Best Startup
A Cardiff technology entrepreneur is looking to take on the big boys of the e-commerce world by giving thousands of small, independent retailers a major post-pandemic boost.
Tej Randeva has used his vast experience in the tech sector to develop and launch Add to Cart, the UK’s first online marketplace that focuses on supporting small scale businesses without taking away any of the autonomy that makes these ventures unique.
His e-commerce website will enable online sellers to benefit from expert marketing methods without the expense associated with a professional campaign, getting their products noticed by more new customers and giving them a much-needed lifeline after the difficulties of Covid-19.
Unlike other rivals, Add to Cart is designed to work alongside sellers’ existing sales platforms, such as Shopify, making it easy for anyone to sign up, get started and to start selling.
www.addtocart.co.uk already has over 100 businesses and more than 60,000 products listed and has generated hundreds of online orders for retailers, including giftware specialists, boutique crafts, grooming experts and food suppliers.
“The last eighteen months have been extremely difficult for small businesses, with Covid-19 restrictions causing chaos and restricting traditional footfall,” explained Tej, who is also behind the UK’s leading price comparison website for hire services, ‘anythingforhire.com’.
“Most of the major marketplaces like Amazon and eBay are not geared towards small sellers and make it difficult for them to succeed without spending lots on listings and ads. With Add to Cart, we have developed a platform that is easy to use, has no subscription fees and, most importantly, leverages all of our back-end marketing expertise and support to get sellers’ products to the top of the online rankings.”
He continued: “This will give independent retailers a major boost following the pandemic, providing them with access to thousands of new customers they would not normally get in front of. The trial period has exceeded our expectations and the feedback from users has made us even more confident that we’ve created a vibrant and much-needed e-commerce marketplace.”
Users can sign up to Add to Cart completely free of charge, importing all their product details directly from their existing e-commerce platform through a simple, single-step online interface.
Once sellers have signed up, they will benefit from a wide range of services, including SEO marketing, paid advertisements, social media campaigning and more – all designed to improve visibility and boost sales.
While many of the big online marketplaces do not release customer details to their sellers, Randeva’s new platform will make all data available, allowing users to remarket and build lasting relationships with their client base.
The team will also soon be launching a new feature that will allow shoppers to search by locality, encouraging them to support businesses within their communities.
Tej went on to add: “Add to Cart has the potential to scale-up extremely quickly and we’ve got exciting plans to cement our position in the UK and then move overseas, potentially starting with Canada and then moving on to the US, Australia and Europe.
“So far, I have self-funded the entire venture, but to accelerate the growth, we’ll be going to market for private investment, initially looking to raise between £500,000 and £1m.
“This will help us ramp up activity and expand the team, creating up to 15 jobs at our HQ in Cardiff over the next twelve months.”
He concluded: “Covid-19 has taught us a lot of things and one of those is the importance of community, both in life and in business. We’re backing the small independent retailers and giving them their own platform to sell and grow.”
For further information, please visit www.addtocart.co.uk or follow @addtocart on Twitter.
