Meesho is an Indian social commerce platform that enables individuals to start their own

online businesses with minimal investment. Please note that there may have been
developments or changes to the company since then.

Founding and History: Meesho was founded in 2015 by Vidit Aatrey and Sanjeev
Barnwal, with the aim of creating a platform that empowers small businesses and
individuals to leverage social media for selling products.

Business Model: Meesho operates on a reselling model. Users, often referred to as

"social sellers," can browse products on the platform and share them with their network
through various social media channels. When a sale is made, the social seller earns a
commission.

Target Audience: The platform primarily targets individuals who are looking to start their
own small businesses, especially those who may not have the resources for traditional
e-commerce setups.

Key Features and Offerings:

1. Product Catalog: Meesho offers a wide range of products, including fashion, beauty,
home decor, electronics, and more. The catalog is curated to suit the preferences of the
target audience.

2. Reseller Community: Meesho has built a strong community of resellers who support
each other, share tips, and collaborate. This community aspect is a key part of
Meesho's value proposition.

3. Payment and Logistics Support: The platform provides support for payment
processing and logistics, easing the burden on individual resellers who might not have
the infrastructure for these aspects of the business.

4. Training and Education: Meesho offers educational resources and training to help
resellers improve their selling skills, optimize their online stores, and effectively use
social media for marketing.

5. Mobile App: Meesho operates primarily through a mobile app, making it convenient
for users to manage their businesses on the go.

Funding and Growth:

- Meesho has attracted significant attention from investors. The company had raised
substantial funding in multiple rounds from investors including Sequoia Capital,
Naspers, Shunwei Capital, and others.
- The funds raised were often intended to fuel the company's expansion plans, invest in
technology, and reach more users across different regions.

Meesho operates on a social commerce business model. Here's a breakdown of its key
components:

Reseller Platform:
● Meesho provides a platform for individuals, often referred to as "social
sellers" or "resellers," to start their own online businesses.
● These resellers leverage the Meesho platform to discover and showcase
products to potential buyers.
Product Discovery and Catalog:
● Meesho curates a catalog of products spanning various categories such
as fashion, beauty, home decor, electronics, and more.
● Resellers can browse through this catalog and select products they want
to sell.
Commission-Based Earnings:
● Social sellers on Meesho earn a commission on each sale they make. The
commission is a percentage of the product's selling price.
● The more products a reseller sells, the more commissions they can
accumulate.
Social Media Integration:
● Meesho integrates with social media platforms, allowing resellers to share
product listings with their network through social channels like WhatsApp,
Facebook, and Instagram.
● Social media serves as a key marketing and sales channel for resellers.

Meesho has employed various marketing strategies to promote its social commerce
platform and attract both resellers and customers. Here are some key aspects of
Meesho's marketing approach:

1. Social Media Marketing:

- Given the nature of its business, Meesho extensively uses social media platforms for
marketing. This includes advertising on platforms like Facebook and Instagram, where
its target audience is likely to be active.
- Meesho leverages the power of visual content to showcase its products,
encouraging resellers to share these visuals within their networks.

2. Influencer Collaborations:
- Meesho has collaborated with influencers, especially those within the social
commerce and entrepreneurship space, to reach a broader audience.
 - Influencers often share their success stories and experiences with Meesho,
attracting potential resellers who are interested in starting their own businesses.

3. Referral Programs:
- Meesho has implemented referral programs to encourage existing users to refer new
resellers to the platform. This word-of-mouth marketing strategy taps into the community
aspect of Meesho, where resellers share their positive experiences with others.

4. Content Marketing:
- Meesho invests in content marketing to educate and engage its audience. This
includes creating blog posts, articles, and video content that provide tips and insights for
resellers on how to succeed in their businesses.
- Educational content also helps build trust and credibility among potential resellers.

5. Collaborations and Partnerships:

- The company has formed partnerships with other businesses, organizations, and
platforms to expand its reach. For example, collaborations with payment gateways and
logistics providers ensure a seamless experience for users.

6. Promotions and Discounts:

- Like many e-commerce platforms, Meesho runs promotions and offers discounts to
attract new users and encourage repeat business especially around Indian festivals.
These promotions are often communicated through various channels, including social
media and email.

7. Community Engagement:
- Meesho actively engages with its community of resellers through various channels.
This engagement includes responding to user queries, featuring success stories, and
creating a sense of belonging among the reseller community.

8. Offline Marketing Events:

- In certain instances, Meesho has organized offline events and workshops to connect
with potential resellers in person. These events may include training sessions,
networking opportunities, and promotional activities.
Meesho means "Meri Shop" or "Apni Dukaan" in Hindi, which justifies the service it
provides. Meesho aspires to build an environment where anybody can establish a
business with no financial investment.
Meesho's tagline says, "Not just a homemaker, a Meesho Entrepreneur."

Meesho - Business Model and Revenue Model

Regarding the business model, we cannot say that Meesho operates on a D2C (direct-
to-consumer) business model. In the D2C business model, a product is sold directly to
the consumers by the manufacturer. However, Meesho involves resellers, who are the
middleman between manufacturers and consumers. Meesho is a platform that helps
businesses (which includes manufacturers and reselling business owners) to increase
their sales, and in turn, charges certain fees and commissions from the businesses.
Thus Meesho has a B2B business model now, which the company switched to in 2021
after it changed tracks from the reseller model that it focused on from the very
beginning. Following are Meesho's major sources of revenue-

Commission

The commissions Meesho charges from the vendors have been a major source of their
revenue. When a reseller sells a product on the Meesho platform, the seller of that
product will be charged a certain percentage of commission. The commission-based
business is similar to those of E-Commerce platforms like Amazon, Flipkart, and others.
As per the company's website, a 0% commission is charged from the suppliers on
certain categories of products. No commission is charged from the resellers.
Other than commission the other sources of revenue are -

Logistics

Meesho offers logistics services to the suppliers and charges a fee for the same. The
Meesho team is now working on reducing the logistics charges to increase the
profitability of the sellers.

Advertisements

A portion of Meesho's revenue comes from Advertisements. As the number of sellers on

the platform is increasing, sellers who want to highlight their products in front of the
resellers and customers on the platform pay a certain amount for advertising their
products.

Data

As we all know, data is the new oil, and data certainly offer an income stream for
Meesho. Meesho did not break any privacy policies, and they are only allowed to sell
data that does not infringe any privacy issues.

Meesho - Partnership and Tie-ups

Meesho Mall

Meesho is taking a significant step forward with the introduction of 'Meesho Mall,'
aligning with its 'User First' approach. This strategic expansion signifies Meesho's
dedication to meeting the diverse needs of the Indian population. 'Meesho Mall' will offer
a wide range of products, including branded items, aimed at enhancing the shopping
experience for Indian consumers.

Rural Development Ministry of the Union Government

Meesho has partnered with the Rural Development Ministry of the Union Government to
promote and market goods made by Self Help Groups (SHGs) from different parts of
India, including handloom and handicrafts. Through this partnership, SHGs will be given
more opportunities to market their goods while also being empowered and given a
platform to do so.

Vision and AI labs of IISC

Meesho and the Indian Institute of Science's (IISc) Vision & AI Lab (VAL) have signed a
one-year Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). This collaboration seeks to help
Meesho advance research in key areas like multimodal large language models (LLMs)
and generative artificial intelligence (AI).
LazyPay

Meesho has joined forces with LazyPay in a partnership designed to enhance the
checkout process, providing shoppers with seamless and faster transactions, and
ultimately improving their overall shopping experience.

Cashfree

Company has partnered with cashfree payments and set to introduce a feature that
allows for instant refunds on cash-on-delivery (COD) orders processed through its
platform, streamlining and expediting the refund process for customers.

iCubesWire

It has partnership with iCubesWire and with this collaboration they will take steps to to
improve product discoverability for Indian consumers, enhancing their online shopping
experience.

Plum

Meesho and Plum, a platform for employee health insurance, have partnered
strategically in an effort to raise the bar for employee benefits and care.

We Hub

We Hub has formed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Meesho in order to

support female entrepreneurs in reaching financial independence by providing them
with increased market exposure and prospects.

Meesho - Advertisements and Campaigns

Meesho debuted its first television advertisement on September 25, 2020. The
commercial shows that a lady is called by many names, a wife, a mother, a daughter,
sister, or daughter-in-law, but despite all household responsibilities, a lady can build her
own identity and income source with Meesho!