Instamojo

What is Instamojo

Instamojo is an all-in-one eCommerce platform from India, designed for direct-to-consumer (D2C) businesses, entrepreneurs, and small to medium-sized enterprises. Its main purpose is to make selling online simple and accessible. The platform provides tools to create an online store, accept digital payments, manage shipping, and market products without needing technical skills. Founded in 2012 and headquartered in Bangalore, India, Instamojo started as a payment gateway solution and has since expanded into a full-featured eCommerce enabler. It supports businesses in selling a wide range of goods, from physical products and digital downloads to event tickets and services.

Instamojo Features

Instamojo offers a complete set of tools to help businesses operate online effectively.

• Online Store Builder: Create a professional-looking eCommerce website with customizable themes. You can list unlimited products, manage inventory, and showcase your brand.
• Integrated Payment Gateway: Accept payments through more than 100 payment modes, including credit/debit cards, net banking, UPI, and digital wallets. This ensures a smooth checkout experience for customers.
• Shipping and Logistics: The platform integrates with leading courier partners in India. This allows you to manage shipping, schedule pickups, and track orders directly from your dashboard.
• Marketing Tools: Promote your store with built-in tools for SEO, email marketing, and social media sharing. You can also create discount codes and run promotional campaigns.
• Landing Page Creator: Design custom landing pages to promote specific products, workshops, or events. This is useful for targeted marketing campaigns.
• Domain and Hosting: Get a custom domain name for your store and enjoy secure hosting, which builds brand credibility and trust.
• Business Analytics: Access a dashboard with reports on sales, traffic, and customer behavior. These insights help you make informed decisions to grow your business.
• Customer Support: Instamojo provides support to help you set up and manage your store. They also offer 'Do-it-for-me' plans where their team assists with website setup and customization.

Instamojo Pricing Plans

Instamojo offers several pricing tiers to fit different business needs and stages of growth.

• Free Plan: This plan is ideal for individuals and new businesses starting their online journey. It includes a basic online store, payment gateway integration, and shipping services, with fees charged per transaction.
• Starter Plan: A step up from the free plan, this tier offers more advanced features like a custom domain, additional marketing tools, and lower transaction fees. It is suitable for businesses looking to establish a stronger brand presence.
• Growth Plan: Designed for established businesses aiming to scale, this plan provides premium themes, advanced analytics, abandoned cart recovery, and dedicated support. It includes the lowest transaction fees and access to all platform features.
• Do-it-for-me Plans: These are specialized plans where the Instamojo team provides hands-on assistance with store setup, design customization, and feature recommendations, tailored to your business requirements.

Instamojo Free Plan

Instamojo offers a Forever Free Plan that allows businesses to start selling online with no upfront cost. The free plan includes a fully functional online store where you can list unlimited products, an integrated payment gateway to accept online payments, and access to their shipping services. The main limitation is that you will pay a standard transaction fee on every successful sale. The free store will also have Instamojo branding. This plan is an excellent option for anyone who wants to test their business idea without a financial commitment.

How to use Instamojo

Getting started with Instamojo is a straightforward process.

1. Sign Up: Go to the Instamojo website and create an account using your email address and phone number.
2. Complete KYC: To activate payments, you must complete the Know Your Customer (KYC) process by submitting your business and bank account details.
3. Set Up Your Online Store: Choose a theme for your store, add your brand logo, and start uploading products with images, descriptions, and prices.
4. Configure Settings: Set up your payment options and configure shipping settings, including delivery zones and charges.
5. Promote Your Store: Once your store is live, you can share the link on social media, with your email contacts, or through other marketing channels.
6. Manage Orders: When you receive an order, you can manage it from the Instamojo dashboard, from processing the payment to scheduling the shipment and tracking its delivery.

Pros and Cons of Instamojo

Pros

• User-Friendly: The platform is very easy to use, even for people with no technical background.
• All-in-One Solution: It combines an online store, payment gateway, and shipping services in one place.
• Quick Setup: You can create a store and start selling in a very short amount of time.
• Free to Start: The free plan allows new businesses to get started without any initial investment.
• Focused on India: The platform is tailored for the Indian market, with support for local payment methods and shipping partners.

Cons

• Transaction Fees: The fees on the free plan can be high for businesses with low margins.
• Limited Customization: While easy to use, the design and feature customization options are not as extensive as some other platforms.
• Primarily for India: It is best suited for businesses selling within India; international selling can be more complex.

Instamojo Integrations

Instamojo offers integrations with various third-party applications to extend the functionality of your online store. These integrations help with marketing, accounting, and customer relationship management.

• Mailchimp Integration: Connect your Instamojo store with Mailchimp to automatically add new customers to your email marketing lists and send targeted campaigns.
• Google Analytics Integration: Add your Google Analytics tracking ID to monitor your store's traffic, understand customer behavior, and track conversion rates.
• Quickbooks Integration: Sync your sales data with QuickBooks for easier accounting and financial management.
• Third-party Logistics Integration: Besides its native shipping, it allows integration with other logistics platforms for wider reach and options.

Instamojo Alternatives

Here are some popular alternatives to Instamojo for building an online store.

• Shopify: A global leader in eCommerce, Shopify offers more powerful features, extensive app integrations, and advanced customization. It is generally more expensive and can be more complex to manage.
• Razorpay: While primarily a payment gateway, Razorpay also offers tools to create payment pages and basic storefronts. It is a strong competitor in the Indian market, especially for businesses focused on simple payment collection.
• WooCommerce: A free, open-source plugin for WordPress, WooCommerce provides complete control and flexibility over your store. However, it requires you to manage your own hosting and has a steeper learning curve.
• Dukaan: Another Indian platform focused on simplicity, Dukaan allows you to create an online store quickly from your smartphone. It is a direct competitor for small businesses wanting a fast and easy setup.

Instamojo API

Yes, Instamojo provides a well-documented REST API for developers. This API allows you to integrate Instamojo's payment gateway directly into your own website or application. You can create payment links, process transactions, issue refunds, and manage payouts programmatically.

To get your API key and Auth Token, you need to sign up for an Instamojo account and find them in the 'API & Plugins' section of your dashboard. The API is free to use, with standard transaction fees applicable on payments.

Here is a basic example in Python to create a payment request:

import requests

headers = {
    'X-Api-Key': 'YOUR_API_KEY',
    'X-Auth-Token': 'YOUR_AUTH_TOKEN'
}

payload = {
    'purpose': 'Product Sale',
    'amount': '100.00',
    'buyer_name': 'John Doe',
    'email': 'john.doe@example.com',
    'phone': '9999999999',
    'redirect_url': 'http://www.example.com/redirect/',
    'send_email': 'True',
    'webhook': 'http://www.example.com/webhook/',
    'allow_repeated_payments': 'False',
}

response = requests.post("https://www.instamojo.com/api/1.1/payment-requests/", data=payload, headers=headers)
print(response.json())

Instamojo Affiliate Program

Instamojo runs an affiliate program that allows you to earn commissions by referring new sellers to the platform. As an affiliate, you receive a unique referral link to share with your audience. When a new user signs up through your link and starts using Instamojo for transactions or subscribes to a premium plan, you earn a commission. The commission is typically a percentage of the transaction fees collected from your referrals for a specific period or a one-time payout for premium plan subscriptions. To join, you can visit the affiliate program page on their website and fill out an application form. Payments are usually made on a monthly basis once you reach a minimum payout threshold.