By Ayo Alonge
An e-commerce startup, ShopAfrika, has announced it has taken six Nigerian popular local markets into digital space.
The platform, which focuses on six markets — Aba New Market, Onitsha Main Market, Alaba International Market, Ladipo Market, Ariaria Market and Nnewi Market — creates an opportunity for both buyers and sellers to transact business seamlessly, while creating the room for negotiations on business deals.
The platform will provide seamless engagement between sellers and buyers seeking to trade locally and internationally.
Speaking at a press briefing held recently, Founder of ShopAfrika, Adeoye Fadeyibi, explained that the platform is unlike the regular e-commerce platforms everywhere, as it seeks to create jobs, while expanding the frontiers of business for startups in the said markets.
According to him, ShopAfrika hopes to make local markets go global.
“The platform seeks to give customers the real “shop from home” experience. Large scale commercial shopping in Nigeria has had issues from distance, logistics, communication issues, trust, and security issues plaguing it.
“However, Shop Afrika’s solution is not only to solve convenience and logistics issues, but the brand also seeks to offer unprecedented solutions like financial support, verified merchants, solving the language barrier by incorporating indigenous languages, wide reach through a market agent system and technology innovations such as virtual reality to improve the customer shopping experience and high-level awareness for big business that do not have online presence.
“ShopAfrika is a platform that has the vision to revolutionise the customer shopping experience in the market. ShopAfrika’s vision is to be a platform where every barrier to seamless and convenient shopping, no matter the quantity is removed, and the customer feels truly satisfied,” said Fadeyibi.
In her remarks, the interim Chief Operating Officer, Ized Uanikhehi, said “e-commerce platforms have been known to bring the international marketplace to the doorsteps of individuals. At a time when everything is going digital, ShopAfrika is bringing local markets into the digital space.
“ShopAfrika is a digital marketplace providing seamless engagement between sellers and buyers seeking to make transactions. The platform is one of a kind as it allows for customers to buy items online exactly as they would offline.”
ShopAfrika positions itself as the brand that champions the perception that made-in-Nigeria products are top quality manufactured products able to meet consumer needs.
Aside shopping, the platform offers shipping and logistics services, warehouses and order fulfillment centres; customer services, pay by instalment, among others.