DURBAN - Nureshka Viranna, is one of the co-founders of e-commerce company ShopLi, and recently the 27-year-old entrepreneur made the Forbes Africa Top 30 under 30 List in the Technology Category.
ShopLi is a specialist e-commerce company that provides affordable custom e-commerce solutions for businesses big or small.
According to Viranna, e-commerce is the future of global business, and ShopLi makes it easy for businesses to sell their products or services online.
Avilash Aniruth and Kishan Gunasse are the other two co-founders of ShopLi.
Viranna said that she has always wanted to be an entrepreneur and have been very good at sales. She said, "I noticed that many brick and mortar businesses where struggling with high rentals, having to pay salaries and pay a percentage of their profits to their landlord - we found a solution to counteract this common problem. I started ShopLi to help businesses grow globally".
She added, "With an e-commerce store business owners can sell to people anywhere in the world and have their shop open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, at a fraction of the cost of setting up new physical store".
ShopLi has grown phenomenally according to Viranna and they are constantly innovating the e-commerce industry by providing custom solutions and e-commerce has become a focal point over the past year.
Through the company's data and analytics, they have found that almost 70 percent of shoppers use their mobile phones to make a purchase.
Google Shopping’s entry into South Africa has also yielded phenomenal results for ShopLi's clients, as customers can now see the product image and prices in Google searches.
According to Viranna, in the next five years she sees ShopLi being at the forefront of e-commerce globally and helping both big and small business.
On the global stage, Sheryl Sandberg is the woman that inspires Viranna.
The entrepreneur said, "She is a leading advocate for women in technology, something that I am very passionate about".
Personally, her mentor and business partner, Avilash Aniruth, has always inspired her. According to Viranna he's always encouraged her to follow my dreams and do whatever it takes to make things happen.
When her clients get their first online orders and see an increase in sales are the times that Viranna feels the most proud of her company ShopLi.
"Many businesses don’t understand how e-commerce works and think that it is expensive. But once they see the results, they wonder why they never did it sooner! Knowing that ShopLi is doing its part in growing the South African economy is my greatest accomplishment," concluded Viranna.