E-commerce is quickly becoming a go-to component among Kenyans. This is brought about by how easy it has become for one to access the internet in Kenya. As the number of internet users soars high, merchants have seen the importance and potential aspect of putting up their products and doing business online.
This has led to individuals and companies setting up and running e-commerce websites. These websites offer online spaces to individual merchants to sell their products to the online market.
One such platform is Goby, an e-commerce platform developed by WPP – ScanGroup. Goby is on the forefront towards making sure that small merchants have an all in one platform that makes conducting their business easier.
Morris Mbabu, an Economics graduate, is a merchant using the Goby application for a while now and hasn’t regretted his decision. His journey in business started while he was still on campus doing promotions an sales of various products he would get his hands on.
“I would do promotions, and there I fell in love with talking to new people and selling something to them,” said Morris.
After graduating, what Morris could think of was to start and run a business, but he never knew the right way to do it. At the back of his mind, he knew that having an online business would be advantageous and definitely a way to go.
He tried several websites and applications, but they couldn’t work out as he had anticipated citing functionalities and features which were either missing or he had to pay to get them, which was very disappointing for him as a small merchant just starting up. He wanted something simple that would enable him to reach more customers, make sales, and grow his business.
Just when he was about to give up, a miracle happened. He found Goby. He was looking for e-commerce applications across the Google Play Store, and thats where he landed on Goby.
“I happened to be looking for an app on play store to help me fulfill orders, and that’s how I landed to Goby. I did sign up, which was very easy to set up, and in minutes I had a website, and I could upload my item images. This was like magic to me. I couldn’t sleep that day. I wanted to explore more features about the app, and when I got satisfied, I did a formal registration with my official business name.”
For the three months Morris has been using Goby, the application has made it easier and quicker in terms of sales and how he interacts with his customers. He also likes how one can easily share his or her products on social media platforms with ease and how Goby’s customer care service is excellent.
“I love all the features in the app, like being able to share your product on WhatsApp and Facebook, easy for customers to place an order and easy for me to manage the shop at the comfort of my phone anywhere anytime.”
The backend of the application, which sellers like Morris have access to after registration, integrates an order management system that makes most of the work Morris needs to handle easily. He can see when customers make orders, the processed orders, and the ones that have been handled.
Morris also has the ability to communicate with his customers right from the app. He does not need to go a long way in order to be able to do so. The message is delivered to his customer as a text message.
“All my customers are happy since they now have options to browse through my products and buy what suits them without me having to explain details every other time,” said Morris.
He also believes that Goby is a Kenyan dream, especially with the rise of the unemployment rate and an increase in internet penetration across Kenya.
“The online space will give you a chance to be self-employed, compete, and thrive, and make a living without much capital required. Actually, almost zero.”
Be sure to check out Goby. Download the application from Google Play and start selling.
