Meri Saheli Platform
India
Developed by Frontier Markets, Meri Saheli Platform is an open-source phygital (physical + digital) solution to connect companies with rural customers in India. It features a vernacular, voice-enabled e-commerce application specifically for rural women entrepreneurs (Sahelis) and includes digital marketing tools such as an Artificial Intelligence (AI) chatbot for direct customer engagement. It offers product basket to meet various rural needs and supports a robust distribution network with local warehousing and doorstep delivery. Additionally, it provides data collection and analytical capabilities for market insights and training and capacity-building programs for rural women. The platform, designed by rural women for women, enables rural women in India to build economic resilience and growth by acting as an assessment tool, training tool, awareness tool, and marketplace, connecting solutions to people via partnerships with innovative solution providers.
Digital Solution (DS) Category
Digital Agriculture
Digital Agrifood Services
Digital Finance
Digital Rural Services
Digital Solution Type (sub-category)
Farm advisory services
E-commerce platforms
Financial services and credit
Digital extension services
Delivery type (format)
Mobile app
Artificial intelligence (AI)
Cloud-based
DS supplier-user category
Business to business
Business to consumers
Type of entity (ICT developer-supplier)
Agritech company
Name of supplier/developer
Frontier Markets
Primary Users
SMEs / agripreneurs , Farmers , Agribusiness / private company
Digital Solution Development Stage
Commercial stage (widespread use nationally)
Number of users or subscribers
35,000+ Saheli's (rural women entrepreneurs) 500,000 Customers Source: https://www.frontiermkts.com/
Measurable positive impact(s) by Digital Solution (DS) on target users and/or audience
The Meri Saheli Platform facilitates access to products and services for over 500,000 customers in 4,000 villages through a network of 35,000 women entrepreneurs (Sahelis). The platform has enabled the sale of 50 million products and generated an average annual net income of INR 65,000 per woman entrepreneur. It supports rural households, resulting in INR 11 billion in net earnings and savings. The platform has distributed over 4 million solar solutions, contributing to a reduction of 2.5 million tons of carbon emissions. It impacts 3.5 million beneficiaries and demonstrates significant economic and environmental contributions. Source: https://www.frontiermkts.com/our-impact
Digital Solution Geographic scope
India
Name of Digital village(s), districts, communes where DS is used/deployed
On-line resource links (Web-page links, links to videos, links to reports, etc)
DS Links to FAO, UN and other Development agencies projects, initiatives and programmes