Snapdeal.com creates backend logistics platform for sellers under SafeShip

Online marketplace Snapdeal.com, which is run by Jasper Infotech, has launched SafeShip, a fulfilment platform for sellers listing their products on the marketplace. This is the second value-added feature offered by Snapdeal.com after it launched TrustPay (which was targeted more at the consumers), a full cash-back facility if a company fails to deliver, earlier this year.

Through SafeShip, Snapdeal aims to ease the process of fulfilment for merchants. It gives sellers an email-like interface which processes all the orders in much lesser time, the firm said on Monday.

The service can be used in two different ways by sellers. First, sellers can ship products directly to the customer through Snapdeal's logistics partners. Second, orders can be routed through Snapdeal's fulfilment centres and then shipped to the customer.

The SafeShip platform claims to auto-optimise and allocate a logistics company for a seller based on past performance and pricing. It will also handle aspects like pre-shipping verification, returns/replacement/refunds processing and product quality control.

Speaking about the launch of SafeShip, Rohit Bansal, co-founder and COO, Snapdeal.com said, "Many sellers in India are still hesitant about selling their products online. A major challenge that they face is that most of them do not have the resources or the know-how to fulfil the customer orders received while paying the right price for fulfilment. As a solution to this challenge, we have launched SafeShip, a one-click order fulfilment service for sellers." SafeShip will also help sellers and buyers track their products right from the time the consignment leaves the seller's facility to the time it is delivered to the buyer.

These features are added at a time when the online marketplace space is getting crowded and the players are fighting to get the maximum number of merchants on board. While the big daddy of marketplace model eBay has been present in India for years (and also has an investment in Snapdeal), Amazon recently launched an India-specific marketplace. Flipkart has also integrated a marketplace with its existing e-com platform.

(Edited by Joby Puthuparampil Johnson)