In the post-pandemic online shopping era, there is rarely a need to leave the comfort of your home to purchase products. With the growth of regional e-commerce platforms, home delivery is gradually replacing the old way of shopping in traditional stores. Pickaboo, a local e-commerce company that has established itself in Bangladesh as a one-stop shopping destination for all types of smartphones, consumer electronics, home appliances and more, is one of these pioneering online shopping platforms.
Pickaboo started its journey in 2016 as a platform totally focused on mobile phones and other technological gadgets. Currently, the online store offers the largest selection of electronic goods in a variety of categories, including consumer electronics, the latest smartphones, a wide range of cameras, computer accessories and mobile accessories.
Pickaboo has made a name for itself in the local online retail market in recent years as a rapidly growing consumer platform serving millions of customers. Pickaboo’s success can be traced back to its humble beginnings. However, the user-friendly app and well-designed, state-of-the-art website have also been instrumental in why the company has established itself as a leading e-commerce platform. To date, Pickaboo has delivered over 1 million mobile app installs and nearly a million products.
Going forward, Pickaboo aims to build a hub for mobile gadgets and electronic products while increasing its presence in both online and offline markets. At present, Bangladesh has a mobile phone market valued at nearly US$1.8 billion while the electronics market is about US$7.5 billion, and Pickaboo aims to use its platform to offer the best quality products to its valuable customers.
Currently, Pickaboo has 21 stores across the country, mainly selling the latest mobile phones on the market. Going forward, Pickaboo aims to open over 700 stores across the country in the next 5 years.
Bringing local and international investment into the country to expand the business is another area Pickaboo is actively working on. It intends to help secure the inflow of FDI (Foreign Direct Investment) to keep the economy afloat. In December 2022, Pickaboo raised $1.5 million from local and international investors in a pre-Series A round. To date, Pickaboo has raised over $6.5 million in various funding streams, according to Crunchbase, a global platform that provides business intelligence about startups.
There are 18,000 retailers across the country, with around 3500 retail outlets controlled by various smartphone brands. Pickaboo works closely with over 500 major local and international brands in the country including Samsung, Xiaomi, Realme, OPPO, Vivo and OnePlus.
We often see that people do not find it convenient to buy smartphones in multi-brand stores. The reason for this is that there are hardly any established multi-brand retail stores. This is where Pickaboo makes the difference. Pickaboo plays an active role by providing the platform for bringing the major smartphone brands together under one roof, essentially functioning as a multi-brand retail chain. It’s worth noting that Pickaboo is building a controlled multi-brand franchise in the retail market.
Pickaboo also works closely with SMEs, particularly 2nd generation shop owners, so it can work on the development of the retail ecosystem and influence retailers’ skill development and prepare them for the future. Pickaboo also helps retailers by connecting them to financial organizations through its strong network and enabling them to generate funds to grow their business.
The online platform operates under the name Pickaboo and has ensured from day one that real products are sold via their platform. Pickaboo now has same day delivery. In Dhaka City, it also offers a 3-hour delivery service for selected products. It also ensures that customers across the country get their products delivered within 3 to 4 days, no matter what part of the country they live in. It also provides door to door customer service for its valuable customers.
Pickaboo also makes its contribution to promoting cashless payment transactions. Users can choose cash on delivery, digital financial services such as bKash, Nagad, online payment (VISA/MASTER/AMEX) and EMI as payment methods. Pickaboo has also launched a card-on-delivery facility in Dhaka Metro City for hassle-free cashless transactions. To date, Pickaboo has a decent digital transaction rate and encourages its users to go cashless.
Pickaboo wants to make sure customers save time and can shop from the comfort of their own home. As such, Pickaboo offers users a hassle-free online experience while staying true to its priority of providing quality service.
Overall, Pickaboo sets itself apart from the competition with its quality of service, exciting offers and deals year-round, all combined on a dynamic, community-driven online shopping platform.
