Cartnshop (Cart “n” Shop) is an end-to-end e-store enablement engine that allows any retailer or business to gain new customers.
The startup’s B2B and B2C channels include payment gateways, shipping and fulfillment centers, marketing and marketplace cross-listings, and company management capabilities.
“The Cartnshop ecosystem pulls stakeholders into the channels, including producers, supply chain partners, service providers, and e-commerce enablers, providing a complete model of B2B2C,” stated Joe Wambugu, creator and CEO.
The startup launched engine one in late 2019 and onboarded 50 clients. After showcasing the concept and collecting comments, it launched engine two with over 300 merchants.
It initiated a market proof of concept with Safaricom and EABL in 2020, gathering enough market feedback to create engine three, which is now ready to go live and can host over a million merchants.
This month, a group of business angels will invest US$400,000 to help fund the implementation.
Some retailers in Tanzania and Botswana have access to Cartnshop’s platform, but Wambugu believes Kenya remains the company’s main focus.