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DHL partners with MallforAfrica on a marketplace site focused exclusively on delivering African-Made products to the World

By
GURU8 Staff
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0

DHL, an international express services provider, today announced its partnership with e-commerce giant, MallforAfrica’s new platform, Marketplace Africa, to help online retailers bring African-made products to the US and global market. The site offers items from the continent’s most talented designers and artisans from a variety of categories including fashion, body care, handbags, jewellery and home décor.

Until today, African craftspeople have been isolated from global customers due to distance, fear of not receiving overseas payments, and complex shipping requirements.  Customers who wished to purchase products directly from African artisans faced obstacles regarding accessibility of items, authenticity and validation of the product, the uncertainty of delivery, high delivery costs, and payment security.

Marketplace Africa was created to help artisans sell on a global stage and simplify the ability to buy directly from African craftspeople and small enterprises. Powered by MallforAfrica’s award-winning patented e-commerce platform and payment system, MarketplaceAfrica.com’s global consumers can now shop directly from African businesses of all sizes and have the products shipped to their home with confidence.

DHL will manage all logistics services as their e-commerce delivery solutions are designed with small businesses in mind and provide the speed of delivery that customers expect. With the world’s leading logistics company behind it, Marketplace Africa will provide craftspeople and customers order verification, fast delivery, and shipment labelling and packaging services. Suitable delivery costs also keep products affordable.

Hennie Heymans, CEO for DHL Express Sub Saharan Africa adds, “We are thrilled to be a part of this innovative e-commerce solution for African artisans. DHL is a facilitator of global trade and if we can improve connectivity and accessibility to global markets for local business, this will go a long way in helping small businesses grow. We’ve been in Africa since 1978, so have seen first-hand, the huge opportunities that cross-border trade offers to local businesses. This is truly an exciting time for African businesses.”

The Africa Made Product Standards (AMPS) is used to ensure that the highest quality products are being sold on the Marketplace Africa platform. It provides consumers with the assurance that products meet an international standard in quality. All products are crafted with the utmost care by an African artisan.

“Africans finally have the opportunity whether banked or unbanked to showcase their amazing talents and skills to the world and sell their products. DHL and MallforAfrica saw the need to promote African-made products to the world and I am beyond proud to be a part of making history alongside a company that has pioneered logistics efficiency in Africa, and across the globe,” said Chris Folayan, CEO of MallforAfrica. “Marketplace Africa will open the door for African designers and craftspeople and enable customers in the US and the world the ability to purchase authentic African-made products directly from the source.”

Worldwide retail e-commerce sales reached over $2 trillion in 2017 and according to DHL’s report, The 21st Century Spice Trade: A Guide to the Cross-Border E-Commerce Opportunity, the cross-border market is expected to grow by about 25% annually until 2020 – nearly twice the rate of domestic e-commerce.

This is a Press Release from Deutsche Post DHL.

Mobile Money transactions in Uganda hit UGX 63 trillion

By
GURU8 Staff
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1

Amidst the Mobile Money Tax saga rocking the country, a report has revealed that Telecoms mobile money transfer services have recorded a 44% growth in the value of transactions to UGX 63.1 trillion.

The numbers have drastically increased as of December 2017 owing to the influx in subscriber number sending Money via the mobile money platforms offered by telecoms. This is double the national budget for this financial year and more than half of the country’s Gross Domestic Product that now stands at US$27bilion.

According to the Independent, the Bank of Uganda’s Annual Supervision Report 2017 shows that the number of transactions also rose 23.8% to over Shs1.2billion during the same period under review.

The number of registered customers across the networks increased by 8.4%, from 21.6 million as of December 2016 to 23.4 million as of December 2017, signalling the growing appetite for money mobile money transfer platforms.

This development comes at the time the government is introducing a 1% levy on mobile money transfer aimed at raising more than Shs 115bn to fund the proposed Shs32 trillion budget for this new financial year.

However, the report notes that there were incidents of operational risk in the mobile money payments, with several fraud cases reported, some of which were perpetrated by the staff of the Mobile Money network operators.

“Therefore, this calls for proper internal controls at the MNOs to mitigate internally perpetuated fraud,” the report says in part.

As at end-December 2017, there were seven mobile money service providers and include; MTN, Airtel, Uganda Telecom, Africell, M-Cash, EzeeMoney and Micropay.

Source: The Independent

Jumia celebrates 6 years of online dominance in Africa

By
Doryn Crystal
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0

The largest online marketplace in the country, JUMIA, will celebrate its 6th year anniversary this July in a mega celebration running from July 16th to July 26th, 2018, with mind-blowing discounts on all products.

Jumia’s work may have only started in 2012, but the company has made great strides in the e-commerce scene. Growing from an average of 100 orders a day, the online marketplace now processes thousands a day and collectively has over 50,000 active merchants including over 4 00 local partners that they have helped develop.

In 6 years, the company has gained over 1.5 million subscribers and manages online traffic of around 500,000 shoppers monthly.

Jumia to continue breaking barriers

In just 6 years, JUMIA has succeeded in changing the face of the e-commerce sector and transforming people’s lives through technology. Despite being an international brand, the company has worked extensively to localize themselves to the Ugandan market; working with Ugandans who have succeeded in creating a local face for the company; focusing heavily on developing local brands; from micro and SME to multinationals through a variety of partnerships that cut across blue, grey and white collar workers.

Today, JUMIA offers over 13 diverse categories within its marketplace covering everything from traditional retail to handmade crafts. Their base of shoppers has grown with daily orders hitting the thousands, compared with just a few in 2012; they have educated people to trust the online shopping system, through offering options such as a cash on delivery and a 7 day return policy incase a customer is not satisfied with a product. A product range that was once less than 1000, today stands at 5 million and more.

By creating an online marketplace which requires almost no financial investment from small entrepreneurs, JUMIA has provided a place where SMEs can grow and compete on even footing.

Jumia has invested towards local sellers’ education by launching a series of educational and awareness campaigns about e-commerce. These support and encourage the growth of segments relating to the industry.

Already in progress, the company launched “Jumia University ,” to provide future online sellers a way to develop skills to become successful online. These include courses for HR, digital marketing, soft skills and commercial planning. This is to provide Ugandan youths, and others wanting to join in on the industry, a chance and opportunity to create viable self-employment through starting a business.

Super birthday sale.

In commemoration of its sixth anniversary, Jumia is holding a mega birthday sale that will see customers get up to 75% discount off on items starting Monday 16th July 2018 until 26th July 2018.

Commenting on the celebrations of this anniversary, Regional Director of Jumia, Mr. Sefik Bagdadioglu, noted that this year’s celebration offers more potential customers to buy different products at low cost and affordable prices.
“As we celebrate 6 years of revolutionary online shopping in Africa, it remains our desire to create a great environment for entrepreneurship and businesses to succeed in this country. Jumia is committed to supporting the country’s economy through digital trading and opening the employment doors through developing skills within the sector.”

For this 2018 celebration, Jumia has collaborated with its partners such as: MTN, Xiaomi, Anisuma, and Kiboko P&G. These partners will be headlining the anniversary sale offering the very best prices on a wide assortment of products.

Speaking at a press conference to mark the anniversary, Mr. Rizwan Devani, the local distributor from global phone brand Xiaomi, noted, “We are happy to be part of the 6th anniversary of Jumia. It is a great opportunity to work with a company that is committed to creating a business revolution across the country and Africa as a whole. For many Ugandans, this concept is still strange to them but it has great benefits.” Following their global strategy line, the chinese smartphone giant – which have based its growth on online sale & marketing – will be launching the latest Redmi S2 during Jumia Anniversary. Renowned for its amazing price / quality ratio, the S2 will impress all selfie fans across the country with its 16MP front camera and natural selfie-light

Sunil Bhagchandani from Anisuma – East African distributors for brands such as Sony, Canon, Nikon – added, “We are confident that our business will benefit strongly from online presence on Jumia. It’s an unique way to reach more customers – who can now simply order our products from home, and have them delivered throughout Uganda. Jumia represents a unique opportunity to join the online revolution”. Discover Anisuma amazing promotions on Sony, Hitashi, Panasonic TVs & Appliances by connecting on Jumia during the anniversary.

World Rugby launches Dot Rugby domain; Here’s how to reserve yours

By
Solomon Obwot
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0

The World Rugby has today launched the .rugby internet domain name, kicking-off a digital revolution that will deliver multiple promotional benefits to the global rugby community.

World Rugby’s website has become and all of the international federation’s digital properties, including email addresses, are being seamlessly transitioned as part of a phased major digital re-brand.

With competition for a share of the youth audience in the digital space, .rugby is a major digital pillar of World Rugby’s fan-engagement strategy, supporting the visibility, accessibility and engagement of a sport that has 9.1 million players and 338 million fans worldwide.

Reserve Yours here

From today, unions and regions are invited to join the revolution within an exclusive first-chance period.

World Rugby obtained the .rugby domain with a view to:

  • Accelerate the promotion of rugby and stakeholder brands in a safe, secure and controlled environment
  • Promote the sport and unify the global community online under a common identity
  • Make sure the rights of privileged rugby stakeholders are preserved
  • Link all participants via a specific identity and create a recognisable digital space for all rugby-related activities online

World Rugby’s strategic partners in this ground-breaking project are Roar. Rugby, a field-leader in domain technology and marketing, who share World Rugby’s vision for the domain’s potential to grow the globality of the sport for the benefit of the sport.

World Rugby Vice-chair Agustin Pichot said: “Building a deeper connection with the youth audience is critical to the relevance and sustainability of sport and rugby is no different. The .rugby domain is an important fan-engagement enabler for rugby, a community promoter and protector and a potential new revenue stream for unions.”

World Rugby CEO Brett Gosper added: “The .rugby domain reflects that mission and will provide the digital environment for a truly global community with one identity and we are already seeing significant excitement and interest across the game.

“Ensuring that .rugby was kept within the sport for the benefit of global rugby is in line with our strategic mission to protect and promote the sport, uniting the community and furthering our audience reach and therefore we are underwriting the provision of a package of .rugby domains for our unions, should they wish to embrace this exciting opportunity.”

ROAR Founder and Chairman and former professional football player, Ryan Nelsen congratulated World Rugby on securing the domain. Since World Rugby announced this program in March we have seen the tremendous excitement from Unions, clubs, players and fans wanting to get into the new digital era of .rugby for their internet identity. A number of Unions are ready to launch alongside World Rugby, keen to get the benefits of consistent branding, a safer internet space, and revenue opportunities.”

World Rugby believes the global rugby community will embrace .rugby and is offering priority access to domain names to its 6 regional associations, 121 national member unions and key stakeholders. The general public will have the chance to use the trusted and secure domain later in 2018.

Custom CRM vs Prepackaged CRM

By
Steven Nuwagira
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0

Searching for CRM on the internet will give you many options to choose from. Most of these CRM Softwares are based on the fundamental principle of tracking contacts, customer data, missed opportunities and orders. This will work for a business that doesn’t have special needs. But imagine this – if everyone is using CRM based on the same principle able to perform the same thing, what competitive edge do you have? None. This is where you need a custom CRM system. You need a CRM system that grows with your business, is customizable and is tailor-made to suit your needs. A CRM should actualize your vision for your business and should not be an off-the-shelf product that any of your competitors can get their hands on.

Why Custom CRM software?

 There are services out there that advertise themselves as being the one-stop pre-packaged CRM solution. They might include everything you need at a reasonable price, but they might just lack one or two features that can help you get an advantage over your competitors. As explained earlier, your competitors can always buy the pre-packaged CRM available for sale. The only way to have an advantage here is to have your CRM that actualizes your own vision for business growth.

Pre-packaged CRMs that are readily available in the market are packaged with a lot of unnecessary tools and features that your business might not need. These extra features and tools increase complexity. This increased complexity costs your business in terms of both money as well as time. Imagine you want a simple CRM system that handles your lead generation and customer data management activities but the CRM that is available is loaded with cumbersome and clunky modules like – marketing automation, social media integrations, etc. Now it is you and your team’s duty to figure out how to get rid of the fluff and implement the system in such a way that saves you the most money and makes you more productive. This takes more time and effort by your team to learn how to use the software for their purpose without being distracted by other modules. This can really cut your sales team’s productivity. With a custom built CRM software, you get exactly what you need without any unnecessary and clunky software additions. Since the CRM is designed as per your workflow and vision, it is easier to implement in your business routine. Your team finds it easy to work with as the CRM is designed with their requirements and workflow in mind.

Custom CRMs will put you in total control – One of the biggest disadvantages of pre-packaged CRM software is that they are built around someone else’s workflow. And if you want to use it, you will have to change your business’s workflow and re-learn the way you handle your business and customer data. With a custom CRM software developed for your business, you don’t need to reinvent how your business work. You can stick to your business process that you have perfected after years of trial and error. With a custom CRM solution, you can effectively decide how to log data into the software and how it can be later fetched and used by your business to perform a robust service to your customers.

Is Custom CRM worth the cost?

Putting it tersely, ‘absolutely.’ Most people think that a bespoke CRM solution for their business is going to be costly. While there are others who think that taking their business online would involve huge cost and would be prohibitive to the business growth. But the fact of the matter is that this is not the case. If done properly, custom CRM solutions can start providing ROI almost immediately. You can, in fact, boost your business almost immediately by implementing a CRM.

 If you want to know more about dedicated CRM solutions, please check https://asperbrothers.com/laravel-web-development/

 

Emirates Skywards launches mobile travel app Emirates Skywards GO, in partnership with the ENTERTAINER

By
Joel Osekeny
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0

Emirates Skywards, the loyalty programme of Emirates airline, has partnered with the ENTERTAINER to launch its own Emirates Skywards GO app for members. The app is a mobile travel companion that offers members access to over 4,400 2-for-1 offers at some of the best restaurants and spas in over 20 cities.

In addition to value for money offers, Emirates Skywards GO gives members access to day
planners, city guides and the ability to instantly book tours and attractions in over 160
destinations. The app is free to download on iOS or Android devices.

The 2-for-1 offers can be unlocked with 6,700 Skywards Miles and are available in over 20 cities that Emirates flies to including Dubai, London, Hong Kong and Johannesburg. For more information visit the Emirates Site. Members of the loyalty programme can use Emirates Skywards GO as a travel companion.

After unlocking the app, members will have six months to start using the 2-for-1 vouchers. After redeeming the first voucher, they will have 30 days to enjoy as many offers as they would like. The special deals include restaurants, cafes, spas and wellness activities.
Emirates Skywards GO complements the Emirates app where members can check their Miles, tier status and other member offers in the revamped Emirates Skywards section.

Emirates Skywards membership is free. Besides flight rewards and upgrades, members can
earn and redeem Skywards Miles through over 100 programme partners including airlines,
hotels and retail & lifestyle outlets. Members also enjoy money-can’t-buy-experiences at popular events worldwide and access to 41 Emirates lounges in major cities worldwide. Other benefits include lounge access, priority check-in and boarding and special privileges for Wi-Fi and advanced seat selection on board.

Emirates introduces 3D seat models on their site

By
GURU8 Staff
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0

Emirates has introduced 3D seat models on emirates.com, becoming the first airline to introduce web virtual reality (VR) technology on its digital platform. The 3D seat model is a visualisation engine that displays an immersive 3D 360-degree view of the interior of the Emirates A380 and the Emirates Boeing 777, giving customers a chance to explore their seats, the spacious cabin and the Emirates onboard product.

This new feature available on emirates.com allows users to navigate through the Economy, Business and First Class cabins, as well as the iconic Onboard Lounge and Shower Spa on the Emirates A380 using navigational hotspots.

Alex Knigge, Emirates’ Senior Vice President, Corporate Communications, Marketing and Brand (Digital), said: “As we continually invest to provide our customers with an unmatched travel experience onboard and on the ground, we also work very hard to give our customers a world-class digital experience. We are pleased to be the world’s first airline to introduce this cutting-edge web VR technology, which offers our customers an immersive opportunity to learn more about the fantastic Emirates experience before they step on board. In our usability tests with customers, we found that they particularly appreciated the 3D seat and cabin models when selecting their seats.”

The high-quality 3D generated graphics offer an outstanding render that is close to reality. The immersive experience is now available for the three class Emirates A380 but will soon include renderings of Emirates’ entire fleet including all configurations of the A380 and Boeing 777 aircraft.

The 3D 360-degree views of the cabins also feature a virtual reality element for a more immersive experience. Users can enjoy hands-free cabin navigation and seat selection by using any VR headset like Google Cardboard.  This award-winning technology is compatible with all devices without the need for external applications or plugins. The 3D seat models were created in partnership with Renacen who was awarded the Crystal Cabin for the best visionary concept for this project at the recent Crystal Cabin Awards.

Customers accessing emirates.com via their mobile devices or the Emirates app for iOS and Android will also be able to explore their seats before checking in online with the 3D seat map. The tool allows customers to navigate from one seat to another and even allows would-be customers to book their preferred seats from within the 3D environment.

In addition to the new 3D cabin models, new product videos are available on emirates.com which illustrate the end to end travel experience across all cabins. The videos serve as a guide, giving new customers a clear idea of all the unique features of the Emirates travel experience. Emirates also continues to conduct frequent usability studies with customers and frequent flyers in different geographies to identify further opportunities to enhance its digital user experience. 

This is a Press Release from Emirates 

Liquid Telecom, Dark Fibre Africa, IFC, SEACOM and Wananchi Group to discuss broadband leadership and investment strategies at London summit

By
Brian Code
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0

The transition from voice-centric to data-centric business models for African telecommunications and broadband companies is driving change in the industry and is helping to evolve investing strategies, according to global news and leadership events provider TMT Finance.

Joseph d’Arrast, EMEA Editor at TMT Finance, said: “The increasing demand for data services and attractive revenue growth opportunities are fuelling a wave of transactions in African broadband. To answer this demand, fibre companies are attempting to scale up, both by organic expansion and by acquisition, while a number of private-public partnerships are helping to build network backbones through the continent,” he said.

With huge opportunities for M&A and investment in the space, TMT Finance Africa 2018 will return to London on September 19 in London and will feature a dedicated panel on Broadband Leadership, which will discuss strategies for regional growth. Speakers on the panel include Thinus Mulder, CEO, Dark Fibre Africa; Nic Rudnick, CEO, Liquid Telecom; Thomas Hintze, CEO, Wananchi Group; Suveer Ramdhani, Chief Development Officer, SEACOM; and Anikó Szigetvári, Global Head – TMT Group, IFC.

Other classes of infrastructure assets including mobile towers and datacentre rollout are also pressing matters for Africa’s TMT sector, according to d’Arrast. “Operators have been assessing a range of IPOs and potential consolidation, as their portfolios expand and telecom operators continue to offload infrastructure. Datacentres are also attracting significant interest with a number of greenfield projects in the pipeline,” he said.

Over 70 key speakers have been announced for the event, with CxOs and senior executives also confirmed from companies including Orange, IHS Towers, Econet Wireless, Millicom Africa, The Carlyle Group, Standard Bank, PAIX, East Africa Data Centre, Ethos Private Equity, Rack Centre, Jumia, Uber, Intelsat, Huawei, Credit Suisse and World Remit, among others.

TMT Finance Africa will feature leading senior executives (CEOs, CFOs, CSOs), Investment Bankers, Investors and Professional Advisers, with a maximum attendance of 250 to ensure premium networking. 75 Speakers are to be announced.

Tecno Spark 2 Review: The 4 Things that will Spark and Light You Up

By
Pius Enywaru
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1

When the Tecno Spark series, a slimmer and cheaper version from the smartphone company was released last year, I immediately got myself one but because I was such a heavy user, I was somewhat disappointed with its little RAM (it had 1GB of RAM). In the wake of the month of May, rumours about the release of the Tecno Spark 2 with bigger RAM hit and a smile was instantly painted on my Face.

I thought of all the things I was going to do with a little more speed, space from a budget and pocket-friendly smartphone and boom, it finally landed, I got my hands on it and I can now share with you the four things that stood out for me;

Have you had a look at its Design?

Like the first one, the Spark 2 comes off with a sleek and amazing design. When it rests in your palm, it seamlessly caresses it with fine borders and much bigger screen giving you perfect view of anything. On this edition, Tecno tries to give us a few bezels and more screen to play with. Although I have held the Midnight black and fallen in love with it more, The Spark 2 comes in in four beautiful colours – a Bordeaux Red, Champagne gold, city blue and midnight black.

It’s such a thin and incredibly light smartphone made to suit your calm lifestyle and above all to spark you up without even breaking a bank. The Spark 2 is going for the only 435,000UGX at major outlets in town and online stores.

That Battery Life Goals….

Whenever I buy an Android smartphone, I have always been worried about how long I will keep my battery before I start to walk around with my charger like some hawker. It’s not been entirely about the phones I buy, but it has been about me as a notorious user. It’s as though I hate having some serious charge on my phone.

 

Flaunting a 3500mAh battery capacity, the all-new TECNO Spark 2, promises to give you a two-day charge of your phone. Although I managed to hit 1 and half days on a single charge, this gave me such a breather knowing well that I can rely on this baby to carry me for a travel. With that much battery life, I can not ask for more surely.

Such Amazing Display….

I love big things, I love big cars, I love big beer jars and I also love big screens and the Tecno Spark gives me just that. Spark 2 flaunts an 18:9 full-screen display giving you one of the best displays as you take your photos or use apps.

 

On top of this, using the Camera gives you a crystal clear immersive display. The Spark 2 comes with an 8MP selfie and 13MP rear camera which give you unrivalled images and have quick optimization with light. Coupled with its 6.0-inch and a full HD+ 2.5D, be sure to capture some crisp images.

Android Go is a Major Key!

This is by far the most exciting thing about the Tecno Spark 2. Android Go! It’s a powerful experience for entry-level smartphones and here, blessed with it. It’s the best of Android, built with new and reimagined apps, so even the most affordable Android smartphones are as sweet as they can be.

When you use Android Go, you have you more Storage and Saving space wherever it’s needed
With smaller app sizes, more storage space, and way more control over how your content is stored, it’s easy to see the ways Android Oreo (Go edition) helps you save.

It also gives you phone a Better Performance and also has a built-in data manager and more options to help you save, there are now more ways than ever to stay in control of your data.

The Tecno Spark 2 has the same key security features as Android Oreo and comes with Google Play Protect, built-in mobile security that keeps your apps and data safe, 24/7. On top of that, you have the Face feature you can use to unlock your smartphone. Aren’t you in love already?

Jumia Selling 1 Kg Of Sugar For 2700 Ugx To Drive Trial Of E-Commerce In Uganda

By
Doryn Crystal
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0
jumia anniversary sugar

Customers on Jumia will have the chance to buy 1 kg of Sugar for only 2700 Ugx through the Jumia app and also enjoy free delivery in Kampala during the ‘Pre Jumia anniversary” campaign running from the 2nd to the 6th of July, 2018.

“The ‘Pre Jumia anniversary’ campaign is to get our customers and the general public ready for the mind blowing discounts and deals we are going to have on the platform during the Jumia anniversary. They have made us the biggest online shop in Uganda and we want to celebrate (Salebrate) our six year anniversary in style with them.” Said Jumia Chief Marketing officer Neville Igasira Igunduura.

As more people continue to embrace online shopping for their day-to-day home supplies, the campaign is also aimed at eliminating the perceived online buying barriers and bias.  New customers can experience a seamless online shopping experience for basically free. Existing customers in kampala will also benefit from trying out the Jumia express promise, which is delivery of items in 24 hours plus the added bonus of the deliveries being free.

The company continues to grow its market share in the everyday essentials category, as Fast Moving Consumer Goods continue to grow quickly. According to figures published by Jumia, the category has the highest share of repeat purchases out of any on Jumia and this because customers are getting accustomed to the convenience of the service.

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