When shopping online, searching for the best prices often means that we have to sift through hundreds of listings on the online marketplaces.
It can be quite tiring and mind-boggling when you have to comb through different platforms to find an item you want or need at a price you are willing to pay for.
This is why Memedef and ruugi have teamed up to launch a local initiative that will solve this very pain point.
Called #BuyLocalSG, it allows you to search listings from local sellers across Carousell, Shopee and Qoo10 in a single platform, without the hassle of toggling between multiple tabs to compare prices.
Built Within A Week
Memedef is a popular meme page created by an ex-Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) clerk Raphael Yee. His idea is to supply funny SAF-related memes to help NSmen get through tough times in national service.
During this circuit breaker period, an idea struck him to help local sellers and businesses gain more visibility in a crowded e-commerce space. This is why he wanted to create a platform that creates opportunities for Singaporeans to support local sellers.
These local sellers could be fellow Singaporeans who have moved their businesses online because of the circuit breaker, or people who are simply trying to earn a side income online during this financially difficult time.
Memedef went ahead to partner e-commerce website ruugi to help materialise the idea, and #BuyLocalSG was conceptualised within a week.
According to them, it was a personal ‘hackathon’ project that they undertook during their free time while they were staying at home.
They added that it was challenging to collate the information from multiple sites, and configure the platform to generate search results.
To overcome the challenges, the team had to be creative and test out different ideas.
Price Aggregator Across 3 Marketplaces
#BuyLocalSG was launched last Wednesday (May 13). It immediately gained traction, attracting hundreds of users to the website.
Currently, the platform aggregates prices across three local marketplaces — Carousell, Shopee and Qoo10. They mentioned on their website that adding more local marketplaces is currently in the works.
So how does the site work? All you have to do is search for an item on the site, and related listings from all the sites will appear on the same page.
A quick search for ‘mask’ displayed about a hundred listings across the marketplaces, so you can refine it by applying search filters such as sorting the listings by price or keying in your price range.
This saves buyers lots of time and eliminates the need to open multiple tabs to compare prices and products across different websites.
Moreover, submitting a listing is free. The site does not charge a transaction fee as all transactions will take place at the listing’s respective platform.
The server costs for the website are fully borne by Memedef, as Raphael sees it as purely a project to help Singaporeans.
The platform also has the ability to track price changes of an item so that you can monitor how much the price has changed over time, and better decide when is a good time to buy.
Donate Your Items To The Needy
Another note-worthy feature on the site is the ‘Items To Give’ section which lists items people want to give away for free.
If you have an item that you no longer require, you can consider giving it a new lease of life by donating it to someone who may need it more.
Items are mostly listed on the Carousell platform where users can advertise their second-hand goods at a low price or for free.
Show Support To Local Sellers
#BuyLocalSG is a good initiative to give more exposure to local sellers who are struggling during this period of time. Individuals who are looking to supplement their income may also find this a useful avenue to boost their sales.
Now that times are tough, Singaporeans need any help they can get to get by and #BuyLocalSG does just that.
This platform also encourages Singaporeans to show support to local sellers instead of purchasing goods from international sites.
To nurture the spirit of supporting local, they are also encouraging local businesses and sellers to reach out to them to list their products on the platform.
Users may access https://buylocal.sg/ to start comparing prices across Carousell, Shopee and Qoo10.
Featured Image Credit: #BuyLocalSG
