Carousell App Updates, Now a More Chatty Marketplace for Buyers and Sellers
We all have had impulse buys, especially those ones that scream, “I’m on sale!” And when they start to collect dust in the corner of the house, perhaps one way to give them a new life would be Carousell. Carousell positions itself as the lifestyle marketplace that allows you to snap, buy, or sell your pre-loved, new designed, and fashion products. This concept is similar to ShopSpot which we have covered earlier this year. However, co-founder Quek Siu Rui explains that the app entails more than listing of used goods for sale:
It is a community where buyers and sellers [are able to] follow their favourite users and share amazing items they have discovered with friends. Each user also has a profile page to showcase all the items she has listed for sale. [...] It is also simple to use: just open the app, snap a photo, use one of the built-in filters to make the item stand out, describe the item, and list it.
Clearly a lot of thought has been put into the exquisitely designed iPhone app by the three co-founders, Marcus Tan, Lucas Ngoo, along with Siu Rui. The trio has been building the product since May, after having come together to compete at Startup Weekend Singapore which took place last March. The idea came about when Siu Rui wanted to exchange his good old MacBook for some cash, and thought the entire idea of listing in forums was a hassle. The Singapore startup is also focused on building a strong community of buyers and sellers in Singapore, in hope of enhancing the entire Carousell experience. In its latest update, it has gathered feedback from users and introduced new features such as toggling pictures to grid view and ‘chat to buy’ option so buyers and sellers can interact better.
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I am especially appreciative of the grid view, because it allows one to view more products at one glance, compared to previous versions which offered only the listing view. The ‘chat to buy’ function is a good move by the team, given that increased interactions would better educate buyers and sellers on products. Siu Rui also tells us that the team is looking to improve on the chat function soon. The trio, who happen to be NUS Overseas Colleges Alumnus, is moving full steam. It is taking no chance in making sure that the app constantly keeps up with the needs of its users. Siu Rui humbly adds:
We were pleasantly surprised to make it to second position on the iTunes App Store in the Lifestyle top free apps category on day two of our launch. [...] I think the best part of all is to hear from our users that Carousell is truly benefitting them. One of our users who [is currently] a student at NUS sold his textbook on Carousell within 10 minutes. Another one of users who is a handmade goods artist shared with us: "I receive more responses and queries for my handcrafted paper products here on Carousell than on my Etsy shop." These just 2 examples of many more such stories that we've heard[,] and knowing that Carousell is making a difference is a huge encouragement for us.
The Carousell team is also looking to hire an engineer to build its Android version. For those who are looking to find new owners for your old items, you can give Carousell a try by downloading from here.
