Mumbai, August 11, 2014 – With a mere Rs.800 a month, you can start your own e-commerce platform. Canadian firm Shopify, an e-commerce software firm that allows anyone to easily sell online, said there is a huge market for small and medium enterprises to tap consumers by getting onto the online retail platform.
The company said that following the recent spate of investment in the e-retail space, the company is seeing several brick and mortar players waiting to enter the e-commerce bandwagon.
Shopify said the company expects its subscriber base to grow to nearly 10,000 from the current 5,000-odd base.
Harley Finkelstein, Chief Platform Officer, Shopify, said the company has strong presence in India with more than 5,000 Indian stores operating on its platform, namely Yellow Fashion, PosterGully, The Beach Company, XTEAS and Confession 9.
“With more brick and mortar retailers looking at omni-retail channel, we are expecting sharp rise in e-commerce as a platform for tapping consumers,” he added.
Shopify assists in setting up websites and helps with marketing and search engine optimisation, payment gateways and partnerships with logistics and back-end firms.
Business model
Asked how Shopify’s model was different from a market-led model, Finklestein said while marketplaces were basically aggregators on the other hand players like Shopify created an individual web presence for them.
Finklestein said its platform currently powers over one lakh retailers in 100 different countries, including Tesla Motors, Gatorade, Forbes, Amnesty International, Encyclopedia Britannica, CrossFit, and many more.
Founded in 2006, Shopify has received $22 million in Series A and B funding from Bessemer Venture Partners, FirstMark Capital, Felicis Ventures, and Georgian Partners.
Finklestein said Shopify’s model globally is easy to operate and offers scalability. “A consumer can start an e-commerce venture by paying a ₹800 per month. We will provide various templates that can help an individual start their own venture. The package includes everything needed to set up a business website and start selling online.”
The company said it has integrated with over 50 payment gateways besides cash-on-delivery, are accepted. “Unlike other markets, India is big on cash-on-delivery and we didn’t want to miss the opportunity by not having it as a payment mode”.
Asked what categories were attracting SME entrepreneurs, Finklestein said apparel and fashion, footwear and electronics were attracting interests. Business Line
