How Meesho sellers are innovating and upskilling to revolutionize sustainability in India
We all benefit from an industrial age that makes products and services accessible to us all. However, this presents an environmental risk which can lead to depletion of natural resources. Keeping this in mind, sustainable development within a business can create value for customers as well as the environment.
Meesho, India’s fastest growing internet commerce company, recently registered a 7X increase in seller registrations. Of the total 6 lakh registered sellers, around 70 per cent are from Tier 2 cities and beyond such as Amritsar, Rajkot and Tiruppur, among others. An increasing number of small businesses have joined Meesho in the past year as a result of the company’s industry-first initiatives such as zero commission and zero penalty.
Lakshminarayan Swaminathan, CXO, Supply Growth at Meesho highlights, “We understand the challenges MSMEs face while moving from offline to an online business model. We are building a platform that enables high growth and profit margins for MSMEs. Sellers on Meesho have seen their revenue triple since April 2021. It is immensely fulfilling to see the role Meesho is playing in helping small businesses reach their full potential. When we say we’re democratizing internet commerce, that means we are creating a level playing field for sellers. Today, Meesho is the only platform that does not differentiate sellers on the basis of tiers, nor do we have a private label play or wholesale play. Through our seller-friendly initiatives, we will continue to further our vision of enabling 100 million small businesses to succeed online.”
Below are some of the seller stories and diverse tales of brilliant people who sell online on Meesho. Through innovation and hard work, they have become successful entrepreneurs.
Wasim Akram (Rumi), Aligarh
Wasim Akram’s singular focus and determination in life can be considered the reason behind the success of his business. As the owner of Rumi, a brand of ceramic ware (mugs, cups and saucers) on Meesho, he took the business onwards and upwards at a steady pace. Ceramic wares are made from clay and eco-friendly in nature.
The graduate from Aligarh Muslim University initially freelanced for several businesses. He then began Rumi as an offline business in the city. Through continued efforts, he ensured that the home-grown brand received attention through word of mouth. Not wanting to restrict the scope of his business, he commenced operations on Meesho in October 2021, aiming to garner wider visibility and reach across the country.
Wasim is full of praise for Meesho’s ‘zero-commission’ model, which he cites as a primary reason behind the brand’s increase in orders. He explains that the lack of a commission helps him maintain lower pricing which brings in more customers. He also draws attention to the efficient logistics on the platform. In the future, Wasim aims to expand the assortment to include crockery.
Rakesh Joshi (Ayur Daily, Premium Khadi, Khadi Herbal, Swadeshi Khadi), Delhi
Rakesh Joshi dreamt of making quality personal care products accessible and affordable to consumers from various financial backgrounds. This provided fodder to the birth of Ayur Daily, Premium Khadi, Khadi Herbal, and Swadeshi
Khadi. He now owns four brands which retail herbal personal care products. Prior to beginning his venture, he was employed full-time in a retail job. This helped him acquire an acute awareness of customers’ wants and needs. Given people’s propensity towards products crafted from natural ingredients, he wanted to ensure that his brand is similarly positioned in the market. Within a few months of launching these brands, he began listing them on e-commerce platforms. Despite launching a physical store, the business is fully online now and gaining increasing momentum online.
Rakesh is grateful for the opportunity to maintain a competitive pricing strategy because of Meesho’s 0% commission model. Consumers gravitate towards well-priced products and the company is able to retain good margins. To provide a wider assortment of products, he finds it convenient to diversify his brand portfolio. They receive around 1,000 orders on a daily basis with the highest number of orders coming from West Bengal and the Southern markets.
At present, he employs 50 staff members who aid him with manufacturing and logistics. Under these umbrella brands, he wants to further expand the product offerings.
Ansh Saxena (Mini Storify), Ghaziabad
Ansh takes pride in his vision and mission to contribute to a plastic-free India. He is the founder and owner of Mini Storify, a brand which retails organic products such as combs, toothbrushes and electronic products which can be recharged through solar power.
Armed with an MBA degree, Ansh has 6 years of experience working in the international market. But he wasn’t fulfilled with a full-time job and wanted his work to contribute towards the well-being of the environment. In 2014, he set up Mini Storify in his home town- Ghaziabad. The brand’s reach expanded primarily through word of mouth, with good quality becoming its USP. Aiming to further the brand’s value proposition, he made his foray into e-commerce.
According to Ansh, Meesho’s cataloging system is easy to comprehend and use. He also credits the company’s 0% commission model which enables the brand to offer nominal pricing for their satisfied customers. Since joining Meesho, the brand has begun receiving orders from across the country.
Following his same trajectory, Ansh hopes that he will soon be able to enter the international market with his unique product offerings.
