Definitions:

 

eCommerce Company: eCommerce, also known as electronic commerce or internet commerce, refers to the buying and selling of goods or services using the internet, and the transfer of money and data to execute these transactions. eCom is often used to refer to the sale of physical products online, but it can also describe any kind of commercial transaction that is facilitated through the internet.

 

Service Provider: A skill or set of skills provided in exchange for compensation. The service provider’s time can be purchased for a fee.

 

Payment Gateway: A payment gateway is a merchant service provided by an e-commerce application service provider that authorizes credit card or direct payment processing for e-businesses, online retailers, bricks and clicks, or traditional brick and mortar. The payment gateway may be provided by a bank to its customers but can be provided by a specialised financial service provider as a separate service, such as a payment service provider.

 

Logistics (national): Any logistics company covering the top 10 cities of Pakistan is referred to as “National”.

 

Logistics (local): Any logistics company providing delivery services in less than the top 10 cities of Pakistan.

 

Solution provider (local): Any (PK-based) company providing services to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of an existing eCommerce business.

 

Solution provider (international): Any non-PK-based company providing services to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of an existing eCommerce business.

 

Online Training: Any individual/company offering courses which focus on enabling individuals to learn and understand basic to advanced level skills of setting up and running online stores.

 

Founder: A company owner who holds full or part of the company's equity.

 

Public: refers to ordinary people in general.

 

Category: classification or division based on a particular characteristic.

 

Wholesale: The sale of products in bulk, often to a retailer that then sells them directly to consumers.

 

Dropshipping: The sale of a product, which is manufactured and shipped to the consumer by a third party.

 

Crowdfunding: The collection of money from consumers in advance of a product being available to raise the startup capital necessary to bring it to market.

 

Subscription: The automatic recurring purchase of a product or service regularly until the subscriber chooses to cancel.

 

Physical products: Any tangible good that requires inventory to be replenished and orders to be physically shipped to customers as sales are made.

 

Digital products: Downloadable digital goods, templates, courses, or media that must be purchased for consumption or licensed for use.

 

Services: A skill or set of skills provided in exchange for compensation. The service provider’s time can be purchased for a fee.

 

Types of Awards:

 

There are two types of awards

• People's Choice Awards
• Founder's Choice Awards

 

People's Choice Awards:

 

These awards will be determined by popular public vote.

 

There will be 3 winners for each category, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place prizes

Who can participate:

 

1. Companies involved in the following businesses, provide their services/products to customers by means of online channels/location (except to make payments).

 

Categories:

• Beauty
• Foot Wear
• Education
• Grocery
• Men's Fashion
• Food
• Books
• Healthcare
• Ride Sharing
• Home Decor
• Toys and Gifts
• Women's Fashion
• Kid’s Fashion
• Electronics/Gadgets
• Specialty Store
• Travel and Ticketing
• Cashback/Discount
• New eCommerce Startup
• Facebook/Instagram seller

An eCom store can apply in only one category from the list above.

 

Voting Criteria:

 

Voting is based on the popularity and likeness of the brand/Store

 

Limitations:

 

An eCommerce store with multiple categories has to pick and choose which category they are famous for and then apply to that only.

 

An eCommerce store with a bigger customer pool and higher years of operation is likely to have more votes than a newer smaller competitor.

Customers' top of the mind can influence the vote.

 

An individual can cast more than one vote if he/she has multiple sims

 

 

Disqualification criteria:

 

Participants are not allowed to use any form of giveaway or free item in exchange for public votes, any such activity monitored may set cause for penalisation or even disqualification of the contender.

 

Following or similar terms/words should be avoided in the communication by the participants:

1. Vote now to win
2. Vote now and get a chance to win
3. Your vote guarantees

 

Founders Choice Awards:

 

Founders or Key decision makers of an eCommerce site or Online Store can nominate themselves in only one category. A variety store can only select one of the Founder’s choice categories and request votes. However, eCom Awards allows founders to cast votes for all the service providers they have experienced.

 

For example, Peter Parker runs a Store with Fashion apparel and Custom design Home Goods. He can Nominate himself in either the Fashion Stores category or Home Goods category. Now Peter works with both Leopards and TCS for delivery, which gives him the right to vote for both brands.

 

eCommerce service providers can nominate themselves in the following categories:

 

Categories:

 

1. Payment Gateway:
   • Onboarding experience
   • Payout experience

 

2. Logistics Companies:
   • Local logistics companies
   • National logistics companies
   • Fastest delivery
   • Fastest pickup
   • Lowest rejection at door step

 

3. Platform Plugin

 

4. Favorite Store Platform

 

5. Solution Provider:
   • Local solution provider
   • International solution provider

 

6. Online Training

 

7. Performance Marketing Agencies

 

Voting Basis:

 

The eCommerce company vote must come from an active founding member or the most senior business manager.

 

There will be no direct winners in this category instead each nominee will be awarded a Gold, Silver, or Bronze medal based on the feedback from the founders (if the minimum criteria are met)

 

Voting is based on

1. Whether an ecommerce founder has used or experienced the service providers
2. Founders can vote for services they have used in the last 12 months only
3. Facebook and Instagram sellers should select the “not applicable” option in the form (in case) they have no used/experienced a certain service (for example payment gateways or platform developers etc)

 

Points Tabulation Basis:

 

Points are calculated based on a scale of 1-5 ( poor - excellent) on experienced - based dimensions and the overall average score is tabulated.

 

The minimum Votes required per category, to tabulate the results are as follows

 

50 votes:

• Payment gateways
• Logistics (national)

 

25 Votes:

• Logistics (local)
• Solution provider (local)
• Solution provider (international)
• Online Training

 

The minimum number of votes needed to score a medal is listed below. The medal will be awarded to all nominees who meet this criterion along with an average score as follows:

 

Gold medal an average score of 4.7 or above

Silver medal an average score of 4.4 or above

Bronze medal an average score of 3.9 or above

No Medals for those who receive a score below 3.9

 

If a startup feels the minimum criteria are too high as they have only recently begun operations. They can request for it to be lowered. The Management Committee's decision will be final.

 

They can email their request with reasons at [email protected]

 

Dispute resolution & Queries:

 

Email at: [email protected]

 

 

General Rules and Regulations:

 

1. All websites or stores owners who were operational on/since [Dec 31st 2020] can apply in Public voting and Founders Choice Awards

 

2. A person can cast a vote for only one store in a particular category

 

1. Any inviting language used in the marketing campaign may lead to penalization or even disqualification.

 

1. Website owners and Online Sellers can boost their social media posts made which are drafted on eCom Awards templates available in the nominee pack

 

Overall Terms and conditions:

 

Rules to Participate and Vote

 

Participation in the Program is open only to SECP/FBR registered eCommerce companies and service providers of eCommerce companies. However, Facebook and  Insta sellers are welcome to apply too.

 

Service providers refer to tools and services eCom stores or online sellers need to buy and sell products and services over the Internet and manage their online enterprises.

 

This includes but is not limited to;

 

1. Hardware/software design
2. Risk management
3. Payments
4. Brand recognition
5. Distribution control
6. Taxes
7. Website development and hosting
8. Website performance monitoring
9. Fulfillment management
10. Online marketing
11. Building a customer base
12. Order processing and delivery

 

We ask all entrants to supply their company logo and other relevant artwork which will only be used for eCom Awards. eCom Awards management committee is not responsible for any misuse of these assets. All completed and returned entries will be acknowledged online at the time of submission. If participants don't see their company listed after applying please contact [email protected] immediately.

 

1. Participating companies to provide details of their social media handles.

 

2. Participants have to utilize their social media handles to post about the awards and their participation in them, making use of the social media templates provided.

 

3. Participants are not allowed to use any form of giveaway or free item in exchange for public votes, any such activity may set cause for disqualification of the contender.

 

4. A participating website is allowed to boost social media posts to invite customers to vote.

 

 

Deadline:

 

The closing date for entries is 20th of May 2023 before 23:59:59 Pakistan Standard Time. No votes will be counted after the deadline date and time.

 

 

Management Committee:

 

1. The management committee’s decision is final, and no correspondence or discussion will be entered into or feedback given regarding the selection of winners.

 

2. All internal discussions are confidential and will not be shared or discussed with anyone outside of the management committee ahead of the ceremony or thereafter.

 

3. The Management Committee will not provide any feedback to entrants as to why they have not won.

 

4. Management Committee reserves the right to extend the closing deadline, amend categories, or not award categories should the standard of entries received not reach the required standard

 

Force Majure:

 

ECom Awards will not be liable for any failure or delay in performing their obligations where such failure or delay results from any cause that is beyond the reasonable control of that party. Such causes include, but are not limited to: power failure, Internet Service Provider failure, acts of God, epidemics, pandemics, civil unrest, fire, flood, droughts, storms, earthquakes, the collapse of buildings, explosions or accidents, acts of terrorism, acts of war, governmental action, any law or any action taken by a government or public authority, including without limitation imposing an export or import restriction, quota or prohibition, or any other event that is beyond the control of the party in question

 

Trophy:

 

All trophies are inspected prior to the awards ceremony. Once these trophies have been handed over, participants are responsible for the trophy from thereon

 

Confidentiality:

 

All material will remain confidential to the management committee. All judging discussions are confidential and will not be shared or discussed with anyone ahead of the ceremony.

Winning case studies may be used in post-event materials to promote best practices.