List of Courier Companies in Kenya for Local and International Shipping

List of Courier Companies in Kenya for Local and International Shipping

List of Courier Companies in Kenya for Local and International Shipping. There are several reliable courier companies in Kenya that provide professional delivery services locally and abroad. If you wish to make a delivery, you need to know the available options and the terms and conditions

Courier companies in Kenya provide merchandise shipments to various destinations. These agencies maintain the highest standards with regards to security, speed, accessibility, and reliability. They help move documents and parcels via Kenya railway services, merchandised cargo, train services, and bus services.

Find The Top 10 Courier Companies in Kenya for Local and International Shipping

Companies offering courier services in Kenya specialize in all types of deliveries ranging from low to high volume packages. These deliveries vary from regional, national and international, ensuring that they cut across different market demands. Courier services come in handy to anyone seeking professionalism. Hiring such services removes the burden of worrying about lost packages or late deliveries. Presently, there are over 100 logistics management agencies and below is a list of courier companies in Kenya.

1. DHL Worldwide Express Ltd

List of Courier Companies in Kenya for Local and International Shipping. Gentum Media Services

Borispol, Ukraine – May 22, 2015: Boryspil International Airport. The Boeing 757-200 to transport cargo company DHL

Some of the services that clients enjoy from DHL include express parcel and packaging, transit monitoring options, among others. Delivery of goods can either be through water, rail, road or air. DHL is universally recognized as one of the registered courier companies globally.

2. G4S

With skilled and dependable conveyance, G4S is one of the top-most preferred courier agencies. It offers a wide range of transport services, with their motorbike carriage being the most consumed locally. Its dispatch places are deliberately spread nationwide while offering affordable courier charges in Kenya.

3. Fargo Courier

If you are trading internationally, the Fargo Courier services are ideal. Well-known for its high standards and reliability, Fargo is an option for dealers receiving international packages in Kenya. Furthermore, its warehouses are conducive and secure for shipment storage.

4. TNT Express Worldwide Kenya

List of Courier Companies in Kenya for Local and International Shipping, Gentum Media Services

With global recognition, TNT is one of the most reliable national courier companies for all delivery needs. It connects business to people by offering door-to-door shipping through water, air and road to more than 200 countries

5. ABC International Cargo Logistics Limited

Located along Gilgil Road, off Enterprise Road, ABC International Logistics company guarantees hassle-free services to its clients. It is an international cargo logistics provider company with a broad market spilling to more than 28 countries.

6. Seabourne International Limited

One of the things that stand out at Seabourne International Limited is the exemplary customer service. Clients booking cargo services with them attest to first-class treatment. It is one of the courier companies in Nairobi with its offices situated in Belle Vue at the Mirage Plaza, 2nd Floor

7. Skynet Worldwide Express

Skynet provides logistic solutions globally. Its economy express offers freight shipment for documents and other merchandise. Shipments are tracked virtually while adhering to strict timelines, which are overseen and maintained by professionals.

8. Posta Kenya

Among the oldest courier companies in Kenya, Posta courier services are ideal for local and inter-region deliveries. Its mailing station services are accessible with cost-friendly packages. The firm has more than 600 outlets countrywide.

9. United Parcel Service

United Parcel Service (UPS) is among the most significant supply chain management systems in the world. It serves approximately 8 million clients in over 200 countries daily and is one of the most reliable courier agencies. Its Kenyan establishment is located at the SDV Transami Complex, Airport North Road, Embakasi.

10. Aramex Ltd

List of Courier Companies in Kenya for Local and International Shipping, Gentum Media Services

Aramex is a well known global transportation and logistics solutions company that offers the best services at competitive prices. It offers worldwide shipping solutions. It has invested heavily in technology to give you the best services; you can track your shipment online.

 

You may find this article helpful about How to Create an Online Store.

Our Services

Gentum Media Services offers state of the art Web Design and DevelopmentWeb Hosting ServicesDigital MarketingCorporate Branding and Social Media Management.

Talk to us today and let us discuss your big project.

Free Business Listing Sites in Kenya

Free Business Listing Sites in Kenya

Free Business Listing Sites in Kenya

Online business listing is one of the best free digital marketing strategy that can significantly boost your online presence. It involves sites that are dedicated to availing information about various businesses by categorizing them. Online business listing sites makes it easy for targeted customers to search for your business when in need of a certain product(s) or service(s). However, an online business listing site can be free or paid for.

Below are our top 10 online business listing websites in Kenya to list your brand and watch it grow online authority.

1. Google My Business 

Google my business listing is free to use tool that not only create a listing for your business on google but also manage your company’s appearance on search engine.  When properly optimized, customers can easily discover, learn about, and contact your business.

2. Yellow Pages Kenya 

This one is very popular among Kenyan consumers. They know that they can trust this site to provide respective providers for services or products of their interest. Your business could never go wrong for trusting this listing site.

3. Kenya Business Directory

Going by its already self-explanatory name, this business listing site is equally reliable in matters of business promotion. It doesn’t matter what your business or brand is about, because this site promotes all of them. You will find NGOs, entertainment, health insurance, fashion and beauty companies or businesses, etc.

4. Pigiame.co.ke

Is your business or brand about mobile phones and accessories, furniture, computer and electronics and any other business you can think? PigiaMe has you covered as a site where you can list your brand and wait for customers to contact you.

5. Biashara.co.ke

Are you dealing with real estate, automotive and spare parts? If you are also offering services like gym training, house helps, cleaning, music lessons, etc., this site may help you.

6. Nakuru.co.ke

For business owners located in Nakuru, Kenya, this site is quite reliable in marketing your brand. Hotels and travel and tourism, real estate, education, energy, events planning, ICT are just some of the few businesses or companies that you can list on this site.

7. Yalwa.co.ke

This business listing site can be reliable to several businesses that fall under categories of entertainment and lifestyle, food and drink, building and construction, financial and legal and business services. Computer and internet based businesses can also utilize this site to create awareness of their services.

8. Www. classifiedsfactor.com

This is yet another site to list your business. All you need to do is provide your business details such as the name of the product or services you are offering, town or location and contacts. Any other additional information could be helpful too.

9. Kenyanz.com

Not only does this site help business owners to list their businesses, but it also helps entities looking for potential employees. Should you need qualified employees for any job(s) as a company, use this site to list the vacancies.

10. Kenyapplex.com

Whether you are into hairdressing, real estate brokerage, health, and insurance, motor industry, etc., list your business at kenyaplex.com.

Our Services

Gentum Media Services offers state of the art Web Design and DevelopmentWeb Hosting ServicesDigital MarketingCorporate Branding and Social Media Management.

Talk to us today and let us discuss your big project.

Ecommerce Marketing- Building and Executing a Successful Ecommerce Marketing Plan

Ecommerce Marketing- Building and Executing a Successful Ecommerce Marketing Plan

Ecommerce marketing is the practice of driving top-of-funnel traffic to convert into sales and new customers — and there are many ways to go about it.

From focusing on organic traffic and SEO to using Facebook or Google ads to drive targeted traffic, you can mix and match paid strategies with non-paid strategies, all to figure out which marketing mix converts the most people.

However, marketing campaigns are never static. As marketing tactics and marketplace algorithms evolve, so too must your plan to gain the highest return on ad spend and operating costs associated with non-paid growth strategies like SEO.

In a constantly changing and increasingly competitive environment, you need to make a concerted effort to increase sales at your online store. A lack of determination is why revenue goals aren’t met for many businesses. With the U.S. retail ecommerce revenue slated to hit $1.3 trillion by 2025, you don’t want to miss the boat.

How to Build an Ecommerce Marketing Plan

As you’re laying the groundwork for your ecommerce future, go through the following exercises while writing your business plan to ensure that your methods and strategy are well thought out and will stand the test of time.

Executive summary.

An executive summary is critical to an ecommerce marketing plan as it provides a broad overview of the project that is easily disseminated to leaders and decision-makers within your business.

The executive summary should summarize the key points of your strategy, including its overall purpose, desired results and project recommendations.

Goals and objectives.

Make your goals and objectives clear and specific. Once you begin to execute, there’s no shame in amending your goals if they turn out to be too low or too high.

Eventually, your primary focus should be on creating realistic, attainable goals before setting stretch goals to motivate yourself or your team.

Read about Survey jobs in Kenya that pay through Mpesa.

Mission statement and value proposition.

When building an ecommerce marketing plan, you must be able to answer the following basic questions:

  • What’s the purpose of this company?
  • What do you do?
  • What don’t you do?

Not all companies need a philanthropic element to the business, but there needs to be a clear mission and value proposition.

Target customers, personas and markets.

Know your audience. If you don’t have a clear understanding of who you’re targeting, what characteristics define them and their location, you’re bound to run inefficient campaigns that waste money targeting low-converting, unqualified individuals.

Make sure to know the following:

  • Age ranges.
  • Gender breakdown.
  • Geographic location.
  • Purchasing power.
  • Online shopping habits.

Situation analysis.

Make sure to perform a thorough assessment of the company’s current state, your user experience, the competition and the overall marketing plan.

Leave no stone unturned. A better understanding of your current situation will lead to better decision-making and, eventually, better results.

Read about Digital Marketing Opportunities for your business.

Pricing and positioning strategy.

Do your research. Ensure your pricing and positioning provides real value to your target audience and increase customer loyalty. Forcing new products upon your target customers that they deem overpriced is a losing proposition, especially when modern price comparison is effortless.

There will be opportunities for testing and refinement throughout your product’s lifecycle, but by doing a little more work upfront, you’ll be better off in the long run.

Distribution and fulfillment plan.

Even if you’re starting small, you should have a clear understanding of the distribution and order fulfillment requirements that will evolve as you grow.

Whether you are packing and shipping yourself, overseeing a small team, or leveraging a third-party fulfillment shop, you need to know whether your fulfillment processes can meet the demand of your upcoming marketing push.

After you’ve written your plans, make sure to spend time tweaking, refining and evolving them over time.

 

Executing an Ecommerce Marketing Plan

By this point, you should have a clear understanding of the subtle nuances that define your business.

If you’re a small business, or even an online retailer, this is when you start laying the groundwork for future growth, and if you’re more established, this is how you expedite your growth trajectory:

Read about ecommerce platforms in Kenya.

Determine your sales and lead generation strategy.

Because this is where the one-size-fits-all answers stop, you will need to get creative. The number of ways to market your business is potentially endless.

Even though the enormous list of digital marketing buzzwords can make your head spin, we’ll highlight the strategies and marketing tools that have proven track records of results and some newer strategies to consider.

Imagine a sales funnel graphic that shows your customers’ path from Awareness to Interest to Desire to Action. Each stage in this process should include notes about the specific marketing strategies you’ll employ to usher potential customers through that funnel.

At the top of the funnel, you’ll see ecommerce brand awareness-building strategies that don’t often produce immediate conversions — like posting organic social content or programmatic display ads. At the bottom, you’ll see Google search network advertisements, Instagram retargeting ads and direct email communication.

As a marketer, you’ll want to consider the primary purpose of every campaign strategy you employ and where it fits in your funnel.

Get technology and reporting software.

Before you make a serious marketing push, you must be able to answer the following questions:

  • Is the technology I’m currently using to track the effectiveness of my marketing efforts adequate?
  • Can it be used to determine whether or not the KPIs I’m seeking to improve are improving?
  • Will it help our team accurately determine the ROI of our actions?

As mentioned earlier, the sheer number of marketing channels continues to rise, and the tools you’re using to track that information need to be sufficient.

A few great tools to consider are:

Start with conversions.

Within your lead generation and sales funnel plan, there should be specific bottom of the funnel strategies designed to get customers over the finish line. Roll out these campaigns first to generate sales and build positive momentum.

At the end of the day, conversion rates are amongst the most valuable statistics for an ecommerce business, and understanding them is critical to the long-term success of your business.

Test the waters.

Allocate part of your ecommerce marketing budget to test new strategies. After all, you’ll never know what works well and what doesn’t until you try it.

Depending on your budget, running some simple test cases in smaller markets can provide you with the ammunition you need to justify a budget increase, validate your prior recommendations and/or open the door to an entirely new market opportunity

Refine and expand your ecommerce marketing strategy.

Once you have seen positive momentum, you are ready to refine and expand your ecommerce marketing strategy. By now, you should have a good understanding of what’s working, what needs improvement, and what opportunities exist.

Therefore, refine and ramp up your initial strategies by increasing your budget and scaling up. Here. is where you can get even more creative.

Some strategies to consider are:

  • Joint Ventures and Partnerships: Complementary brands have found success through partnerships. You can co-create content that exposes both brands to each other’s email lists or bundle a curated holiday gift package across several brands. When the brands align, both brands benefit.
  • Increase Average Order Value (AOV): Once you’ve grown into consistent sales, it is time to increase the average order value. Tier your discount codes to incentive larger purchases or offer expedited shipping for orders 50% higher than your current AOV.
  • Referrals: Offer current and loyal customers the opportunity to refer a friend and reap the rewards. If your customer experience is a pleasant one, your customer base could become an army of brand advocates.

Conclusion

Crafting a well-thought-out ecommerce marketing plan may seem daunting.

However, the wealth of strategies and channels that can help drive online sales is enormous and continuing to grow. While you may be tempted to go off to the races, intentionality is critical when you first begin developing an ecommerce marketing strategy.

Make sure you have a deep understanding of your product and the demand for your product, and don’t be afraid to make assumptions — so long as you test them.

Ecommerce marketers may feel like kids in a candy ecommerce store, trying to decide which new flavors to try today. As long as you’re organized, detail-oriented and willing to learn, it’s hard to go wrong.

Our Services

Gentum Media Services offers state of the art Web Design and DevelopmentWeb Hosting ServicesDigital MarketingCorporate Branding and Social Media Management.

Talk to us today and let us discuss your big project.

Top 10 eCommerce Advertising Platforms in Kenya

Top 10 eCommerce Advertising Platforms in Kenya

Top 10 eCommerce Advertising Platforms in Kenya: eCommerce advertising platforms are online business listing sites to help ecommerce businesses create awareness for products and services and increase sales. An ecommerce marketing agency can help you identify the best placements with great impressions, click, and leads to sales. To effectively grow your ecommerce business- whether or not you have a physical shop- you need to leverage on the best ecommerce platforms that drive brand awareness and increase sales.

There are tons of eCommerce advertising platforms to list your products and services. We’ve rounded up the best top 10 eCommerce advertising platforms in Kenya in this article. 

1. Jumia

Jumia is arguably one of the best eCommerce advertising Platforms in Kenya. It records significantly high traffic of about 100,000 visitors per day. Additionally, you can showcase all your products under one roof.

Your business will need to use the following ecommerce advertising techniques to succeed in this marketplace:

  • Have an SEO- Ready Ecommerce website.
  • Create all-round eCommerce Marketing strategies
  • Excellent customer service
  • Transparency

2. Jiji Kenya

Jiji allows you to post free ads and sell your goods with sheer simplicity. You can also choose premium services with various ecommerce advertising methods to reach your target audience and make sales. With Jiji, you sell products and services online even without a retail presence. Just like any other ecommerce marketing strategies, use the right keywords for customers to find your products. The ecommerce platform in Kenya has top-notch security protocol to protect you and your buyers.

3. Kilimall

Kilimall came into existence in 2014 and has a following of 1 million Facebook users. On that account, with an effective eCommerce Marketing Strategy you can expect to sell your items without a hassle. Kilimall connects you directly to customers which is a huge plus. Another unique feature about this ecommerce platform in Kenya is that customers pay for goods first before delivery on all items including:

  • Electronics
  • Clothing
  • Beauty products
  • Sports and outdoor equipment

4. Masoko

Masoko is an eCommerce advertising website powered by Safaricom. You can showcase all your products, provided they are of high quality. Masoko accepts the following payment methods:

  • M-PESA
  • Bonga points
  • Credit card

One of the best eCommerce Marketing strategies on this platform is to use relevant keywords since customers have to search for goods on the website.

5. Sky Garden

Sky. Garden offers an excellent ecommerce advertising platform in Kenya to reach potential buyers. Your ecommerce business also gets to enjoy shipping options and automated payment. Plus, you can upload videos that display your products in detail. The site comes with secure and flexible payments in the form of M-PESA, visa, and MasterCard.

6. BuyRentKenya

If you have any property you want to sell, BuyRentKenya is the place to be. This eCommerce site requires you to register first before advertising any property. The best part is that BuyRentKenya records about 300,000 users each month.

It also features the following:

  • Lead generation
  • Integrated CRM

7. Craigslist

Craigslist Kenya provides local classified advertisements for ecommerce business to post about their products and services. The ecommerce platform offers a wide national reach that can significantly increase your company’s online viability.

Craigslist is outstanding especially for small businesses. You can only run ads when you’ve fully registered on the website, promoting products and services for free.

8. Alibaba

Alibaba is a well-known marketplace to advertise apparel, electronics, and much more. Your products can get categorized as new arrivals, popular items, or new designs. Although Alibaba is headquartered in China, it’s available worldwide.

This eCommerce site has two advantages, which are:

  • Effective target.
  • Increased sales due to many users on the platform.

9. PigiaMe

PigiaMe allowes you to create free online advertising depending on what you intend to sell. Besides that, premium ads are available to grow your ecommerce business. PigiaMe allows you to advertise both products and services, regardless of your location. If you have trouble customizing your ads, work with an eCommerce digital marketing agency in Kenya.

10. Jambo Shop

Jambo Shop can propel your ecommerce business to a higher level, thanks to many customers on the platform. You can set up your account using your store name and email. This site also offers reliable 24/7 support if you have any issues. Jambo Shop is an ideal place to promote your brand via mobile or desktop.

Final Thoughts

The above ecommerce platforms are helpful when you need to grow your online reach and make more profits. If placing ads seems daunting, Partner with the best eCommerce advertising agency get customized digital marketing solutions for your brand.

Our Services

Gentum Media Services offers state of the art Web Design and DevelopmentWeb Hosting ServicesDigital MarketingCorporate Branding and Social Media Management.

Talk to us today and let us discuss your big project.

How to Create an Online Store

How to Create an Online Store

In this article, we highlight how to create an online store that really means something to you as an entrepreneur. Historically, success in commerce was defined by a simple formula:

  1. Secure a profitable spot for your cart.
  2. Shout louder than your competitor to attract more foot traffic.
  3. Operate at a lower cost to pocket more profits.

In the 21st century, it is no longer that simple. Large, vocal brands often fail to connect with modern consumers. The physical location can be more of a nuisance than a convenience and a small store can be operated with a lean budget and no inventory at all.

This shift grew even more pronounced during the COVID-19 pandemic, as the retail sector went through major turmoil. One unexpected side effect of the unfortunate global events was the growth of digital sales:

  • 46% of U.S. consumerstried a new brand or placed orders with new retailers last year.
  • According to a May 2020 study from Accenture, the volume of purchases from inexperienced or infrequent ecommerce users is expected to increase by 160% in the future.
  • 50% of online spending will be done via smartphones by September 2022.
  • Smaller ecommerce stores saw a 96.5% rise in web traffic between October 2019 to October 2020, with over a third reporting an increase between 100% and 200%.

There is now a vast and growing opportunity in digital retail — and those opportunities are diversifying. With the market conditions as favorable as ever, the following is a guide to creating and launching a profitable online store.

Choose a Niche and Develop a Business Plan

The ecommerce market is hyper-diverse. Even today’s giants, such as Amazon, started as niche retailers.

Do background research on ecommerce niches to identify your focus area through the following:

Conduct a SWOT analysis.

SWOT stands for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats. It’s a simple yet effective way to assess different niche and product ideas.

Find industry gaps.

With targeted research, you can uncover unfulfilled consumer demands even within popular product categories.

To find gaps in your target market, tap into:

  • Social media: Analyze your target audience’s concerns, complaints and recommendation requests.
  • Google TrendsCompare and contrast the search volume for different product types.
  • Look at bestsellers on Amazon and eBay: Read reviews, check out tutorials and see what the shoppers are missing.

Analyze your customer personas.

The best ecommerce solution ideas are born at the intersection of needs, preferences and interests among the target audience.

Create a set of ideal buyer personas, populated with:

  • Demographic data: Age, location, occupation, income
  • Psychographic data: Interests, values, beliefs, struggles and aspirations

Read about Online Surveys in Kenya that Pay through Mpesa.

Choose the right business model.

As part of your customer research, you should also note how and where your audience tends to buy products and what would be the best way to reach them.

  • B2B ecommerce: Do you see yourself selling more to wholesalers, retailers and business buyers?
  • B2C ecommerce: Or would you rather market your products directly to consumers?
  • Selling on online marketplaces: Popular marketplaces such as eBay, Amazon or Etsy provide built-in access to various audiences.
  • Dropshipping: This model passes on order fulfillment tasks to a third party, so you don’t hold any inventory yourself.
  • DTC: The direct-to-consumer business model eliminates the intermediary.

Check out our detailed explainer on different types of ecommerce business models.

Find Your Ecommerce Platform

Ecommerce platforms come in different types with varying native features and extensions.

It may be tempting to start with the cheapest website builder. However, the downside is that you may have to migrate your ecommerce site later, which is an added complexity. Consider the long term, even if you’re building your first iteration.

When analyzing different options, ask:

How many products do you plan on selling?

The first step should be to understand what products you plan on selling and how many. If you plan on running a smaller business, you can get away with using a lower-cost platform without extensive features.

However, as you scale your business, your site’s complexity will increase alongside it. If your business is large or consistently growing, setting aside the resources for a more expensive platform could be in your best interest.

Read about SME Deals in Kenya for Entrepreneurs.

What features do you need?

Does the platform provide all the most critical core ecommerce features natively? What will you need to invest in as an extension or develop yourself to fill in missing native functionality?

On your list of requirements, it is helpful to rank each feature on a scale of necessity from 1 to 10 and then assess several store builders and tally their scores.

Which ecommerce platforms are available?

Ecommerce website builders can simplify store setup and management. To make the optimal choice, consider your business goals, operational model and vertical, as well as technical requirements for your store.

The next step is to assess some of the the most popular online store builders, including:

  • BigCommerce.
  • Shopify.
  • Adobe Magento.
  • WooCommerce.
  • Wix.

Pick the Right Products

Selecting the right products to sell is essential to the ultimate success of your online store.

While it may seem like an obvious step, it is often anything but. Too often, online businesses find themselves faltering because they have selected products that are oversaturated in their market or simply too available.

Similar to finding your niche, when selecting your products, it is important to find something unique and in limited supply elsewhere. Remember, you’re competing with the likes of eBay, Amazon and Etsy. Any edge you can find on the market can go a long way.

Design Your Online Store

Website design is a complex, but critical aspect of launching your online store. The wrong design or template used can alienate or distract your customers, reducing sales and limiting your store growth.

When designing your store, the following questions can help you determine how your site should look:

What style fits your brand?

When determining what style you would like for your online store, there are two things to consider:

  1. What does your style say about your business and your brand?
  2. Customers should be able to tell from a single glance what type of business you are and what you’re selling.

Your website’s style often says everything you need to know about your business, from font to color choices. For stores selling luxury products, the flashier the better. If you’re selling outdoor gear, that’s not a method likely to succeed.

It is critical to be conscious of your business image and your customer base.

How do you want customers to navigate your website?

According to a 2021 report, the average time spent on a page across all industries was 54 seconds, and more than 50% of users leave after visiting just one page.

With this in mind, it is essential to design a store that is easy to navigate for customers. If you only have less than a minute on average, then any additional time spent dealing with an unintuitive site can be the difference between a customer leaving and a customer deciding on a product.

Building out a smooth navigation system that is simple and user-friendly is a great way to maintain your customers and keep them on your site.

What features do you want/need your store to have?

Features are a critical part of your online store and are often among the first things that customers see. You need to ask yourself what is essential to have on your online store and what is relevant to your business.

Do you have an about page? Videos of your products? What is your shopping cart and checkout process like?

When designing your online store, deciding what features, add-ons and plugins you have can make a world of difference between a bare site and one that customers are drawn to.

Begin Listing Your Products

Listing your products and crafting product pages is critical in creating an effective and successful online store.

When listing products, the main things to remember to include are:

Product descriptions.

A persuasive product description addresses the customer’s problem, lists the product’s features and highlights the primary benefits to prompt a sale.

Product images.

Don’t skimp on product photography.

Consider 360-degree photos for higher value items such as furniture, equipment or certain types of garments. According to a recent study from Internet Retailer Magazine, implementing 360-degree product photography on ecommerce sites increased conversion rates by about 13%.

Product categories.

Website taxonomy helps establish and manage relationships between different product pages. Product categories, in particular, are necessary to display your catalog and make your inventory more discoverable.

Establish Payment Options

Before launching your online store, it is critical that you have established a diverse set of online payment options for your potential customers. The payment methods you have available at the point of sale (POS) can determine how large your customer base will be and save you from future hassle.

Most ecommerce website builders provide a method of connecting you to multiple payment options, including processors like Paypal, Apple Pay, Stripe and major credit cards.

The most popular way of adding payments to your online store include:

  • Payment gateway packages.
  • Credit card payment processing.
  • Payment gateways and merchant accounts.

Make sure to understand any potential transaction fees that may occur.

Finalize Shipping Strategies and Policies

You will need to figure out how new products will reach owners. Effective ecommerce shipping strategy is critically important because 56% of consumers will not buy from a retailer after a bad delivery experience.

Furthermore, a shipping policy sets the right expectation among new customers. It needs to communicate the step-by-step costs, terms and any limitations of your delivery.

To create a shipping policy for your store, consider these questions:

Are you offering shipping for free, a flat rate or a variable fee?

Work out a realistic “free shipping” threshold to appeal to more buyers and encourage higher average order value. Otherwise, use a tiered ‘flat fee’ structure for different types of deliveries — standard, priority, 2-day etc.

What carrier(s) do you ship with?

Shipping rates, timings and restrictions vary from one carrier to another, from USPS to Fedex and DHL if you talking of international shipping. Local shipping options are also available like G4S, Fargo Couriers, and many other options. Find the full list of Top 10 Courier Companies in Kenya.

Consider all the options available and prioritize those offering the best price-to-value ratio. For example, a cheaper provider may not accept bulky items or offer no insurance in case of damage.

Do you plan to ship internationally?

Consider selling and shipping to nearshore destinations (e.g., Canada and Mexico) at first to scale your market reach. Then look into international fulfillment strategies.

Do you plan to offer BOPIS options?

Buy Online, Pickup in Store (BOPIS) is a quickly growing option for retailers. If you have a physical storefront, BOPIS is a potentially valuable alternative that can make life easier for your customers.

Publish and Promote Your Online Store

Every entrepreneur’s worst nightmare is seeing zero active visitors in Google Analytics on the launch day.

To make sure that your new store is bursting with virtual visitors, you’ll need to:

  1. Prioritize several ecommerce marketing channels.
  2. Develop a pre-launch promotion strategy for them.

To get traffic to a new online store, most markets rely on:

Social media.

Start building your online audiences before your website is published. Share quick product previews, teasers and behind-the-scenes previews to build up anticipation. Then announce the planned launch day and steer extra engagement by offering special discounts/promos to all followers.

If you are launching a niche store, you can also get extra free publicity by networking in niche online communities and forums.

Influencer marketing.

Audience-less businesses may want to prioritize pre- and post-launch influencer marketing campaigns. The big boon of influencer marketing is that you get triple benefits:

  • A push in brand awareness/recall.
  • Engagement with your organic content across different social media apps.
  • Direct leads and boost sales.

Influencer partnerships at early stages can help attract those first few sales and increase your online presence among search engines as interested consumers will start typing in your brand/domain name in the search.

Paid advertising.

Targeted Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest campaigns can also facilitate brand and product discovery in real-time. Like with other performance marketing strategies, the advantage is that you only pay for meaningful action — clicks, visits, inquiries, sales, etc.   Search engine optimization (SEO) and email marketing are other advertising strategies, though both require more time and investment to take off. However, the sooner your start, the faster you’ll see positive traction.

The Final Word

Everyone’s journey to online commerce will be somewhat different.

Some create online stores to complement retail operations. Others venture out as hobbyists and then scale via self-funding or seek to attract external investment.

What remains constant is the underlying setup process. You need to select a “fit for purpose” ecommerce platform, set up your product catalog, tweak design and other configurations and then dial up on marketing.

With BigCommerce, this process has never been easier. Enhance your brand and engage shoppers with the leading platform for creating beautiful, intuitive ecommerce stores and sites.

Hustler Fund & What You Need To Know

Hustler Fund & What You Need To Know

Hustler Fund is one of the biggest promises made by the Kenya Kwanza administration during their campaign. The president H.E. William Samoei Ruto has today launched the fund. This, is something to celebrate. isn’t it? Well, this is what you need to know about the hustler fund.

What is Hustler Fund?

Hustler Fund is a digital financial inclusion initiative designed to improve financial access to responsible finance for personal, micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) in Kenya.

How to Access The Hustler Fund Loan

According to the Ministry of Cooperatives and MSME Development, borrowers will be able to apply for the Hustler Fund loan through USSD code *254# and on the mobile apps of Safaricom, Telkom, and Airtel.

To register an account on the platform, a customer is required to sign up for the fund through the USSD code *254# or the mobile app. They will then be required to accept the Terms and Conditions to join the fund. Thereafter, enter their mobile money pin.

Upon fulfillment of these steps, an SMS will be sent to notify them of their successful registration and the limit assignment.

In the event of a failed registration, the borrower will be notified via SMS.

When the customer borrows,  the approved loan will be disbursed to their mobile money account where out of the total approved loan amount, 95% shall be deposited to the mobile money wallet.

How To Increase Loan Limit on Hustler Fund

The loan limits for Hustler Fund will be a minimum of Ksh. 500 up to a maximum that will be determined by the borrower’s credit score and capped at Ksh.50,000.00.

The loan limit of a borrower has the ability of rising to a higher amount depending on their behaviours in borrowing and repaying.

“The limit shall be reviewed and adjusted based on the borrowing and repayment history of previous Hustler Fund loans taken.” The ministry of Cooperatives and MSMEs says.

Therefore, borrowers are encouraged to continue using Hustler Fund and pay their loans on time.

Assessment of credit history on subsequent loan applications and repayment shall apply to determine subsequent qualifications for the facility.

 

Read also: Survey Jobs in Kenya That Pay Through Mpesa

What Happens If You Fail to Pay The Loan?

In case a borrower does not repay the loan within the set 14-day period, a loan recovery and collection process will be initiated.

Before the repayment, one will not be eligible to apply for another loan.

There will be penalties imposed on the defaulters where 15 days after the date of default. The interest rate will be adjusted from 8% per annum to 9.5% per annum.

We really hope you learned what you need to know about the Hustler Fund. However, by the time of publishing this article, the service is not yet live.

 

Our Services

Gentum Media Services offers state of the art Web Design and Development, Web Hosting Services, Digital Marketing, Corporate Branding and Social Media Management.

Talk to us today and let us discuss your big project.