Online shopping takes roots in Kenya

By Njoroge Kaburo and Annie Njanja.

Everyday the Kenyan market is continuously welcoming new entrepreneurs, who venture in different fields.

And while many up-and-coming entrepreneurs believe that establishing a successful business has to begin with setting up or having a physical premise, others are proving the myth wrong.

Daring entrepreneurs are now venturing in online business.

Armed with services tailored to attract customers online shopping websites popularity has grown in the country especially with the realization of faster internet services.

The online shop entrepreneurs market their products on social networks by having fan pages and tagging prices and other descriptions on them for all interested to see.

This has proved successful considering the popularity and spread of social networks like Facebook, twitter, bebo among the youth in Kenya.

Having an online shop doesn’t require much hustle. A website is required, “Developing a website may take as much as three to six months if coding is done from the scratch,” explains Rua Jefwa, a Nairobi based web developer.

“However, this depends on the functionality and the level of interactivity of the site,” he adds.

The website from time to time requires updating to include new products and remove those sold. “A digital shop needs constant update to keep buyers abreast with products up for sale,” Rua says.

Online shopping is no doubt a convenient way of shopping for people with tighter job schedules, or for those impatient to move around in shops looking for a product.

Online shop sites like Style Connections have search engines that buyers visiting the sites can key-in details to seek out for products. Depending on the online shop, you can have your products delivered to your door step.

Wahiga Mohammed owner of Style Connection online shop says that starting an online shop is uncomplicated task.

“You need capital to be able to buy products and to have a hi-tech website built for you.” She had to pay $1,500 to have a web developer create her site.

The great thing is that it is a onetime pay” adds Wahiga who notes there is also some $120 commercial website annual fee.

Patience is also required in the developing a website as it takes quite some time to have it fully effective, she says.

Online shops are increasing by number daily and to counter the stiff competition, Wahiga does a lot of marketing in the internet as well as offering incentives to people who bring in new customers. “With such activities, the popularity of my shop is spreading,”

Some Kenyans are enjoying this way of shopping already. ”I work for 10 hours a day and sincerely I have no time to go shopping, I do online shopping frequently especially for my office clothes.” Rita an advertising executive says.

She says she admires this kind of shopping because she can do it at the comfort of her house or office.”

Since the buyers are required to pay for products they want to purchase first before they get them, online shops are faced with the challenge of getting prospective clients’ trust.

Most of these clients are afraid of losing their money to cons. “But as the popularity of a site spreads, the trust comes naturally,” Wahiga says.

In addition, a substantial number of people are yet to embrace this mode of shopping this is due to unavailability of the technology that comes with it.

The bigger challenge however is illiteracy since most of the Kenyan population is computer illiterate.

However, with a buddy who knows a thing or two about the internet, one can’t miss it all.

This makes online shopping trend is catching up in the Kenyan market though Kenyans are yet to embrace it in a big way; it is evident that this is the next way of doing shopping.

Having an online shop as an entrepreneur therefore becomes economical especially at a time when renting a stall or an office in town is expensive today, as some stalls go up to $100.

Ends…………….