InMobi’s Roposo Turns To Social Commerce To Solve Short Video Monetisation

InMobi-owned Roposo is in the process of moving to a social commerce model and broadening its focus on short videos beyond the creator economy.  In its new avatar, Roposo will look to replicate the social commerce model popularised by Meesho before the latter pivoted to a marketplace model. 

Currently in a transitional phase, Roposo has stopped new user signups and existing users cannot edit or post content, even though the Roposo app and website are still functional. 

Mansi Jain, senior vice president and general manager of Roposo, told Inc42 that the platform is pivoting from a creator or influencer-led commerce model to social commerce where anyone can sell or resell products within their circle of influence. 

This is essentially the pitch used by Meesho and Limeroad before at least Meesho moved to a marketplace model in 2022. Jain indicated that Roposo would allow users to set up their own stores and use the platform to extend reach. She also claimed product development for the new model is in advanced stages and it will be launched as early as November. 

“Roposo in its current form was purely driven by influencer and brand collaborations, where the users could consume content and shop directly from the app, while the order fulfilment was being done by us. However, we are now making it more interactive with users using GenAI tools to sell products online,” Jain told Inc42.

Jain added that the full potential of AI in commerce hasn’t been leveraged yet and InMobi is looking to fill the gap allowing users to leverage GenAI tools to post content, videos and sell or resell products. 

In its earlier format, Roposo allowed the creators and influencers to use dropshipping to deliver products through Roposo Clout. Influencers could use Shop 101 (also acquired by InMobi) to purchase products and sell them on the Roposo app for a cut of the transaction. 

It wasn’t immediately clear whether the users on its social commerce platform can also avail products and services from Clout or Shop 101.

InMobi acquired Roposo in 2019 and was one of the dozens of short video apps that looked to fill the vacuum left behind by TikTok in 2020 after its ban from India. It was originally acquired to bolster InMobi’s Glance product which displays ads and links on smartphone lockscreens 

Before the acquisition, Roposo had raised $38 Mn in funding from investors such as Tiger Global, Bertelsmann India.

InMobi is meanwhile planning to expand its video commerce business substantially by integrating GenAI tools within Glance and Roposo. Naveen Tiwari, CEO, InMobi reportedly said that leveraging AI for Glance would unlock new consumption patterns by helping smartphone users buy from their lock screens instead of from individual apps. 

Video Commerce Gaining Traction?

With Instagram and YouTube dominating in terms of users, Indian short video apps have struggled to monetise and have looked at various new streams to remain relevant. VerSe Innovation’s Josh and ShareChat-backed Moj have tested video commerce in the hope that it will bring in the users and brands, but the outcome has not been favourable in terms of revenue and traction. 

In June this year, Flipkart said that video commerce offering is gaining popularity with more than 75 Mn users having watched videos while shopping on the app between January 2024 and June 2024 on its curated video sections ‘Liveshop+’ and ‘Vibes’.

“We have realised that just short-form content will be extremely challenging to monetize in the wake of increasing streaming costs, server expenses and influencer charges. Ecommerce industry growth in particular that of quick commerce platforms has also led to many players now strategising ways to engage audiences/ users and which is why video commerce will be crucial,” VerSe CEO Umang Bedi told Inc42 earlier. 

InMobi’ is betting that features such as product discoverability will set it apart from others in this space. Roposo’s Jain added that AI will unlock new commerce behaviour. “The world of Gen AI can change the way products are being sold and purchased which is what we are working on now and will be launched soon,” she claimed.

[Edited By Nikhil Subramanian]

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