Meesho: shops run on WhatsApp
Meesho was founded in 2015 by Vidit Aatrey and Sanjeev Barnwal in Bengaluru, first as a different shopping idea that didn't take off. The founders then noticed something happening across India: people, many of them women at home, were running small “boutiques” on WhatsApp, sending photos of clothes to friends and neighbours and taking orders in chat.
Meesho built tools for them: a catalogue of products from suppliers, images they could forward, and delivery and payment handled for them. The resellers added a margin and sold to people who trusted them. By 2019, the company said, it had more than 2 million resellers in about 700 towns.
| What the resellers did well | The lesson for any business |
|---|---|
| Sold to people who already trusted them | Trust is what makes chat selling work |
| Showed products with photos, in the chat | Show, don't just describe |
| Answered questions personally, in local languages | Personal replies beat broadcasts |
| Followed up with regular customers | Your existing contacts are your best market |
What followed for Meesho
In 2021 Meesho changed course and began selling directly to buyers through its own app, with zero commission for sellers. Products on the app were often cheaper than through a reseller who added a margin. By 2022–23, about 80% of Meesho's business was reported to come from direct buyers, and resellers had become a small part of it.
Chapter 1: Why Indian customers buy on chat
For many Indian customers, a chat is the shop counter: they ask, see, bargain, decide and pay there. The business that answers best usually gets the order.
- Explain why chat matters for your sales
- See where your chats lose customers
- Choose how chat fits your business
This article is adapted from the book. Examples marked “Example” use invented names and numbers; company stories are based on public sources listed in the book. For general learning; use your own judgement for your situation.
