Pakistan may have been slow to develop a dynamic online landscape but it doesn’t mean that she’s not well on its way to establish one now. Granted, when we look at the global e-commerce and the broader online landscape, or even the Asian or emerging markets, we see million and billion dollar online platforms like Alibaba.com, Flipkart.com, Naukri.com and Kalahari.com etc. It is obvious that the Pakistani websites have quite the distance to cover before they can generate that level of revenue or gain the same popularity yet. However, the Pakistan Startup Report, documents the growth and enlists the opportunities for e-commerce and other online start ups in general.
The report points out three major international organizations investing in Pakistani start ups; Rocket Internet, Naspers and Schibsted Media Group. Among these, the last two have both invested in the classified sector with OLX.com.pk and Asani.com.pk, respectively. It is quite interesting to see that even with such multitudinous opportunities available in Pakistan, both these players find the classified sector most lucrative. We have covered OLX.com.pk here. Let’s have an in-depth look at Asani.com.pk.
What is Asani.com.pk
Asani.com.pk is a classified site where the sellers post ads to sell off second hand goods and interested buyers contact them. According to their website; the ease of use, the careful manual scrutiny of each ad posted and quick and effective response to customer queries are the three most important factors that distinguish Asani.com.pk from other classified sites. With over 9,000 ads posted on the website, it is gaining traction in the classified sector.
Asani.com.pk is a venture by Schibsted Media Group. Established in 1839 in Norway, Schibsted Media Group now operates in 30 countries with nearly 6900 employees. Although Schibsted offers media related products like newspapers, publishing, multimedia and mobile, the online classifieds are the largest chunk of its business with presence in mature as well as developing markets across 6 continents.
Source: Asani.com.pk
The entry of Schibsted in Pakistan is a direct result of its vision to become a global leader in the classified ad sector. A recent deal between Schibsted and Telenor indicates how Schibsted intends to create, strengthen and maintain its presence in Asia.
Classifieds in Pakistan
When it comes to classifieds, Asani.com.pk not only has to compete against the multitudes of online players but also the local newspapers in circulation. No doubt that the websites are far more convenient to browse for the right product but the fact that local newspapers are earning revenue from classified ads is also worth noting.
In the online context, OLX.com.pk is the strongest player for now, with signifcant investment in advertisement to raise awarenes about the OLX brand. However, backed up with international expertise and years of experience in so many countries, Asani.com.pk is also quite a contender for people’s ads.
In addition to OLX.com.pk, Asani.com.pk has to watch out for adverts.pk, dekho.com.pk, local.pk, citybase.com.pk and many others.
How it works
Like other classified ads, the procedure for posting ads on Asani.com.pk is pretty simple with user-friendly interface and clear cut instructions. The seller posts the ad with the image(s) and description along with his contact details. When the buyer expresses his interest in the ad, he contacts the seller via email or phone. Consequently, the buyer and seller meet to complete the transaction.
Presently, Asani.com.pk lists 10 major cities with local ads, however, listings are also filtered based on provinces and broad regions like Punjab, FATA, Azad Kashmir etc.
An important concern
Protection of information is the biggest concern for all internet users. From the biggest companies like Google, Amazon or Yahoo! to a small local business, people expect the organizations to protect their private information like contact details, credit card number and other data. Consequently, these expectations translate into effort on the part of the organizations to ensure that their database is, in fact, safe.
On the same note, preventing fraud is another concern that Asani.com.pk needs to address. The website repeatedly prompts the buyer to be very careful while making a purchase, even with the manual vetting/approval of each ad. Like with any other online platform, fraud is always a possibility in online classifieds. Since, Asani.com.pk is not a party in the transaction between the buyer and the seller, it can only go so far as to assist the buyer in making a sound judgement, as opposed to making the judgement for the buyer.
Some key areas that the website advises its users to exercise great caution in are as follows:
- When sending goods
- Stolen goods
- Vehicles
- Branded items and software
- Sending money or goods abroad
- Transferring money
- Protecting yourself
Will Asani.com.pk make a mark?
The competition in the classified sector is quite tough given the ease of the process and numerous outlets providing the same service. However, we can see that Schibsted is here to stay. Asani.com.pk is not Schibsted’s way of trying its hand in a business; it is backed up by successes in other countries. Schibsted has operated in all sorts of environments and hopefully it knows exactly how to tackle the situation in Pakistan. Coming from quite a big global family of online classified companies is an advantage that most of its competitors do not have.
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