Powering India’s retail backbone: QueueBuster as the business solution for a Digital Bharat

Can you brief us about QueueBuster’s core solutions and the vision behind starting this venture?

QueueBuster is an Android-based business solution designed to simplify and digitize retail operations—from billing and inventory to CRM, reporting, and beyond. It works seamlessly on Android smartphones, payment card machines, and POS terminals, making it highly accessible and scalable for businesses of all sizes.

Our journey began in 2012 with Maple POS, a restaurant-focused POS solution that was later acquired by Zomato in 2015. Building on that success, QueueBuster was launched in 2016 to cater to a wider spectrum of industries, including retail, grocery, salons, F&B, and more.

The idea behind QueueBuster was born out of a clear gap in the market: legacy POS systems were bulky, hardware-heavy, and required extensive training to operate. Merchants were demanding a modern, lightweight, easy-to-use solution that could do it all. That’s where QueueBuster comes in, bringing billing, inventory, CRM, and more into one intuitive platform that fits in any Android device, whether it’s your smartphone or a POS terminal.

Despite the challenges of the pandemic, we secured Rs 64 crore in Series A funding in 2022 and scaled our team from just 23 to over 100 members. Today, QueueBuster is trusted by over 75,000 merchants, including retail chains, restaurants, railway catering, government stores, and even religious organizations. Over 4 million invoices are generated every month using our software and one-third of our partner outlets are active at any given time.

At our core, our vision has always been to democratize technology for businesses by offering a complete business solution that’s simple, accessible, and future-ready.

How does QueueBuster handle localisation for language and regional tax settings across India?

QueueBuster is built with localisation at its core – from regional languages to tax compliance, making it ideal for businesses across India and beyond. Our POS supports 13 Indian languages, ensuring usability for merchants from Tier 1 cities to rural regions. Whether it’s Hindi, Tamil, Kannada, or Marathi, users can interact with the system in their preferred language without any learning curve.

On the taxation front, QueueBuster adapts to local tax frameworks, including India’s GST (with SGST, CGST, IGST support) and VAT systems in international markets. Businesses can easily configure region-specific tax rules and generate detailed, compliant reports.

For instance, a beauty store in Bengaluru can upload its product catalogue and map the relevant GST slabs, while a retailer in Dubai can switch the interface to Arabic and use VAT-enabled reporting.

Today, QueueBuster is actively used not only in India but also in Dubai, Nigeria, Nepal, and Saudi Arabia, with each deployment tailored to meet local tax laws, language preferences, and compliance norms.

Are there any specific Android system requirements for using QueueBuster?

QueueBuster is an Android-based application that runs seamlessly on smartphones, tablets, and Android-powered POS terminals including modern card swipe machines. Its flexibility makes it ideal for both counter billing and on-the-go operations, without the need for any special hardware or heavy installation.

For enterprise clients with existing infrastructure, we are also building a platform-agnostic version of QueueBuster. Our roadmap includes expanding compatibility beyond Android to support Windows and other operating systems, ensuring broader accessibility and ease of adoption across diverse environments.

What is QueueBuster’s process for handling and resolving software bugs or issues?

QueueBuster follows a rigorous QA process to ensure high software reliability and quick issue resolution. Every update goes through comprehensive testing, including white-box and black-box methodologies, before release. While we strive to eliminate bugs proactively, we understand that occasional issues may arise. When reported via our customer support center, issues are categorized by severity: critical, high, medium, or low. Resolution timelines are prioritized accordingly, with critical cases like app crashes addressed immediately to minimize any disruption to business.

We also back our processes with globally recognized certifications like SOC 2 and ISO 27001, underlining our commitment to data security, compliance, and operational excellence.

How does QueueBuster manage software updates across distributed POS terminals?

We manage updates using a structured versioning system, similar to Android app updates on the Play Store. Each release is tagged with a version number (e.g., 3.81), and merchants are notified when a new version is available. The update process is seamless and user-friendly – just like updating any other app on an Android device.

We also actively monitor the software versions used by our customers and recommend updates when needed to ensure peak performance, stability, and security across all terminals.

To what extent does QueueBuster allow customisation for different business needs?

QueueBuster supports customisation to a practical extent, focusing on scalability and product integrity. Feature requests that align with our roadmap are actively considered and integrated into the core platform. For example, if we’re working with an amusement park and already offering features like ticket booking, food & beverage billing, and membership management, a request for locker management would be considered well within scope. Since it complements the end-to-end experience for that industry, we would build and integrate it as part of our offering.

However, as QueueBuster is a product company (not a custom software services provider), highly specific or one-off customisations that deviate from the platform’s vision are generally not pursued. For enterprise clients, tailored features are occasionally added as long as they enhance the product for a broader audience.

How does QueueBuster differentiate itself in the competitive POS market?

QueueBuster stands out in the crowded POS market with its mobility, simplicity, and cost-efficiency. Unlike traditional POS systems tied to a fixed billing counter, QueueBuster enables mobile billing through Android-based handheld devices. Bills can be generated anywhere, near a trial room in a retail store to a dining table in a restaurant, delivering a faster and more flexible customer experience.

Another core differentiator is ease of use. Our solution is highly intuitive, and staff can be trained in under 30 minutes, reducing onboarding time and operational friction.

Finally, QueueBuster runs seamlessly on affordable Android devices, removing the dependency on bulky and expensive hardware, offering businesses a modern, cost-effective, and scalable solution.

With POS solutions becoming more versatile, does QueueBuster see potential in non-retail applications, and if so, which industries are on the radar?

Absolutely. QueueBuster sees tremendous potential beyond traditional retail, and our footprint in non-retail sectors is already growing rapidly. While we started with retail, our solution is built to handle any transactional environment. Today, QueueBuster powers digital billing on over 800 Indian trains, enabling passengers to receive proper invoices for onboard food purchases – bringing structure to an otherwise informal economy.

We’ve also made inroads into the religious and public sector. In iconic temples like Tirupati and Siddhivinayak, our software is used for billing donations, prasad, books, and parking – reducing revenue leakages and boosting transparency. In Uttar Pradesh, we support the agriculture department by helping farmers redeem subsidies at Khad Bhandars via Aadhaar-linked systems. Our recent expansion into amusement parks is another example. Volunteers now issue entry tickets using Android POS devices, eliminating long queues and offering guests a seamless entry experience.

QueueBuster’s adaptability is what makes it a strong contender in diverse, high-volume environments beyond retail.

Does QueueBuster have any plans to expand its footprint, including in Asia-Pacific and the MENA region?

Yes, QueueBuster is actively working on both product and geographic expansion, with a strong focus on the Asia-Pacific and MENA regions.

On the product front, we’re diversifying beyond retail POS with the development of new enterprise-grade solutions. These include Mobi DMS, a Distributor Management System designed to help manufacturers and brands streamline distributor operations, inventory, and secondary sales. In parallel, we’re building a Sales Force Automation (SFA) tool to empower distributors to efficiently manage field sales teams and improve market coverage.

Internationally, QueueBuster is already operational in Dubai, Saudi Arabia, Nigeria, and Nepal, where our Android-based POS is being used by retailers and service providers. With these initial markets showing strong adoption, we’re now accelerating our efforts to deepen our presence in the wider Asia-Pacific and MENA regions, partnering with local stakeholders and payment providers to scale our offerings.

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