Suumit Shahs Dukaan Making ECommerce Simple for Small Businesses 

Rajshree Upadhyaya | Business Remedies | March 24,2025 | Suumit Shah, born on December 25, 1990, in Mumbai, grew up in a middle-class family with aspirations far beyond his circumstances. His early years in Satara, Maharashtra, were spent helping at his uncle’s shop, where he witnessed firsthand the struggles of small business owners. Their limited resources and lack of digital awareness left a lasting impression, sparking his desire to create impactful solutions.  

While pursuing an engineering degree in Sangli, his true education happened outside the classroom. His roommate introduced him to a chance in web development, which led him to explore digital marketing through online courses. Fascinated by the internet’s potential, he began experimenting with digital tools, gradually applying his knowledge to real-world projects.  

After graduation, instead of following a conventional career path, he sought opportunities in digital marketing and web development. His experience working with companies like McDonald’s and Cred gave him corporate exposure, but his entrepreneurial ambitions remained strong. In 2014, he co-founded Risemetric, a digital marketing agency, with Subhash Choudhary, a self-taught tech enthusiast from Bihar. Their shared vision was to harness digital solutions to help businesses grow.  

The COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 created an unexpected opportunity. While large corporations adapted, small retailers struggled to stay afloat. A WhatsApp message from a radio jockey taking orders online sparked an idea—if businesses could sell through WhatsApp, there had to be a way to simplify and streamline the process.  

Within 48 hours, Suumit and Subhash built a prototype that would later become Dukaan, a DIY e-commerce platform enabling merchants to create online stores in just 30 seconds. Launched in May 2020, the response was immediate and overwhelming. Within 20 days, over 150,000 businesses had set up online stores, listing 500,000 products and fulfilling 75,000 orders. The demand made it clear that small businesses needed an easy way to transition into digital commerce.  

Dukaan stood out by eliminating the complexities of traditional e-commerce. Designed for small retailers, grocery stores, and solopreneurs, it provided a seamless, mobile-friendly solution that allowed entrepreneurs to take their businesses online effortlessly.  

As Dukaan grew, Suumit remained committed to innovation. In 2023, he made a bold move by replacing 90% of Dukaan’s customer support team with an AI chatbot, reducing operational costs by 85% and cutting resolution times from over two hours to just three minutes. While the decision sparked debates on automation and job losses, he defended it as a necessary step toward efficiency and scalability, believing AI was the future of customer service.  

Despite challenges, Dukaan’s growth was exponential. By 2023, it had empowered nearly two million businesses across 400 cities, with over seven million products listed in 40 categories. Suumit’s goal was clear—to simplify digital commerce and help small businesses compete with industry giants like Amazon and Flipkart.  

His journey from working in his uncle’s shop to building a leading digital platform is a testament to resilience and innovation. By identifying a market gap and leveraging technology, he transformed the way small businesses operate. His story serves as an inspiration, proving that adaptability and vision can drive meaningful change in the digital era.