A Decade of Daraz Pakistan: Pioneering E-commerce & Fueling Digital Transformation

A Decade of Daraz Pakistan: Pioneering e-Commerce and Shaping Access, Trust, and Opportunity

Just ten short years ago, the idea of ordering groceries, fashion, or electronics with a few taps on a phone felt like something out of a science fiction novel for most Pakistani households. Online shopping was a nascent concept, digital payments were met with skepticism, and the backbone for reliable delivery was still very much in its infancy.

It was into this challenging yet promising landscape that Daraz Pakistan arrived in 2015, launching as the country’s very first online marketplace. Their bold vision? To make shopping accessible, trustworthy, and an integrated part of everyday life for everyone.

Over the past decade, Daraz Pakistan hasn’t just introduced online shopping; it has fundamentally reshaped how people buy, how businesses connect with their customers, and how the digital economy thrives across the nation.

From bustling urban centers to the quietest remote villages, Daraz has empowered millions, offering access to products once considered out of reach. Simultaneously, it has forged new avenues for sellers, allowing them to expand their businesses and reach a national audience. Today, over 300,000 sellers call Daraz home, and impressively, women now drive nearly 39% of the platform’s revenue – a testament to its commitment to inclusion.

A pivotal moment arrived in 2018 when Daraz Pakistan was acquired by the Alibaba Group. This acquisition provided the vital resources needed to scale rapidly and professionalize its operations, attracting over 1,000 local and international brands – from household names in fashion and electronics to everyday essentials. For customers, this meant unparalleled choice and enhanced trust. For businesses, it unlocked unprecedented opportunities to connect with a growing and diverse consumer base.

“Beyond nationwide reach, one of the greatest advantages for brands on Daraz Pakistan is access to real-time consumer insights,” explains Asad Jawaid, Director Commercial at Daraz Pakistan. “We empower businesses to understand purchasing trends, test new products, and refine their strategies to truly align with what customers want. Our unique strength also lies in bringing every category together on a single platform—from mobile phones and groceries to fashion and everyday essentials—a scope no other online platform or offline store can match. Whether branded or unbranded, customers consistently find competitive prices, further enhanced by vouchers, free shipping, and exclusive bank discounts. Our focus has always been on delighting the customer, ensuring they return each month to double-digit savings and the best assortment of top brands at the lowest possible prices.”

Daraz Pakistan’s journey extends far beyond traditional retail. The company operates the country’s only open affiliate program, offering content creators from all walks of life the chance to earn, regardless of gender, location, or follower count. Remarkably, more than 75% of top-performing affiliates are women, many producing “faceless content,” and a significant portion hail from smaller cities like Bahawalpur, Sargodha, Hyderabad, and Gujranwala, with growing representation from KPK and Balochistan.

For these creators, often excluded from traditional brand partnerships, the program provides an inclusive pathway into digital commerce. Alongside sellers and brands, affiliates form a vibrant ecosystem that mirrors Pakistan’s diversity and broadens e-commerce’s reach into previously underserved communities.

Innovation has been the bedrock of this sustained momentum. From AI-driven recommendations and personalized search to retail media solutions through Daraz Marketing Solutions, which boosts visibility for brands and sellers, the platform continuously adapts to evolving consumer needs. Logistics have been revolutionized through Daraz Express and the region’s first Smart Distribution Centers, ensuring swift delivery to every corner of the country. Consumer payment habits are also steadily transforming; once almost entirely reliant on cash-on-delivery, nearly 20% of all orders today are prepaid – a clear indicator of Pakistan’s increasing trust in digital transactions.

The ripple effect of Daraz Pakistan’s impact stretches far beyond retail. By digitizing Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs), it has championed entrepreneurship and fostered job creation on a national scale. By granting brands direct access to millions of consumers, it has fundamentally reshaped the country’s retail landscape. What began as a daring experiment has firmly become a vital pillar of Pakistan’s digital economy.

The true measure of Daraz Pakistan’s journey isn’t solely in numbers, but in the countless everyday lives it has touched – from a rural entrepreneur now selling nationwide, to a young affiliate earning her first income online, to a family enjoying unprecedented shopping convenience. These stories of empowerment and access are the true legacy of the platform. Ten years on, Daraz Pakistan has not just built an e-commerce platform; it has constructed a bridge between dreams and possibilities, and that bridge is only growing stronger.