Kenya has of late experienced an e-commerce boom thanks to a high number of mobile internet users partly driven by the growing availability of affordable smartphones and also due to the availability of a fast growing network coverage all over the country.
With this, Safaricom, Kenya’s largest Telco, today officially announced the launch of its e-commerce portal, Masoko.
Masoko (Swahili for ‘markets’) aims to leverage the mobile phone to provide local merchants with unlimited potential to sell their products and services via an online platform.
Users of the platform will be able to access items ranging from groceries to books to auto parts.
“Masoko hopes to unlock the untapped e-commerce market in Kenya by connecting consumers, merchants and vendors to each other using a powerful online portal. We are currently starting with close to 200 vendors offering over 20,000 products,” said Joe Ogutu, Director – Strategy, Safaricom.
Masoko will accept all mobile money payments as well as Visa and MasterCard payments and will have dedicated delivery fulfillment partners such as Wells Fargo and Sendy to provide a seamless customer experience that is versatile, fast and secure.
“By leveraging the strength and reach of our network, our customer base, and a number of partnerships with vendors, we hope to create a solution that can power the next phase of growth for the Kenyan economy. We hope to create a universal platform that will connect the smallest of vendors in Kenya to a nationwide market,” said Mr. Ogutu.
Masoko will offer customers access to the very best in tech, fashion, latest trends and everyday essentials at the click of a button through either their mobile phones or computers.
A customer care team will also be available to manage any queries from customers, while a wide-ranging returns policy will ensure that all purchases meet the expectations of the customer.
