Gajab.com Launches Bargaining Marketplace
A new Indian e‑commerce platform, Gajab.com, has been introduced to restore the traditional bargaining process to online shopping. The launch is premised on the observation that more than 80% of India’s $940 billion retail market remains unorganised and that 58% of all retail purchases still occur offline, despite India being the world’s third‑largest market for online shoppers. A joint Boston Consulting Group‑Retailers Association of India report and a PwC Global Consumer Insights Pulse Survey (June 2023) indicate that 66% of Indian consumers frequently use smartphones to research prices and seek better deals, highlighting a gap in current e‑commerce models which rely on platform‑set discounts rather than buyer‑driven price negotiation.
Founder Shahnawaz Merchant, who previously sold on international platforms such as eBay, created Gajab.com to give buyers a “Mera Right Price” – a buyer‑submitted offer that the platform evaluates against a seller‑defined floor price. An automated bargaining engine processes each offer without direct buyer‑seller interaction, and the average negotiation concludes in under 30 seconds, faster than price comparison across competing apps.
The beta version of Gajab.com is live on Android, iOS and the web (gajab.com) with an initial catalogue of 5,000 SKUs spanning three categories: toys and games, home and kitchen, and stationery. These categories were chosen because toys and games are occasion‑driven and highly price‑sensitive, while home‑kitchen and stationery are repeat‑purchase segments where consumers already compare prices. Gajab.com plans to expand the catalogue to 25,000 SKUs before the end of the current quarter, effectively more than doubling the offering within 90 days of launch.
Early user feedback underscores the platform’s appeal. Goutham, a buyer from Bangalore, described his first experience as a “complete surprise” and placed an order immediately after securing a bargain. On the seller side, Sagar Navapara, proprietor of Unique International, reported receiving his first order within three days of going live and praised the marketplace’s ease of listing.
Market data from Deloitte and FICCI shows that Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities now account for over 60% of e‑commerce transactions in India, reinforcing the relevance of a bargaining‑centric model for a large and price‑sensitive consumer base. By enabling price negotiation online, Gajab.com aims to align digital commerce with entrenched offline shopping behaviours, effectively “asking India to shop like itself.”
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