Ecommerce is a
relatively unknown and new genre in Pakistan specially in smaller
cities. Its the most convenient and hassle-free shopping option. WHY?
Because you don't have to go to markets and bargain with the sellers,
you get your desired products delivered to your doorsteps. Besides the
pros its cons are: you have to trust the seller, he can sell you a
counterfeit product claiming to be genuine, delivery can be delayed
sometimes, your order can be misplaced and so on and so forth. So I
decided to bring to my lovely readers an overview and introduction to
online companies. Today, I am beginning with DARAZ.
(1) How was Daraz conceptualized?
Daraz.pk
is a venture of the world's largest internet incubator, Rocket
Internet. After successfully establishing Jumia, which has the same
model as eBay, in 9 countries, Rocket Internet saw potential in Pakistan
and introduced the concept here - creating the largest ecommerce portal
in the country. Daraz has now transcended in Bangladesh and Myanmar as
well.
(2) How old is Daraz?
Daraz.pk
came to existence about 3 years ago - it started off as a fashion
company and then soon started selling a wide assortment of general
merchandise as well. Daraz has the widest product assortment - currently
it has over 1000 brands and 50,000 products.
(3) Tell us something about the founder/founders of Daraz.
Rocket
Internet approached Muneeb Maayr and Farees Shah with the concept and
the two, together, cofounded the company, making it the leading
ecommerce store in Pakistan, today.
(4)
What prompted them to launch such a service? Is it a legally
established online brand in country? (Just to clarify to our readers:
People usually comment whether your products you sell are original or
otherwise.)
We are a
massive multinational company and not just some small scale website that
started selling products. We have official partnerships with brands who
create their webstores on Daraz.pk. Our products are 100% original we
are a marketplace for all brands who use us as their official online
retailers.
(5) How many products do you offer to people to choose from?
Over 50,000 products.
(6) How does the team function i.e. the process to get the goods to the consumer?
We
have a team of 400 people working for us, every department has its own
designated responsibilities to ensure smooth sailing, we have proper
warehousing and a strong logistics system - everything is very
systematic and under control.
(7) Are you satisfied with the customers’ response to your business?
More
than 200,000 to 250,000 people visit Daraz daily that is more than 10
times the footfall at the busiest mall in the country - that goes to
show how we have a massive customer base.
(8) How do you think social media helps one have a successful business?
Social
media is absolutely incredible. The thing with traditional marketing
such as TV, radio or billboards is that its not targeted, everybody sees
everything; however with social media you can do targeted marketing,
which means you can make only people who are your target audience view
your products. Social Media channels are also a great way to gauge how
much your brand is loved - we have over 2.4 million fans on Facebook at
this point, that's pretty amazing.
(9) What's the scope of online business in Pakistan?
E-commerce
in Pakistan is at a turning point, it has seen a massive boom. The
current size of $30 million is expected to go up to $600 million in the
next two years.
(10) A piece of advice for the buyers.
If
you haven't shopped on Daraz yet, it's time you do. We are your
complete lifestyle solution. We have made everything according to your
convenience, offering all modes of payment, free delivery, customer
service and a 7-day return policy if you don't like what you've bought.
It's definitely worth a try.
