Armenian Zegashop Competes with Shopify and Wix

Zegashop is an all-in-one AI-powered SaaS Website builder that makes it easy to build websites and online stores, automates the process of SEO, and provides business growth opportunities using AI.

In an interview with iTel.am, the founder of Zegashop, Arthur Mnatsakanyan, talked about the story behind the creation of the SaaS solution, the unique features, the spirit of bootstrapping, the role of AI, and the international competition.

From Repetitive Work to Product Development

I graduated from the Yerevan State University, Faculty of Applied Mathematics and Informatics, and hold a Master’s degree.

I started my work as a programmer in 2010. By 2014, I had already founded my own company, Fidem, which specialized in web development. Our company was focused on web development outsourcing, mainly in the e-commerce sector. During the years, we had implemented large-scale international projects in Qatar, Singapore, the USA, the UK, Germany, South Africa, and Australia, among others.

photo © Mediamax

At Fidem, about 40-50% of the time was spent on similar optimizations. For example, we had to improve the speed of the websites, perform SEO, and improve Core Web Vitals. And I thought, “Why are we doing the same work repeatedly, for different clients?” And that is how the idea of creating the Zegashop product came about.

Competing with Global Players

I am currently competing with Shopify and Wix, and we managed to create the product where the PageSpeed and SEO are at the highest level.

Currently, Zegashop already has customers from the USA, Australia, Russia, Georgia, and Armenia.

Zegashop's Uniqueness and the All-in-One Approach

The ability to create a website or an online store without the need to know how to code, using the drag-and-drop method, is one of the benefits. Additionally, the service offers ready-made templates for different business fields, and it offers a 15-day free trial. Clients used to spend tens of thousands of dollars to get their websites to the level of 85-95 on Core Web Vitals. We are including this as one of the benefits. Our uniqueness is the high optimization of Google Core Web Vitals indicators and creation of all-in-one platform.

photo © Mediamax

The uniqueness of Zegashop lies in the fact that we try to integrate the creation of a website, SEO tools, and marketing analysis into one service. We automate the work that is usually done by SEO companies. Our customers are doing the keyword analysis, they know what the market needs, and they are creating the content, which is focused on their clients. 

The Future of Search: From Google to AI Chatbots

In the case of Zegashop, Artificial Intelligence starts working from the very first steps. After the data input, the customer gets a ready-made website with AI recommendations in less than one minute. Artificial Intelligence helps to use the best keywords, write the correct texts, get organic traffic, and automate the SEO strategy. 

photo © Mediamax

SEO is no longer just Google. GPT reads the content in its own language, Google reads the content in its own language. Business traffic is no longer just Google; it's also TikTok, social media, and Artificial Intelligence.  

Bootstrap Mindset and the Team

Zegashop was started without any investment. Till today, I have not taken any investment from a third party. We earn money and invest in our product. Zegashop is a SaaS model company that has been able to reach a level of profitability from an idea.

photo © Mediamax

We have also joined the BAJ program and the first cycle of Plug and Play in Armenia. We have also joined a state grant program, for which we have received a grant of around 10 million AMD. This has helped us stabilize our platform and attract new customers from the global market.
Currently, the Zegashop team consists of around 10 people.

Future Plans

Currently, Zegashop is focusing on three areas: bookings, real estate, electronics, and restaurant sales. In the near future, we plan to implement a major SEO campaign with the aim of making Zegashop one of the top choices in searches in different cities and sectors.

Nune Grigoryan
Photos by Emin Aristakesyan