Opinion@ITRealms:
Eminent Greek
philosopher and poet Nikos Kazantzakis must have had in mind one of the major
imperatives to achieving feats of immense significance when he delivered the
time-honored assertion that: “In order
to succeed, we must first believe that we can.”
For indeed, when one
considers the manner of Yudala’s bold entry into the Nigerian e-commerce sector
last year, it is evident to see that, the belief that things can be done
differently in Nigeria and by Nigerians is at the heart of the movement.
To begin with, Yudala
had come up with a novel strategy, one which no one other outfit had been able
to successfully implement with any degree of structure, prior to its entry. By
fusing a real-time e-commerce platform with a chain of brick-and-mortar retail
stores in major Nigerian cities, the company had taken the Nigerian retail narrative
a notch higher and delivered a telling statement to the rest of Africa and the
world in extension.
When Yudala rolled out
this composite retail strategy in August last year, I had quickly done an
online search to see where the whole idea came from, proving as it were, to be
a master-stroke and an idea of genuine innovation and forethought. I was
pleasantly amazed to discover that Yudala was actually setting a global
precedent with its structured fusion of online and offline retail.
Interestingly, a few months after Yudala
launched, Chinese e-commerce giants Ali Baba had followed suit with its founder
Jack Ma announcing that the company was
fusing
online shopping with good old-fashioned brick and mortar retailing.
And only
recently, search giants Google borrowed a leaf from the Yudala revolution by
venturing into physical retail with the launch of offline stores. Same thing
has also been done by Amazon. Certainly, Yudala has not received as much
recognition for this innovative strategy which the rest of the e-commerce world
is now following. However, many avid followers of e-commerce in the country, myself
included, have taken note.
Two months later, I
had my first shopping encounter with Yudala – an experience which I consider
worth sharing. Having followed with keen interest the impressive and savvy
marketing style employed by the company and the confidence with which it made
its entry into the market, I had decided to experience first-hand the
revolution which the company had boldly promised at its inception. I had placed
an order for an Innjoo smartphone which was going for about N13,500 on the
Yudala website and had opted for the payment on delivery option. My order was
confirmed a few minutes after I placed it on Thursday, October 22nd,
with the courteous customer service lady I spoke with informing me that the
item will be delivered within 48 hours. Well, I have had several other
e-commerce companies make similar promises only to have my orders either
delivered after a week or even cancelled at the last minute.
To my utter surprise,
I had received a call at exactly 3:05pm while at my desk in the office
informing of a delivery man from Yudala waiting to see me. Imagine my
consternation and delight when I came out and saw my Innjoo phone delivered,
barely 24 hours after my order was placed. It was indeed an eye-opening
experience for me and the fact that this was achieved by a purely
Nigerian-owned company only made the experience more exciting. I have had cause
to argue with friends and colleagues over the status of Yudala’s ownership as
many believe the company is owned by foreign investors.
This is hardly
surprising, especially when one considers the world class marketing strategies,
innovative composite retail approach and more recently, the drone delivery
which took the nation by storm – all of which convinced watchers that these
feats could only be achieved by a foreign company.
In the not-too
distant past, the idea of a Nigerian e-commerce company becoming the first on
the continent to pioneer product delivery with the use of drones would have
sounded like a pipe dream; a mirage, if you will. Such an audacious step becomes even more
outstanding when you consider the fact that the feat may actually be the first
ever drone delivery in the global e-commerce market.
On Thursday November
26th 2015, Yudala had written its name and that of Nigeria into the
history books by successfully undertaking what is, unknown to many, the world’s
first e-commerce drone delivery to flag off its inaugural Black Friday sales.
According to reports
which made the rounds in the media, the order for the delivered item– a Nokia
Lumia smartphone, was placed by a female staff of Access Bank Plc., Yetunde
Lawal, who was reportedly shopping on the Yudala website for the very first
time.
“I am extremely
delighted and indeed short of words to explain how I feel to be the
first person to receive an item via drone delivery in Nigeria, all
thanks to Yudala. This is an innovative concept in the evolution of e-commerce
in the country which I am sure other competitors will want to copy,” said an
elated Yetunde, the recipient of the item.
From the facts on
ground, though, Yetunde may just have turned out to be the first person in the
world to receive an item via drone delivery through e-commerce.
This feat, coming
from a Nigerian e-commerce startup is worth all its weight in gold and not one
to be sniffed at.
To put Yudala’s
landmark achievement in perspective, it is pertinent to locate it in the global
context of things. Prior to the Yudala-powered drone delivery, there has been
no recorded instance of delivery via drones in the e-commerce world. On Friday
July 17th 2015, the United States had achieved its first ever drone
delivery. However, this was a government-sponsored project and it was to
deliver medical supplies. The government-approved drone had successfully
transported 4.5kg of medical supplies to a rural health clinic in Virginia. The
drone, made by Australian drone manufacturer Flirtey and approved by the US Federal
Aviation Authority, in partnership with Nasa, had made three three-minute
flights from Lonesome Pine Airport, Virginia, to the clinic at the Wise County
Fairgrounds, carrying 24 medical packages.
Furthermore, global
e-commerce giants Amazon and others are also developing the technology to make
drone deliveries possible on a commercially viable scale, but rules and
regulations currently governing their operation have held development back. On
Prime Air - Amazon's incipient drone delivery system – Jeff Bezos, Amazon’s
chief had recently disclosed that the "technology is very advanced
already" but admitted that regulatory issues might hold it back, at least
in the United States.
"We continue to
work with different regulators around the world. One of the regulatory agencies
that's moving fastest on this is the UK, so it's possible that drone deliveries
will start first in the UK,” Bezos had stated.
The foregoing throws
into sharp relief the momentous significance of the Yudala drone delivery. Many
of us still do not realize it as yet but this generation may just have
witnessed what is a potentially era-defining achievement on that fateful
evening of November 26th 2015 when the Yudala drone effortlessly glided across
the Gbagada-Oshodi highway, bearing the Nokia Lumia smartphone for delivery to
Yetunde.
More stirringly and
in what is bound to be a source of inspiration to every Nigerian youth out
there, Yudala is led by a brilliant and visionary 23-year old Nigerian – Prince
Nnamdi Ekeh.
When in August 2015,
the company followed up the launch of its Experience Stores in Lagos with the
flag-off of Yudala Online, Prince Ekeh, Founder and Vice President of the
composite retail platform had predicted that the company would usher in a
revolution in the conduct of e-commerce business in the country.
According to him: “We
are offering Nigerians a revolutionary, platinum experience of online and
offline retail with Yudala. With the launch of Yudala Online, Nigerians are
guaranteed a mind-blowing experience of online retail with the official launch
of Yudala Online. Apart from the
innovative strategies we have in the pipeline, the launch of Yudala Online will
usher in a revolution in customer experience and service. Very soon we shall be
guaranteeing same day delivery nationwide.
“Furthermore, we are
offering a faster and more efficient delivery and logistics chain which will
keep the customer abreast of details right through the order placement to the
delivery phase. More importantly, you enjoy core after-sales support on both
warranty and out-of-warranty products when you buy from yudala.com from any of
our offline stores nationwide as we shall be populating every nook and cranny
with Yudala Experience Stores.”
Today, the signs are
there of the immense impact Yudala has had in elevating standards in the
e-commerce sector.
Prior to its drone
delivery, Nigerians had been treated to a series of innovative and creatively
thought out marketing campaigns and promotions which has endeared the brand to
many. It was hardly surprising that the company had subsequently come out at
the very top of a list put together by world’s leading search engine, Google,
highlighting the top trending Nigerian brands in 2015. Yudala had emerged
second behind Air Peace – a commendable achievement considering the fact that
other major players in the sector were missing from the top ten.
The Nigerian economy
has also benefitted immensely from the emergence of Yudala, with more
opportunities still in the offing should the company keep up with its upward
trajectory.
Findings show that
Yudala employs over 400 Nigerians on full time basis. Considering its long-term
plan of having at least a Yudala store in virtually every local government
council in the country, as outlined by Prince Ekeh, it is evident that the
Nigerian economy will reap amazingly from Yudala’s expansionary ambitions.
With reduced earnings
occasioned by falling oil prices and the dwindling value of the local currency
leading to massive job cuts in various sectors of the economy, the unemployment
situation in the country presently looks dire, with forecasts gloomy and no
signs of a respite in sight, at least in the short term. Worse still, the
linkages between unemployment and social problems including crimes and other
ills is a well-known one.
This is why Yudala
represents a refreshingly hope-inducing light in the midst of the gloom.
With its ambitious
strategy of populating every local government council nationwide, Yudala will arguably
take an estimated 10,000 Nigerians out of the labour market, providing
opportunities for self-actualization for them and indirectly easing the
pressure on their dependants and families. Having stated this, a major
draw-back observed in this regard is the paucity of technical know-how and
experience in e-commerce, considering its status as a fledgling industry. On
this, Prince Ekeh solicits the assistance of government in building capacity.
“Based on projections,
e-commerce in the MEA region is expected to grow by at least 20% this year and
that is the highest projection in the world. If you look at countries like
China and the USA, they have seen their growth in e-commerce, so this is the
time for Africa and Nigeria. We are going to see a lot of jobs coming into e-commerce
and very soon we will see Government pay more attention to e-commerce in Nigeria
because it is a huge market, with potential to become a multi-billion dollar
industry.
“The major challenge we
face, however, is the dearth of adequate skills in the e-commerce and retail
space. Government needs to invest and train citizens for the e-commerce market.
That way, we can have ready human capital to bring on board as what we are
presently doing now is to recruit people and start training them from scratch.
“This is why we are
also setting up an entrepreneurship scheme known as YUBOSS. Through YUBOSS, we
will be building capacity and giving millions of Nigerians a chance to learn
the ropes of e-commerce while earning money at the same time,” he noted.
A company such as
Yudala deserves a place on the Nigerian Stock Exchange so that many more
Nigerians can get an opportunity of being a part of the impressive revolution
being unveiled by the company. One can only pray that Yudala keeps up the
momentum although a note of caution is also required, considering the speed
with which the company is growing.
In a year that has
seen most investors hedge their bets in Africa’s biggest economy based on
dwindling economic growth indices, the government battling to keep the wheels
turning and unemployment figures approaching record highs, the rise and rise of
Yudala holds out huge promise of hope in the re-emergence of the giant of
Africa – Nigeria.
*J.P.
Adekunle, e-commerce enthusiast and founder of the Action Policy – a
think-tank of young Nigerian professionals contributed this from Lagos.
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Pix: Prince Nmamdi Ekeh, Founder, Yudala
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