Encomium
Gone are the days when people had to leave the comfort of their homes to get items. Now with platforms like Jumia, Konga and Shop4U, orders can be made online.
Newly-introduced Shop4u takes it a step further – it delivers products to your doorstep within three hours. Not only that, they have on offer perishables and consumables.
ENCOMIUM Weekly had a chat with the brain behind it…
Can we meet you, Sir?
My name is Kayode Oluokun Adekunle, CEO of Shop4U Nigeria.
What was the idea behind Shop4U?
The whole idea behind Shop4U Nigeria is mainly to provide essential commodities for people that are busy, most especially professionals who do not have time for shopping. It’s a bit difficult for people to go shopping during the weekend because most markets are rough during weekends. So, we took the opportunity and provided a solution to this.
What are the things people can buy from Shop4U Nigeria?
A lot. We provide opportunity for people to have access to different stores. We work with Shoprite. We have all the products in Shoprite in Shop4U. We have meat to clothing to shoes, anything. At the moment, we have over 3,000 products and we are still counting. We want people to have easy access to things they need.
What are the prices you sell compared to other stores, Shoprite?
Few of our partners have not complied with the agreement. We are trying to work with our partners and get commission. So, it’s the same price, the only difference is that, we collect N1,000 for delivery.
How fast do you deliver?
Shop4U is a safe base delivery. Within three hours, you will get your goods anywhere in Lagos. If we can’t make it before three hours, we will let you know. That’s why we request our customers’ address, phone number and so on. We also look at the period that can be easy for you.
But when you start delivery all over Nigeria, will three hours still be possible?
We are working towards that. We are unlike Jumiai and Konga because they have warehouses. They have to do a lot of logistics. We don’t have logistics problem, we don’t own warehouses. It makes it easier for us because, very soon we would partner other stores across Nigeria and we don’t need to move goods from Lagos to other places. We just go to the stores around and pick the items for delivery.
So, you just go to a nearby store and get the goods for your customers?
Yes, immediately to pick any product. We know where the goods are available, we just get them in the nearest store to the delivery area.
What do you do when customers are not satisfied with your products?
We already have a signed agreement with the stores we use. If customers are not satisfied with the product, we will return it. But the customer must return it same day.
Why should I shop on Shop4U Nigeria?
We want people to shop with us because we have perishable and non-perishable goods. We give you the opportunity to shop for your vegetables, fruits, etc which other online stores do not sell. We also deliver cakes to our customers. We give our customers same-day delivery within three hours which no other online store does.
What is the vision for Shop4U in five years?
Shop4U should be able to move across Africa in five years, that’s our dream. This year, we are looking at covering six states in Nigeria, and in three years, we hope to cover the whole country. Then West Africa and Africa at large respectively.
How old is Shop4U?
It’s three months now. We launched it on January 2, 2015.
What is the business like now, the challenges?
We have faced a lot of challenges, but it’s all well. Nigeria is a peculiar country. The challenges we’re facing now are making our customers understand what we are doing and convincing them to shop on this platform.
We want people to give us a try and see what we can do for them to make shopping online easy.
– NKECHINYERE IBEREME
