Club Factory Scales 100 Million Monthly Active Users in India

• Order Book increases 400% year-on-year in 2019.


• Targets to on-board 100000 Local Sellers in 2020.


• Part of App Annie List of Breakout Apps of 2019;

Leading e-commerce platform Club Factory has surpassed 100 million monthly active users (MAUs) in India following a strong surge in user adoption across the country. Club Factory has witnessed a sharp rise in traffic clocking in 4x growth in orders received in 2019 on the platform as compared to the previous year. India remains one of the most important markets for Club Factory and the company has set a target to on-board 100000 local sellers in 2020. Club Factory current registered local seller base stands close to 30000 (December 2019).

Sharing the details Vincent Lou Founder and CEO Club Factorys aid With our investment and efforts to enhance the user experience we have managed to reduce delivery time by as much as 30% with average positive product rating going up by 40% in 2019. Returns or product exchange on the platform have dropped by almost 25%. Moreover our strength and excellence in listing high cost-efficient products have helped increase traction for Club Factory in tier-II and III cities especially those of Uttar Pradesh, Telangana and Bihar. We are delighted with the faith reposed in us by our customers and will continue with our efforts to drive the e-commerce landscape in the country.

Club Factory is the only e-commerce player in India that does not charge any commission fee from sellers providing a fair marketplace where both the sellers and buyers are benefitted.

With a focus on SMEs the platform is promoting qualified sellers by giving them increased exposure in-depth Big Data trends analysis end-to-end support and co-marketing campaigns to drive sales.Club Factory registered over 700% growth (in terms of order volume) during its last Diwali Sale as compared to the previous year. The platform also witnessed over 600% YoY growth in the recently concluded Black Friday Sale in November with over 200 sellers clocking in over 15K orders per day.

Club Factory is strengthening its India leadership team and will appoint local leaders for key functions in the coming quarters. The platform was recently featured as Breakout Apps of 2019; in App Annie State of Mobile Report. Club Factory has been the most downloaded shopping app on the Android platform globally over the last quarter according to Sensor Tower Store Intelligence platform. Club Factory has also surpassed Snapdeal to become the 3rd largest shopping app (in terms of MAUs) in India since June 2019 after retaining #1 rank in Google Play Shopping App category (according to data analytics platform App Annie).

20 E-commerce Predictions for 2020: Club Factory

The New Year will see not only the maturing of online shopping but also the addition of millions of new shoppers as companies try improve online shopping experiences in various ways. The coming New Year will mark nearly a quarter-century of the internet and the many disruptions it has brought about. The phase of disruption will continue to accelerate with new ideas and innovations. Here is a list of things you can expect to be introduced or get bigger in e-commerce in 2020:

[caption id="attachment_140609" align="alignleft" width="273"] 20 E-commerce Predictions for 2020[/caption]

More Mobile: Increased affordability and better user experience will mean more and more people will shop via their smartphones

Reduction in Cash on Delivery:With massive innovations in payment options users will see it more convenient to pay digitally reducing cash on delivery

The Artificial Intelligence (AI) Edge: Increased AI usage in e-commerce will mean improved logistics speedier deliveries and the improved buyer experience

C2M: Digitalization will allow platforms to source directly from factory connecting consumers to manufacturing and helping consumers to avail the best possible price in addition to getting a better product customization

New E-shoppers: Increased internet penetration will expand the e-commerce market as users become more familiar about conveniences and benefits of online

Tier 2 3 Expansion: E-commerce is creating a level-playing field for users in smaller towns and cities. As more and more users are getting online in these centres they will be the key to the growth of E-commerce in the future

Subscription Services: More and more users will sign up for subscription services to regulate delivery and save more

Real-time Conversations: Chatbots will get better and step in to ensure chats are not abandoned midway

Voice Shopping: Voice interfaces and assistants will add to the experience of ordering products

Video Shopping: Shoppers are armed with better devices and want enhanced experiences. Videos will fill the void

Re-commerce: As the message of recycling amps up this category will become big - catering to users like students budget families and more

Expansion within Categories: 2020 will see an extension of many more categories as users become more comfortable expanding their shopping carts with newer products. Non-electronics products will also experience a boom as more users have started buying all essential and non-essential products online where they are assisted by a smart recommendation system to help match their demands

Product Customisation: Companies will offer choices tailored to your budget needs and fit

Tech-driven Shopping Experiences: There will be increased experimentation with virtual mirrors -a combination of RFID technology and augmented reality

Enhanced Content in Local Languages: More and more people will shop in their local languages as e-shopping gets new buyers on board

Zero Commission marketplace platform: As more and more marketplace models are being adopted and launched by start-ups in India we might see more of zero commission platforms in the future where e-commerce players will make it free to sell on their platform. Currently Club Factory is the only commission-free E-commerce platform in India

Novel Marketing Strategies: E-commerce companies will customize their marketing plans based on differences between urban and rural buyers shoppers in big cities and small towns and varied cultural ethos

Influencer Shopping: Celebrities local and micro-influencers will play a greater role in making shopping decisions

Shared Commerce: 2020 will see an increase in shared e-commerce as people take up products on rent

Drone Delivery: This one has been long in the waiting. 2020 may see drones being used for last-mile delivery in some cases

Let gear up for a new and bigger e-shopping experience in 2020.

~ Newsvoir

Club Factory’s Seller Base Increases 4x to Scale 20000

• Platform outlines aggressive India strategy with plans for Senior Local Hiring


• Club Factory Witnesses over 600% Growth During Black Friday Sale

Leading e-commerce platform Club Factory has over 20,000 registered sellers as of December 2019, registering a fourfold increase in the second half of the year. The company has quadrupled its registered seller base and overachieved its set target of 10K sellers for this year. Club Factory is also strengthening its India leadership team and will appoint local leaders for key functions in the next quarter. The Indian leadership team will further lead the strong momentum gained by Club Factory in 2019.

Club Factory also witnessed over 600% YoY growth with over 200 sellers clocking in over 15K orders per day, in the recently concluded Black Friday Sale in November. Most of the sellers were onboarded after June and have grown from zero since then. Club Factory is currently the biggest portal for the SMEs. The astounding response from the users enabled Club Factory to rank as the top downloaded app across all categories on November 29.

Talking on the announcement, Vincent Lou, Founder and CEO, Club Factory said, “Club Factory is witnessing a strong momentum and growth in India and we are very confident to carry this momentum to 2020, with our strategic hires in the Indian leadership team. We are happy with the faith reposed in us by over 20,000 sellers and are confident that our approach will strengthen our position as a leading marketplace for local sellers in India, offering best prices to the buyers. Our philosophy of not charging any commission fees from the sellers not only helps in providing a level playing field but also enables the sellers to generate more margin by working on our platform.”

Club Factory has also announced new initiatives to support local manufacturing in India, in line with Government’s Make-in-India program, to boost business and entrepreneurship within the country. Club Factory has been aiding sellers with a chat feature, in-depth Big Data trends analysis, end-to-end support and co-marketing campaigns, cheaper Payment Gateway & logistics cost to drive sales. Currently, all the orders are executed by local sellers in India, out of which 70% of the orders on Club Factory are handled by Indian SMEs with a strong focus on products locally made in India. “In addition to being the zero-commission platform, we are developing multiple approaches to empower SME sellers. The next focus will be to help more SME sellers to reach the benchmark of 15K orders per day. We are investing heavily in technology & infrastructure to make it operationally possible,” Vincent Lou further added.

In August this year, Club Factory announced plans to on-board over 10,000 sellers in 2019 in a bid to scale up in the fast-growing e-commerce market in India. The company opened its Recruitment Programme in India for sellers offering products in the lifestyle, fashion, accessories, gadgets and electronics and home categories.

Club Factory was the most downloaded shopping app on the Android platform globally in September and October 2019, according to Sensor Tower’s Store Intelligence platform. Club Factory has also surpassed Snapdeal to become the 3rd largest shopping app (in terms of MAUs) in India since June 2019 after retaining #1 rank in Google Play Shopping App category (according to data analytics platform App Annie).

~ Newsvoir

Club Factory Launches Chat Feature on Platform; Empowers Sellers to Build Direct Contact with Customers

• Consumers can explore product customization and directly interact with sellers


• Club Factory has also successfully on-boarded 10,000 local sellers in India

Leading e-commerce player Club Factory has announced the launch of an Instant Messaging Feature on its App – to allow sellers to communicate with customers on Club Factory directly. The new initiative is further aimed to empower local sellers and manufacturers in India. Using the chat feature, sellers can directly take order details via the messaging tool and cater to the customization requirements of their users. Almost 70% sellers on the Club Factory platform have started using this feature to interact and build their customer base directly. These include sellers in Women's Clothing, Mobiles & Accessories & Home categories.

In addition to its zero-commission model for sellers, Club Factory is not charging sellers for any marketing promotions. Club Factory is promoting qualified sellers by giving them increased exposure, in-depth Big Data trends analysis, end-to-end support and co-marketing campaigns to drive sales.

Talking on the announcement, Mr. Vincent Lou, Founder and CEO, Club Factory said, “Club Factory is the only e-commerce player in India that does not charge any commission fees, passing on cost-benefit to the users.  We are also happy to include a chat feature as part of our bouquet of offerings. The option allows customers to directly interact with sellers to discuss any product-related query and place special requests for their orders.

Unlike some of the other e-commerce platforms, we believe that sellers need to be empowered to own their consumers and end-users. These initiatives make us a comprehensive online-marketplace facilitator, building to an era of FAC - Flipkart, Amazon and Club Factory to lead the future of e-commerce in India.”

Since its launch in 2016, Club Factory has been working to provide a level-playing field to sellers. It is the only e-commerce player in India that does not charge any commission fee from sellers, allowing them to achieve 20-30 percent cost savings when selling on the Club Factory platform. In addition to that, Club Factory also does not charge any marketing or promotion fee to sellers. Club Factory undertakes promotion of seller stores and designs banners for specific categories on its own accord. Sellers get increased visibility and reach for discounts offered to consumers.

“We have not only exempted sellers from paying any commission charges, but also made it cheaper to sell on our platform with the help of our lower rate of payment gateway and other logistics charges. Our philosophy of not charging any commission from the sellers also enables us to ensure smooth communication between sellers and buyers, which would otherwise be impossible. Any commission fee charged from sellers might hinder them from ethically engaging with buyers as they would try to bypass the platform and offer to directly sell to the buyers, to recover the commission fee charges. Therefore, it won't be possible to safeguard the consumer's interest, avoid fraud transactions and ensure a better customer experience if e-commerce players are charging commission fees while also allowing sellers to talk to consumers directly. This initiative from Club Factory is not merely a marketing campaign, but a proof of our dedication to building an ecosystem where SMEs can own their customers. Our goal is to provide a fair marketplace where both the sellers and buyers can benefit,” Vincent added.

Club Factory announced its new scale-up strategy with plans to on-board over 10,000 sellers in 2019. Club Factory has already met the target of on-boarding 10K sellers who joined the platform since the program’s launch. The company opened its Recruitment Programme in India recently for sellers offering products in the lifestyle, fashion, accessories, gadgets and electronics and home categories. Currently, over 70% of the orders on Club Factory are executed by Indian SMEs with a strong focus on products locally made in India.

Club Factory was the world’s most downloaded shopping app on the Google Play Store in the month of September and October 2019, according to Sensor Tower’s Store Intelligence platform. Club Factory has also surpassed Snapdeal to become the 3rd largest shopping app (in terms of MAUs) in India since June 2019 after retaining #1 rank in Google Play Shopping App category (according to data analytics platform App Annie).

Club Factory Raises $100 Million in Series D Funding led by Qiming Venture Capital

Leading e-commerce player Club Factory has raised $100 million in a Series D round of financing led by leading venture capital firm Qiming Venture Partners and other top investors who have a strong global vision with a key focus of investing in the India market, including Bertelsmann, IDG Capital, and other Fortune 500 companies from USA and Asia. Global markets, especially India, has become a major focus of attention for Club Factory. According to app download and usage data from App Annie, Club Factory recently surpassed Snapdeal to rank among the third largest e-commerce shopping apps in India, next to Amazon and Flipkart.

Over the past two years, Club Factory has continued to build a global company with its technical capabilities and global vision. It has achieved more than 10 times growth in the past six months for its Indian SME business. The rapid growth of Club Factory in the Indian market is primarily due to its zero-commission strategy, where the sellers are able to transfer the cost-benefit to the users. In addition to more localized user operations and marketing, Club Factory’s vision of ‘building the ecosystem for the Indian Sellers’ has worked well, making it one of India's largest online sales channels.

Talking on the announcement, Club Factory Founder and CEO Vincent said, “Club Factory offers local sellers 0% commission Marketplace platform, and any legally qualified Indian seller can sell on Club Factory. At the same time, we have also pioneered to strengthen the “store-within-platform” concept in India's e-commerce industry, allowing direct contact between buyers and sellers through our application.  We have changed the status of the Indian e-commerce industry that monopolized information of buyers and sellers, allowing SMEs to own their customers and run their business better. All this, combined with our strategy to reduce the transaction costs of buyers and sellers and allow more local players to enter the ecosystem, has worked very well for us in India.”

“India has the world’s second-largest population with the purchasing power parity (PPP) ranking third worldwide. A huge market like this undoubtedly has diversified market demand, but many players pursue a narrow range of products through a closed ecosystem. Indian customers also need another kind of e-commerce platform – a more open one – which provides more options to customers and more vitality to the e-commerce field. This is why Club Factory has been able to rapidly grow in India”, Vincent added.

Club Factory aims to further enhance its Open Platform Strategy post this new round of funding round by expanding its range of products to deliver more offerings in different Categories. The platform also looks to attract more local sellers and enhance its data technology capability to make Indian retail more efficient.

Chinese E-Commerce Firm Club Factory to Open its 1st Office in Gurugram; Targets 10K Local Sellers

China-based e-commerce firm Club Factory on Monday announced expansion in India market under which it plans to onboard 10,000 sellers on its platform this year.

"Club Factory has announced a new scale-up strategy to make giant strides into the India market with plans to on-board over 10,000 sellers this year. Club Factory is going to open its sellers recruitment program from early August for pan-India sellers offering products in the lifestyle, fashion, accessories, gadgets & electronics and home categories," the company said in a statement.

The program aims to help sellers avail marketing fee waiver and zero commission to achieve 20-30 per cent cost savings as compared to selling on other platforms, the statement said.

Club Factory also plans to open offices in Bengaluru and Mumbai after its first office in Gurugram to meet increased user demand and ensure seamless operation here.

The company claims that some sellers on its platform have recorded over 10,000 orders on a single day and it now aims to get at least 100 sellers to generate over 10,000 orders every day by duplicating the success experience.

The company has three warehouses in India to meet the demand for quick product delivery and has partnered some local top-tier logistics players for fulfilment and last-mile logistics space to provide a faster delivery.

"There are plans to open more warehouses in the near future. Club Factory also plans to make significant investments in warehousing, delivery, technology and marketing with an aim to become a leading marketplace for SME sellers in India," the statement said. PTI PRS