E-commerce in Pakistan has expanded manifold since its inception a few years ago. Today, we see websites selling everything from cars to property to cosmetics – the beginning however was with electronics, and specifically, with mobile phones. Early adopters saw the opportunity of selling electronics online – an easy choice as consumers have a clear benefit from comparing specs and prices across brands and products on their fingertips. Most products come in boxes anyway, so there is no difference in the shopping experience in a real store in terms of being able to test the product out in advance. This article will review some of the top sites selling tech products and electronics in Pakistan – looking at their product range, unique propositions and website design.
Homeshopping.pk
Homeshopping started off by selling a few mobile phones – today it is a mammoth selling everything from mobiles, tablets, computers, TV, appliances to non-electronics products such as watches and clothes. The website offers its own warranty on the products at an extra charge and also has a price-beating policy helping bring down the prices of the products to the cheapest on offer in the country.
In addition to a separate section for a clearance sale, the website regularly updates prices of products to enable consumers to get the most up-to-date market price for what they are purchasing.
Shophive
Another great website to purchase electronics, Shophive is well-designed and has a solid business functioning in the background. This includes advertising sale items properly, a neat website design and advertising fast shipping and a 7-day money back guarantee as their unique selling points. Other than the usual set of consumer electronics, the website also offers office products and more computer accessories on its list of categories. You can also purchase gift cars from iTunes, Amazon, Facebook and other online services from this website.
The additional service the website advertises is importing products being sold on Amazon.com. It promises delivery in 2-4 weeks and an easy process to order the items. Large items are naturally excluded from the menu but this service opens a huge universe of products to consumers in Pakistan.
Symbios
There are also a lot of similarities in online stores for electronics: similar page designs, shouts, terminologies, brands and the likes. Symbios doesn’t show you the best sales items with a line cutting across an old price and a new smaller price written in bold numbers, it advertises its range of collections on the front as well as mentioning the clearance sale.
An interesting feature on the website is the Symbios Gift Card, which enables people to gift certain amounts of money (from PKR 1500 to 10,000) to someone who can then use that money on the website to purchase any item.
Kaymu
Kaymu.pk is Rocket Internet’s player in the e-commerce trade. This websites connects sellers to buyers, in a similar way to Amazon but it handles the delivery and payments itself. This setup means that the list of products and the prices are up to the sellers on the website and are not coordinated or optimized by the Kaymu. This results in a wide array of products and prices splattered all over the place, and leaves a lot to do for the buyer. Since the website is new, there is little guidance for buyers on which sellers are reliable or which products are the best deals.
The website was the top result for “Pakistan online store electronics” on Google even though it doesn’t specialize specifically in electronics – this speaks to the high quality SEO work being done on the website.
Hafeezcentre.pk (HCPK.PK)
Hafeez Centre is one of the largest (real world) markets for electronics in Lahore and Pakistan. This website uses the simple ad format like OLX and is focused on mobile phones and other consumer electronics. Users can connect with other users on their own and make offers and purchase the product. When you are viewing an ad, the website lists all related ads to enable a price comparison. The website has a large number of ads, so it is like visiting Hafeez Centre but from your home’s comfort.
The main page shows plans for expansion of the website into more product lines as well as mobile apps.
Al-Fatah Electronics
This is a unique website – showcasing the products available in the brick-and-mortar store of Al Fatah Electronics. The non-conventional electronics and appliances such as refrigerators, vacuum cleaners, air conditioners, heaters, washing machines and other household appliances are the main focus of this website. While the intention and focus of the website is good, the execution is poor. The FAQ, Shipping and Return and Payments sections of the website are empty, leaving doubt on the authenticity and quality of the products.
There are several other e-commerce websites selling electronics in Pakistan – this comparison was intended to provide an overview of some of the top websites and cover a range of concepts and services being sold in the marketplace.
Image via: bigstockphoto.com
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