Mahe Zehra Husain – CEO FiveRivers Technologies and the face behind PakistanCreates talks about the endless opportunities this E-commerce platform brings for young startups, women entrepreneurs, and home-based businesses of Pakistan – in an interview with SAMAA TV.
She discusses the need for a unified platform that exhibits the local talent of Pakistan and becomes the source of income for many women-led small businesses. Inspired by the extraordinary talent and skills of young businesses, Mahe Zehra Husain identified the need for an online marketplace that opens up new horizons for local Pakistani talent. There is so much unexplored talent in our cottage and household industry and PakistanCreates aims at bringing them all on an online platform where they could sell their unique, creative, and handmade products all across the country.
“PakistanCreates aims at showcasing the talented local businesses of Pakistan, giving opportunities to women-led businesses to grow and earn a handsome amount of money through an online store in the comfort of their home,” says Mahe Zehra Husain.
She added, “Women in Pakistan are making beautiful handicrafts and selling them on online platforms, PakistanCreates does not only provide a FREE platform but also helps makers in advertising and marketing their product to get more sales.”
E-commerce can help these small businesses get exposure and sales. The local talent here is incredible, the problem is discoverability and curation. We see hundreds of small sellers, hobbyists, and artisans using digital channels as a powerful medium to form their identity and generate sales. They are making unique products that are only accessible at some shops, certain localities, or yearly/quarterly exhibitions.
PakistanCreates gathers all these local artisans and manufacturers in a single online store in Pakistan and makes their products accessible to everyone all across the country. This initiative can help women and local businesses of Pakistan earn a sustainable livelihood and push the boundaries of what they can achieve.
PakistanCreates is committed to giving notable artists from small towns, cities, and villages a much-needed boost through a retail platform. These are the people that we need to discover and support. If we talk about Southern Punjab, there is so much untapped talent making hand-embroidered and high-quality homeware and apparel, handwoven baskets and shawls, etc.
At PakistanCreates, you can explore creative products that are made in Pakistan, manufactured in Pakistan, and produced in Pakistan. You will find everything in one place. From men’s accessories to women’s accessories, decor items to handicrafts of Pakistan, kitchenware to bedding, and food items to organic products, everything made and manufactured in Pakistan is available at this online marketplace.
What separates PakistanCreates from any other online marketplace is its quality and standard. All the sellers on PakistanCreates go through a ‘Quality Check’ process where the quality of products is checked. This ultimately contributes to building a safe and secure environment for both buyers and sellers. Sellers can handle all their orders in one place. The vendor portal of PakistanCreates is easy to use and easy to understand for small sellers. Also, the platform helps sellers set up their shop and get any sort of support they need to learn and grow their business.
The platform is working on helping local businesses sell on an online platform. There are many young startups who are already selling on digital mediums and social platforms, but what stops them from growing is an investment in making their own websites and secondly, learning how to operate them.
Other than promoting, PakistanCreates aims at educating small sellers through online and in-person training programs, especially the women who belong to cottage industry. This way the talent from all over Pakistan could be brought to one place for the world to discover!
