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Bangalore and Bangkok-based Zilingo, an app that connects sellers and customers across Bangkok, has raised $1.88 Mn (INR 12 Cr) in its seed round of funding. The list of investors includes names like Sequoia India, BEENEXT Ventures, and the founders of FreeCharge – Kunal Shah & Sandeep Tandon.
The secured funds will enable the startup to expand its operations to Singapore and Indonesia in the next six months.
Founded by Ankiti Bose and Dhruv Kapoor, Zilingo had commenced its operations just 12 days ago in Bangkok. It’s tech team based out of Bangalore. However, the mobile-first product has garnered enough attention for investors to invest in the concept stage itself.
Identifying the lack of a functional ecommerce platform in Thailand, Zilingo enables sellers to list their products on its mobile marketplace. The platform has listed a range of sellers from large shopping malls to street vendors. The sellers are expected to provide features like free shipping, free packaging, door-step pickup and free & secure payment options. A mobile analytics dashboard and consultation on pricing strategy are also expected to be soon incorporated into the platform.
The platform currently has 300 sellers on board in the fashion category. The firm has plans to integrate more categories soon. The app is fully localised for its users, in their native language.
From the shopper’s perspective, they will have access to a long tail of small sellers in the huge markets of Thailand. The app provides a chat facility on which a buyer can exchange photos, create wishlists and interact with the sellers directly, thereby virtually being a part of the exchange mechanism. The platform also allows users to order products on the app and track it till the delivery point.
In the next few weeks, the company is planning to move to other metros in Thailand and start shipping across borders, including Singapore, Indonesia and Hong Kong. According to the Zilingo, it plans to connect specialized production hubs from across the region to the 70 Mn buyers present, which in turn will create a colossal opportunity for long-tail retail.
Zilingo has launched its android application a week back.
The absence of ecommerce giants such as Amazon in the South-East Asian market gives Zilingo the first-mover advantage and it intends to hold onto this position as it eyes the infinite opportunities the region has to offer.
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