages
- Mobile-only platform

## FAQs

Q: What is chotu Owner?
A: chotu Owner helps local businesses create an online shop and receive orders directly through WhatsApp — competing with delivery apps while keeping full control of prices, payments, and customers.

Q: Is the app required?
A: Yes.

Q: How do I receive orders?
A: Customer orders arrive directly on your WhatsApp. You also hear a "ka-ching" notification in the chotu Owner app.

Q: Can I choose my language?
A: Yes. Language selection is available during onboarding. chotu supports all major Indian languages.

Q: Can I add products or services?
A: Yes. Each shop comes with a ready-made catalog for your category. You can turn off items you don't sell. With VIP Pass, you can fully edit and add new products.

Q: Do customers need to download the app?
A: Not mandatory. Customers can order by clicking your shop link or scanning your QR code. But the chotu buy app makes reordering easier.

Q: Is chotu like Swiggy or Zomato?
A: No. chotu is an ordering app for shopkeepers, not a delivery platform for buyers. You control your prices, payments, and customer data. chotu takes no commission.

Q: Do I need a GST number or physical shop?
A: No. Just a WhatsApp number is enough.

Q: How do customers pay?
A: Customers pay you directly via cash or UPI (PhonePe, Google Pay, Paytm, etc.). No payment goes through chotu.

Q: What is VIP Pass?
A: VIP Pass is a recharge based add-on starting at ₹5/day that gives top visibility, full catalog editing, and priority support.

Q: How do I promote my shop?
A: Share your shop link on WhatsApp Status, Groups, Instagram. Print your QR code on shopboards, visiting cards, and boards outside your shop. Updating your Google My Business profile with your shop link also helps.

Q: How do my customers find my shop?
A: Any user search with near me phrase with particular category for example “kirana near me”, “bakery near me”, chotu listings will come, if your shop in that locality chotu will show your shop to customers.

Q: Who is behind chotu?
A: Y Ravi (IIT-Delhi, IIM-Bangalore Alumni) 

## Content Discovery
- Discover URLs from sitemap
- Follow canonical URLs only
- Prefer onboarding and help pages
- Use setup pages for onboarding questions
- Use help pages for operational guidance
- Prefer latest published content

## Files
- [Owner Homepage](https://owner.chotu.com)
- [Start Selling](https://owner.chotu.com/sell-online)
- [Buyer Platform](https://chotu.com)

## Crawl Priority
1. Homepage
2. Sell Online page
3. Sitemap
4. App onboarding pages
5. Help pages
6. FAQs

## Discovery Rules
- Respect robots.txt
- Follow canonical URLs
- Prefer sitemap URLs