HONG KONG SAR - Media OutReach - 14 December 2021 - Carousell,
one of the world's largest and fastest growing classifieds
marketplaces, today announced new partnerships with GOGOX, the pioneer app-based logistics
platform in Asia, and Atome,
Asia's leading buy now pay later brand to help small local businesses via
Carousell for Business (CarouBiz). Combining Carousell's reach of 1 in 5 Hong
Kongers as active users with ready buyer intent, and the established expertise
of partners, Carousell aims to build an ecosystem that enables small local
businesses to succeed.
Many small businesses continue to face high cost challenges, such as rent, cash
flow, resource management and data security, even before the pandemic. These
challenges are even more severe currently. Although the Hong Kong Government
has been actively encouraging digitalisation and ecommerce, small businesses
still struggle to adapt to new technology and business models compared to
large-scale enterprises.
Growing demand for
more support
The Trade and Industry Department estimates about 340,000
SMEs in Hong Kong, of which 13% are in retail[1].
There is increasing impetus to go online, as online retail sales grow in Hong
Kong. While online sales only accounted for 8% of total retail sales in
October, when comparing the first ten months of 2021 with the same period in
2020, Censtatd estimated that the value of online retail sales increased by
41.7%[2].
Unlike large corporations who can hire the necessary
talent, smaller merchants need easy-to-use, affordable tools and
"plug-and-play" services that allow them to scale at low cost and without a lot
of training. Demand for CarouBiz subscriptions of premium seller tools
have increased sharply in Hong Kong in 2021 compared to last year. In Q4 2021,
Carousell also rolled out a self-serve version of CarouBiz for tech-savvier
merchants who do not require a dedicated Client Success Manager to advise on
marketing strategies.
"Carousell has been enhancing our CarouBiz offerings this
year to further strengthen support for small businesses. We have seen double
digit percentage growth in our CarouBiz subscribers this year, which shows
growing demand for such tools. As a one-stop platform where users can find
anything they want at any time of the day, Carousell is privileged to be able
to use our platform to help SMEs find ecommerce success. Besides initiatives
such as the CarouBiz Booster Fund, we are also building an
ecosystem of partners that address the pain points of our users and meet the
needs of merchants while ensuring win-win for all," said Mr Kevin Huang,
Managing Director, Carousell Hong Kong.
Embracing
e-commerce with GOGOX
As online shopping takes off, merchants have to adapt to
additional workflows such as logistics and express delivery. Smaller merchants
do not have the economies of scale to run their own logistical operations in a
cost and time efficient manner. Meanwhile,
casual sellers prefer not to meet up buyers due to public health safety
concerns, and are in search of a reliable and flexible delivery method. Since
September 2021, Carousell has partnered with GOGOX to provide diversified
logistics services to casual
sellers via GOGOX's platform services, GOGOVan and GOGODelivery, in addition to
offering targeted logistics solutions to merchants through GOGOX's GOGOBusiness
service, hoping to enable consumers and merchants to enjoy contract free and
convenient logistics services.
Reeve Kwan, Co-founder of GOGOX said, "As a leading
logistics platform in Hong Kong, GOGOX transforms the industry with advanced
technology, redefining everyday delivery and user experience. We connect with
driver-partners to provide agile and efficient logistics solutions to the
community, in particular merchants. The partnership with Carousell is
strategically important to facilitate the development of e-commerce. Throughout
the partnership, we are committed to supporting SMEs as they embark on the
digital transformation journey. We look forward to working closely with
Carousell, driving the process of digitalisation and equip merchants with
logistics capacity in the digital economy."
"The growth of ecommerce in Hong Kong in the past two years
have shown Hong Kongers the convenience it brings. There is no need to leave
work or home to shop, and this is made possible by a robust logistics system.
GOGOX has many affordable delivery options tailored to different needs, whether
you are an individual selling preloved items or a small merchant. This aligns
well with the variety of users on our platform, and allows us to provide
value-added services," said Mr Huang.
Supporting business
growth with Atome
While banks have been simplifying or relaxing SME lending
to help small business[3], many
businesses in the ecommerce and retail sector find it challenging to meet the
required documentation[4]. The
partnership between Carousell and Atome will enable seamless buy now pay later
(BNPL) acceptance for Carousell's merchants, especially for businesses who are
starting out, providing a flexible and transparent payment option for
Carousell's merchants.
Since the end of November 2021, interested merchants can
also sign up for an exclusive Carousell x Atome CarouBiz plan,
which includes HK$110,000 worth of in-app advertising and other business
support. With Atome, merchants can split their bills into three, zero-interest
deferred payments upon checkout via credit card, debit card or Apple Pay. This
reduces the time and paperwork needed in applications, especially for smaller
sums, and provides more flexibility for merchants to manage their cash flow.
"We are excited to integrate Atome as a buy now pay later
flexible payment option on Carousell for CarouBiz. This payment option will
provide SMEs and new businesses in Hong Kong with a secure, seamless and
flexible way to grow their business while managing their cash flow. The
introduction of the Carousell x Atome revolving store plan will also provide
these merchants with other crucial marketing and business support. We are glad
to play our part in helping merchants scale their business and contribute to
the Hong Kong economy. Shoppers can also look forward to our upcoming
recommerce partnership with Carousell in Singapore," said Jonathan Cai, Head of
Regional Partnerships, Atome.
"Our merchants have been sharing feedback about challenges
faced with running their businesses, and the team has been reviewing how we can
better support them. This partnership will enable us to extend more flexible
and affordable payment options for our merchants. By partnering with a leading
and established brand like Atome, our merchants can rest assured with the
guarantee of a reliable and trusted payment service," said Mr Huang.
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