The Indian e-commerce industry has experienced very good growth during the last decade. At current and projected growth rates, it is expected to surpass the US to be the 2nd largest e-commerce market globally. Did you know that the Indian e-commerce market was valued at ₹ 3525 crores in 2020 and is expected to reach ₹ 26.70 lakh crores by 2030? (as per Bain & Co report). There is a perceptible trend of Indians increasingly shopping online and preferring not to step out of their homes. Desiring to capitalise on this market trend, several Indian companies have moved to the online ‘marketplace’, offering Resellers and consumers a win-win proposition.
Did you know?
Meesho is one of India’s large e-commerce platforms for Resellers. Meesho has an established catalogue of clothing, home, and lifestyle accessories. Selling on Meesho is simple and requires nil investment.
Also Read: How to Sell Products Online in India?
What Is Meesho?
Meesho is one of India’s largest online marketplace platforms for Resellers. Founded in the year 2015 by two IIT Delhi graduates -Vidit Aatrey and Sanjiv Barnal, the platform now has nearly 2.6 crore resellers. The online platform connects resellers to manufacturers, who list their commodities on the Meesho App, enabling Resellers to choose from any of the listed products and sell them to their clients through social networking Apps – Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp. Mesho aspires to build an environment where anybody can establish their business without financial investment.
How to Sell on Meesho
Selling on Messho is a simple process. The seller should register on Mesho and follow the simple steps outlined to register for selling on Meesho.
Pre-requisite:The seller ought to have a GSTIN number and active bank account to begin the process.
1. Register on Meesho or Create a Seller Account: Create a Seller account on Meesho by furnishing Mobile Number, e-mail address, Seller details, and setting a password after due authentication process through an OTP received on the mobile number. Now Supplier panel can be accessed, and one can opt to receive updates on the mobile number by clicking on the option.
2. Listing product catalogues
The next important step is listing catalogues of products on the Meesho platform. Meesho has the option to create catalogues for products with more than one design. Creating a catalogue with 4-5 products helps improve the chances of bagging an order. Well-organized catalogues with good-quality pictures of the products have to be uploaded. Product catalogues with very good quality pictures and a good product description help Resellers sell the listed products. One can upload single or multiple catalogues.
Meesho provides two ways of uploading product catalogues:
a) Upload catalogues in bulk
Step-1: On the Supplier Panel, clicking on Catalog upload will lead to two options
Add new catalogue in bulk
Add a Single catalogue
Step-2: Click on ‘Add new catalog in bulk’ leads to the next page;
Type the product category in the search box, and
Select the appropriate category from the drop-down list
Step-3: After selecting the product category, the option to download a Template will be provided. Click on Download Template (if one doesn’t have a Template). The downloaded template is similar to an excel sheet.
Step-4: 1st sheet of the template has instructions to fill, and the next sheet has to be completed with product details. Skip the columns: A-C, and furnish the details in the rest of the columns, as per instructions.
Step-5: Go to the Supplier panel, and click on upload the template; it will prompt for selecting the template file. Select the appropriate template file and upload.
b) Upload a Single catalogue
Step-1: On the Supplier Panel, after clicking on Catalog upload; select the option
Add a Single catalogue
Step-2: On the next page;
Select the appropriate category from the drop-down list in the search box
Read instructions on adding products images
Add product images by uploading them from the Computer
Step-3: Enter product details in the given form. (If a product is in multiple colours, there is no need to fill up details for individual colours; just choosing the option “Copy input details to all products” will copy input details to all products.
Step-4: Click on ‘Submit Catalog’; Accept Submit confirmation action.
Good quality pictures are vital to getting customers’ attention. The product images should cover and present every selling element of the product, to enhance product presentation and gain maximum sales traction.
Example: For presenting the Saree catalogues, ‘Digital draping and apparel visual technology’ can be used.
Using 3D technology, the software creates beautiful photorealistic 3D images of the saree draped onto a model. The technology also helps reduce the time, cost, and effort involved, in traditional photoshoots.
3. Getting Orders: Once product catalogues are live on Meesho, Resellers start sharing the product with their customers through Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and social media platforms.
Setting the right price is one of the important elements in attracting customers. Meesho provides a Price recommendation tool, which suggests competitive prices for a product compared to the market.
Next-Day Dispatch (NDD) program is an important part of Meesho’s initiative to enhance the user experience. Under NDD, the seller must dispatch orders on the next day of receiving orders.
If a seller qualifies for the Next-Day Dispatch (NDD) program, Meesho will prioritise those items on the product page. This also triggers an NDD tag visible on the product page. An NDD tag, on average, generally leads to an increase of 12% in customers’ interest.
4. Product Delivery
Once an order is received, Meesho notifies on the App-Supplier panel and through e-mail. Accept the Order.
- The supplier’s Panel also provides the option to download the label and manifest. After packing the product, paste the label on the package.
- As Meesho looks after the shipping part of the product at no cost, one has to hand over the package to its logistic partner. (Meesho has a panel of many Logistic Partners who take the responsibility to pick up the product from your location and drop it at the customer’s address. Hence, you need not worry about the shipping.
Meesho supplies the product to the customer at zero delivery cost.
5. Payments for Orders delivered: Payments for products sold, including ‘Cash on delivery’ orders, will be deposited to the designated bank account on the 15th day of order delivery. These details of payment received can be seen on the Mesho Supplier panel.
The seller panel has many kinds of payment-related details –like deposited balance, future payment, and more. It may be noted that the payment for every sold product includes the Meesho commission.
Also Read: Best Apps for Selling Online - Ranked by Popularity & Benefit
Why Do Sellers Prefer Selling on Meesho?
Considering the several e-commerce platforms available, Sellers still prefer to sell on Meesho because of the following reasons:
a) Lowest commission rate: Meesho charges the lowest commission in the e-commerce industry, and Meesho doesn’t charge any commission fees on many products. Further, as mandated, GST of 18% on the commission fee is also levied. Unlike many other e-commerce platforms, Meesho doesn’t charge a fixed fee, collection fees, or any hidden fees.
b) Ease of listing and using the App: The Meesho App is simple to use. Listing product catalogues is quite simple, and payments are timely and reflected on the App.
c) Selling destination or selling hub: For many small-medium and branded-unbranded suppliers. Meesho presents an excellent platform choice. Suppliers can substantially improve their earnings and provide competitive prices to sellers.
Benefits of Selling on Meesho or Meesho Benefits
The benefits of selling on Meesho include:
- It is a perfect platform for small entrepreneurs and Homemakers planning to start a business without actual investment
- Provides easy product listing and the lowest shipping cost, and timely payment
- Compared to other e-commerce marketplaces (like Amazon, Flipkart), Meesho provides a much better survivable competitive environment for the first time and small businesses.
- Sellers on the platform don’t have to pay any commission
Tips to Boost Sales on Meesho
As much as Meesho is a relatively new e-commerce platform for Sellers and consumers, there are a few tips (based on stakeholders’ feedback) that will boost sales. These include:
- The more the catalogues are uploaded, the more the chances of getting orders. Usually, 6-7 catalogues are required to get an order
- Product pricing should allow enough room for the reseller to set the margin.
- Trending products should be tracked and listed accordingly.
- Always opt for the NDD program (Next Day Delivery). This requires suppliers to dispatch the very next day of receiving the order, which helps boost order volume.
Conclusion
With a booming e-commerce market, Meesho is a very good online e-commerce marketplace, especially in the clothing, accessories, and lifestyle product categories. Selling on Meesho is an excellent proposition for many Suppliers, Resellers, and Small and Medium Enterprises. Meesho offers simple and pioneering industry features. The Meesho platform provides a simple process of registration and listing products and product catalogues for the benefit of stakeholders. For Sellers with a good social media following, the Meesho listing will enhance visibility, reach, and boost sales on the social media platforms.
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