Managing director of Icyrus, Mrs. Alero Imo, disclosed in Lagos recently that the reason that the company, in conjunction with other manufacturing firms, moved activities online was to have digital visibility.
According to her, 89 per cent of shopping is done online and many customers involved in one construction work or the other may not have time to go to the market owing to timing but now “they can shop for their doors, roofs, nails and other houshold items on our site.”
Icyrus has been in existence in the last 20 years in Yaba, Lagos.

What prompted the online move?
People don’t really have the time to shop for home improvement equipment, most of them are always at home and the only time they have is when they are at home. Now, everyone has to go online, which is a good thing, and catch on with the move.

How are going to ensure quality is not compromised?
We have been in the business for 20 years as a manufacturer, so we know the different suppliers and manufacturers. We would be able to use this as a benchmark for quality control and we have people on ground to verify quality of products and goods. We are also members of an association.

What kind of arrangements do you have for people that may want to use your online platform?
We have 10 per cent of sale proceeds as administrative charges, which is what other online platforms are charging too.

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Are you also aware that Nigerians may default, in terms of payment?
We have payment platforms, so the money is taken at source before any other thing. There is no space for that. They cannot be paid directly by the customers but the payments are channeled through this platform. The payment channel is secure and no one should be scared of money being intercepted.

Why the vending, Do-it-yourself emphasis on the online platform?
What happened was that, I was already in the manufacturing sector producing some furniture and joinery products, but I have always wanted a vending platform not just for me alone but everyone who is in the industry. Icyrus came up as a platform to solve the issue. I know where certain goods can be bought in the country because I am in the industry but many people may not know; that is why Icyrus is available to show the way. Another thing is that Nigerians do not have a do-it-yourself (DIY) custom, if you travel abroad, there are lots of shops with DIY. It is a luxury to ask someone to fix a bulb when you can do it yourself. The Icyrus platform will have a demonstration on how to couple various products. Everyone can upgrade themselves without stress.

Do you envisage delivery posing a threat?
It depends on what they order. You know, in Icyrus, there are doors but there are some that will be custom-made, which may not be immediate delivery; it might take 14 days for a certain product to be produced because it is being done to the specifications of the customer. For things that are readily available, we deliver within 48 hours. Of cource, when the products are ready, mails would be sent out that delivery would be made.

Is there any criteria to belong to this online platform?
We have contract forms to be filled because we have to be sure that they have the products available and how fast they can be manufactured within a certain time. We also check for standards and specifications for Nigeria. Quality is our watch word.