Kapruka brings fame and honor to Sri Lanka with UN recognition

In a landmark accomplishment, which has brought fame and honor to Sri Lanka, Kapruka.com Ltd., the largest e-commerce company in the country, recently received recognition at a UN level, with the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), documenting Kapruka’s successful venture and its business strategy which focuses on helping local entrepreneurs overcome barriers in e-commerce.

The UNCTAD Information Economy Report 2015 on ‘Unlocking the Potential of E-commerce for Developing Countries’ details how Kapruka has  been helping small businesses overcome barriers in e-commerce, in the backdrop of many entrepreneurs in Sri Lanka not having credit cards and with local banks not entertaining international transactions.

“Thanks to the agreements with the Central Bank and the international online card authentication organisation, VeriSign, Kapruka can accept local currency transactions. It helps buyers choose items in international markets and optimise the prices and offerings of various international sites before placing an order,” the report, which has already being launched in 10 countries out of the 193 UN member countries stated.

The report notes that with small businesses often finding it challenging to navigate customs procedures, unpredictable delayed clearance, landing changes and taxes, Kapruka has come forward to develop an ‘import stimulator’ that allows local buyers to cut and paste items from global websites that generate accurate estimates about shipping cost, taxes and potential landing dates.

“This solution operates in concert with warehouses in the United States and Sri Lanka, and handles overall shipping including clearance at landing, while local van services operated by Kapruka delivers across Sri Lanka,” the report added.

In 2013, Kapruka revolutionised the online shopping experience for Sri Lankans by introducing the Kapruka Global Shop, which gave Sri Lankans access to over 50 million global products right here in Sri Lanka. The ‘Kapruka Global Shop’ offers a wide variety of products from clothing to electronics listed on popular shopping sites such as Amazon.com, Ebay.com, and Walmart.com.  

Speaking on his company’s achievement, Dulith Herath, founder and Chairman of Kapruka said, “Kapruka has been a name synonymous for innovation, and to be recognised at a UN level is truly humbling. Our success is built on the hard work and dedication of our staff, who are Kapruka’s pillars of strength and it is because of their unwavering commitment that we have been able to steadfastly go forward in our journey to innovate and succeed.”

The 2015 edition of UNCTAD’s Information Economy Report examines electronic commerce and shows in detail how information and communications technologies can be harnessed to support economic growth and sustainable development.

Dr. Harsha Liyanage of eNovation4D Ltd., who contributed as a core consultant to the UNCTAD Information Economy Report 2015 said, Sri Lanka is among the few emerging countries who can be proud of the progress made with IT. “Kapruka is a good example how local champions can emerge when infrastructure (such as connectivity) is developed with a critical mass of IT literate people in the country,” Dr. Liyanage said.

According to him, Kapruka.com in Sri Lanka provides an example of how e-commerce sites are targeting the domestic market, enabling consumers to browse and order products online from local as well as international markets. “Furthermore, they promote the export of products targeting expatriate communities outside Sri Lanka,” Dr. Liyanage added.