tappi, the digital commerce SaaS solution tailored for Africa’s micro, small and medium-sized businesses (MSMEs), has partnered with the Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KNCCI) to launch “Sukuma Biz”, Shopify-like landing pages for SMEs in Kenya.
For a monthly fee of Ksh.500 ($3.70), KNCCI members will receive their own business landing page on tappi’s platform featuring a KNCCI Logo as well as access to 50 customer reviews via SMS, WhatsApp or additional channels, which will be integrated to their landing page. Members will also be able to send 250 text marketing messages directly to their customers. This is similar to Google My Business and Facebook pages and Mocality, Yalwa, Coast Online, Tafutta, and Findit used to be in the day. With the demise of Mocality and Google’s GetMyBusinessOnline, directories expired as unique points for firm’s search engine optimization due to the advent of social media.
However, tappi says it aims to deliver a unique package of digital services specifically geared towards bolstering online credibility and identity for KNCCI’s 30,000+ business members with a mission to drive online success for Kenya’s 7.4mn MSMEs. All KNCCI members will be able to generate SEO-optimised websites in less than 2 minutes based on eight simple questions devised by an intuitive chat tool tailored to its target audience and core sector.
KNCCI members will also be equipped with the capacity to seamlessly distribute Google, Facebook and Instagram ads from tappi’s platform as well as receive access to a number of additional digital services.
According to Kenfield Griffith, tappi CEO and co-founder, “In order for this initiative to be successful, it was vital we worked alongside a partner with not only a strong, in-depth understanding of the most critical pain points Kenyan businesses face, but also the demographics which are most heavily affected by them. With this in mind, we’re incredibly proud to be joined by KNCCI on what we believe is not only a crucial step for MSMEs, but specifically women-led businesses, in equipping them with the digital tools to significantly drive Kenya’s economy forward.”
Since its inception in 2022, tappi has been on a rapid growth journey capturing verified reviews on over $3M in consumer transactions and engaging with over 150K consumers. Through its powerful end-to-end digital commerce stack, tappi facilitates a seamless online business profile creation process through an intuitive chat experience. Leveraging payments, messaging and AI, the platform is rapidly emerging as the SEO backbone to boost revenue for MSMEs across the continent, helping businesses gain visibility, consolidate payments with verified reviews to build online trust and pay for online Ads with mobile airtime.
With operations in Kenya and Nigeria, the platform recently announced its expansion into Côte d’Ivoire in March 2024 alongside its long-standing partner, MTN.