E-Commerce in Kenya

E-Commerce in Kenya, that was the discussion i had today on Tech Tuesday Magazine with my e marketing gurus Irene Chola and Alex Maina. Apparently lots of Kenyans are very skeptical about buying stuff and paying for services online, not because it does not work, rather their concern is trust. Too many con men looking for whom they may devour. Alex made an important comment that i think is worth exploiting.

He said we are having this discussion in a christian radio station, surely don’t we have christian men and women who are honest and able to deliver? This is an opportunity for them to come in and fill in this empty slot because there is a need to be met.

In the course of the discussion i discovered that there are quite a number of Kenyans who are constantly doing business online and getting some pretty good deals. One of the places i discovered today is a page on face book called soko kuu. Now that’s a page to check out. Its an open group so all can access it and you have all sorts of people selling all sorts of things…shoes, pancakes, doughnuts, satellite dishes, clothes, phones…i mean you name it you get it. The good thing is that you deal straight with the seller. If you do not see what you are looking for you simply inquire and before long someone will answer you. I thought that was pretty cool, i can sell some of the stuff i don’t need and also look out for what i need.

Verdict? E commerce is alive and kicking in Kenya While some may be skeptical, others are making the most of the opportunity. To those who say there are no jobs, well get online and curve out your own space. Irene mentioned how many working women like her have no time to go shop for veggies and if they were to find someone online who could deliver…they are willing to pay. Its a new day folks, the days of selling tomatoes and sukuma by the roadside are over, you can actually sell mbogas online.