lkman.lk, a cost-effective classified service, a first in Sri Lanka

Vishmi Wijeratne

Ikman.lk, a cost-effective classified service for the first time in Sri Lanka, would provide a classified service for mobile users. It would also provide the community a local site where individuals and medium-sized enterprises could place themselves on the online market and buy, sell and use second hand goods within the country. “We will not only serve the desktop, laptop users, but also mobile users. We will have two mobile sites, one for the smart phone users and the other for feature phone users, so that all mobile users could reap the benefits of this service,” The Chief Executive Officer of ikman.lk told ‘The Daily News Business.’

This site is free for all users, however, the company will earn their income through providing faster services for its users. Hammar says that he was confident that with the Sri Lankan economy growing at this fast pace, they would be able to cover up their expenses within a short time. “It will definitely take more than an year. However, as we plan on giving the users the option of publishing their adds faster than the four hours given to all users,” he said.

The Ikman.lk website would allows users to seamlessly upload ads onto the site and have them displayed within four hours. The ads will go through a stringent approval process, making sure that they follow the terms and conditions to ensure the products and services sold are legitimate and as genuine as possible.

“Users are simply required to submit a valid email address and in three easy steps, the ad can be uploaded onto the site. Ikman.lk is also available in Sinhala and Tamil,” Hammar said.

He also said that Sri Lanka was the most likely choice within South Asia to establish a company of the sought. “We have come to the understanding that internet users in Sri Lanka, are vastly increasing from the current 2.5 million, while 12% of the country’s population use internet regularly in other countries in South Asia the count falls bellow 10%,” he said.

Ikman.lk will serve as a risk free classified site for both buyers and users, as it will provide the buyer the specific location of the seller and will provide the platform to meet, see and buy the goods.

“This site will allow transactions of all types from basic everyday items to pets and more and the transaction of the goods will be done in the same way as it is done in news papers. However, it would guarantee the safety of the transaction,” Hammar said. The company has also launched similar Internet products in Pakistan and Bangladesh.

While expert programmers in Sweden are involved in the development process of Ikman.lk, the page is managed and maintained by local representatives in Sri Lanka, to ensure that the end-consumer receives a 100% localized experience. “As the country continues to grow and develop, Ikman.lk will grow parallel to it. The use of Internet is introduced at school level and is widely used in most homes and mobile phone users. We witnessed an opportunity to introduce something different, interesting and beyond traditional classified advertising, to the local market. We are optimistic about the Sri Lankan market and we want to be a part of the growth that the country is experiencing,” Hammar said.