Tuesday 8 September 2015

Snapdeal to build seller base of 1 million on Shopo; plans to invest $100 million

Earlier this year, we heard news about Snapdeal relaunching Shopo as a mobile app to sell all the popular categories like apparel, accessories, beauty & cosmetics, electronics etc. The idea behind this was to provide a platform for small and medium sellers who could not register and sell on the bigger online marketplaces.
From what we hear now, the online marketplace major will invest $100 million in Shopo’s zero-commission platform to enable as many as a million sellers to sell online.
“We launched Shopo in mid-July and we already have 20,000 shops on the platform. The response we have got, only from word of mouth, is overwhelming,” Snapdeal co-founder and CEO Kunal Bahl told PTI.

Plans of expansion

With the $100 million allocation, Snapdeal plans to expand Shopo in the following ways:
  • Build a robust technology framework
  • Expand and solidify brand Shopo
  • Community of ‘Shopo angels’ for engaging customers

Advantage of Shopo?

Anyone can start selling on Shopo – small shop owners, homegrown artists, housewives etc. Unlike the usual practice on online marketplaces, TIN/TAN number or VAT registration is not required to sell on Shopo. Once established, sellers can get the requisite documentation done to start selling on Snapdeal and this expand avenues.

How Shopo works

The team behind building Shopo’s platform has been successful in building one that helps sellers to start selling in just a click, literally. There is no document submission and verification procedure, which makes it faster to start selling online.
Also, there are no commissions charged. Currently, it works on a chat-based model where sellers and customers can connect with one another. Eventually, the company will extend logistics and payment gateways services to users.
“Sellers can use our logistics and payment gateways, just like they would use any other courier service. It is just about making the seller experience a hassle-free one,” Bahl said.

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