Milestone acquisition to make Petit Marché a Swiss Leader

Founded 6 years ago by Anna de Chabaneix in Geneva, the original Petit Marché app was set to launch city by city for people to meet up when they would buy and sell among each other. However, the concept evolved. « When I started launching other cities, I realized that it was an issue that parents were not able to buy from parents in other cities and this is when I started working on a new version of the app, where it would be possible to ship items. I wanted the experience to be as easy and secure as buying from any other eshop and it took some time to find the right solution with Swiss Post. » explains Anna de Chabaneix.

Last summer the startup launched a new version of Petit Marché, where it is possible to easily ship items by post, meaning that any parent in Switzerland can buy and sell among each other. « With this new version I really started marketing the app in the German speaking part of Switzerland, but it was not easy to market the app in a part of Switzerland where I am not based and where I do not speak the language well. »

Speaking of the acquisition of Kidis Fashion, Anna de Chabaneix has been following the company almost from the beginning and been impressed by what the startup’s founder Adriana Blasi has built. « When she contacted me to discuss the opportunity to take over Kidis, it was a perfect opportunity for me to gain some foothold and visibility in the German speaking part of Switzerland. » 

On Petit Marché’s business development, Anna tells Startupticker.ch that her app has a strong foothold in the French speaking part of Switzerland, but for a marketplace to really work well you need volume. With the takeover of Kidis Fashion she expects to boost the new users and transactions on the app considerably and expand its footprint nationwide. « Yes I plan on developing Petit Marché all over Switzerland. The platform makes it possible for any parent in Switzerland to buy and sell secondhand for kids among each other and not only clothes, but everything for kids. My goal is that every Swiss parent will choose secondhand first and in order for this to be possible I try to offer a solution that makes it as easy as buying new. »

Fine tuning the experience

The concept of Petit Marché is slightly different than the one used by Kidis. Petit Marché is a C2C marketplace, however from the beginning its focus has been to create an experience for the buyer and the seller that is as smooth as possible. All transactions are tracked, and payments are secured and there is no need for a direct contact between the buyer and the seller. As a buyer, you add the items you would like to buy to your basket, and at checkout you can choose between pick up or delivery by post and whether you would like to pay by credit card or Twint and all you need to do is confirm your order and then it will be delivered directly to your house within a few days. Same for the seller, once you sell an item all you must do is print a prepaid postal label, put it on your package and bring it to the post office. However, Petit Marché also offers a service for the sellers, who prefer for the startup to sell their items. “With this service we are fully in charge of selling their clothes through the app, which is very similar to Kidis, the only difference is that we do not own the clothes, we simply sell it on behalf of the clients on a commission basis.” says Anna de Chabaneix.

(ES)