Dukaan launches social commerce platform, partners with D2C brand Bewakoof

The platform, Dukaan Plus, will help merchants source best quality products from the top D2C brands and earn commissions on each sale

Dukaan, a software-as-a-service (SaaS) platform that helps businesses create an online storefront, on Tuesday launched Dukaan Plus, a social commerce platform aimed at connecting merchants to brands and helping them earn a commission.

With Dukaan Plus, merchants will be able to source the best quality products from the top direct-to-consumer (D2C) brands and earn commissions on each sale. Dukaan believes that it is crucial to improve and alter social commerce in India to ensure that the outcome justifies the efforts of internet entrepreneurs as well as manufacturers, it said in a statement.

With Plus, Dukaan is onboarding multiple manufacturers and vendors from across the country, and will be an early enabler of accessibility to various D2C brands like online clothing and fashion firm Bewakoof.com and  its cosmetics brand Cosmos Beauty in the tier-2 and 3 cities.

“The retail sector is ever evolving and is primed for the next big change. While we constantly innovate our technology, we believe the social commerce industry requires an upgrade to reap the best results out of any innovation introduced. With Dukaan Plus, we will eliminate various steps and errors to improve the quality and sales for both customers as well as the sellers.” said Suumit Shah, Founder and CEO, Dukaan.

The need for such a solution was felt given the increasing number of product returns, unhappy customers, and faltering sales. The tier-2 and 3 markets are growing to drive the next wave of retail growth and Dukaan wants to improve the supply chain that runs from the manufacturer to the consumer with quality products as well as superior brand experience for them, the frim said.

“We were among the first brands in India to go the D2C route and want to be the first D2C brand to tap into social commerce. Though e-commerce has grown rapidly, it is still limited to about 100 million people in India. Social commerce selling is increasing the e-commerce market and will further bring in 200 million people over the next 5 years. With this partnership, now there will be thousands of Bewakoof’s Dukaans in India.” said Prabhkiran Singh, Founder and CEO, Bewakoof.com.

Dukaan Plus will bring together manufacturers, vendors, D2C brands and the resellers, on a single platform with their customers, and provide them with a commission on every sale they make at Dukaan Plus’ regulated rates, the company added.

Dukaan enables local stores go digital and use WhatsApp to sell their products. The firm raised $6 million last year led by Lightspeed India and Matrix Partners India and was valued at about $22 million. It was also reported to be in talks with Tiger Global for another round of funding.