Amid the slowing economic activity occasioned by the COVID-19 pandemic, a number of global e-commerce giants experienced accelerated growth.
As lockdowns became the new normal, businesses and consumers increasingly “went digital”, providing and purchasing more goods and services online, raising e-commerce’s share of global retail trade.
And for these three young Kenyans, the lockdown period was a blessing in disguise, a period during which they came up with a new multivendor online marketplace.
Biashara Place is already up and selling smartphones, solar home systems, home appliances and household goods in several parts of the country.
“Our journey started in 2018 as a simple business blog, with an intention of helping buyers make informed decisions as they window shop online. But when COVID happened, we realized there was need to empower every small business to sell their products online,” says Mr. Joseph Kinoti, the company CEO.
According to Mr. Kinoti, Biashara Place envisions a revolution of Ecommerce in Africa, and is committed to making online shopping a more sustainable activity in Kenya and the African continent.
The platform has already attracted tens of vendors, among them Dlight, the US-based Paygo Solar giant, using the Biashara Place platform to link up with more clients in rural Kenya,
“Our dream is to empower every single business owner to take advantage of the growing need to trade online and make deliveries countrywide,” says Eng. Kenneth Okava, the company Growth Manager.
It is expected that the growth in E-commerce platforms will continue throughout the recovery from COVID-19.
“We need to recognize the challenges and take steps to support governments and citizens as they continue to embrace new ways of working,” says UN General Assembly President Volkan Bozkir.
According to UNCTAD Acting Secretary-General Isabelle Durant, Businesses and consumers that were able to ‘go digital’ have helped mitigate the economic downturn caused by the pandemic.
“But they have also sped up a digital transition that will have lasting impacts on our societies and daily lives – for which not everyone is prepared,” says Ms. Durant.
Biashara Place joins a few other dominant Online Shopping platforms in Kenya such as Jumia and Kilimall, but with a totally different E-commerce model.
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