The year was 2010 when the e-commerce wave was still at its early stage in India. It was during this time, Ravi Kumar realized the potential of online shopping and launched the coupons and deals aggregator FreeKaaMaal.com.
With Indian retail consumer spending touching new heights, online shopping industry grew to $14.5 billion in 2016. The heavy discounts by e-tailers are going to continue in the days to come. Online platforms like FreeKaaMaal are go-to places for consumers to find money saving deals.
Today, FreeKaaMaal is a large online shopping community in the country. The main reason behind FreeKaaMaal’s popularity is its community of users. These users not only visit the site looking for deals but also share deal that they discover online.
The inception FreeKaaMaal:
The website was initially launched as a blog with the aim of providing information about free sampling campaigns. Soon it started giving information about deals and coupons. Thus, evolving into a big portal serving more than 50,000 users daily. Users receive points for posting deals on the site. The points thus earned can be used for shopping etc.
FreeKaaMaal has never raised any money from investors, the company has grown from its sales volume. In a very short span, FreeKaaMaal has gone from five sales to 1500+ transactions per day. Currently, the company is working with 600+ merchants in India. This list includes some of the top-notch e-commerce players.
With price sensitive Indian consumers, discount platforms make a lot of sense. The deals model is doing well in the country with online sales growing rapidly. Other players in this segment include Grabon, CouponDunia, Mydala, and Couponzguru.
Journey Since Inception:
The statistics so far describe success story of the site. FreeKaaMaal receives a daily traffic of 1.8 lakh and 1 billion page views on a yearly basis. The site has grown from 5 sales to 3000 sales per day for the partner brands. FreeKaaMaal has 5 lakh + newsletter subscribers and 2.6 lakh followers on Facebook.
About the Founder:
Ravi Kumar completed his engineering in 2009 before going for a course in MBA through NITIE, Mumbai. It was during this time, Ravi realized the importance of deals and coupon industry.
Ravi always had the desire to start something of his own. In fact, he left a lucrative career offer to start his own company. In his final year of MBA, he got placed in Gati Ltd but Ravi dropped the idea of joining to incorporate his company.
The Idea Behind FreeKaaMaal:
The idea is simple consumers scour the internet looking for ongoing deals to arrive at the cheapest price for a product. They can share the best bargain deals on FreeKaaMaal. Then it is the time for moderators to get into action, who publish the best deals from the lot. These deals are published on FreeKaaMaal, seen by lakhs of users every day. Those who choose to buy from a deal listed on FreeKaaMaal follow the link given on the site.
What FreeKaaMaal offers:
When you visit FreeKaaMaal you will see 4 sections on the home page. These are hot deals, my deals, trending deals, and discussions. The hot deals are actually what you see on the home page. The My Deals comprises of the deals and offers posted by a specific user. This means if you are a user of the site and have posted any deals in the past you can see them in my deals section.
Trending deals is the section where you can find the best deals of the day, week, and month.
In the discussions section, users get answers to their queries. It includes views of members on various hot topics.
In the top section of the homepage, you will find top categories and coupons. In the top categories, you can find deals on automotive, baby products, books, cameras & accessories, computer accessories, electronics, customized products, fashion & accessories, grocery, gifts, mobile, sports & fitness, stationery, and travel. Stores organized in alphabetical order. For instance: If you want Abof coupons visit the abof store on FreeKaaMaal.
Any person visiting the site can create a profile to get customized deals and earn incentives by posting deals. It is also possible to login with social networking sites like Facebook and Google +. However, to avail, the offers and coupons posted on the FreeKaaMaal users don’t need to create any profile on the site.
Mobile Strategy:
These days more and more businesses are following the mobile trend. Only a mobile-friendly website is not enough, an effective strategy involves mobile apps. FreeKaaMaal has a dedicated mobile app taking its interaction with shoppers to the next level.
What you get with FreeKaaMaal app
- The fast growing deals and coupons site is also available as a mobile app.
- Hot trending deals and offers from your favorite e-commerce site.
- Push notifications by setting keyword alerts for the products of your need.
- Super fast search across 20 plus categories and subcategories.
- Share and rate deals.
- Coupons for 600+ online retailers in the store section.
Future Insights:
It is raining offers with all big e-commerce companies offering deals and discounts. With doorstep delivery and easy payment options, online shopping is already a pleasant experience for shoppers. In such scenario, online deal sites are a good way for consumers to spot the best bargain deals. Instead of looking for discounts on different sites, online buyers have the luxury of everything at one place
As per a recent study, the Indian e-commerce market is set to become the second largest in the world. In India, the segment is predicted to grow 28% per year from 2016 to 2020. This growth will open up opportunities in the segment. The number of internet users in the country continues to grow rapidly as subscribers switch over to 4G networks. Currently, China is the market leader in e-commerce followed by the US.
FreeKaaMaal promises to offer savings on everything from mobile recharge to computer accessories and apparel. Today, FreeKaaMaal is almost 7 years old and serving 4.5 million visitors per month.
