Sri Lanka’s largest electronic site takas.lk launched

The newly-launched takas.lk, Sri Lanka’s largest electronics site, promises local consumers an eagerly awaited respite from the existing clutter and complexity that is the Sri Lankan online market.  As emphasised by Takas CEO Lahiru Pathmalal, the site’s unique selling proposition is threefold.

To start off, the site is the first in Sri Lanka to offer the buyer the option of paying cash on delivery – with delivery being free within Colombo and its suburbs, and made within three working days. Secondly, Takas utilises a state-of-the-art dashboard interface that enables buyers to compare products on a single screen – a feature that is especially useful when it comes to products such as home electronics which have an array of differing technical specifications under the hood.

Finally, what sets Takas apart from the host of other online stores is not an altogether new e-commerce feature, but the very execution and organisation of the website. With online shopping now becoming a mainstream form of purchase for various stratum of society, Takas’ interface boasts a simplicity that makes choosing and paying for products incredibly straight-forward.   

As a consumer buying online, perhaps the most pressing concern is the safety of your money – avoiding credit card fraud and identity theft. In this regard, you can rest at ease since apart from offering cash-on-delivery, Takas also offers online payment options powered by Sampath bank, a stalwart of the Sri-Lankan financial industry.

Further reassurance is offered by the fact that Takas’ investors include the Head of Google India, Rajan Anandan, who invested via Blue Ocean Ventures, (currently termed the Sri Lankan Angel Network), The Indian Angel Network and venture capitalists such as Dereke Vanden Driesen (Director of Assessments Australia).

The Lankan Angel Network (LAN), was launched with the aim of ‘bringing together the Sri Lankan investor and mentor community and to scale the start-up ecosystem’ – ideal for start-ups such as Takas, that adhere to LAN’s guiding principles of ‘a clear path to profitability, solid management, realistic business plan, scalable business, competitive edge, market acceptance, realistic financial projections, realistic valuation and a well-articulated exit strategy for investors’.

Concerning the products themselves, takas.lk has committed itself to only sourcing products from the authorised local agents of big-name brands such as the Metropolitan Group, Siedles, Daya Group of Companies and Atom Technologies. Hence the warranty that the customer receives is ironclad as it comes directly from these reputed agents, as is the guarantee of quality and product authenticity. This also means that buyers can visit the authorised dealer for after-sales support.

Takas also offers a wide variety of products, cordoned off into easily accessible departments ranging from smartphones, Apple products, phone and camera accessories, to personal care, toys and home appliances. Whilst browsing through items you might like, you can view a detailed list of complete specifications, along with suggested complementary items, additional features, and views of the product.

In a fledgling e-commerce market such as ours, where still many a Sri-Lankan is gripped by an anxious reluctance whenever they think of floating their credit card details out in the dangerous ocean of cyberspace, takas.lk with its cash-on-delivery, trustworthy affiliations and numerous stringent safeguards is a veritable island of reassurance from which you can enjoy the unmatched freedom and convenience of online shopping.