#Title

﻿Pickaboo: Delivering convenience at your doorstep
TANZID SAMAD CHOUDHURY
There is rarely ever a need to leave the comfort of one's home in the post-pandemic era of online shopping to purchase any products. The old technique of shopping from traditional stores is gradually being replaced by home delivery as a result of the growth of regional e-commerce platforms. Pickaboo, a local e-commerce company that has established itself in Bangladesh as the one-stop shopping destination for all types of smartphones, consumer electronics, household appliances and much more, is one of these ground-breaking online shopping platforms.
Pickaboo started its journey back in 2016 as a platform focused fully on mobile phones and other technological gadgets. Currently, the online store has the largest selection of electronic goods in a wide range of categories, including consumer electronics, the latest smartphones, a wide range of cameras, computing accessories, and mobile accessories.
Pickaboo has established a reputation for itself in the local online retail market as a rapidly growing consumer platform serving millions of customers in the past few years. Pickaboo's success can be attributed to its humble beginnings. However, its user-friendly app and well-designed state-of-the-art website have also played an instrumental role in why it has established itself as a leading e-commerce platform. To date, Pickaboo has over 1 million mobile app installations and has delivered close to a million products.
Moving forward, Pickaboo wants to build a hub for mobile gadgets and electronic products while increasing its presence in both online and offline markets. Currently, Bangladesh has a mobile phone market with a valuation close to $1.8 billion while the electronics market size is roughly $7.5 billion, and Pickaboo wants to leverage its platform to provide the best quality products to its valuable customers.
Currently, Pickaboo has 21 stores across the country, mainly selling the latest mobile phones in the market. Going forward, Pickaboo wants to set up 700+ stores across the country in the next 5 years.
Bringing local and international investments into the country for business expansion is another area that Pickaboo is actively working on. It intends to contribute towards ensuring FDI (Foreign Direct Investment) inflow to keep the economy rolling. In December 2022, Pickaboo raised $1.5 million in a pre-series A round from local and international investors. To date, Pickaboo has raised over $6.5 million in different series of funding, according to Crunchbase, a global platform providing business information about startups.
There are 18,000 retailers across the country, with around 3500 retail stores controlled by different smartphone brands. Pickaboo works closely with over 500 major local and international brands in the country such as Samsung, Xiaomi, Realme, OPPO, Vivo and OnePlus.
We often see that people don't find it convenient to buy smartphones from multi-brand stores. The reason behind this is there are hardly any established multi-brand retail stores. This is where Pickaboo is making a difference. Pickaboo is playing an active role by providing the platform for the big smartphone brands to come together under one roof and thereby essentially serving as a multi-brand retail chain. It is worth noting that Pickaboo is building a controlled multi-branded franchise in the retail market.
Pickaboo is also working closely with SMEs, particularly 2nd generation shop owners so that it can work on the development of the retail ecosystem and have an impact on the skill development of the retailers and get them ready for the future. Pickaboo is also helping retailers by connecting them with financial organisations through its strong network and enabling them to generate funds to expand their business.
The online platform operates under the name Pickaboo, and one thing that it maintained from day one is that it ensured that genuine products are sold through its platform. Pickaboo now has same-day delivery. In Dhaka city, it is offering a 3-hour delivery service for selective products as well. It also ensures that customers all over the country can get their products delivered within 3 to 4 days, no matter which part of the country they reside in. It also provides door-to-door after-sales services for its valuable clients.
Pickaboo is also doing its part to promote cashless transactions. Users can select Cash on Delivery, digital financial services like bKash, Nagad, Online Payment (VISA/MASTER/AMEX) as well as EMI as their choice of payment method. Pickaboo has also introduced a Card on delivery facility inside 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 that customers can save time while buying convenience from the comfort of their homes. As such, Pickaboo is giving a hassle-free experience to users online and staying true to its priority of providing quality service.
Overall, Pickaboo stands out from the competition due to its quality of service, exciting offers and deals throughout the year, which are all combined into one dynamic, community-driven online shopping platform.