Quikr to launch delivery services

Online consumers, who are into selling and buying of second hand or used goods, will now be able to deliver or ship their products for free and with convenience. Online classified portal Quikr.com , which is the business of used goods, plans to provide delivery services to its subscribers.

At present, sellers are supposed to ship the products to the buyers on their own cost. This, the company said, was an inconvenient, tedious and time consuming process for the users. So far no other classified portal provides delivery services.

The Mumbai-based firm is already testing the potential of delivery services here for the last few months and has witnessed a 50 per cent increase in transactions in the city.

It plans to roll out the service in all the five major metros such as Delhi, Kolkata, Bangalore, Hyderabad and Chennai in the next three months.

Pranay Chulet, Founder and CEO, Quikr said that the decision to launch delivery services was a part of the company’s constant focus on innovation. “Delivery services in this category are a very local phenomenon and for that we are looking at tying up with local or regional movers and packers,” he said.

Logistics and delivery is critical for any online portal and smooth deliveries can lead to a sudden spike in traffic to the online portal, feel experts.

This is also the reason why several e-tailers are competing on fastest deliveries. Flipkart is looking at delivering products in just 4 hours. Its competitors Amazon and Snapdeal are also contemplating the same.

Experts feel that Quikr’s decision could also boost the used goods market, which is also growing at a faster rate but at the same time poses threat from online retailers who are selling goods at deep discounts thus luring consumers to buy new products.

Quikr is also betting big on its newly launched product – Quikr Nxt – which it claims to be the world’s first instant messenger by a classifieds major to enable seamless transactions. With Quikr Nxt, buyers and sellers can immediately connect through chat.

“This feature will transform India’s online classifieds market as it enables users to communicate with each other at their convenience and request more details about the product or service,” Chulet said, adding that the company will be launching at least 7-8 more innovative products.

The company, which raised $60 million from Tiger Global in August last, said it has grown over five times in the last one year.