GoBEBA, an on-demand ecommerce logistics platform has gone live in Kenya in a move expected to disrupt the hyper-local on-demand logistics market in Kenya, taking on the likes of Glovo, Sendy, SafeBoda, UberBoda, TaxifyBoda, BusyBoda and GetBoda among others.
Launched by Mr. Peter Ndiang’u, a former OLX Country Manager and Ms. Lesley Mbogo, an ex-Amazon Head of Product, GoBEBA will allow customers to shop directly from local merchants and have their goods delivered to them in less than one hour.
The service will allow Kenyans who are busy and do not have time to shop, have their shopping done by experts through the platform, offering them convenience while saving their time. GoBEBA will also help distribute goods to micro-retailers in small urban centers across the country.
Mr. Peter Ndiang’ui, GoBEBA’s Founder and former OLX Country Manager, told TechMoran that Africa’s growing young population and burgeoning middle class presents a huge opportunity for e-commerce and logistics companies but for logistics to gain widespread consumer adoption, the approach needs to be localized better than the current global players in the market.
“Urban consumers face a growing challenge of highly trafficked and crowded cities in a highly fragmented retail environment, making it difficult to access goods conveniently. With GoBEBA’s entry into the Kenyan market, we seek to address this challenge through technology by helping consumers discover and access goods from local retailers and Juakali artisans in a highly convenient way. Furthermore, GoBEBA will enable small retailers and businesses to distribute goods in urban and peri-urban centres across the country, ” said Mr. Ndiang’ui.
He is right. In Sub-Saharan Africa, consumption of goods is rising fast and is estimated to reach Ksh 200 trillion by 2025, as incomes grow and more people move into urban centers. These consumers and small businesses need multiple services from groceries, gas, parcels, food and drinks among others. GoBEBA aims to do just that. By allowing users to send a shopping list of items they would like to purchase, GoBEBA also allows customers who do not own smartphones to make orders by calling or sending an SMS directly through the platform. The experts, called GoBEBA Pros will then find and shop the items on behalf of the customer and then deliver them in less than an hour.
“With the rise of foreign entrants into this space, GoBEBA has come-up with a new model where on-demand logistics capabilities are paired with and digital marketplace specifically tailor-made for the local market with a touch of global expertise. Our objective is to drive consumers and micro-retailers demand through our e-commerce platform which consequently will drive demand for our logistics providers in the Kenyan market”, said Ms. Mbogo, the former Product Head at Amazon.
With the rise of foreign entrants into this space, GoBEBA has come-up with a new model. Rather than just a logistics platform, GoBEBA pairs on-demand logistics capabilities with a digital marketplace specifically tailor-made for the local market with a touch of global expertise.
The platform allows local retailers such as butcheries to be searched and purchased by consumers for instant delivery.
“Our objective is to drive consumers and micro-retailers demand through our e-commerce platform which consequently will drive demand for our logistics providers in the Kenyan market, ” said Ms. Mbogo, the former Product Head at Amazon, a four-time patent holder and a graduate of the prestigious Wharton Business School, who also serves in the Kenyan Blockchain and Artificial Intelligence committee of experts.
GoBEBA is targeting to expand to other African countries such as Nigeria, Egypt, South Africa , Ethiopia , Ghana and Ivory Coast over the next five years.
As the former OLX Country Manager and Head of Sub-Saharan Africa expansion,
Mr. Ndiang’ui is in the driver’s seat to see GoBEBA grow in the Kenyan market and across the Sub-Saharan Africa region.