After many years of waiting and hoping that Kenyans would embrace buying and selling online, it is great to see that a number of eCommerce sites are now household names in Kenya. But is still not enough, more need to be done ensure that people embrace e commerce in Kenya. Recently when I went to a trip somewhere in upcountry I had two guys discussing on how sometime it is hard to find people to sell things to. One of them had things he wanted to sell due to emergency but people within their networks were all broke

So out curiosity I asked them if they know that they could do the same online. I asked them if they had heard of OLX for example. I know OLX has done great job trying to reach the masses through different media; tv, radio and digital ads. Well I was not surprised to hear that they know about OLX but they never thought about trying to use it.

The above case might also explain the reason why Kenyans are sitting on Ksh158 billion worth of unused goods. Read more about the Nielsen report here

There a number of advantages of using online shopping sites like OLX which probably most Kenyans don't know. Here are just a few:

  • 24 hours a day, 7 days a week availability. People talk of 24 hours economy, the internet provides it without question or cost
  • Unlimited space, especially for those who have things to sell
  • Access to search and retrieval systems that ease the customer search job.
  • Value added content as text excerpts and title recommendations, which can be provided to aid the customer in their purchase decision.
  • Global accessibility. Online for once has made the world flat and regardless where one is, you can reach any corner of the globe
  • In case of the unused goods / items , it provides access to people looking for acquiring goods at lower price points, for example a student who has just gotten her/his first job will be able to afford high quality items at lower prices if they buy them used .