Electronic Commerce: TEXUB hub debuts in Nigeria to lift B2B IT trade - ITREALMS

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A global Business-To-Business (B2B) marketplace specializing on IT trades, TEXUB, has set up a hub in Nigeria to underscore the premium it places in the local and Africa markets, reports ITREALMS.

TEXUB which debuted in Dubai, the United Arab Emirate (UAE) on May 25, 2022, informed ITREALMS they are dedicated to building a global online IT B2B marketplace, the very first platform of its kind.

$22trn e-commerce opportunities beckon on 138 developing countries

ITRealms:

There is a $22 trillion electronic commerce (e-Commerce) opportunities for over 138 developing countries including Nigeria, reports ITRealms.

The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) made this disclosure Monday at the launch of a new e-commerce initiative ahead of UNCTAD 14, according to its Secretary-General, Mukhisa Kituyi.

“A huge divide is opening between countries that are exploiting those opportunities and those that are not,” Kituyi said.

As said by UNCTAD, developing countries should grasp the rapidly growing opportunity of electronic commerce – e-commerce – worth around $22.1 trillion in 2015, up 38 per cent from 2013, or risk falling quickly behind.

The new initiative, called “eTrade for All”, brings international organizations, donors and businesses under one umbrella, easing developing country access to cutting-edge technical assistance and giving donors more options for funding.

By providing new opportunities and new markets, online commerce, UNCTAD said, could help generate economic opportunities, including jobs. But while more than 70 per cent of people are shopping online in Denmark, Luxembourg and the United Kingdom, the story is different in most developing countries. In Bangladesh, Ghana and Indonesia, for example, just 2 per cent or less of the population buy online.

E-commerce, Kituyi said, includes both business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-consumer (B2C), respectively valued at around $19.9 trillion and $2.2 trillion each, according to the new UNCTAD data. This trade is mostly domestic, but is becoming more and more international.

The new UNCTAD data show that e-commerce is growing rapidly, with emerging economies accounting for most of this growth. China is now the world’s largest B2C e-commerce market, both in terms of sales and in number of online shoppers. Brazil, India, the Republic of Korea and the Russian Federation have also all moved into the top 10 e-commerce markets.

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Nigeria’s e-commerce worth $10b – ACE founders

ITRealms

The electronic commerce (e-commerce) in Nigeria is estimated to yield over $10billion, about N1.99 trillion if the potentials are well harnessed, ITRealms reports.

This revelation was made by the Founders and Managing Directors of African Courier Express (ACE), a technology driven logistics company, Tunde Kehinde and Ercin Eksin. They added that robust logistics infrastructures are critical to unlocking the potential of electronic commerce in Nigeria.

The industry players who pioneered e-commerce in the country as co-founders of electronic retailer, Jumia.com, ITRealms gathered, said e-commerce should play significant roles in the economic boom, likely to come in the coming years.

They insisted that to attain the potentials belied in the industry, logistics as a challenge must be tackled. Just as they stressed the fact that with an estimated growth rate of 25 per cent yearly, the e-commerce industry, when examined in 2012 was worth $35 million about N6.95billion, is valued at $550 million aboutN109.4billion and projected to have a $10 billion potential if well harnessed, according to the ministry of communications technology.

“The Nigerian e-commerce market presents peculiar challenges,” the duo posited in a recent media chat.

For them, ITRealms gathered, Nigerians are not as trusting of electronic retail as westerners, and the implication is that almost e-retail transactions in the nation is pay-on-delivery.

“In Nigeria, this leads to logistics issues concerning finding customers at a time when customers have the cash for their purchases, and issues surrounding cash remittance to the merchant. These are the conditions that compelled us to create ACE, a firm that aims to redefine the way e-commerce is handled, by placing focus on creating a technological infrastructure and adapting processes that should allow Nigerian – and by extension African e-commerce to develop stronger,” they said.

In addition, they said ACE’s technology was developed in-house by talented, entrepreneurial minds, and allows the firm to provide merchants with more details and information about their shipments – enabling them to make better business decisions.

Cyriacus Nnaji/GEE

 
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CWG, Openshopen host MSMEs to eCommerce in Lagos

ITRealms:

The Computer Warehouse Group plc (CWG) in collaboration with the Openshopen has hosted the some Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) owners to an electronic commerce (eCommerce) in Lagos, reports ITRealms.

Tagged “Learn How to Set-up, operate and advertise your own store online” ITRealms reports that the workshop was aimed at equipping business owners with the skills they require to take their business to the online community by operating an online store and selling to people other than those in their immediate physical community.

ITRealms also reports that while welcoming participants, the Head Marketing Communications, CWG, Success Nmerife, stated that the workshop was designed to introduce them to solutions and methods they could employ to maximize the benefits that the internet affords in growing their businesses.

She observed that the shift in the global focus from traditional business model to online commerce has made the utilization of the electronic media in business promotion and sales an indispensable tool for merchants.

In her remarks, Adriana De la Cruz Duffo, Business Manager, Openshopen told ITRealms that Openshopen has been uniquely designed to respond to the challenges of online trading encountered by SMEs in the Nigerian business environment.

“Openshopen is easy to use, cheap and profitable. It addresses the fears of payment gateway security. It also takes care of the logistics of delivery. It is a platform you as merchants can adopt, if you want your business to grow” she said.

Delivering his presentation, Head, Innovation at CWG plc, Mr. Tayo Oduwole, introduced the Openshopen online platform to the participants, stressing that CWG partnership with Openshopen affords them to introduce the eCommerce platform which is in line with its vision to enable Nigerian merchants acquire business enabling technology without incurring business killing own-infrastructure costs.

He pointed out that Openshopen differs from other online shopping platforms, in that it allows merchants sell directly to buyers and have the privilege of promoting their brands. Unlike other platforms that require merchants to submit their wares for sale.

“With Openshopen, you can sell your brand alongside your products, such that people can look for you if they want your products again”, he said.

The workshop featured a practical session where Mr. Oduwole took participants through step by step procedure of opening a store online. The participants had the privilege of creating their own store, each having their unique web address, corporate logo and products for display. Thereafter, they were taught the basics of promoting their business using various social media platforms.

Presenting certificate of participants to attendees, Chief Technology Officer, CWG, Mr. James Agada, noted that the workshop served as one of CWG’s ways of contributing towards the growth of SMEs in Nigeria, creating employment and contributing to the growth of the nation’s economy.

He also urged participants to utilize the knowledge they have gained from the workshop.

“Having learnt how to open your store and sell online, we look forward to seeing you sell on Openshopen”, he said.

For some of the participants, including Mr. and Mrs. Yemi Adeyemo, Directors at House of Treasures, “In fact, the workshop was worth the while, the lectures were extensive and the speakers were very good. We have learnt a lot that we will like to put them into use as soon as we get back home”.

 +Remmy Nweke @Success Nmerife

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Pix:L-R: Charles Ibonye, Project manager, CWG Plc; Mr. James Agada Chief Technology Officer, CWG Plc;  Tayo Oduwole, Head, Innovation; Success Nmerife, Head, Marketing Communications and Adriana De la Cruz Duffo, Business Manager, Openshopen at the maiden eCommerce workshop for merchants in Lagos recently.

Agada urges AGN, Nigerians to embrace eCommerce opportunities

ITRealms:

The chief executive officer, PMM Integrated Ventures, Mr. Ejiofor Agada has urged the Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN) and entire Nigerians to embrace abundant opportunities in electronic commerce (e-Commerce) reports ITRealms.

Mr. Agada, who leads a team of Information Technology (IT) solutions advocacy, ITRealms reports, made this call at the recently concluded capacity building workshop for Actors Guild of Nigeria, Lagos chapter.

ITRealms gathered that while delivering his presentation, Agada noted the trending thing in business at the moment has been e-commerce and any intelligent business that wants to stay above board in this era by actively getting involved on the internet, stressing that with e-commerce, anything could be sold online. 

“The advent of e-commerce has changed the face of buying and selling because I could be in my room and with my phone I can make purchases of anything I need, which means, I can only do businesses with those that are on the e-commerce platform and not just a company that has a website. This is where businesses are headed at the moment,” he said.

Referencing Tilda Kart 1.0, an online shop management tool that is designed to help individuals conducts businesses on the internet, Mr. Agada pointed out that the Tilda Kart is designed to make it possible and yet cheaper for prospective businesses to become like the big online shops, but with less cost more reliable features like the ability of the solution to generate invoices, receipts and quotation.

He also disclosed to ITRealms some of the unique features of the tool which include high search engine performance, underscoring the fact that to implement this solution costs less than 80 per cent of most e-commerce platforms.

Also speaking, the Chairman of AGN Lagos chapter, Mr Don Pedro Aganbi, told ITRealms that it is imperative that young and upcoming actors and actresses should look beyond the glitz and glamour of the entertainment industry and explore other avenues to create wealth.

“So that the dance continues even when the music stops” he said.

+Remmy Nweke +Ejiofor Agada +don pedro aganbi +Tilda Kart

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Xilopix search engine debuts with Arabic website

ITRealms@GITEX:

The Vice president, Strategy, Business Development and Sales at Xilopix, Bruno Prely, says their electronic commerce (e-Commerce) search engine is making a debut at this year’s GiTEX in Dubia with an Arabic translated website, reports ITRealms.

A press statement made available to ITRealms at GITEX Technology Week informs that Xilopix is launching this product for the Middle East, Africa and South Asia (MEASA) to facilitate search and navigation for businesses and turn visitors to GITEX 2014 into customers.

Built on Xilopix Search Engine’s technology and optimized for e-Commerce, Prely pointed out has already been recognized as “New Shopping Experience” of the year and “Tomorrow’s Economy – Innovation 2014” by two of the most prestigious French organisations.

This, he said, follows the success story of Xilopix in France, hence they decided to expand to MEASA region to first emphasise the fact that its solution is the first search engine designed with an alphabet independent mindset, which means that Xilopix for eCommerce will answer querries written in Arabic better than other search engines that are designed to work optimally with the Roman alphabet.

In order to support the commercialization in the region, Xilopix has extended its presence in Dubai with a local partner and an Arabic version of its website, which debut on August 31.

 
+Remmy Nweke (ITRealms)  +Gitex TechWeek #GITEXTechWeek

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Johnson says eCommerce, catalyst for economic growth

The Minister of Communication Technology, Mrs Omobola Johnson has described the electronic commerce (eCommerce) as catalyst for economic growth.

Making this disclosure at the first annual eCommerce conference hosted by Jumia in Lagos, she said that the sector has the capacity to significantly extend the reach of wholesale and retail trade in the country leading to accelerated economic growth and job creation.

Dwelling on “eCommerce and ICT in Nigeria: Engine for Job Creation and Economic Growth,’ she informed the audience that eCommerce represents many sectors and players coming together for economic gain.

She cited an instance with suppliers of goods partnering with online retailers such as Jumia to offer their products to consumers that could use banks and other channels for electronic payments to purchase items.

These goods, she said, are then delivered by logistics and delivery companies often using communications technology to schedule delivery.

She noted that in one transaction the participation of entities in the wholesale and retail trade sector, financial services sector, transport sector, postal sector and telecommunications sector are involved.

Mrs. Johnson identified some of the barriers inhibiting growth of eCommerce industry to include inadequate broadband access, high cost of internet and mobile communications services, low awareness amongst the public of the relevance of eCommerce to their lives, low consumer confidence in using electronic payment channels, and low availability of skilled personnel amongst others.

The Federal Government, she said, is working to address these challenges through its on-going implementation of the National Broadband Policy, reformation of the postal sector amongst others.

The postal market in Nigeria, she said, is a highly competitive sector with  substantial growth potential that needs to be deployed to give consumers increased choice and access to the postal operator’s extensive network of urban and rural outlets.

The Ministry, she said, is contributing towards removing payment barriers byreforming postal services and developing postal outlets that will become venues for financial and economic inclusion. Postal outlets constitute the most widespread retail network in Nigeria that can be deployed to foster the reach of eCommerce in the country.

Remmy Nweke

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