Kathmandu, August 27, 2019
Daraz, leading online marketplace in Nepal, held a press conference on August 27, 2019 at Kathmandu Marriott Hotel, highlighting the agenda on “How Daraz is Creating Change in Nepal’s E-commerce industry”. The press conference was hosted by Daraz Global CEO, Bjarke Mikkelsen and Managing Directors – Lino Ahlering and Jai Kavi. The keynote speaker of the conference were: Honorable Under Secretary from the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supplies, Mr. Buddhi Prasad Upadyaya, Section Officer – Mr. Ashbin Kumar Pokharel; the Deputy CEO of Nabil Bank Mr Anil Khanal; General Manager – IM BIZ, Mr. Pranaya Ratna Sthapit; CEO & Founder of Sonam Gears, Mr. Tashi Chombe, and various banking partners and media colleagues.
During the press conference, Daraz announced the company mission to, ‘Make it easy to do business anywhere in the era of the digital economy’, and how it aspires to lead Nepal into the digital era by 2022. As of now Daraz empowers 2500+ sellers in Nepal to transact through its technology.
“Daraz is a mall, a marketplace, and a community in your pocket. We provide immediate and easy access to 250,000 plus products in more than 100 plus categories. Today, more than 75,000 Nepalese use Daraz every day. We deliver more than 100,000 packages every month to all corners of Nepal. We estimate that Daraz has created 5,000 jobs in Nepal, and every month 500 new sellers are educated through our university,” said Daraz Global CEO Bjarke Mikkelsen on the current status of Daraz in Nepal.
Speaking on what the future holds for Daraz, this is what Mikkelsen had to say:
“This is the first time we are opening up about how we see our future with everyone. We firmly believe that the digital era is on par with the Industrial Revolution. In the coming 10-20 years, digital technology will fundamentally alter many parts of society from commerce to politics to culture. Our purpose is not only to embrace this change, but to proactively create change and welcome a better future for Nepal.”
During the press conference, Managing Directors, Lino Ahlering and Jai Kavi announced Daraz’s six aspirations to lead Nepal into the digital era by 2022 as follows:
- To drive 100%+ annual growth of the e-commerce market.
- Reach 20,000 active Daraz sellers (all educated through Daraz University).
- Fully digitalize the logistics ecosystem with real-time visibility for customers regardless of location.
- Engage 5 million Daraz users monthly by being relevant, convenient and service-minded.
- Introduce digital payments to 5 million new customers.
- Create 100,000 thousand jobs for marketplace participants.
“Progress is not without challenges, but we are ready to be the innovators in this era and we are dedicated to overcome any challenges on the way,” Mikkelsen concluded.
For the e-commerce industry to thrive, the government also has to be onboard. Elaborating on Nepali government’s role, Honourable Minister Personal Secretary and the keynote speaker, Mr. Dev Sharan Yadav, Under Secretary- Mr. Buddhi Prasad Upadyaya said,
“The world is moving towards digital economy. It’s very important that Nepal takes steps to do the same. To do this the government has announced a new strategy that will promote and boost the e-commerce industry.”
According to the strategy, the government is working on building a stronger legal and institutional framework regarding e commerce, infrastructure for networking and high quality internet access, scientific naming of every street, and providing greater access to financial and electronic systems.
Upadyaya believes this move by the government will help promote entrepreneurship and Daraz can play a big part by promoting domestic products from every part of Nepal. He concluded by thanking Daraz for being a leader in bringing Nepal to the digital era.
Daraz also officially launched its card pre-payment in Nepal since New Year 2076 and this would not have been possible without digital banking partner, Nabil Bank. “We are very glad to be part of Daraz’s mission to push Nepal into the digital era. Nabil Bank has always been a pioneering bank with many firsts, and it’s our immense pleasure to be the first to begin card-prepayment with Daraz”, said the Deputy CEO of Nabil Bank, Mr. Anil Khanal.
Representing the Key Sellers of Daraz, representative from Samsung, General Manager of IM BIZ, Mr. Pranaya Ratna Sthapit; along with CEO & Founder of Nepali company, Sonam Gears, Mr. Tashi Chombe both thanked Daraz for bringing the online business to a newer level in Nepal. Mr. Tashi Chombe remarked that through Daraz they have come to know that there is a big demand for Nepali products in Nepal and Daraz’s customers are helping them come up with new designs that meet the demand.
On the occasion of the upcoming Dashain Festival, it was also announced that Daraz is launching its Dashain Dhamaka Campaign from Sep 15- 30 (Bhadra 29 – Ashoj 13) where customers can enjoy exclusive offers for various brands across all categories. Following the Dashain Dhamaka Campaign, Alibaba’s global 11.11 campaign on November 11 (Kartik 25 gate) will come, which will be Nepal’s biggest online sale day.