Gear up for the biggest anniversary Sale of the year

Sri Lanka’s largest and leading online marketplace Daraz celebrates its sixth year of revolutionising the local e-commerce industry of the Island Nation, bringing with it a host of offers and discounts to share the happiness with its customers.

Founded in Sri Lanka in 2015, the e-commerce platform has come a long way from being a Colombo-centred start-up with only 50 employees and 200 sellers to becoming a household name in the Sri Lankan e-commerce industry. As e-commerce worldwide underwent a period of major change in the last few years alone, Daraz’s leadership took on a pioneering role to leverage its resources and advanced, modern technology to spread the perks of this change into all parts of the country.

Since then, Daraz has grown into a fully-fledged company employing a team of over 1,000 aspiring and keen individuals and a growing seller community with 5,000 active sellers per week, all working beyond the traditional buy-sell concept to achieve a shared vision of making real change through the power of e-commerce. Over the years, Daraz has also been consecutively recognized, awarded, and admired as a Great Place to Work in Sri Lanka by institutions and more significantly, its employees and seller community.

This year’s celebration opens doors for one of the biggest sales of the year from 27th September to 3rd October 2022, with up to 75% off as well as up to a further 12% off on selected bank cards and 40-month instalment plans for a unique shopping experience.

Daraz users can avail themselves of a number of other mega deals, including flat Rs. 199 on shipping at Daraz Mart and flat Rs. 149 on shipping for a minimum spend of Rs. 4,500 on fashion and clothing. Be among the 25 lucky winners to stand a chance to win Rs. 30,000 by shopping for 3 orders for just Rs. 3,500, or collect vouchers for additional discounts.

Customers can explore more deals and discounts at Daraz Mall, the online marketplace’s premium brand channel, which offers easy access to a wide range of 100% genuine products from over 450 trusted household brands available in Sri Lanka with a 14-day return policy.

Coming on board as Co-Sponsors are Swisstek, Celcius, Spring & Summer, Signature, Brown & Company PLC, and Unilever. Meanwhile, Hemas, Nature’s Secrets, Ebsaw, Hontinga Store, Auoyo, TFO, LouisWill, HP, Phoenix, and ECO Products are stepping in as Brand Partners.

Daraz is South Asia’s leading e-commerce platform with a presence in Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, and Myanmar. It empowers more than 200,000 active sellers with world-class marketplace technology to reach the fast-growing consumer class in a region of 500 million people. Through Daraz Express and Daraz Pay, it operates the most efficient and digitalized logistics and payments infrastructure in its markets. Daraz’s vision is to be a champion of South Asia, serving 100 million customers and businesses by 2030.

Download the Daraz App now and dive into the biggest anniversary bargain of the year!

World-renowned empathetic leader, CEO and best-selling author Mimi Nicklin shared her views on Leadership and Brand Storytelling as a Keynote Speakers and the lead moderator at “The Women in eCommerce 2022” conference convened by Daraz.

The Women in eCommerce 2022 was a full-day learning experience for women business owners, entrepreneurs, innovators, and leaders. The event brought together women from diverse backgrounds and expertise to encourage cohesion, growth, and innovation in e-commerce, and redefine the contours of female led commerce in the digital era. Through networking sessions, discussions, and problem-solving workshops at the event, leaders and trendsetters from across the Asia-Pacific region were able to capitalise on their collective experiences to highlight valuable opportunities, successes, and diverse voices of women in eCommerce across the region.

Mimi Nicklin is the author of international bestselling book “Softening the Edge”, the host of “The Empathy for Breakfast Show” podcast, the Founder of Empathy Everywhere – the world’s first empathy platform – and the CEO of the world’s most free advertising agency Freedm. Mimi works passionately to connect people and organisations with mutual human understanding. Her goal is to fill the empathy gap and rebuild societies and businesses worldwide, one organisation, at a time.

Earlier this year, Mimi Nicklin officially launched her book in Sri Lanka and made multiple appearances at local events as Keynote Speaker where she provided her insights and shared her perspectives on various topics from the perspective of transformational leadership and emotional intelligence in the workplace. Internationally, she has been featured on BBC, NBC, CEO Today, Harvard Business Review, Forbes, Entrepreneur, Vogue, GQ, Harper’s Bazaar, BusinessDay TV, The Hindu and eNCA. Mimi’s emotional intelligence-centric diverse offerings include Keynote Speeches and MC’ing and Workshops and Seminars (Virtual & In Person) covering diverse leadership topics such as Regenerative Leadership, Creativity & Culture Training, Future Female Leadership and personal branding and communication evolution.

Daraz’s private label brand “Select by Daraz” takes its endeavour of supporting local communities further with the launch of a groceries range comprising of spices, seeds, and staples that are 100% ethically sourced.

For centuries, Sri Lanka has garnered a reputation for producing aromatic spices, seeds, and staples of the highest quality, making it an exceedingly promising export industry to date. Deeply rooted in this detail, Select by Daraz offers some of the best products of which a majority are of local origin. Consumers can now experience the luxury of authentic flavours and receive great value for money with the added convenience of doorstep delivery.

Sharing his thoughts on this initiative, Daraz Sri Lanka Managing Director Mr. Rakhil Fernando noted: “Our latest range of spices, seeds, and staples will help the country realise the vast potential of the local industry. We believe this to be a timely intervention to uplift, support, and empower local producers, especially those based outside Colombo. Not only will this propel the industry forward by opening up a larger market for these products and creating greater visibility through our branding efforts, but it will also allow local producers to unlock new potential for growth through our platform as we continue to deliver on Daraz’s promise to uplift communities through the power of commerce.”

Daraz Regional Head of Private Label Mr. Binara Seneviratne shared: “We very are excited about launching the groceries range under our multicategory flagship brand ‘Select by Daraz’. We see it as a timely offering to our customers, where we are delivering a high-quality product at an affordable price, whilst supporting our local seller and supplier network. The FMCG category is a key focus area for Private Label at Daraz, and therefore we will be actively exploring opportunities to develop the range in our venture markets.”

With this new range, consumers have a wide array of products to choose from, ranging from chilli powder, crushed chilli, chilli pods, pepper powder, crushed pepper, corn pepper, curry powder, roasted curry powder and turmeric powder to cloves, cumin seeds, fennel seeds, cinnamon sticks, dill seeds, nutmeg, mustard seeds, garcinia, tamarind, cardamom, sago, barley, and red lentils.

The range fits perfectly into the Select by Daraz ethos, which is all about everyday value at the best price without compromising on quality. The brand is excited to partner with local producers and plans to further expand the range within the year as well.

Customers can now purchase the range exclusively at www.daraz.lk and avail themselves with discounts up to 20% off and FREE delivery on all orders valued above Rs. 1,999.

An exclusive athleisure brand with a purpose

Exclusive athleisure clothing brand IZY by Sri Lankan cricketing star Isuru Udana officially partnered with Daraz Mall, launching a collection of casual, comfortable clothing for men and women on Sri Lanka’s leading e-commerce marketplace.

The collection, comprising unique designs of men’s gym t-shirts and armcuts as well as ladies’ gym crop tops, was launched in an evening of glamour and excitement on 23^rd August 2022 at Hilton Colombo.

Speaking about the partnership, Daraz Sri Lanka Managing Director Rakhil Fernando shared: “We are pleased to welcome the athleisure clothing line IZY by one of Sri Lanka’s renowned, all-rounder cricketers, Isuru Udana. As the premium brand channel of Daraz, Daraz Mall offers our loyal customers the best products. With our partnership with IZY, we have broadened our product offering and choices for customers.”

Made with high-quality fabric and attention to detail, IZY clothing resonates with Daraz’s purpose of uplifting and contributing to society, with a portion of all sales proceeds donated to the Little Hearts national fundraising project to build a Cardiac and Critical Care Complex at Lady Ridgeway Children’s Hospital.

IZY Founder and cricketer Isuru Udana noted: “IZY is an athleisure clothing brand born out of a passion to bring something unique and purposeful to people. This brand stands for encouraging everyone to lead an active, happy life, taking a break from the fast-paced world that often pushes these very foundational elements of life out of the priority list. We are delighted to partner with Daraz as our brands share that vision to give back to society as well while growing.”

Photo caption – DSC05361- Standing from left to right ( Daraz lifestyle goods team , Dhananjaya de Silva, Avishka Fernando, Wanindu Hasaranga , Isuru Udana , Rakhil fernando (Managing Director-Daraz) & Angelo Mathews)

Cementing its reputation as Sri Lanka’s most versatile payment partner, leading private sector bank HNB PLC was recognized by Daraz, South Asia’s largest e-commerce platform, for its commitment to enhancing digital payment solutions.

The Bank was awarded for the card base with the best all-round growth at the annual Daraz Payment Partner Performance Awards 2022 held recently. Ranked among the best banking partners, HNB recorded the best all-round growth in payment volume, buyer engagement and total transaction for its credit and debit card bases for 2021- 2022.

“Since the onset of the pandemic in 2020, the conversion to digital payments and the usage of e-commerce platforms for purchases was fast-tracked exponentially. Over the past two years, we have adapted to these new market conditions and have worked to ensure HNB customers have convenient and flexible options for their payments on any platform they wish to transact in. This award by Daraz is a recognition of our hard work and commitment to our customers and partners,” HNB Head of Cards Gauthami Niranjan said.

Notably, HNB was also recognized last year as the payment partner with the highest overall growth by Daraz at their payment partner performance awards.

Moreover, HNB cardholders enjoy multiple benefits on Daraz, including zero-interest instalments plans of up to 24 months with attractive discounts for HNB credit - cards. Customers are also eligible for 10% off on purchases on the e-commerce platform on Saturdays. Additionally, the Bank also partners with Daraz to offer users massive discounts on special occasions such as Avurudu, Black Friday Sales, 11:11 and 12.12.

Most recently, HNB sealed its reputation as Sri Lanka’s undisputed leader in retail banking, having been crowned as the Best Retail Bank in Sri Lanka for the 12th occasion at the prestigious International Excellence in Retail Financial Services Awards 2022 hosted by the Asian Banker Magazine.

HNB is also among Sri Lanka’s most awarded banks, having been being ranked among the Banker Magazine’s Top 1,000 Global Banks for six consecutive years, as well as being adjudged Best Retail and SME Bank at the International Finance Awards 2021 and being ranked among Sri Lanka’s Most Admired Companies for the 4th consecutive year.

Photo Caption: HNB Head of Cards – Gauthami Niranjan ( 3rd from left) receives the award from  Daraz Managing Director Rakhil Fernando in the presence of (from left) HNB Cards Business Development Associate - Nimanthaka Dodanthenna, HNB Cards Business Development Executive – Roshan Chaminda Perera and Daraz Head of  Payments & Partnerships Dulika Jayamanne.

Seylan Bank was recognized for its commitment towards successful performance at the Daraz Partner Performance Awards held recently. The Bank with a Heart was recognized as the Category Accelerator for being the card base that owned a single category (utility bill payments) and enabled 200% volume growth on credit cards on a year-on-year basis.

Seylan Cards partnered with e-commerce giant Daraz for the Seylan Friday Offer, where customers received a 10% off on water and electricity bill payments when paying their utility bills on Daraz. Seylan Cards successfully owned this category with a remarkable growth in volume and thus added value to the customer bases of both Daraz and the Bank. The partnership also encourages customers towards online payments, making life convenient for them and paving the way for digital transformation in day-to-day financial transactions.

Speaking about the achievement Gamika De Siva, Assistant General Manager – Marketing and Sales at Seylan Bank said, “We are pleased to be recognized by Daraz as an accelerator and enabler for having grown this category to its best potential. Our partnership with Daraz has been since its inception and this will further strengthen the association our orgnizations have. Meaningful partnerships are one of the key factors that Seylan Bank thrives on as we add value to both our customers and partners.”

In keeping with the purpose of being ‘the essential card for essential needs’, Seylan Cards offers the best discounts in utility bill payments on Daraz, in addition to several other offers that take place throughout the year.

Recognizes key industry players

Sri Lanka’s e-commerce marketplace leader Daraz recently concluded the annual “Daraz Payment Partner Performance Awards 2022” on a high note at Uga Residences, Colombo. The Awards recognizes key players in the payment cards and digital payments solutions industry, who have partnered with Daraz.

Daraz is currently one of the highest digital payment generators in Sri Lanka. Understanding the significant contributions to propel this success further, payment partners are awarded for their outstanding efforts in delivering service and value into the Daraz ecosystem, going above and beyond to become a part of Daraz’s goals of developing the local e-commerce industry through innovation.

Commenting on this year’s edition of the Awards, Daraz Sri Lanka Managing Director Mr. Rakhil Fernando stated: “The Daraz Payment Partner Performance Awards was introduced to make sure our banking and financial partners striving to make an impact on Daraz are recognized for their incredible contributions in their respective niches. These efforts enhance value to the cardholders and Daraz users, thereby adding on to the positive role played by banks in propelling the growth of the digital payment landscape of the country."

Payment partners awarded this year were LOLC for Best New Entrant; Standard Chartered Bank for Best Payment User Experience; Seylan Bank for Category Accelerator; Union Bank for Most Campaign Partnerships; NDB for Tactical Campaign Innovator; People’s Bank for Best Debit Card Growth and Best Turnaround Bank; NTB Amex for Most Valued Credit Card Base and Campaign Promoter; Bank of Ceylon for Best Debit Card Base; HSBC for Best Campaign Partner; HNB for Best All-round Growth; Sampath Bank for Highest Revenue Generator; Commercial Bank for Best Engaging Card Base; and Mastercard for Most Valued Payment Partner.

Daraz Sri Lanka Head of Payments and Partnerships Mr. Dulika Jayamanne noted: “This year’s Awards not only highlighted the Partners who brought in high volumes in Digital Transactions but also those who strived tirelessly to ensure a seamless end to end Digital Transaction experience as well as creative communications of promotions and offers. We worked closely with each partner to not only provide greater payment flexibility to our users through discount schemes and easy settlement plans, but to increase digital inclusivity to their customer base. We are grateful for the productive payment partnerships we have nurtured over the years and these awards are a testament to the success of these partnerships as well as the great potential  for the growth of digital payments in the country."

Supported by the strength of the Alibaba Group, Daraz is transforming into the fastest growing e-commerce platform in the region. The e-commerce marketplace is focused on delivering excellent customer experiences, ease of purchase, comprehensive customer care, and a hassle-free shopping and returns experience.

Daraz Sri Lanka Managing Director Mr. Rakhil Fernando addressing the gathering

Image Caption : Award winners with Team Daraz

The Commercial Bank of Ceylon has been adjudged the ‘The Best Engaging Overall Cards Base’ for the third consecutive year at the ‘Payment Partner Performance Awards 2022’ hosted by Daraz, South Asia’s largest ecommerce platform.

The Bank was presented this prestigious award for supporting the Daraz platform by generating the highest number of transactions by both credit and debit card bases and the highest number of unique buyers’ engagements during the financial year 2021-22.

Commercial Bank is the only Sri Lankan bank to win this award for three years consecutively.

The Bank said it has conducted 18 card promotions in collaboration with Daraz from January 2021 to date, encouraging large numbers of the Bank’s customers to engage with the online shopping platform, thereby generating the highest payment volume for the year of assessment for the latest award. These year-long promotions are designed by the Bank to provide the best benefits to its card customers and to foster loyal relationships with its partner merchants.

Notably, Commercial Bank cards generated the highest sales volumes for Daraz during most of its online promotions in 2021-22, including at ‘Daraz 11.11’ and ‘Daraz 12.12’ that were positioned as Sri Lanka’s biggest online shopping festivals.

Commenting on this latest award, the Chief Manager of Commercial Bank’s Card Centre Mr Nishantha de Silva said: “Platforms like Daraz not only represent the present and the future of eCommerce, they complement Commercial Bank’s own efforts to popularise the use of digital and web-based banking to the masses. We are delighted with the steadily increasing volumes we are generating for Daraz and look forward to collaborating innovatively with the Daraz platform in the future as well.”

The Commercial Bank of Ceylon has been the Internet Payment (IPG) service provider to Daraz from 2018. The two organisations have been working together to offer diversified and unique offers to customers with a view of offering them attractive value additions. Commercial Bank cardholders can enjoy periodic discounts at Daraz with the offers structured by the Bank, and the convenience of Easy Payment Plans of up to 60 months.

Launched in 2012, the Daraz ecommerce site has an active presence in Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, and Nepal. The marketplace has over 2.5 million products in diverse categories such as consumer electronics, household goods, beauty, fashion, sports equipment, and groceries. It was acquired by the Alibaba Group in 2018.

Commercial Bank credit and debit cards offer year-round promotions covering a wide variety of services. Commercial Bank was the first bank to offer loyalty rewards for both credit and debit card holders under its Max Loyalty Rewards Points scheme. The Bank was also a pioneer in extending promotional discount offers which were traditionally only offered for credit cards to its debit cards.

Commercial Bank cards are the fastest growing cards in Sri Lanka and enjoy market leadership in credit and debit card cumulative point-of-sale usage. The Bank offers a variety of credit cards in the Silver, Gold and Platinum tiers of Visa, Mastercard and UnionPay Cards, as well as Visa Signature, World Mastercard, Visa Infinite, UnionPay Asia Prestige Platinum and UnionPay Asia Prestige Diamond Cards in the premium segment. The cards are equipped with ‘Tap ’n Go’ NFC technology and are backed by a strong NFC Point-of-Sale (POS) network.

Sri Lanka’s first 100% carbon neutral bank, the first Sri Lankan bank to be listed among the Top 1000 Banks of the World and the only Sri Lankan bank to be so listed for 12 years consecutively, Commercial Bank operates a network of 268 branches and 940 automated machines in Sri Lanka. Commercial Bank is the largest lender to Sri Lanka’s SME sector and is a leader in digital innovation in the country’s Banking sector. The Bank’s overseas operations encompass Bangladesh, where the Bank operates 19 outlets; Myanmar, where it has a Microfinance company in Nay Pyi Taw; and the Maldives, where the Bank has a fully-fledged Tier I Bank with a majority stake.

Photo caption: Commercial Bank's Chief Manager Card Centre Mr Nishantha de Silva (3^rd from left) receives the award from Daraz Managing Director Mr Rakhil Fernando in the presence of (from left) Mr Wishan Fernando, Officer Card Centre and Mr Kalinga Divaratne, Senior Manager – Card Centre of Commercial Bank, and Mr Dulika Jayamanne, Head of Payments at Daraz.

In response to the crisis in Sri Lanka, Daraz launched a “Buy1Give1” program in May 2022. The aim of Buy1Give1 was to provide some relief to vulnerable communities, while enabling consumers to transform everyday activities like buying groceries into high-impact, meaningful actions. Daraz is committed to creating a world full of giving, and to further strengthen this effort, Daraz partnered with the Foundation of Goodness to identify families in need and distribute goods collected through this initiative.

Commenting on this effort, Mr. Rakhil Fernando, Managing Director of Daraz Sri Lanka, noted: “Sri Lanka is facing an unprecedented crisis, and we need to work together to figure out new ways of empowering each other and lifting each other up. The Buy1Give1 model is practiced in other parts of the world, as a means of transforming everyday actions into something meaningful, and that is what we are trying to do in Sri Lanka during this time. We also did not want to put any unnecessary pressure on our consumers and developed a way for them to be part of our initiative while meeting their own daily needs. We are also delighted to partner with the Foundation of Goodness on the distribution, because it enables us to ensure that the items collected goes to families who need them the most.”

On 18th July 2022, Daraz officially handed over 8,800 goods worth USD 10,000 to the Foundation of Goodness. These goods will be added to the Foundation’s “Feed the Hungry” program and “Goodness Boxes”, which have already reached 23,000 families in Sri Lanka. The Foundation of Goodness estimates that at least 1,000 families will be able to benefit from the Daraz Buy1Give1 campaign.

Mr. Kushil Gunasekera, Founder and Chief Trustee of Foundation of Goodness, said: “We are extremely privileged to have Daraz on board to donate items towards the Feed the Hungry program through their Buy1Give1 promotion at a time when it is needed the most. Any gift that is unconditionally granted, especially unasked, is always a superior act of generosity and compassion. We value immensely the kindness shown to alleviate the struggles and hardships encountered and applaud this magnanimous gesture. Daraz has demonstrated their community care by helping 1,000 families access meals and that depth of generosity is the real test of humanity.”

Daraz will continue to initiate new ways of supporting and building the Sri Lanka community through its e-commerce platform.

Daraz Sri Lanka is the largest online shopping marketplace in Sri Lanka and is home to a collection of wide-ranging products featured under groceries (Daraz Mart), consumer electronics, home appliances, fashion, sports goods, pet supplies, and much more. Daraz Sri Lanka is a part of South Asia’s premier online shopping marketplace Daraz, which has an active and growing presence in Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Myanmar. Supported by cutting-edge technology, tailored marketing, data, and service solutions, Daraz Sri Lanka hosts a growing base of 2.5 million users, over 125,000 registered sellers, and at any given time, over 4.5 million products are being advertised and sold on the platform. Daraz’s logistics company, DEX, delivers more than 50,000 packages to consumers every day, and a majority of those 50,000-plus packages are sold by local sellers that operate on the platform. Daraz is focused on delivering excellent customer experiences, ease of purchase, comprehensive customer care, and a hassle-free shopping and returns experience. Supported by the strength of the Alibaba Group, Daraz is transforming into the fastest growing e-commerce platform in the region.

Over 8,000 essential grocery products and toiletries being handed over to the Foundation of Goodness for distribution amongst families in vulnerable communities islandwide

Image captions: Mr. Rakhil Fernando, Managing Director of Daraz Sri Lanka, officially handing over a token pack of essential items to Mr. Kushil Gunasekera, Founder and Chief Trustee of Foundation of Goodness

Enjoy jaw-dropping deals that are ‘පිස්සු හැදෙන සුළුයි’

Sri Lanka’s leading e-commerce marketplace Daraz is gearing up for another year of the Daraz Midyear Madness Sale. This year’s excitement comes with discounts worth Rs. 50 million plus 10% off on selected bank cards and up to 40-month instalment plans from 26-31July 2022.

Themed “පිස්සු හැදෙන සුළුයි”, Daraz Midyear Madness 2022 brings a range of high-end, quality products to customers’ fingertips via DarazMall, the premium channel that boasts over 450 trusted brands with 100% genuine products and a 14-day return policy.

This year too, Daraz users can avail themselves to a rewarding “shoppertainment” experience like no other. Shoppers can stand a chance to win a JBL Flip 5, AirPods Pro, Innovex 7 kg washing machine, ASUS laptop, and Daraz gift cards from 20-25 July. On 26 July, use one Daraz Point to purchase an electric bike and have an amazing chance to win it. Shoppers can also play the “One Rupee” game and win amazing prizes by using one Daraz Point at a time.

In addition, all users are encouraged to take part in the “Add to Cart & Win” promotion, through which they have to simply add three favourite products to the cart and stand a chance to walk away with these products at absolutely no cost. In the meantime, Daraz app users are invited to tune into Daraz Live for interesting entertainment content and stand a chance to win Daraz vouchers worth Rs. 500 during the entire promotion period.

First-time users on Daraz will enjoy Rs. 300 off on purchases with a minimum spend of Rs. 900, and all shopping enthusiasts that spend over Rs. 7,000 stand a chance to win a bicycle daily from 30-31 July.

The promotion is backed by leading brands and conglomerates this year as well. The Diamond partners for Daraz Midyear Madness 2022 are Unilever, Brown & Company PLC, Swisstek, Celcius, Phoenix, and Spring & Summer, while Reckitt, Quantum Fitness, Ebsaw Electronics, Mobil, UGREEN, Privi Fashion, IT Galaxy, IELGY, Outtobe, and Select by Daraz have come on board as Platinum Partners. Gold Partners for the promotion are Laveena Sarees, iFlashDeal, Janet, LEGO, Xiaomi, Revlon, Trendy Clothing, LuvEsence, Game Street, LouisWill, and Auoyo.

With over 5 million products to choose from, ranging from electronics, home appliances, sports gear, toys, and motorbikes to groceries, cosmetics, fashion, and lifestyle products – Daraz app users have the opportunity to shop for anything and everything on one platform while enjoying some of the best prices in town.

Download the Daraz app today and enjoy the biggest online midyear shopping madness sale!