Kapruka.com launches E-Commerce Tool 'Grasshoppers'
The e- commerce tool Grasshoppers launched by Kapruka. com is intended to revolutionise the 'dispatch rider network' in Sri Lanka and is aiming to be the chosen partner for leading brands and rising local businesses. Still being piloted with a few handpicked partners in Colombo and Kurunegala, Grasshoppers is an emerging extended arm of e- commerce operations of Kapruka and Kapruka Global Shop. In a media release this week, the company said Grasshoppers believes each delivery is a mission to enhance customer experience by delivering excellence added by an ethical engagement that includes empowering small entrepreneurs and grassroots level communities.
Meanwhile founder and CEO of Kapruka.com Dulith Herath addressed the United Nations World Summit Information Society (WSIS) Forum last week in Geneva,
Switzerland where he presented Grasshoppers. As the rollout of Grasshoppers takes places in Sri Lanka, the global e-commerce audience has been introduced to a premiere of the concept and have applauded its concept, the media release said. "Grasshoppers offers a unique value to connect small and medium enterprises in developing countries to e-Trade (e-commerce)," said Torbjohn Fredrickson, the Chief of the ICT Analysis Unit of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) in Geneva. "Having witnessed its formation only about eight months ago in Cambridge (UK), I'm delighted to see the leap of this Sri Lankan company."
According to the media release, the WSIS Forum was interested in the three innovative elements of Grasshoppers that will solve three major issues in e-commerce in developing countries. Venturing into Sri Lanka, the UK and the US, Grasshoppers founders envisage introducing Grasshoppers to other developing countries such as Ethiopia as a Sri Lankan venture to support young and small entrepreneurs around the world. At the forum, several parties including UN organizations and private sector partners expressed interest in exploring opportunities to introduce Grasshoppers to their respective countries.
Speaking at the forum, Mr. Herath said the three key barriers against e-commerce for small and medium enterprises are import and export barriers, payment gateway and alternative payment option and 3 Door step delivery.
"At Grasshoppers, we provide handy solutions to overcome those barriers and scale up businesses to national and international markets."