KISII, Kenya, Jan 6 — People living in the remote parts of Kisii have a reason to smile after a retail delivery platform Copia Global scaled up its network to facilitate access to quality household goods in rural villages.
For many years people in the interior parts in Kisii had to budget and plan to travel for kilometers to shopping centers or towns to get essential household goods such as food staffs for use.
The gap has however been narrowed by Copia Global which has provided consumers with a platform to access a variety of products that are delivered at their convince.
Copia delivers good to its customers and its aim is 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 linking consumers and their products of choice.
“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,” 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, hence allowing her to pay the company either electronically or in cash.
“The company has provided me with the flayers of the products and prices, before a customer place an order, he or she checks with it and compares with the price market. Also, our customers don’t pay delivery fee, it’s the company which delivers freely,” she notes.
Mokeira is now able to place orders of good worth Sh3,000 per day with amount going as high as Sh20,000 towards month end.
Paid under commission, she targets to reach more customers from the neighboring villages for her to increase her earnings.
She noted the main challenge they are currently facing is delay delivery during heavy rains making the roads impassible.
Divinah Barango also an agent says being a Copia agent is a side hustle, she has a cerial shop besides the road and after giving services to customers they are able to pick their products from here with the day.
Barango gets at least 70 customers per month who place orders and get their goods delivered.
Grace Moraa from Nyaura village a Customer of Copia for a year now said, she enjoys shopping through orders and picks her good from the agent who is her neighbor any time after receiving a delivery message.
Moraa shops for household goods such as baking flour, cooking oil, sugar, soap, which takes her family thought 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 getting shopping, with my agent I send her what I want and the money and within a day my goods are delivered,” said Moraa
Victor Agona, Copia’s sells manager in this region, said the company has identified the need of middle- and lower-class people including vulnerable groups where 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 covid19, this is the time we got many customers and build trust with them,” said Agolla.
On the sells, Agolla said the company makes sells of Sh50 million monthly from Kisii and Nyamira counties where they serve at least 30,000 customers.
The company said it seeks to empower women who earn an income by registering as their agents. An estimated 81 per cent of Copia’s agents in the region are women.
About The Author
