“Our customers have always been our highest priority, but even more so during these unprecedented times”, mentioned Mohsin A. Qureshi, Chief Operating Officer at Cheetay, while expressing his point of view on the impact of COVID-19 outbreak on e-commerce landscape in Pakistan during an exclusive Q&A session with Daily NewsPK.
1. How do you see the overall landscape of the economy in Pakistan post COVID-19?
Coronavirus is an episodic event that no one could foresee or plan for. Like other countries, the shock to the economy will likely take Pakistan to negative GDP growth. Production will slow down, supply chains disrupted, business growth will shrink and layoffs will increase the unemployment rate. Certain sectors such as e-Commerce will see a rise in growth and employment.
There is a battle between reopening the economy vs mitigating the spread of the virus. The only way forward should be focused, smart lock-downs to ensure economic activity continues without compromising the safety and health of the nation. Cheetay is playing its role by working with the government to ensure the economy can get back on track.
2. How is this pandemic impacting the e-Commerce landscape in Pakistan and how is it affecting the supply chain?
During the Coronavirus lock-down, Pakistanis quickly adapted to the digital world. We’ve noticed that people who were reluctant to online ordering in the past are now ordering multiple times on our platform. People need essentials delivered NOW! Grocery orders are on the rise as customers don’t want to step out of their homes. Departmental stores were eager to join our recently launched grocery vertical, Pantry, to fulfill a surge in home deliveries. We also launched Pharma which helps bring much-needed medicines to your doorstep.
Supply chains have become unpredictable recently. We have seen demand for certain products like masks, sanitisers and household items suddenly rise. People who are purchasing in bulk are creating supply chain shortages. The government has a pivotal role to play in discouraging hoarding to ensure demand matches supplies. Small businesses can use this opportunity to market and sell their products on the same platform as FMCGs. The silver lining is that there finally is a greater trend towards buying easily available local products as compared to hard-to-find imported ones. I have no doubt this will give our local industry the overdue boom.
3. What are the challenges and opportunities for the e-Commerce sector in the current crisis?
NOW-Commerce is increasingly penetrating into Pakistan. Online orders have risen as people have more time to download apps. Safety concerns are encouraging people to order in. There is a behavioural shift in purchase patterns. There are business opportunities for growth and innovation for companies that are quick to evolve. At Cheetay, we have taken this opportunity to quickly adopt new business norms such as contactless deliveries, the introduction of new categories, and expansion to different cities.
The challenges are that e-Commerce is still in its nascent stages in Pakistan. Mobile penetration is only 35%, which is still very low. There are only 75 million smartphones in Pakistan. The government needs to incentivise the use of safe online shopping to limit exposure to Coronavirus.
4. How are you observing the need of the customers during the lock-down and what measures are you taking to provide appropriate customer experience?
We are out serving our customer’s every need so they can stay home and stay safe. Our revered riders, employees, and I have personally delivered food, groceries and medicines to customers’ doorsteps. We are working around the clock to ensure we rapidly improve and fulfill the high influx of orders. Cheetay also introduced Errand services to help our customers with daily chores, such as paying bills, transporting home cooked meals etc. I sometimes answer calls directed to Cheetay’s customer service to understand what customers need and how their demands are changing.
Cheetay was quick to introduce contactless deliveries which is another term for minimizing contact and delivering products in a safe and hygienic way. Our riders have undergone rigorous trainings on personal hygiene, disinfecting carrier bags, safe distancing of at least 2 meters and picking up orders from designated spots. The riders wear masks and gloves and carry hand sanitisers at all times. They also undergo daily temperature checks which are sent to customers via an SMS.
To minimize the exchange of bank notes and reduce transmission, we are the only platform to accept a wide range of digital payments including credit cards, Mastercard QR, SimSim, JazzCash. As an added incentive, we are offering 50% cashback on Mastercard QR in partnership with Bank Alfalah.
