A PARTNERSHIP approach is key to doing business in emerging markets, according to Shopmatic co-founder and chief Anurag Avula.

In an exclusive interview with The Business Times, Mr Avula said that partnerships with key local companies are what will allow the Singapore-headquartered e-commerce startup to take its e-commerce solutions to new customers "efficiently and quickly".

For instance, when Shopmatic expanded to the Middle East, it partnered Network International - an e-payments solutions provider in the Middle East and Africa - to launch Go-online, a platform that enables small and medium startups and businesses in the United Arab Emirates to create web stores and sell to customers across the country and beyond.