Online classified platform Quikr has launched its vertical QuikrServices, with a special focus on the unorganised sector of service providers across the country. Pranay Chulet, founder & CEO at Quikr, had spoken about QukirServices to Inc42 at the recently held INK Talks in Mumbai this month.
The new vertical will provide easy access to reliable service providers across sub-categories such as home, travel, financial, health, fitness, beauty and event services.
Speaking on the launch, Pranay said, “Market making in the services category is a hard problem to crack standalone. However, over the years, services have organically become a huge category on our platform as it goes very well with our other strategic categories like C2C, homes and cars. The unorganised and fuzzy nature of supply and demand is the biggest challenge in this sector and now QuikrServices is here to bring some structure to this chaos.”
The company aims to bridge the gap between offline local home services ecosystem and online demand for the same. Besides, it is also looking to cut down the time and effort taken to find technicians/experts in a given area, through location-based results that include verified listings and options to call service providers or request a call-back.
The platform also has a “Quikr Connect” feature that allows customers to state their needs to customer care executives, who in turn connect them with service providers that best match their requirements.
Few other features include on-demand services with a pre-defined price list & confirmed booking, a “Needs Dashboard” to help track & manage conversations with service providers from booking to delivery, and also has a ratings & review feature.
- D. Sundar, head of QuikrServices, said “The typical urban consumer has a wide range of needs from interior design to carpentry, from home cleaning to pest control, from computer repair to leaking taps and many other such daily needs. As a vertical, QuikrServices will help customers meet these needs much faster and save their effort and money in the process.”
Other developments by Quikr this year include the launch of QuikrJobs – that caters to blue-collar and entry level white-collar job seekers, QuikrHomes – provides customer engagement and lead management tools for builders and brokers, and QuikrCars – a free local classified platform to post online ads for new or used cars, bikes & commercial vehicles. With its entry into the services vertical, it will now take a shot at cracking the $100 Bn home services market in India.
In a talk with Inc42 on the side lines of the INK talks, Pranay had stated that Quikr is looking to become profitable in the next two years. The startup also raised $150 Mn in funding from its existing investors Tiger Global Management, Investment AB Kinnevik, and first time investor Hong Kong-based Steadview Capital in April this year.
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