BackQuikr rolls out QuikrScanner
QuikrScanner helps prospective buyers evaluate a mobile phone based on 20 tests on battery, camera and network reception, among others
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Bengaluru: Buyers on classifieds portal Quikr will now be able to check the quality of mobile phones listed on the platform through a feature called QuikrScanner.
Quikr India Pvt. Ltd on Tuesday said QuikrScanner is available as an independent app as well an additional feature in the Quikr app. It helps prospective buyers evaluate a mobile phone based on 20 tests on battery, camera and network reception, among others.
“The market for both new and pre-owned mobile phones is growing rapidly which is also evident from our own platform. We felt it is our duty to introduce this layer of verification and protection for consumers who buy pre-owned phones on Quikr. We also offer warranty for pre-owned phones, and the warranty will further add to the confidence of buyers while transacting on Quikr," Anurag Saran, chief product officer at Quikr, said in a statement.
“The app has seen phenomenal voluntary uptake from our sellers, which goes to speak about the quality of our user base; already, 20% of mobile listings on Quikr have the QuikrScanner report attached," he added.
The move comes at a time when Quikr is trying to deliver goods transacted between buyers and sellers on its platform. Many customers are wary of buying from strangers on platforms such as Quikr and OLX. Product deliveries would indicate Quikr’s involvement in the transaction, raising buyers’ confidence on the products.
Quikr has identified five key business segments—automobiles, real estate, jobs, services and customer-to-customer sales—to focus on in an attempt to explore new sources of revenue and fend off competition from other venture capital-backed businesses that have emerged in each of these categories, Mint reported on 2 September.
The company has also started facilitating payments and logistics services at no cost to both sellers and buyers to transform into a full-fledged marketplace for used goods.
Quikr was valued at almost $1 billion during its last funding round in April. Since its inception in 2008, it has raised about $346 million from investors such as Investment AB Kinnevik, Tiger Global Management, Steadview Capital Management and Matrix Partners India, among others.
To be sure, Quikr has revenues flowing in through third-party advertisements, lead generation for car dealers and real estate brokers and paid listings by sellers, which propels them to top search results on the platform.
Quikr reported sales of ₹ 24.78 crore for the year ended 31 March 2015, according to documents with the Registrar of Companies, which is significantly small as compared to its valuation of close to $1 billion.
In December last year, Quikr acquired online realty portal Commonfloor (maxheap technologies Pvt. Ltd) for an estimated $120 million. In an attempt to enhance its offering in the real estate sector, the company acquired Indian Realty Exchange (123 Startup Ventures Pvt. Ltd), a real estate agent aggregator, and RealtyCompass, a real estate analytics start-up, besides making a strategic investment in A.N. Virtual World Tech Ltd, a company which provides 360-degree street views.
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