Ecommerce marketplace Snapdeal has launched Shopo, a zero commission mobile marketplace targeted at small and medium businesses (SMBs), which will combine chat and commerce on smartphones. Snapdeal claims that it will not take any fees and allow SMBs to list their products in a single step. Sellers can list products like bakery and grocery items, toys, collectibles, fashion and utility products.
Sellers will be able to chat with their prospective customers and sell them products, taking into consideration the mode of transaction and delivery method. They will also be able to provide information, negotiate a price and arrange for pickup while closing transactions. Snapdeal says that it is targeting 1 million shops to get on its platform in the next year. It claims that with this platform, it is eliminating packaging norms, distribution logistics, inadequate resources at the problem of growth and reach.
Snapdeal’s recent developments:
– Last month, the online marketplace giant launched a special ecommerce zone at Dharamshala, in a partnership with the Himachal Pradesh government to enable small and medium sized business to go digital.
– In May, Snapdeal acquired mobility solutions company Letsgomo Labs. It was not yet clear if Letsgomo would continue to operate independently or merge with Snapdeal. Founded by Manav Kamboj and Vikas Banga, Letsgomo consulted businesses regarding building mobile strategies, conceptualization of applications and mobile sites, as well as implementation and hosting. The Gurgaon-based company also worked with leading e-commerce companies to help them improve their mobile capabilities.
– In the same month, Snapdeal acquired Hyderabad-based mobile technology startup MartMobi for an undisclosed amount. This acquisition would allow Snapdeal to provide merchants on its platform better mobility options. Snapdeal co-founder Rohit Bansal claimed that at that time, 75% of orders on Snapdeal came from mobile, which was one of the reasons for this acquisition.
– In March, Snapdeal had acquired a majority stake in Gurgaon-based financial products and services platform RupeePower for an undisclosed amount. Following the deal, Snapdeal would offer a financial services marketplace, where you could expect to get home, auto and personal loans, credit cards and extended warranty among other services.
Snapdeal’s regional and SME tie ups
– In March this year, Snapdeal partnered with IndiVillage to let the former’s sellers outsource image tagging, transcription and content development for product descriptions to IndiVillage. The company told Medianama that this move was aimed at enabling their sellers better services, building an ecosystem and providing inclusive growth.
– In February, Snapdeal launched a variety of products from the manufacturers at Dharavi for sale on its website. The company mentioned that it had tied up with DharaviMarket.com for the same. As a part of this initiative, Snapdeal would list Dharavi artisans and SMBs and create an exclusive store for them called ‘Dharavi – Snapdeal store’.
