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Zoho Corporation, a global Software as a Service (SaaS) provider, is expanding its footprint with the announcement of its first office in the Indian Ocean region, selecting Mauritius as its strategic hub. This move is rooted in its strategy of "Transnational Localism" (TNL), which mandates that Zoho establish deep local roots and invest in regional talent and partners. This strategy ensures that the software adapts to the business rather than forcing the business to adjust to the software. To assess the implications for the property market, we spoke with Premanand Velumani, Associate Director, Strategic Growth, MEA, Zoho Corp.
Bridging Digital Fragmentation
What are the main pain points for real estate agencies in Africa and the Middle East, and how does Zoho tackle these challenges?
Real estate professionals in Africa and the Middle East face challenges that often stem from fragmented systems and manual processes, whether in customer follow-ups, documentation, financial reporting, or post-sale support. These gaps can lead to inefficiencies, reduced transparency, and inconsistent customer experience. Zoho’s platform addresses these issues by creating a single connected system where leads are managed centrally, documentation workflows are automated, financial records are accurate and realtime, and service requests are tracked and resolved systematically.
Furthermore, Zoho's platforms can be easily integrated with third party solutions, which helps create a connected software ecosystem. With AI-supported analytics and mobile-first tools, agencies and developers are now able to manage the full property lifecycle with greater speed, accountability, and customer satisfaction. Our goal is to support the industry in modernising operations while maintaining the personal relationships and trust that define property markets in the region.
What key factors drive Zoho's strong growth in Mauritius, and how will it scale across Africa?
Our 33% annual growth in Mauritius reflects a consistent strategy built on localisation, customer proximity, and long term investment rather than short-term commercial activity. Businesses here value solutions that are easy to adopt, unify processes, and provide clear operational visibility, and Zoho’s integrated platform has fulfilled that need. The expansion of our partner network by 30% has also been crucial, as it ensures customers have access to advisors who understand both technology and local business practices. As we expand into other African markets, our approach will remain focused on creating local presence and developing the local ecosystem. Growth is only sustainable when supported by strong local partnerships, ongoing training, and solutions that adapt to cultural and regulatory environments, not the other way around.
Which components of Zoho's integrated ecosystem hold the most transformative potential for both African and Mauritius real estate businesses, and what defines that crucial impact?
Zoho’s strength lies in our ability to provide customisable platforms that can be easily integrated into any software ecosystem. For the real estate industry in particular, Zoho CRM Plus and Zoho Creator offer the most transformative potential. Real estate workflows often involve multiple touchpoints, from lead generation and property viewings to contract management and after-sales services. CRM Plus brings all these functions into a single integrated platform, enabling real estate companies to manage customer interactions,
automate follow-ups, track sales pipelines, and improve customer engagement with greater transparency and efficiency.
CRM Plus is a platform, which is layered with low-code, no-code as well as pro-code functionalities, making it highly customisable to suit the unique processes of any company. Because of the low-code and no-code features, the implementation time for the customised solution is very low, and therefore real estate companies can go to market with the new solution much faster. Furthermore, CRM Plus integrates seamlessly with other tools such as Zoho Books, and third-party tools, which helps organisations gain a complete, end-to-end view of their business.
For companies that require deeper customisation, we offer Zoho Creator, a low-code application development platform, that can help extend any solution with custom capabilities or for integration with other core applications. Together, Zoho CRM Plus (as the core system) and Zoho Creator (for scalable customisation) deliver adaptability, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness, making the solutions highly suitable for the dynamic needs of real estate businesses in Mauritius.
