WRI’s latest What Works case study, Thamel.com: Diaspora-enabled Development, is now available through the NextBillion.net Case Studies page. The report documents a Nepal-based marketing and development company that has tapped the resources of the diaspora to create new opportunities for Nepalese workers, generate cultural value, and help move local businesses in a new direction
The company has five mutually reinforcing business divisions. The most lucrative and well known is the Gift Shoppe, an online portal which sells gifts to the Nepalese diaspora that are then procured and delivered locally to family and friends still living in Nepal. The IT Chemist division helps local entrepreneurs start their own e-commerce sites, while the export division helps them sell items overseas. Thamel Remit provides remittance, insurance and other financial services, and Thamel International replicates the company’s successes globally.
The Thamel.com model combines a number of key practices that have allowed it to succeed, including localization, cultural marketing, innovative use of technology, and a focus on customer service. The company’s unique combination of e-commerce, remittance, and business development services demonstrate how combining the power of IT and diasporas can create opportunities at the base of the pyramid.
