The Evolution of e-commerce as told by Ronald Kaleu  - Capital Business
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The Evolution of e-commerce as told by Ronald Kaleu 

Ronald Kaleu is the founder of Progressus Mavericks Limited, an e-commerce platform created and located in Nairobi. He provides technological and physical resources necessary to operate an e-commerce platform or business to his clients. 

In his former employment journey, he helped build other brands and evolved other businesses, until he sought out to make a change and take the entrepreneurial route. Here is what he shared on the latest episode of the iMarket Podcast: 

 

What Makes E-commerce Work 

  1. It’s a business of time because the consumer experience is measured by “are you able to satisfy this convenience aspect”. Being able to deliver on time becomes crucial for your consumer. In the past, if you wanted something, you had to get out and get it yourself but with the internet and smartphones, we’ve been able to make orders and calls to get whatever we want come to us and fast. That convenience and the time you save is what makes it work.
  2. The world of e-commerce is murky because to be able to deliver you’re working with different stakeholders. There’s a rider who has come from the informal sector to whom the aspect of time doesn’t matter but in the e-commerce world it does and that’s what makes the difference between a good platform and a platform that the consumer won’t want to order from next time.
  3. When working with so many moving parts; technology, connectivity, riders, it all has to flow seamlessly. The consumer doesn’t care whether the rider had other deliveries on his route before yours or whether you missed seeing an order because the system didn’t catch it. Everything has to work in order to make sure the consumer keeps coming back. This takes great customer service and training of personnel.

 

Challenges Faced When Working in E-commerce 

  1. If you don’t have good internet connection, you’re not able to get exposed to platforms that host online businesses. If you have good connection but not a phone that can access these platforms, you still won’t be able to get what you’d like at your convenience.
  2. As an e-commerce business we have to keep up with trends and to be innovative and move as our consumers do. We have to be up to date with the platforms and how to deliver as efficiently as possible otherwise we become obsolete because there is always another platform to use or another way to get what you want without hassle.
  3. As a rider, if youhave a smartphone and connection, youcan expand your revenue streams. The challenge becomes knowing how to get what the customer has ordered to them as fast as possible and knowing how to be able to communicate with them politely to keep getting business and maintain trust.  
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