PhonePe spotlights AI tools to speed merchant onboarding and storefront creation

PhonePe is positioning AI-powered app search, payment-gateway integration and SmartPages as tools for merchants to reduce setup time from weeks to minutes, including page creation in under 10 minutes.

— Source publishedWed, 9 Sept, 2026, 13:30 IST·First seen Wed, 9 Sept, 2026, 13:42 IST·Source ET Small Business

What happened

PhonePe highlights AI-powered app search, merchant payment-gateway integration and SmartPages tools, aiming to speed payments onboarding and page creation for

Key facts

  • ₹20
  • weeks to minutes
  • under 10 minutes
  • 19 November 2026

Why this matters

PhonePe’s push into AI-assisted onboarding and lightweight storefronts makes it a more relevant partner or competitor for payment gateways, SMB SaaS platforms and commerce-enablement providers.

What to watch

  • Reported growth in active merchants using SmartPages versus total PhonePe merchant base.
  • Evidence that merchants can complete KYC, gateway setup and storefront activation in a single digital workflow.
  • Launch of paid SmartPages, advertising, lending or software bundles that demonstrate a monetization path beyond payments.
  • Competitor announcements bundling AI-led onboarding, merchant discovery or no-code storefront tools.
  • Changes in merchant transaction frequency, payment-gateway volume and retention after adoption of PhonePe business tools.
  • Regulatory or data-governance scrutiny around AI-generated merchant content, KYC automation and use of transaction data for credit offers.
  • Bundle SmartPages with QR deployment, payment gateway activation and WhatsApp/social catalog sharing to create a one-session merchant launch flow.
  • Use onboarding data to offer segmented products: working-capital loans, inventory tools, hyperlocal advertising and customer loyalty features.
  • Expand AI search and merchant discovery inside the consumer app, routing demand toward merchants that maintain active SmartPages.
  • Partner with commerce-enablement, logistics and POS providers to add fulfillment and inventory capabilities without building a full commerce stack.
  • Introduce freemium storefront tiers, with paid upgrades for custom domains, analytics, promotion, catalog automation and CRM features.