The startup named “Ba Salam” (Persian for "Hello") seeks to connect rural producers of organic food and homemade goods with buyers, allowing shoppers to purchase quality goods directly from the source.
As per the agreement, producers no longer need to visit post offices for sending packages to customers, Zoomit reported.
Instead, they will be able to use an on-demand postal service, as post officers will collect packages at their doorstep, according to Financial Tribune.
The officers will send the products to the central post office that will forward them to the customers' address.
The post company will charge producers 4,000 rials (2 cents) for regular and 9,000 rials (6 cents) for the express delivery of packages.
The new arrangements will help producers working with the startup save time.
The startup has listed over 1,600 producers of handmade products and rural growers to connect them to potential buyers through a business-to-consumer website (Basalam.ir).
It has a smartphone application available for both Android and iOS devices, which can be downloaded from the startup's website.
Categorized in smart menus, customers can view more than 22,000 items made by local growers of organic food in rural areas.
The goods include food, handicrafts, apparel, home tools and herbs.
After selecting the desired goods, customers pay online and receive it at their doorstep.
If the customer is not satisfied with the quality of the goods, the purchased items can be returned to Ba Salam for a refund within seven days.
Since home business owners from all around the country work with Ba Salam, in case of shopping multiple items from different producers, customers can choose to receive their items separately and directly from the source or have all the items delivered as a one-time post package.
Ba Salam aims to prepare the ground for lesser-known artisans and producers, allowing them to promote their businesses easily and free of charge. The platform also removes dealers from the transactions, enabling producers to offer their products to customers at more competitive prices.