Category: Digital Marketing

Vivid Digital Media Zimbabwe improves branding digital marketing services

Vivid Digital Media, a design and digital marketing firm based in Zimbabwe, specialises in meeting the particular requirements of small businesses. They provide budget and industry-specific graphic design, website design and development, social media management, commercial photography, Search engine optimisation (SEO), and digital marketing services.

A full-service digital marketing firm founded by Tinashe Zvakasikwa in 2018, with its headquarters in Gweru, Midlands, Vivid Media Zimbabwe assists brands in standing out and cutting through the clutter.

Read also: How Bocasay is shaping the way IT services are offered

Being an award-winning digital marketing firm in Zimbabwe, they can serve any size business and target market thanks to the variety of skill sets within their team. These services enable them to develop practical solutions that give their clients quantifiable outcomes.

What makes Vivid Digital Media Zimbabwe different

To guarantee their client’s success, they have a group of skilled experts who are up to date on the newest methods and approaches. They offer creative approaches, state-of-the-art tools, competent implementation, and ongoing assistance. They employ data-driven strategies to ensure their clients are making the most out of their digital marketing initiatives.

They set themselves apart from the competition with competitive pricing, excellent customer service and support, and a staff of skilled, informed specialists. Vivid Media (Pvt) Ltd has an excellent opportunity to transform the digital marketing sector.

Having worked in the field for many years, they have the know-how to help your business succeed in the digital sphere. They recognise the distinctiveness of every brand. Their customised solutions meet your unique requirements and objectives.

They take great satisfaction in helping their clients achieve quantifiable outcomes and genuine business success. They are committed to creating solid, long-lasting relationships with their clients.

To cap it all, they maintain your brand at the forefront; they stay on top of the game by utilising the newest technologies and marketing trends.

Read also: Expanding Digital Infrastructure in Algeria

Importance of digital marketing for your brand

Digital marketing is essential for firms to keep ahead of the competition and establish themselves as industry leaders in today’s cutthroat market. Businesses may set themselves apart, establish a solid brand identity, and boost sales through digital marketing.

Businesses can use various tools and tactics from digital marketing, such as email marketing, social media marketing, and search engine optimisation (SEO), to meet their branding objectives and thrive in the digital era.

In today’s internet environment, digital marketing is crucial for creating and preserving a solid brand presence. By establishing a consistent brand look and messaging across several digital media, firms may enhance brand recognition and awareness.

Businesses may interact with their target market, develop client relationships, and provide individualised experiences encouraging advocacy and brand loyalty through digital marketing.

June 29, 2024
Google Gemini replaces Bard as AI’s super-platform

Google, the tech giant, has changed the name of its AI model from Bard to Gemini because it added more advanced features to compete with OpenAI’s ChatGPT.

Google said it will now charge for Gemini Advanced, while Bard (Gemini) has always been free. The company says Gemini Advanced will be offered in over 150 countries and territories. For now, though, it will only be available in English.

The business is also releasing a new Gemini app for Android and adding it to the iOS Google app. Google said that users of Android can now use Gemini instead of the Google Assistant.

Read also: Google announces Google Security AI Workbench

Google claim

Google revealed the name change and advanced functionality on the following day, saying, “Bard has been the best method for consumers to experience our most potent models directly. Bard will become Gemini to reflect its sophisticated tech. The website has 40 languages, and a new Gemini app for Android and the Google app on iOS will include it.

Ultra will improve Gemini Advanced at reasoning, following directions, coding, and creative cooperation. It might be a personalised tutor for your learning style. A creative partner can help you design a content strategy or business plan. This post has further information.

Gemini Advanced can be used by anyone with the new Google One AI Premium package, which bundles Google’s most excellent AI tools. This premium subscription expands Google One’s storage and features.

Google reported that over 1 million individuals use Duet AI capabilities like Help Me Write to boost productivity and creativity. For Google One AI Premium users, Duet AI will become Gemini for Workspace and be available in Gmail, Docs, Sheets, Slides, and Meet.

Google Lens Now Widely Available On Google’s Search Page

Competition drives AI progress.

Open AI, Google’s main AI competitor, showed off the GPT-4 Turbo at its Developer Conference in November. It is a “more powerful” and cheaper version of its primary GPT-4 text-generating AI model. One version of the GPT-4 Turbo only reads text, while the other version reads both text and images and knows what they mean.

Google introduced its new generative AI models in December. These include the top Gemini Ultra, the “lite” Gemini Pro, and the Gemini Nano, which is made to work on phones like the Pixel 8. At the same time, the company added Gemini Pro to Bard so it could have English talks.

February 10, 2024
How to make money on TikTok in Africa

An average person with a smartphone spends an average of 6 hours on TikTok a week. Imagine making those hours count by making money from it.

Elsa Majimbo was a regular Gen Z who was bored and homesick like every other youth during the lockdown. Unlike other youths with access to the internet, Elsa started making little commentary jokes, and with consistency, she garnered a following and eventually brand recognition. The comedienne is currently doing well for herself in the US.

Who would have thought that a bored Kenyan could leverage comedy to make her way out of her country just through TikTok? Unlike Elsa’s time when there wasn’t any direct means of monetising the TikTok app, there are currently tons of ways other than brand recognition to make money on TikTok.

Read also: How TikTok operates digital and financial inclusion

Although the TikTok creator fund doesn’t cover countries in Africa, there are still other ways African creators have been able to monetise their presence on the 7-year-old app. These include:

Gifts from Live stream

Gifts from videos

Work with artist

Affiliate marketing

Brand deals and sponsorship

Selling a product

Gifts from Live streams

Once you gain 1000 followers, you have passed one of the criteria to host a Live stream. Others include having no community guideline violations and being over 16 years old. Do note that when it comes to receiving and sending virtual gifts on TikTok, you have to be over 18. TikTok depicts your age from what you input while creating your account.

As you stream, some viewers tend to send you gifts, which get converted to money. TikTok takes 50% of what a creator earns. If you send $250 worth of gifts, you receive $125 in your wallet, which you can withdraw directly to your set bank account.

All these sound promising, but building trust and a community takes a lot of work. You might not earn anything from your first few streams. Money shouldn’t be your focus when starting.

Concentrate on being confident, entertaining and engaging. With time, you would already have a community that is waiting for you to go Live so they can send you gifts.

Gifts from videos

This is another feature that enables you to receive gifts from your videos directly through your videos. It works like the Live stream, but in this case, you are receiving gifts from the videos you upload.

In Africa, you only require 10,000 followers to activate this feature, which is better than 100,000 followers for countries in Europe and America.

In addition to 10,000 followers, the account should be older than 30 days, with at least one video uploaded in the last 30 days.

Not all videos are eligible for these gifts. Ineligible videos include duets, stitches, ads, promoted posts, sponsored videos, and videos with any violation of community guidelines.

Once you can create eligible videos which are engaging and value-packed, an endless opportunity to receive gifts awaits you.

Work with artist

TikTok has recently launched this feature, and it is open to Africans. It can be accessed through the creator portal.

Artists list their songs for a set period. Creator gets to use their songs to create videos, which should be created according to the requirements set for each video.

Once the campaign is still going on, creators who have met the requirements for video will be allowed to submit their videos.

The number of videos your video gets would determine the remuneration you make. So, the campaign has a fixed amount to be distributed among only a few people. These few people are selected from only the top-performing videos. Some other campaigns have a broader spectrum of earnings wherein you only earn according to the views you accumulate and not by selection.

This feature is not yet popular amongst creators, so you can quickly hop on it before the competition becomes fierce.

Affiliate marketing

If you are interested in affiliate marketing or are already a marketer, TikTok is a platform to build such a career.

Affiliate marketing can be done in two ways on TikTok. You can market any product of your choice and direct your target audience to the link in your bio.

Affiliate marketers who use this method simply add a link to their bio while editing their profile.

The effective way to gain traffic is to consistently create content and use the right keyword when describing your post. TikTok also works like a search engine.

If you created a video on an ‘LG TV’, TikTok would promote this video to the ‘For You Page’ of its viewers who have such search history, and because you have ‘LG TV’ in the description of the video, such viewers get to find when they search for ‘LG TV’.

You would also need to work with the cover photo text. The cover photo edit offers you the opportunity to use any of the TikTok customised templates to inscribe texts on your videos. You can use this tool to make your keywords pop up to your target audience.

If you do not want to use TikTok’s template, you can simply use text which edits your videos on TikTok. That has been effective, too. If the text doesn’t appear throughout the video, you need to use the cover photo edit and ensure you select an auto-generated photo that bears the text. You can bolden the text by increasing the fonts, adding a canvas/label or both.

Another way to market for sellers is by promoting products already on the TikTok store. It requires you to direct your viewers to the store on TikTok and get a commission directing from TikTok after they purchase. Such earnings would be reflected in your balance.

Brand deals and sponsorship

This is one of the oldest ways creators have been making money on TikTok. All it requires is for you to build your influence and accumulate a reasonable amount of followers, and then brands will begin to locate you.

There are many companies that have the money you need but not the influence you have. They need you to recommend their products to your audience, and they pay you for it.

Even bigger brands still need influencers to promote their products. This is because, as an influencer, your audience trusts you, and they are prone to want to associate with something because you reckon with it; that’s the power you have when you are an influence. It gives social proof of the product.

As little as 10,000 followers is enough to attract brands and sponsors. The bigger your following, of course, the bigger the deal. Each comes with its perk. Some companies target only smaller influencers based on their budgets, while only bigger brands with more companies go for the influencers with millions of followers and views. This means everyone has cut.

So, if you are a Creative who enjoys telling stories or making skits, do not hold back; it will pay off soon.

TikTok Shop makes e-commerce possible

Selling a product

Who says you only have to market for others and not yourself?

If you can market for other sellers and brands, the product can equally be your product. TikTok can be an easy, cheap means to own an online store.

You can use TikTok to reach your target audience as an entrepreneur. Why waste the cheap publicity you can gain? All you need is to show up, and interested individuals will follow up.

You can navigate this even if you don’t have your store. Your number can be listed on the video so interested buyers can contact you. A link to your email can be set in your bio. Linktree is another popular tool used by creators. You can redirect people to your WhatsApp or Telegram account to proceed with the transaction.

If you have a website already, it’s even better. This time, the link in your bio is the link to your website and not that of a third party.

Take advantage of the platform that has your audience on it.

As with affiliate marketing, you can also make use of keywords, cover templates, and more to attract your audience. And as with working with brands, this time around, you are creating content to promote your products. Thanks to TikTok, you can reach your target audience.

When TikTok came to Africa, creators could only rely on having a large following to attract brands in order to make money. Gifts through Live streaming was also an alternative. Thanks to the competition TikTok has without other platforms, such as YouTube and Meta, the options for monetization have increased. This is a good time to bring on your creative spirit and make money.

November 24, 2023
Petal Ads, Baaz partner to foster social network growth in Middle East, North Africa

Petal Ads, a cutting-edge advertising platform by Huawei, and Baaz, the premier Arabic social media platform, have reaffirmed their collaboration through a new agreement.

The signing ceremony took place at Huawei’s Cairo premises, solidifying their commitment to fostering social network growth in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.

Baaz: Fostering Connection and Cultural Values

Baaz is a unique social media platform designed specifically for the Arab world, catering to the diverse communities in the region. It enables users to connect with like-minded individuals who share common interests and values while upholding the rich cultural and societal heritage of the MENA region. Baaz empowers these communities with innovative features that facilitate meaningful conversations and content sharing within a secure and privacy-conscious environment. The platform boasts advanced encryption technology to ensure user data protection and privacy, creating a safe space for sharing authentic information. The official Baaz app, available on HUAWEI AppGallery, has already achieved over 6 million downloads in Egypt alone, showcasing its rapid growth.

Read also: Egyptian fintech, Exits MENA secures $1.25m funding

Petal Ads: Revolutionising Advertising in MENA

Petal Ads, Huawei’s revolutionary advertising platform, elevates advertising by enriching ads with premium features and utilising big data analytics for precise multi-dimensional targeting. This ensures that ads are delivered with pinpoint accuracy to users across HUAWEI Mobile Services’s intelligent ecosystem and beyond. In addition to Huawei’s own media, Petal Ads extends its reach to major third-party apps and media in the MENA region, boasting integration with over 18,000 apps, attracting millions of users monthly. Partners benefit from the platform’s Data Management Platform (DMP), which facilitates niche audience creation for enhanced targeted advertising. With features like one-click installation and automatic bid adjustment, Petal Ads enhances user experience and maximises the effectiveness of advertising budgets.

The Vision for a Smarter AI World in Middle East and North Africa Region

The Managing Director of Huawei Consumer Business Group, Eco Development and Operation, North Africa, expressed enthusiasm about the partnership: “We are overjoyed to share the establishment of this new partnership between Petal Ads and Baaz. HUAWEI Mobile Services prioritises supporting the growth of local companies that can make a difference through their groundbreaking offerings and share our vision for a smarter AI world for all. We are confident that the unparalleled multidimensional targeting, excellent cost-effectiveness, and adaptability of Petal Ads will add more value to Baaz’s vibrant social media platform.”

Building on Petal Ads and Baaz Past Success

The previous collaboration between Petal Ads and Baaz in the fourth quarter of 2022 yielded exceptional results. Baaz’s Petal Ads-powered instals campaign achieved impressive AppGallery installations and a competitive CPI rate compared to other advertising platforms. Encouraged by this success, Baaz has extended its partnership with Petal Ads throughout the second half of 2023, investing in continuous campaigns to drive robust app growth, capitalising on Huawei’s extensive user base of over 730 million.

Mossab Sharayri, Chief Executive Officer at Baaz, emphasised their commitment to enhancing user experience: “The partnership with HMS widens the horizons of collaboration to better serve our mutual and huge Egyptian users’ base. At Baaz, we constantly seek partnerships that enhance our users’ experience, empower them to purposefully lead communities, and encourage meaningful discussions around their interests. Huawei’s innovative advertising platform, as well as its broader open and smart ecosystem, align perfectly with our vision for developing the next generation of social media.”

Egyptian, ‘Exits MENA’ secures key license from regulator

A Win-Win Collaboration

In addition to Petal Ads’ revolutionary advertising capabilities, HUAWEI Mobile Services offers partners exclusive benefits within Huawei’s dynamic smart ecosystem. HMS shares knowledge and expertise to assist in the development of cutting-edge apps and digital services for regional users while partners gain access to a vast and active audience, fostering genuine joint success.

About Petal Ads

Petal Ads, a paid presentation service provided by Huawei for pan-ecosystem partners, delivers a wide range of mainstream ad formats to over 730 million global Huawei device users. Petal Ads serves as a bridge to Huawei device and Huawei Mobile Services users, providing a unique opportunity to transmit key information and quality services to a global user base. Powered by Huawei’s HMS Core, with a presence in over 170+ countries and regions, Petal Ads is committed to creating a fully connected, intelligent world.

September 18, 2023
Sendy receives Funding from MOL PLUS to expand across Africa

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines’ corporate venture capital arm, MOL PLUS, invests an undisclosed amount in Kenya’s sendy to support its expansion in Kenya, Uganda, Nigeria, and Ivory Coast.

With the help of funding from MOL PLUS, which is part of a larger round, this objective will be accomplished.

Sendy serves clients such as Unilever, DHL, Maersk, Safaricom, Kenya’s largest telco, and Jumia, an African e-tailer. Additionally, it offers eCommerce, enterprise, and freight delivery services. Using an app, the company manages deliveries, creates performance metrics, and coordinates contract drivers who own their vehicles.

Read also: Kenyan e-commerce startup Sky.Garden faces closure

Sendy next move

As Sendy determines its next move, the financing, which looks to be a bailout fund, is anticipated to keep things afloat. Sendy’s strong cost-cutting efforts over the previous three months appear to have coincided with the financial discussions with MOL PLUS.

The technology firm creates simple technological solutions that let companies sell, transport goods, and obtain funding.

Sendy offers the simplest way for businesses of any size to move goods through a portfolio of fulfillment services (Direct Fulfillment, Smart Fulfillment, All in one Fulfillment), allowing them to increase efficiency and growth.

”The opportunities to improve logistics and supply chain inefficiencies across Africa are great. We believe our financial and operational partnership with MOL PLUS & MOL Logistics Co., Ltd.(MOL Logistics) will drive a huge impact not only for the growth of Sendy and its fulfillment network but also for the Merchants we serve as we continue to offer more value add and solutions to help them grow and trade more. We will work with MOL Logistics to leverage their strengths and expertise in logistics and cross-border fulfillment, to grow our services and network of businesses we serve.” Mesh Alloys, Founder and CEO, Sendy, said in a statement

MOL Logistics offers integrated supply chain and logistics solutions to companies all around the world. MOL PLUS, a corporate venture capital fund managed by MOL, invests in high-impact businesses reshaping the global ocean shipping and logistics industries.

“We were very specific in choosing to invest in Sendy because of the solution that they offer; we share a common goal. We all want to democratize logistics and support businesses in Africa to move their goods reliably and affordably. We look forward to an exciting partnership with Sendy as we forge this joint mission. We endeavor to work with partners with innovative ideas like Sendy through creating synergies and collaborations that will generate value.” Takuya Sakamoto, a representative of MOL PLUS, said in a statement.

The Benefits Of Sendy and MOL Partnership

MOL PLUS partners with Sendy-like sendy other investors, Toyota Tsusho Corporation and Atlantica Ventures to support the expansion of fulfilment services in Kenya, Uganda, Nigeria, and Cote d’Ivoire.

The Partnership of Sendy and MOL opens the door for fantastic synergies that will streamline logistics for business. To offer more mid-mile and last-mile services to its shipping and freight clients, MOL will collaborate with Sendy. By giving companies of any size the simplest way to move goods, Sendy hopes to expand its fulfillment operations across the continent and help those companies become more efficient and successful. This is consistent with the organization’s mission, which is to empower people and businesses by facilitating trade.

Sendy, Meta and Innovation Growth Hub offers free training programs to SMEs

Sendy Layoff news

Sendy laid off 84 workers between August and October, or around 28% of its 300-person workforce. The business discontinued its final B2C product in September, switching entirely to a B2B business, and in October, it discontinued Sendy Supply, one of its key offers. The layoffs were earlier attributed by CEO and co-founder Mesh Alloys to “current realities hurting ICT enterprises internationally.”

November 17, 2022
Amazon Web Services (AWS) opens its second African office in Lagos

Amazon Web Services (AWS) opened its first office in Lagos, Nigeria, on November 1, 2022. After opening its first office in Johannesburg, South Africa, in 2017, the Lagos branch has now opened and is operational.

With this move, AWS will be closer to supporting African companies. AWS already serves a number of Nigerian firms, including SeamlessHR, Yellow Card, BFree, Bankly, and public sector organisations.

The Lagos location will contain teams of AWS account managers, partner managers, solutions architects, and other jobs that support Nigerian customers. It is AWS’s most recent investment in Africa.

Amrote Abdella, regional manager of Sub -Saharan Africa at AWS, said, “Lagos offers a highly skilled and creative talent pool, and the area is home to many fast-growing startups and notable Nigerian enterprises leading the way in digital innovation.”

Read also: Amazon To Expand to Nigeria and South Africa by 2023

Africa’s Internet customers are expected to double to 483 million by 2025 from 239 million in 2018 as internet adoption continues to expand on the continent. Cloud-based apps are becoming an increasingly important part of the contemporary African workplace and way of life.

Nigeria’s minister of communications and digital economy, Isa Pantami, commented on the announcement, “The Service Infrastructure Pillar of the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (NDEPS) emphasizes the importance of digital platforms in the development of a robust digital economy. The programmes of Amazon Web Services support the development of such platforms, and we look forward to partnering with AWS to accelerate the implementation of NDEPS.”

The Progress of AWS in Nigeria in Line with Cloud Computing

Despite the obvious necessity for businesses to migrate to the cloud, this cannot happen without help. In addition to free cloud credit to offer new customers a taste of what’s available before they commit significant sums of money to pay for the service, technical support and training are essential for a seamless transition.

Through initiatives like AWS Activate, which offers startups resources, including $100,000 in AWS credits, training, support, and connections to incubators, accelerators, and venture capital firms, AWS has, over the years, encouraged the migration of Nigerian businesses to the cloud.

Students, educators, and startups can benefit from educational programmes like AWS Academy, AWS Educate, and AWS re/Start by gaining knowledge and skills about AWS Cloud computing. There are about 3500 AWS Academy members in Nigeria.

Amazon plans €1 billion Investments on electric vehicle fleet

Aside from AWS, Here Are Other Companies That Have Partnered with Africa

International cloud corporations have hurried to build data centres and create a presence on the African continent over the past six years. In 2016, IBM unveiled its first data centre in Africa. In March 2019, Huawei opened two data centres in South Africa, while Microsoft later that month announced its first Azure data centre in Cape Town and Johannesburg. Huawei also has intentions to expand to Nigeria.

With the introduction of its first African Google Cloud region in South Africa in October 2022, Google entered the African market.

These actions show that there is interest in the African connectivity and cloud computing sector and that there are numerous opportunities. The growth of startups in Africa, the majority of which are software firms, has raised the demand for cloud computing services. Businesses often take into account how close cloud servers are to the sources of their customers’ requests. The lower the latency, which enhances the service quality, the closer these servers are to the customers. There are presently 26 operational AWS regions and 8 more that are being developed.

Nigeria and Africa remain open to more partnerships like this. It is also beneficial to the citizens who are consumers of these goods and services. Having an office in close proximity is a game-changer.

November 6, 2022
Kenyan E-commerce Platform Elloe, Acquires Rival Flo- by-Saada

A conversational e-commerce company in Kenya called Elloe has bought rival Flo-by-Saada for an unknown price so it can grow and enter new markets.
Flo by Saada’s team will join Elloe’s product, and engineering group in Kenya as the company uses the technology to make a packaged AI-driven offering to add to its current messaging services.
The startup raised US$1 million in pre-seed funding in April.
Owen Sakawa started Elloe, a conversational commerce platform powered by AI that lets small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) do online business on any messaging network.
Elloe will be able to expand throughout Kenya and other emerging markets thanks to the US$1 million pre-seed fundraising round, which the Philippines-based Mad Ventures are heading.
Gerishon Mwaniki introduced the technology behind Flo by Saada in 2019. This technology lets SMEs make conversational commerce solutions and handle payments using USSD, programmable SMS, Voice (IVR), and WhatsApp Business. Telkom Kenya, Quick Bus, Oxfam, and other retail, entertainment, hospitality, and travel businesses are among the clients.
As a result of the purchase, Elloe will be able to speed up the next stage of its company’s growth. It will be able to offer more services to its corporate clients and reach more places than just Kenya and the Philippines, where it currently works.
“The addition of Flo by Saada technology fits perfectly with Elloe’s strategy and is a natural way to expand Elloe’s offerings.” ” It transforms customers,” Sayawa explained.
“With our conversational commerce capabilities, we’re able to meet the needs of both new and existing customers right now, and we’re set up to continue to meet their changing needs for a long time to come.” We do this by giving businesses built-in commerce capabilities that make it easier to serve, connect with, and sell to their customers from anywhere, on any channel.
Mwaniki says that Flo by Saada was made to help businesses adapt to the growing popularity of instant messaging as the go-to method of communication, both for staying in touch with friends and family and for getting quick, helpful service from brands.
“We are excited to be joining the Elloe team.” Combining our market-leading technologies presents an opportunity to create new, amazing customer experiences, “he said.

Why should you use ELLOE?

Elloe turns a merchant’s catalogue into a fun and personalised shopping experience when consumers buy an item. This is meant to convert customers and get leads.
Elloe connects the Web, social chat, marketing efforts, and social postings so that consumers can work together as one virtual storefront. They enhance real, all-around relationships with your customers and offer them your brand.
As a service, Elloe makes it easy for you to choose to get alerts, notifications, coupons, and deals. The built-in live order monitoring makes it easy for you to answer user questions quickly and in real-time.
Elloe uses our lead generator to produce targeted ads for engagement. Create effective retargeting ads with a 64% conversion rate. Organize and distribute pertinent content, such as newsletters, polls, and advertisements.
Consumers can easily shop thanks to Elloe. The company streamline the ordering process by removing time-consuming downloads and challenging sign-up processes.
The AI chatbot will help your customers right away to finish their orders in less than 60 seconds.
Shop owners can acquire a special link for their stores with Elloe.
Quick and painless integration is possible with Elloe. Social networking sites can take orders, run ad campaigns, and bring in more money for clients.
Customers can add their products to Elloe. Additionally, there are shipping and payment options.
You can quickly manage your information using our easy-to-use interface to upload your menu or catalogue, or we can talk to your API.
Customers can start getting orders by sharing their URLs on social media.
Your customers place orders in their preferred manner while Elloe walks you through each stage of generating leads, boosting sales, and establishing lifelong clients.

About Elloe

Elloe was created to combine the best features of top-tier e-commerce technology and make them easy for anyone to use.
By developing innovative e-commerce practices, starting with increasing local employment prospects, switching to renewable energy sources, and automated supply chains, Elloe hopes to erase a sizable logistical carbon footprint.
The group led by Elloe is very motivated to support small business success.
To push the boundaries of innovation and achieve significant success, the team at Elloe takes into account all factors.
Elloe has many different features, such as Social Commerce, Integrations, Omnichannel Messaging, a Marketing Suite, and Customer Engagement.
Leading hospitality and entertainment companies use Elloe. There are over 8000 of them.

Read Also: Liquid Launches Africa’s First Cyber Security “Fusion” Centre

The Executives of Elloe

Elloe’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) is Owen Sakai. He has over ten years of experience as a software engineer and is a serial entrepreneur. He also started RepairNet Ltd. and was its first CEO. After two years, he sold the company for a profit. He advises the Forbes Technologies Council.
The Chief Commercial Officer of Elloe is Abhijay Rao. His active company development experience spans more than five years. He also has experience with sales, digital marketing, lean thinking, and creative ways to reach goals.
Elloe’s Chief Product Officer is Aaron Madolora. A former Air Force pilot, he is now an entrepreneur. He has been a top-level tech executive for more than 20 years and has had a successful career building corporate systems for companies worldwide. He was also JPMorgan Chase’s previous CTO.
Elloe’s Chief Technology Officer is Jackson G. Mwaniki. He is a perennial entrepreneur and product-oriented technology leader.
Elloe cares a lot about its customers, and the rival company Flo, which Saada just bought, will help them reach more people. With the merger of With the teams from Elloe and Flo by Saada, e-commerce operations in Kenya would be easier.

August 24, 2022
Uber Eats Announces Partnership with MotionAds In South Africa

A recent partnership between Uber Eats (South Africa) and delivery bike media owner MotionAds will allow delivery people in South Africa to earn additional revenue through top box advertising. This partnership was announced by Uber Eats (South Africa).

When the branded bikes hit the streets in June 2022, Uber Eats delivery people in more than seven cities will have the option to have MotionAds brand the top box of their delivery bikes. It is anticipated that the revenue generated from these brand placements will lead to an increase in their net earnings of approximately 10 percent.

Against the backdrop of the inflationary pressures that come with the cost of running their businesses, Uber Eats claims that this will create a new source of revenue for delivery people. “Because the success of our platform is contingent on the success of our delivery people, we are thrilled to be working with MotionAds. According to Charles Mhango, Head of Operations for Sub-Saharan Africa at Uber Eats, “Our commitment to delivery people is to continuously find ways to help them maximize their earning potential by helping them get the most out of their time on the road.”

MotionAds offers companies a solution in the form of a “moveable billboard,” as well as digital reporting on the movement of the bike and in-home flyer drop campaigns. The pandemic has resulted in an increase in the number of home deliveries, which has enabled the company to build its network of delivery drivers across the country, which has contributed significantly to the significant growth the company has experienced over the past two years.

“When it comes to advertising, delivery people provide companies with an effective new channel to advertise their products. They have exclusive access to the dining table, and given the amount of time that bikes spend on the road, brands reap the benefits of the significant exposure that they generate. According to Elan Band, co-founder of MotionAds and researcher at the company, “Our research shows us that one bike gets an average of 300,000 ‘eyeballs’ (impressions) per month.”

Read: Uber Empowers Kenyan Drivers With New Features

As a company that makes a contribution to the economy of SA, Uber Eats believes that having convenient access to lucrative employment opportunities is more important than it has ever been. “The vast majority of delivery people want to work independently, and they choose this earning opportunity because they value the flexibility it brings,” Mhango explains further. “The flexibility it brings is one of the reasons they choose this earning opportunity.”

Furthermore:

“MotionAds is excited to add delivery people operating on the Uber Eats platform to our growing network of delivery people that are earning additional income while going about their work as usual. According to Jonathan Berkowitz, co-founder of MotionAds, “We have already worked with hundreds of delivery entrepreneurs, and we have seen the positive impact that our platform has had on their earnings.”

The commitment shown by Uber goes beyond simply enhancing the opportunities for earning money. The protection of those who make deliveries continues to be one of our highest priorities, and we offer a number of safety features that can assist delivery companies in meeting this goal. In-App private emergency assistance button, a helmet detection and safety checklist, and in-app support available around the clock are some of the features that are included in this app.

A further benefit that delivery people have access to is something called Partner Injury Protection, which is offered by AIG Insurance and covers them from the moment that they accept a request for delivery. They also have access to the Emergency Contacts feature, which allows Uber’s Incident Response Team to get in touch with the delivery person’s family members in the event of an accident and/or for insurance purposes. This feature is used by Uber’s Incident Response Team.

August 13, 2022
Cartona Secures $12 Million in Funding

Egypt-based B2B e-commerce platform Cartona has gotten $12 million in a Series A funding round led by Silicon Baida, with the participation of investors such as SANAD Fund for MSME, Arab Bank Accelerator, and Sunny Side Ventures.
Cartona, founded in 2019 focuses on digitizing the traditional trade market in Egypt, including the mom-and-pop stores, wholesalers, FMCG producers, and distributors. The startup aims at creating a cashless society vision, investing in embedded finance, payments, and operational integration with all stakeholders, which ensures that the retailers and suppliers are provided with an integrated solution boosting financial inclusion and enabling them to operate their business more efficiently and reach end-consumers with their needed products at affordable prices.
Their model is projected as an asset-light, not fully owning a single product, warehouse, or vehicle. It allows the startup to execute its goal of digitizing the Egyptian majorly offline trade supply chain while providing seamless financial services solutions to hundreds of thousands of its customers.
The company has stated that the funds acquired from this Series A funding round will be used to expand its operations across Egypt, cover all governorates, get more resources, and explore new spaces aside from FMCG.
The CEO and co-founder of Cartona, Mahmoud Talaat, said while commenting on the funding:
“We are delighted to complete our Series A fundraise. The market context for Cartona is highly attractive, and we are just getting started. Egypt has a lot of mom-and-pop stores that are core to our business model. We will continue empowering them via efficient and seamless solutions in their trade and financial cycle with FMCG companies and wholesalers, aligning with our mission to help people manage and control their businesses”.
The Competition for Cartona is very slim, making their market infiltration easier. The overall retail market size is $120 billion, and only Food and Beverages contribute $70 billion. In Egypt, there are over 400k shops and thousands of both international and local brands, with the sector growing by 8 percent per annum.

Also, in a statement, the Founding managing partner at Silicon Baida, Namek T.Zu’bi, said:
“We are thrilled to partner with the Cartona team to help them continue to disrupt the $120 billion Egyptian retail market through its B2B technology platform embedded financial services offerings. The market is hungry for these types of solutions, and we believe Cartona’s asset-light approach will enable them to serve as many marketplace participants as possible in a highly efficient manner”.
Finally, the SANAD Board Chairperson, Dr Daniela Beckmann, concluded:
“We are incredibly proud of this transaction as it is the first investment of SANAD ESF II in Egypt, continuing the success of ESF I investments made in the country. By providing both financing and software tailored to the market. Cartona’s digital platform supports more innovative MSME retailers across Egypt, which will greatly contribute to SANAD’s mission of pursuing growth and employment creation across the region”.

Appetito, Egyptian Q-Commerce Acquires Lamma For Speculated $10M+

E-commerce market in Egypt

E-commerce business is a great investment for any business owner as statistics show that worldwide retail sales have grown to $4.8 trillion as of 2021 and serve over 2.14 billion people, So if you are thinking of starting an e-commerce business, now is the right time to dive into this sector due to its rapid growth and the rapid digitization of the economy. Here are some of the benefits/advantages of E-commerce:

Low financial cost

Physical retail stores are very expensive to set up as owners have to pay up to thousands of dollars to get land and build up a structure, place signs in the store, design it, and buy equipment needed for the upkeep and growth of the store which may be an uphill task for several people who are short when it comes to capital. And let’s not forget, every store needs employees that you will be paying monthly, delivery personnel, and security personnel depending on the products you sell.
However, E-commerce stores don’t require most of these procedures as done online. You may alone need a website and a website designer, services of delivery companies will also be needed, but they won’t charge much, and you have the opportunity to operate your store from the comfort of your home; after calculating all your requirements, setting up an e-commerce store may not cost you up to $4000.

Read: Sylndr Secures $12.6M Pre-seed to Disrupt Egypt’s Automotive Used-Car Market

24/7 Potential income:

Almost all physical stores operate from 9 am to 9 pm but since an e-commerce store is operated online, your store could be open all day from the comfort of your home, giving you a competitive edge over others. Being available always could make you get clients whose country time zone differs from yours and make a sale making you more income.
You may wonder, will I need to be awake all day while running an e-commerce store? The answer is No as you can get your beauty sleep while your automated ordering systems complete orders by sending those customers confirmation emails which will put their minds at rest and when you wake up, you can deliver those goods to the people who purchased them.

Read: Egypt’s Mylerz Raises $9.6M For Africa-Wide Growth

Grow worldwide faster

The internet has made the world a global village, meaning that you may be here in Nigeria, and some from the United States may see your products online and purchase them. Companies like Alibaba and Shopify offer services to customers anywhere in the world, giving them a competitive edge and making them an international brand, hence building their reputation.
Selling worldwide can help build your reputation faster and expand your marketplace exponentially, and it won’t be long before you start making immense profits before your local competitors.

E-commerce is becoming the next big thing in the trading space and has started to take over the internet as we have a lot of e-commerce stores. But, in some countries with less exposure such as Egypt, companies like Cartona are already following this trend and introducing e-commerce to the populace. You also can own an online store and be a successful trader making huge profits ahead of your competitors.

August 5, 2022