C-Commerce Startup ShakoMakoApp Launches In Iraq
ShakoMakoApp is a combinatorial evolution of Instagram, WhatsApp, Google and Amazon, with the aim of organising the disorganised through a P2P-B2C system. It is the first comprehensively dedicated connected-commerce platform in Iraq.
Three years ago, the founders saw a problem: independent and new shop ventures were looking for an easy and free way to enter the marketplace that allowed them to keep their identity. Unfortunately, most only had access to non-vendor-defined platforms such as Instagram and Facebook, opening regular pages and then adding their WhatsApp numbers to communicate with customers to coordinate delivery.
ShakoMakoApp address this friction with an innovative c-commerce platform. The custom-built platform, allows shops to keep their identity, directly communicate with customers, and manage their own sales. An automated invoicing system and insights help them track their history from the moment they join the platform.
There are a few c-commerce style companies in the world and others in the e-commerce space have two things in-common – they take a commission from sales and cover the original vendors’ brands. ShakoMakoApp fosters a social media-style platform, where sellers can create their own identity with zero commission on sales. As a result, users have the freedom to grow without risk and control their own destinies.
The addressable market of ShakoMakoApp is vast. SWANA currently represents almost 466 million people with a retail market size of $1 trillion. The population is projected to rise to over 720 million in the next two decades, 84% of which want to be youth entrepreneurs. Currently, there are an estimated 21 million micro, small and medium sized enterprises (MSMEs), all of whom are ShakoMakoApp’s initial targets.
Both Android and iOS apps are now live in Iraq with an eye on the UAE, Saudi and Egypt next.
The startup is headquartered in Dubai Silicon Oasis, UAE, with a satellite office in Basra, Iraq. The team has grown to 15 employees, seven in the office and eight in the field, all currently focusing on onboarding shops and uploading products. It has been 180 days since its beta launch and so far, they have signed up 1,450+ vendors and added over 39,000 products, as well as 3000+ consumers.
