Retail's New Dawn

With one in three Singaporeans a user of the app, Carousell’s Quek Siu Rui is leading the digital charge to disrupt the e-commerce landscape by making it as effortless as possible to participate in the circular economy

- Karen Tee

“We certainly feel that more people are turning to digital experiences and more are using Carousell to buy and sell, whether to make ends meet, to be able to afford what they need, to live more sustainably or simply to share their passions”

After being mostly grounded through the pandemic, many in Singapore are excitedly planning upcoming vacations via the recently launched Vaccinated Travel Lane (VTL) scheme. But not Carousell co-founder and CEO Quek Siu Rui. “None of the countries we operate in currently have VTL schemes,” says Quek, entirely disregarding the notion of even going on holiday.

It is an apt reflection of his current headspace. For the past few years, it has been all systems go for Quek. In 2019, Carousell acquired online classified marketplaces Mudah.my in Malaysia, Cho Tot in Vietnam and OneKyat in Myanmar, cementing the company’s leading position in Southeast Asia in this e-commerce category. At the heart of it all is a deep-rooted ambition to, in Quek’s words, “make second hand the first choice”, as a way to reduce Man’s impact on the planet.

Carousell is already arguably Singapore’s most popular e-commerce marketplace, with one in three in the country signed up as users. The beauty of the platform lies in its practically encyclopedic range of products and services. Quirky finds, such as tarot card readings, purple McDonald’s packaging that was used for its tie-up with K-pop band BTS and canned Singapore air “sourced” from iconic locations the likes of the Singapore Botanic Gardens, ensure it is always entertaining to scroll through the app. But there are also true treasures to be uncovered—think authentic vintage bags and prosaic but useful services such as the transportation of bulky items.