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For shopkeepers

You will never lose more than your cap.

You choose the discount rate, inside a ceiling set below your category's margin. Countr sets a monthly cap in rupees with you at signup. When the cap is reached, the offer pauses itself until the 1st. You can stop any time.

Apply for your shopSee the rate card
How the cap works
Your monthly cap
₹8,000
Discount given this month
₹8,000
Your offer
Paused until 1st
You fund beyond the cap
₹0

Illustration of the mechanism, not a real shop's month.

Will this cost me money?

Yes. It costs exactly the discount you choose, and never more than your cap. That is the whole of it.

The discount, and nothing else
You fund the discount on each Countr bill. There is no joining fee, no commission on the bill and no monthly charge today.
Never more than your cap
The cap is a limit in rupees that the software enforces, not a promise we make. It cannot be exceeded, even by two customers approving at the same moment.
No machine, no settlement
A printed code on your counter and the Countr app on the phone you already have. The customer pays you directly; there is nothing to collect from us.

The rate card

Your category: the rates, the cap, and what bills cost

Countr sets a ceiling for each category, well under its typical gross margin — never more than a third of it. You choose any rate at or below the ceiling and any per-bill cap at or below the one shown. Pick your category to see all of it at once.

Grocery / kirana

Typical gross margin about 12%. The highest rate Countr allows here is 33% of that margin.

₹200–₹999
3%
₹1,000 and above
4%
Most you fund on one bill
₹200

Bills under ₹200 do not qualify. You can set any rate below these, and a lower cap.

What real bills cost you, at the most Countr allows

Discount and payable for four bills at a Grocery / kirana shop, at the ceiling
BillYou fundCustomer pays you
₹500₹153.0%₹485
₹1,500₹604.0%₹1,440
₹3,000₹1204.0%₹2,880
₹10,000₹200capped₹9,800
₹2,000
Counter bill
Bill
₹2,000
Rate for this bill
4%
You fund
− ₹80
Customer pays you
₹1,920

Electronics (about 8% margin) and jewellery (about 10%) are not on Countr at all: there is not enough margin in them to discount honestly.

What went wrong before

In 2019, restaurants walked out of Zomato Gold

In August 2019 around two to three thousand restaurants across India withdrew from Zomato Gold. The discounts were deeper than their margins could carry, unlocks were unlimited, and the customers it brought mostly came only when there was a deal.

Groupon India, Nearbuy, Little and Payback India failed the same way. Countr is built around the three things they did not have.

What was different in 2019, and what Countr does instead
What hurt shopsWhat Countr does
Discounts deeper than the marginEvery ceiling is at most a third of the category's margin, and you may choose less.
Unlimited use by the same customersMembers hold a fixed number of coins that expire. You can limit uses per member per day.
No limit on what a shop could loseA monthly cap in rupees, fixed at signup and enforced by the software.

What happens at your counter

  1. 01The customer scans the code on your counter and types their bill.
  2. 02Your phone shows the amount they typed, as the biggest thing on screen.
  3. 03You check it against your bill. If it is right, enter your PIN.
  4. 04The customer pays you directly, less the discount. It takes about as long as a UPI payment.

From your last PIN digit to approved: about 1.6 seconds on a good connection, measured on the live system.

Questions shopkeepers ask

Is there a joining fee, commission or monthly charge?
Not today. There is no joining fee, no commission on the bill and no monthly charge. How Countr will charge in future has not been decided. If that ever changes, you will be told in writing before anything applies, and you can stop instead. Nothing will ever be taken out of a customer's payment to you.
How do I get paid?
The customer pays you directly, by cash or UPI, exactly as now — just the bill less the discount. Countr never holds your money, so there is nothing to wait for and nothing to reconcile with us. That is deliberate: collecting payment on your behalf would need RBI authorisation, and it would put us between you and your customer.
What if the customer types the wrong bill amount?
The amount they typed is the biggest thing on your screen, with a note to check it against your bill. If it is wrong, tap 'Bill amount is wrong'. No discount is given and no coins are used. We record it, so a customer doing it repeatedly stands out.
Can I stop?
Any time, with no notice period and no charge. We pause your offer and it stops appearing to members straight away.
Does it work without internet?
No, and we would rather say so. Both phones need a data connection: the customer's to send the bill, yours to approve it. If your connection is down, charge the full price as normal; nothing is lost and nothing is owed.
More questions8
Do I need a new machine or software?
No. You get a printed code for your counter, and you approve discounts in the Countr app on a smartphone you already have. Nothing connects to your billing software or card machine.
Who pays for the discount?
You do, which is why you choose the rate and every shop has a monthly cap. The rate card shows that every ceiling is set well below the category's margin, so the discount stays affordable even on a customer who would have come in anyway.
Can I change my discount or my cap?
Yes, any time. Tell your Countr contact and we change it for you. The new rate applies from the next bill. Bills already approved keep the rate they were approved at, so nothing you have already given changes.
What happens when my monthly cap is reached?
Your offer pauses itself until the 1st of next month. Just before that, if there is less left than a bill would use, the customer gets what is left and is told so before they submit. You never fund more than the cap.
Will it slow down my queue?
We measure it. From your last PIN digit to 'approved' takes about 1.6 seconds on the live system over a good connection. On a slow connection it takes longer.
Can one customer use it again and again?
Members hold a limited number of coins, and they expire. You can also limit how often one member uses your offer — once a day is typical.
What if someone copies the code on my counter?
The code only identifies your shop; every discount still needs your PIN. If a code is copied, we replace it in minutes and send you a new one to print.
What does Countr see about my shop's sales?
Only Countr bills: the amount the customer declared, the discount and the time. Nothing about your other sales. At month end you get a summary of members served and discount given.

Apply

Ask us to visit your shop

Tell us about your shop. Someone from Countr will call or visit — you do not commit to anything by applying, and nothing is charged.

10 digits, the number you use for the shop.

Can we message you on WhatsApp?

A range is enough. It helps us set a sensible monthly cap.

How we handle your detailsHow we handle your details