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A look at Lanka’s first ‘buy 1 get 1 free’ app

30 Jan 2022

  • In conversation with the Co-founders of Slashdeals.lk
By Yakuta Dawood Amidst the pandemic last year, Slashdeals.lk Co-founders Hussain and Tasneem Turabally established Sri Lanka’s first-ever ‘buy 1 get 1 free’ application named Slashdeals.lk, an app that enables consumers to enjoy substantial savings. Speaking to The Sunday Morning Business on how the application works, Turabally stated that consumers registered with Slashdeals.lk had the opportunity to save by getting their hands on over 3,000 coupons spanning eight categories that can be used in over 120 establishments across Sri Lanka. Consumers are initially required to subscribe to any of the three subscription plans of Rs. 5,000, Rs. 10,000 or Rs. 15,000, which has the potential to save millions when spent on products or services. Turabally explained: “Basically the consumer walks into a restaurant, they buy one burger and get the other one free, or even go for an overnight stay at a hotel and get the second night absolutely free. For this, consumers have to just subscribe to the app. The validity period of the plan is one year and the consumers can redeem their coupon once expired. Consumers can use the coupon whenever they want at their own convenience; there is no hurry to use the coupons.” Commenting on launching a new product platform in Sri Lanka, she stated that the Covid-19 pandemic had been “both a boon and bane” when it came to the establishment of the product. Elaborating, Turabally highlighted that the app concept was first initiated during the lockdown period, during which they had looked into all the nitty-gritties. Subsequently, after eight months of development, the app was launched to the market.  “Every detail of the app is developed locally. The local technological talent is immense – people are really talented. Additionally, the pandemic was also beneficial as people were really frustrated by just staying at home during the lockdowns. The launch of this app was the perfect opportunity for people to go out and have fun,” she said. Highlighting the cons, she said that due to the present economic fluctuations, a lot of establishments with which Slashdeals.lk had planned to collaborate with had begun to leave the country, while some potential partners, especially cafes and restaurants, had shut down or were in the process of closing down. Services offered  Slashdeals.lk has partnered with more than 120 establishments via which consumers can get everything they desire with a single app. Consumers have a wide range of choices too – for example, cafes and restaurants, spas and salons, health and fitness, staycations, adventure, gaming, vehicle care, and also access to exclusive events. “Slashdeals.lk has almost everything that Sri Lanka has to offer in different paths – from any kind of meal you would like to eat, to spas and salons, adventures like scuba diving, snorkelling, and surfing – absolutely anything. The app is not just limited to the Colombo District but is available across the island for its subscribers,” Turabally highlighted. She emphasised that the uniqueness of the app is that it was not just a deals and discounts app but also a platform that enabled its clients to experience exclusive events. Citing an example, Turabally shared an event which was held recently – ‘The Harry Potter 20th Anniversary – Return to Hogwarts’ event, which was targeted at Potterhead subscribers. “Similar to this event, we are currently in the process of hosting an event for Game of Thrones fans. Through these events, we intend to have one-of-a-kind experiences, something that's never happened in Sri Lanka. These experiences will be limited to the subscribers,” she explained. Commenting on the subscription plan, Turabally asserted that if the consumers were willing to purchase the Rs. 10,000 or Rs. 15,000 plan but could not afford to make the full payment at once, they also had the possibility of paying it via an instalment scheme. As for how Slashdeals.lk interacts with its partnered vendors across the country, she said an official contract was signed between the parties, where the partnered company gives Slashdeals.lk a selective number of coupons that are available right around the year for consumers to use. “The advantage for vendors is that they get upscale customers walking into their place with the deals that are offered via the app. Moreover, they don’t even have to pay any commission to us like they do with delivery platforms. For example, vendors pay almost 35% to 40% of the commission to delivery platforms. Thus, when partnering with us, they get a 100% return on their services,” Turabally stressed.  Company operations  Reminiscing about the past few months since establishment, Turabally highlighted that regardless of the surge in subscribers, there were still consumers who thought ‘what’s the catch? It’s an app that’s too good to be true’ as this was the first-ever app in Sri Lanka offering such services with a minimum subscription payment.  “This is a whole new concept in Sri Lanka that people need to understand and most of the time people find it too good to be true. They want to know what the catch is and question what we are hiding. But it’s really simple – consumers have to pay the desired subscription and literally get discounts and savings worth millions.”  Moving from clients to employees, she said that the entire company operations were managed by a team of 10 members who were designated and dedicated to their own tasks but also accompanied other team members when the need arose.  Reflecting on the organisation’s corporate culture, Turabally said that it was a flat structure and a happy place in which everyone was like a family member. One of the key goals of the company is to ensure that as the company grows, its employees grow along with it, rather than following a strict corporate environment. Speaking on marketing tools that are used to reach the targeted audience, she stated that excluding the prominent social media platforms, Slashdeals.lk members could also be found at various locations at different times with the aim of attracting a diverse range of people such as the office crowd, university crowd, and so on.  Goals As for short-term goals, Turabally highlighted that the immediate plan was to partner with universities in Sri Lanka and provide a special package to students, enabling them to enjoy life more via the services offered by the application. Similarly, revealing its goal in the next five years, she said that they would want each and every individual in the country to have the application downloaded on their phones to enjoy Sri Lanka to the fullest possibility. “We want every single location, every single experience – whether it’s a dining place, an adventure destination, a spa or a salon – or absolutely anything that is Sri Lanka tied up with the app at some point. We hope that this app will help people to locate new places and also save while enjoying life.” In conclusion, Turabally shared a message for all inspiring entrepreneurs: “What I have learned so far is that if you have a goal in mind or if you have an idea, even if it's just an idea, go for it and work on it. You might feel defeated or might even feel lost at some point, but everything will end well if you are putting in your 100% – and only if you're putting in your 100%. So go for it!”


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