From Bookstore to Platform. Problem to Possibility: Books Mandala
At Mandala Tech, we didn’t start with a product idea. We started with a bookstore.
Nepal Mandala Book Shop, the founder’s family-run store in Lakeside, Pokhara, Nepal had been around since 1992. It was the kind of place where books were remembered by feel, not barcode. Where travelers wandered in and found something they didn’t know they were looking for. And where everything from the stock count to the sales records lived mostly in someone’s head.
It worked for a long time. Until it didn’t.
As the collection grew, so did the confusion. Orders went missing. Titles got misplaced. Customers had to wait while staff searched. It was clear something had to change. So we built something. Not for the market. Not for scale. But for the shop that raised us.
A simple system to help us get our house in order.
2016: We Built a System Because We Needed One
We developed a custom inventory and operations system to bring clarity to day-to-day operations at the founder’s family-run bookstore. It helped us move from paper records and memory-based stockkeeping to a more stable, reliable process.
We didn’t come from a polished tech background; we were fresh CS graduates out of school. We were not experts in e-commerce infrastructure, Digital Marketing or Interface design. But we were determined. We learned everything as we built; how to structure platforms, optimize systems, improve search and design with real users in mind. It wasn’t always fast or easy. But it worked. And more importantly, it was ours.
2017: Building Trust Before Platforms
In 2017, Nepal didn’t have a strong e-commerce culture. Online shopping was uncommon. Book communities barely existed. Trust in digital payments was limited. But we saw a shift starting to happen.
We started building a community of readers by sharing about books consistently on Instagram. We didn’t know it at the time, but what we were doing would soon be called #bookstagram. In Nepal, we were among the first to do it.
It wasn’t just about aesthetics. It was about connection. Slowly, readers began engaging, asking about books, placing requests. So we started delivering. Through DMs. Using local couriers. Packing every order ourselves. Word spread. One reader at a time.
In a landscape where few trusted the idea of ordering books online, we helped shape the beginning of what would become a nationwide reading community.
2018: BooksMandala.com Goes Live
By 2018, there were only a handful of e-commerce websites in Nepal. The space was still very young. Dedicated platforms were rare, and digital book retail simply did not exist.
That October, during Dashain, we launched booksmandala.com. It was Nepal’s first e-commerce website focused entirely on books.
We weren’t trying to be Amazon. We just wanted a place that felt like home for readers. A website that mirrored the warmth of a bookstore. Where you could trust the books, the people behind them, and the process in between.
Orders came in quickly. From Kathmandu and beyond. From places we hadn’t even imagined reaching. Pokhara was still our base, but Books Mandala had become something else. Something wider. Something shared.
2020: The Pandemic Changed Everything
When the pandemic arrived and lockdowns began, everything paused. Except reading.
People still needed books. For school. For their kids. For themselves. BooksMandala.com became a lifeline. Orders increased. Expectations shifted. We had to move faster and think more clearly.
We rebuilt parts of the backend. We optimized logistics. We expanded customer support. This wasn’t just a project anymore. It had become a platform. And we were responsible for keeping it working.
A New Version and a Clearer Vision
On April 4, 2023, we launched Version 3 of Books Mandala.
It was faster and easier to use. We introduced features like Pay by URL, which lets users generate a payment link for someone else to complete. It made gifting books and shared payments simple. We also added a Book Request feature, so readers could ask for titles that weren’t in our catalog yet.
All of these updates came from conversations. From readers. From bookstore staff. From our own use. None of it was abstract. It was real.
Why It Still Feels Personal
We still respond to customer questions ourselves. We still test features on our own accounts. We still pay attention to every note, every tag, every repeat order. We are technologists now, but we are still bookstore people.
We don’t want to just build fast. We want to build well. And to stay close to the reason we started.
What We’re Building Next
We are building the next version of Books Mandala with care and patience.
It will include smarter recommendations, better personalization, and tools that make it easier for you to return to the books you love. We’re working on reader-focused improvements designed to feel intuitive and thoughtful and we are quietly working on ways to support reading in digital formats for readers who prefer their libraries in their pockets.
There is more. But not everything needs to be shared before it’s ready.
As always, we’re building with purpose. And listening as we go.
Thank You!
If you’ve ever ordered a book from us, thank you. If you’ve sent us a message, tagged us, told a friend about us, we noticed. Books Mandala exists because people gave it a chance. Mandala Tech exists because we needed to build something real, and we’re grateful that it still is.
If you want to build with us, explore open roles on our tech team at mandalatech.io/careers. For opportunities across the Books Mandala ecosystem, visit booksmandala.com/careers.
And if you landed here, searching for some books or for Books Mandala, you’re welcome! You can start at booksmandala.com.
