NYAMIRA, Kenya, Dec 17 – People living in the remote parts of Kisii and Nyamira counties are now able to access quality household goods at their doorsteps after a mobile commerce platform and goods distributor Copia Global took its services to the villages.
For many years people in the interior parts of this region had to budget and plan to travel for kilometres to shopping centres or towns to get essential household goods such as foodstuffs.
Many have a reason to smile after Copia Global products identified the gap of lack of access to goods and provided a platform for consumers to gain various products delivered at their convenience.
Copia delivers goods to its customers and its aim is to bridge the gap for people who don’t have access to supermarkets or retail shops.
Beatrice Mokeira from Enjoro village in Borabu constituency, Nyamira County is one of the 4,000 agents working with Copia Global whereby she links consumers and the company to have their goods delivered.
“My customers approach me with their shopping list and I place orders for them through my phone and within 24 hours their products are delivered at my home and the consumers are able to pick them up,” said Mokeira.
She said when consumers place orders, they also give out their contacts and when their products are delivered, they immediately receive a text message to notify them and they are able to pick their products.
Mokeira noted, her customers pay for the goods they have ordered before delivery is made, this is when she pays the company either electronically or in cash.
“The company has provided me with the flyers of the products and prices, before a customer place an order, he or she checks and compares with the price market. Also, our customers don’t pay a delivery fee, it’s the company which delivers freely.
Mokeira can now place orders of goods worth at least Sh3,000 per day with the highest amount of up to Sh20,000 especially towards the end month.
Paid under commission, she targets to reach more customers from neighbouring villages for her to make more profit
She noted, the main challenge they are currently facing is delayed delivery during heavy rains making the roads impassable.
Divinah Barango also an agent says being a Copia agent is a side hustle, she has a cereal shop beside the road and after giving services to customers they are able to pick their products from here within the day.
Barango gets at least 70 customers per month who place orders and get their goods delivered.
Grace Moraa from Nyaura village, who has been a Customer of Copia for a year now said, she enjoys shopping through orders and picking up her good from the agent who is her neighbour any time after receiving a delivery message.
Moraa shops for household goods such as baking flour, cooking oil, sugar, and soap, which takes her family through the month, she noted this saves her time planning to travel to town to shop in the supermarket or retail shops.
“I don’t have to look for means of transport to get to town to shop, with my agent I send her what I want and the money and within a day my goods are delivered,” said Moraa
Victor Agolla Copia’s Sales manager in this region said the company has identified the need of middle- and lower-class people including vulnerable groups where a majority are women.
Agolla said they have 4,000 agents in both Nyamira and Kisii counties who are able to link the customers and the company.
“Copia is a problem solver and this was witnessed during Covid-19 pandemic, this is the time we got many customers and build trust with them,” said Agolla
On the sales, Agolla said the company makes Sh50 million monthly from Kisii and Nyamira counties where they serve at least 30,000 customers.
The company is empowering women to be their agents and earn extra coin since it is not a full-time job with 81% of their agents being women and contributing up to 75% of their well-being.
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