Consumer goods prices are rising worldwide, causing many individuals budgetary problems. DealCart aims to simplify shopping in Pakistan. Three months after launching, the company has raised $4.5 million in pre-seed capital. Shorooq Partners led the investment, with Fatima Gobi Ventures, Vibe Capital, 500 Global, i2i Ventures, Julian Shapiro, Rally Cap Ventures, Alex Lazarow, and many “strategic angel investors” participating.
Haider Raza and Ammar Naveed founded DealCart to address the limited use of e-commerce among middle and lower-income segments of Pakistan, despite increasing smartphone and internet access.
DealCart lets people buy in groups and share discounts on WhatsApp and other networks. Group buys help consumers save money. Customers can join existing groups or create new ones and share a social media link. When a certain number of people book within 24 hours (typically four), prices drop.
Before starting DealCart, Naveed oversaw operations for ride-hailing app Careem in the Middle East and Pakistan, and Raza developed and scaled Pakistani mobility firm Swvl.
The founders told TechCrunch that they’ve built and scaled firms in Pakistan and the MENA area. As inflation worsened in Pakistan, they declared their mission was to assist people conserve money where they spend the most.
Despite the development of smartphones and internet penetration, e-commerce usage is limited among middle- and lower-income categories. As a result, the present e-commerce ecosystem in Pakistan is oriented toward high-ticket gadgets, fashion, and the ease of rapid commerce, which is expensive,” the founders told TechCrunch. The present e-commerce market doesn’t cater to price-conscious Pakistanis.
DealCart offers lower rates by sourcing products directly from manufacturers, working with locally-manufactured brands, and cutting its user acquisition cost through consumer growth features. DealCart can afford efficient warehousing and last-mile delivery because to these savings.
DealCart offers cooking oil, rice, wheat, lentils, sugar, tea, milk, fruit, vegetables, infant formula, diapers, beverages, and household care products. DealCart buys merchandise from manufacturers and warehouses it. Group buy orders are delivered by 11PM once confirmed.
Raza said DealCart’s target market spends up to 50% of their income on food and basics, and the firm can help by lowering prices.
The app’s founders feel gamification is “vital” When users join a group, they receive updates on how many people are left and how much time is left. Referring new users or posting bargains on social media earns users credits. Users can spin an online wheel for free products and app credits and enter lucky draws after sharing a set number of bargains on social media.
Pakistan has BazaarGhar, CelebShop, and Gahhak. DealCart’s owners say it helps consumers who spend 50% to 60% of their income on groceries save money.
DealCart is in pre-seed stage with $1.1 million ARR.
The new financing will be utilized to build DealCart’s tech, product, and brand teams. “We will focus on sustainable growth through tech rather than aggressive client discounts.”
