The average Pakistani consumer age is 22 years old. These new consumers entering the workforce have embraced online stores in Pakistan because of the ease of shopping and the wide range of options that are provided by online stores. With the advancement of technology and smartphone capabilities, Furniture, along with products that traditionally were only available to Pakistani consumers in their local markets are now available everywhere in Pakistan. Location is no longer a barrier to enter the market.
A major trend in online furniture shopping is leveraging technology such as Augmented Reality (AR), and for the first time in Pakistan, this model is being followed by a startup called Chahyay.com which allows consumers to visualize a product, such as a chair, sofa, bed, table, and even bookcase in their current living space.
These advancements in technology and the ability for customers to visualize products before they physically arrive have significantly improved the experience for our young Pakistani consumers, and therefore have increased demand for such products. This state-of-the-art technology will improve online shopping as well as set a benchmark for all the existing and upcoming online businesses in Pakistan.
Started in the year 2018, Chahyay.com became a successfully established online e-commerce marketplace for high-quality Pakistani manufactured furniture. It developed a nationwide logistics network to provide products to customers all over Pakistan. In the year 2020, US-based Pakistani-American entrepreneurs Mohammad Arslan and Omar Mahmood of Strategic Insights Group (SIG) selected this start-up as their first investment into the local Pakistani market and were later joined by the renowned actor Mikaal Zulfiqar who also has a major stake in the business.
Having built and managed successful companies in the United States, SIG plans to build upon the foundation of Chahyay.com and introduce proven E-Commerce, Customer Experience, and Digital Strategies in Pakistan, as well as continue to build strategic alliances and identify further areas of investment opportunities in Pakistan.
