Daraz Humqadam Program: Rs 8 Crore subsidy provided to 45,000 Sellers across Pakistan during times of COVID-19

KARACHI - Since the launch of the Daraz Humqadam program in May, which invited SMEs to set up their shops on the leading ecommerce platform to sell online in Pakistan, Daraz has provided business and financial support to 45,000 businesses across the country and enabled 5,514 SMEs to transition towards digital operations by setting up their stores on the platform.

Shifting towards digital operations has held significant traction for businesses in Pakistan since the outbreak of the COVID19 pandemic in Pakistan and the following restrictions on movement that. During this period, Daraz has received 35,000 registrations from SMEs. The Humqadam program was launched to empower the SME sector and facilitate businesses’ transition towards ecommerce operations. Investing nearly PKR 80 million, Daraz waived the commission fee for these businesses for two months and has also provided them with dedicated one-on-one support and access to free business consultation as well as education and training through Daraz University. 

SMEs from 88 cities across the country such as Toba Tek Singh, Sheikhupura, Gujrat, Sahiwal, Bahawalpur, Sialkot, Swat and Rahim Yar Khan signed up for the program and are now actively operating on Daraz. More than 1,600 businesses from Karachi and nearly 1500 from Lahore have transitioned to the ecommerce platform. Together, these businesses are contributing almost 300,000 products to the marketplace’s vast assortment across a range of categories including groceries, health and beauty, home appliances, fashion, mobiles and tablets, motors and jewellery. 

“The Humqadam program was launched to support businesses and protect livelihoods during a difficult and uncertain economic period. We are very proud of the impact that we have been able to create and will continue to direct our efforts towards the empowerment of small businesses in Pakistan,” said Ehsan Saya, Managing Director Daraz Pakistan. 

The Humqamdam program stands in line with Daraz’ mission to make it easy to do business in the digital age. The platform has a growing community of 50,000 sellers and is dedicated to providing opportunities for growth for its new and existing sellers in the world of online shopping in Pakistan.