OK Click n Collect and the Vital Group have a signed a strategic partnership agreement covering a retail footprint of almost 500,000 shops across Pakistan and nationwide B2B distribution. The move comes at a time of acute interest in supply chains by tech startups and increasing efforts to digitize them. However, most of the new tech startups are excluding micro and small business retailers and distributors completely and instead launching their own parallel retail operations online. The team of OK! Click n Collect want to counter the persistent digital exclusion of micro and small businesses and develop a platform which enables the digital inclusion of the long neglected micro and small business retail ecosystem.
From creating online stores instantly, with full assortment of SKUs, to recording “Khata” (informal credit) entries conveniently, the combined local e-commerce and fintech capabilities offered by the app makes OK! Click n Collect the very first application of Pakistan that comprehensively addresses the multiple and diverse needs of small retailers.
The development comes amidst renewed lockdowns adversely affecting retail businesses, distributors and supply chains nationwide, and has been welcomed by retailers and distributors alike. In a matter of a few simple clicks, vendors and distributors are able to establish their operations online with OK! Click n Collect, complete with product SKUs and pricing. In addition to an existing library of thousands of SKUs covering multiple product categories, the app also allows vendors to photograph and create custom SKUs from their phone. OK! Click n Collect uses a proprietary algorithm which identifies shops that sell competitively priced products in their localities, and geo-fencing allows users to view shops in their immediate vicinity offering the best deals.
As part of Vital Group’s impressive growth over the years, covering diverse yet complimenting product category vectors, the group is committed to digitize the value chain.
Zia-ur-Rahman, head of Supply Chain for the Vital Group, said “the secret to Vital Group’s rise from humble beginnings to a prestigious nationwide and international export brand is our constant investment in the quality of our products and our distribution partners. The traditional supply chain model is going through a disruptive phase and with OK Click n Collect our existing distributors are able to digitize and play an integral part in the emerging digital distribution landscape.”
In recent years, the Vital Group has grown exponentially and consolidated its market share in tea, successfully launched and taken market share as well as leadership brand status in the soaps, tissues, rock salt and masala categories.
Karim Undre, Director International Sales and Joint Ventures for the Vital Group, said that “internationally the supply chain and distribution models have already digitized to a significant extent. As a group of category leader brands, the Vital Group stands committed to international best practices and embracing the digital future of supply chain.”
Together, OK Click n Collect and the Vital Group stand to contribute significantly towards digitization of Pakistan’s micro and small retail operations. Founder and CEO of OK Click n Collect, Syed Mohammed Ali Raza said “neighborhood shops, small businesses and kiryana stores represent the overwhelming majority of the 800,000 FMCG channel served retail outlets. We are thrilled to work with Vital Group and welcome their nationwide distribution network of almost 500,000 retail outlets aboard OK Click n Collect, and digitally empower the ecosystem of micro and small businesses across Pakistan.”
