'Shop, store and ship' platform launched

ShoppRe, an online international shipping and package consolidation company offering access to thousands of Indian shopping sites, announced on Monday the launch of its operations in the UAE.

The Bengaluru-based company, led by 2 women entrepreneurs born and brought up in the UAE, provides shoppers across the globe a virtual shipping address along with a personal locker in the capital city of Karnataka, helping them to easily shop from India.

ShoppRe's advantage for international shoppers is that their purchases in India could be stored for 20 days free in their personal lockers during which they can accumulate purchases. Those goods are then consolidated into one package, ensuring a saving of 60 to 80 per cent in shipping costs, Saira Hassan and Nikkitha Shanker, founders of the startup, said. Packages are normally delivered overseas in 3 to 6 days.

Launching the ShoppRe website, V.A. Hassan, CEO and chairman of Flora Group of Hotels and SBK Real Estate, a major investor of the company, said there is a huge demand for Indian products. "Indian fashion, food, yoga, ayurveda, etc., are popular everywhere, but not easily accessible or are extremely overpriced. ShoppRe seeks to address these challenges in an affordable way," said Hassan.

ShoppRe brand ambassadors Priya Mani Raj, a national Award-winning actress, and her husband Mustufa Raj, a prominent Indian businessman, released the ad campaign.

"Nikkitha and I have always been very Indian at heart despite growing up in Dubai. So, this idea of being able to shop from India and getting it delivered here came very natural to us. We wanted to resolve 2 major pain points: First, most Indian sellers don't offer international shipping and second, several Indian websites do not accept international credit card payments," said Saira.

"We have served more than 10,00+ customers registered on our platform with 2,000-plus brands and have shipped to over 50 countries. Around 10 per cent of our clientele consists of Arabs, Japanese, Chinese, Americans, Moroccans and the Spanish who actively shop Indian brands," said Nikkitha.

- issacjohn@khaleejtimes.com

Issac John

Editorial Director of Khaleej Times, is a well-connected Indian journalist and an economic and financial commentator. He has been in the UAE's mainstream journalism for 35 years, including 23 years with Khaleej Times. A post-graduate in English and graduate in economics, he has won over two dozen awards. Acclaimed for his authentic and insightful analysis of global and regional businesses and economic trends, he is respected for his astute understanding of the local business scene.