What has Infibeam contributed to the online retailing space?

Established in 2007, Infibeam today is one of the leading online retailing portals in India. Started as an automobile portal, it was later developed into an online ecommerce portal selling books, electronics and automobiles. All through these years, it has maintained its superior service, range of brands and products, and competitive pricing.

Buildabazaar – for your own stores

In June 2011, Infibeam. Inc launched Buildabazaar, an ecommerce platform to enable users to create their own online stores where they could upload their catalogue of products and sell them to customers. With customization options, it is offered as a ‘Software as a Service’ (Saas) platform to create retail e-stores and travel booking sites.

How it works

The Buildabazaar platform offers the following features to users:

• Widgets, tools to customize the appearance of stores
• Administrative panel, to manage inventory, orders and shipments
• Integrated payment gateways
• Logistic partner tie-ups

Launched in 2011, the number of stores increased from 1000 in December 2011 to more than 20,000 by December 2013. To Infibeam’s credit, major retailers, theme parks, airports and event venues have made their online presence using the Buildabazaar platform.

According to a survey, 45 of the top 343 ecommerce stores in India have been made with Buildabazaar, adding to its credibility and success. In February 2013, the value of transaction on its platform crossed Rs 500 crore.

Dhamaal.com – its own marketplace

Dhamaal.com was launched by Infibeam in partnership with payment gateway provider CCAvenue as a medium to help sellers promote and sell their products. However, a recent letter to sellers indicate that Dhamaal.com is being shut down due to difficulty in moving forward.

The way forward for Infibeam

In July this year, there were reports about Infibeam’s interest in raising Rs 500-1000 crore ($83-166 million) funds through IPO in the coming few quarters.

“We are looking at India to float the issue since it is our primary market. We see huge potential for our platform business in global markets, as it is extremely scalable and supports multiple languages & currencies,” said founder and CEO of Infibeam, Vishal Mehta. So the funds would help in scaling up in the global and domestic markets.

Is your store one of the 45 successful ecommerce stores facilitated by Infibeam’s Buildabazaar? Or have you tried it out? Do share your knowledge and experience.