The Nation Newspaper

Category: Shopping

  • Loyalty reward as bait for online shopping

    Loyalty reward as bait for online shopping

    Like other conventional wholesalers and retailers trading in fast moving consumer goods and allied products, online store merchants in their quest to grow their businesses have also come up with ingenious ways of attracting customers, reports TONIA ‘DIYAN

    Altough online shopping is still relatively new and remains an emerging market in the country, most owners of online shopping portals across the country are not leaving anything to chance to grow their customer base. Like their counterparts in real time sales, online store merchants know too well that the strategy to retain customers, get prospective ones, gives birth to improved sales. Thus, these online merchants say they are not left out of this, as they have also spread their tentacles to consistently indulge in the act of purchase-driven loyalty promotions knowing the benefits involved in the act.

    The former chief executive officer of Broll, Mrs. Gbadebo Erejuwa once said savvy retailers are defining innovative ways to achieve the benefits most important to their customers and online merchants are not an exception too. One of the now trending ways is the loyalty reward system. This involves giving back to the customer rewards for patronage.

    According to Erejuwa, online stores seem to have also caught the “customer loyalty reward” bug and thus, have imbibed the trend and have kept it going. “They are aware that if they reward their customers they will want to visit again and again,” she said.

    Stakeholders in the online business are of the opinion that while the concept of loyalty is not new in marketing, it has also led to a significant surge in retailers investing in ‘loyalty programmes’ that give them valuable insight into how to better meet their customers’ needs.

    Since online shopping gained a foothold in this part of the world almost three years ago, it has continued to thrive at a phenomenal rate, bringing with it relative ease or convenience of transacting business without leaving the comfort of one’s home. And like the shopping malls, online stores now appreciate their customers in diverse other ways apart from the usual discount offers, price slash and other seasonal offers given to shoppers who buy from their website.

    Now, the online stores are confident that they have outgrown their teething problems and have proven themselves worthy, thereby brightening their prospect for further. For these operators, the number of people who now patronise them across the country and beyond is continually on the increase as they enjoy convenience, transparency in service delivery, availability and affordability of their choice items, among other benefits apart from the reward programme.

    At the early stage of its entry into the Nigerian marketing space, online store, now considered a novel concept reshaping the way shopping and marketing is done, was a pariah; it was not a first or second option for prospective shoppers. However, with growing awareness in technology and more exposure to western markets, the tide has changed. Therefore, the once despised mode of shopping is now the beautiful bride being embraced by techno-savvy shoppers.

    The reasons for this change are numerous: one of which is the ease of buying and paying that it offers. From the comfort of one’s home, purchase, payment and delivery are made. This and many other reasons have made online stores warm their ways into the hearts of the Nigerian shopper.

    Aware that loyalty programme is one of the many ways of boosting sales, Tomiwa Oladele, Head of Public Relations and Marketing, Kaymu.com.ng said that her online store has packaged more exciting campaigns, promotions, and giveaways for its customers as a means of expressing their appreciation for customers’ patronage. “We are aware that our customer is King and as a result customer service efforts at Kaymu.com are optimised to ensure they are satisfied with our services and those of our sellers whom we connect them with, being the number one online market place in the country, we bring buyers and sellers together under one roof,” she said. Oladele added that as a brand, her firm extends the customer experience beyond customer service to reward systems that ensure their customers feel appreciated.

    In similar vein, customer reward is nothing new to jumia.com. This is because for almost three years of this foremost online store’s existence, it has continued to provide various initiatives that have been carefully tailored to reward its customers.

    Afam Anyika, Head, Offline Marketing, Jumia.com.ng explained that her store’s reward programme is an indication of the priceless value placed on its customers, whom she explained, they have always been committed to, to consistently provide them with convenient, professional service, and an excellent shopping experience. She said that the essence of the reward programmes from jumia is to ultimately provide customers with a delightful shopping experience that is hinged on great deals and best prices or incredible discounts on quality products.

    “For instance, in December 2014, we launched our Customer Appreciation day. This will now be an annual event where we thank our customers, and celebrate a great year together and a time when we not only continue to build e-commerce in Nigeria, but also a day we provide them with exclusive massive discounts off on selected premium products across all categories on the Jumia store,” Anyika said. He gave other examples of such initiatives to include “Black Friday” sales, ‘Awoof Vouchers’ pre-sale’- where customers bought vouchers up to N 20,000 with its value doubled for purchases on the Jumia Black Friday store. “More recently, we also initiated a partnership with First Bank of Nigeria, where customers can now buy any item of their choice and pay later, this is just one of many of such initiatives we plan to unfold in 2015,” she said.

    Certainly, better deals await online stores’ customers with different loyalty schemes, even as the trading platform gets more acceptance and thus, fuelling more competition.

  • Africa Internet Group relocates

    Africa Internet Group relocates

    Africa Internet Group (AIG) has relocated its office from the high- brow Lekki area of Lagos to  the commercially boisterous Yaba area of  Lagos.

    The office, located in the Ozone Centre on Commercial Avenue, Yaba,  houses six of its other ventures, including  Carmudi, an online car site that allows a person to buy or lease cars online; Kaymu, an online marketplace where buyers and sellers meet to obtain the best deals for products; Easytaxi a mobile app that connects drivers and passengers; Hellofood, an online and mobile platform where people can order food for delivery from the most popular restaurants in the city; Lamudi, an online real estate marketplace; Jovago an online hotel booking service and Jumia an online retail store.

    Since inception in 2012, AIG has expanded to 26 countries and has created 71 firms in different verticals namely, online retail, online marketplace, food ordering, car classifieds, real estate classifieds, taxi hailing, online travel agency and P2P lending marketplace.

    The choice of a new office was determined by the popularity of Yaba, and also because it houses a cluster of banking, educational and technology institutions, features that has made the area grow to become Nigeria’s e-commerce hub, which is now attracting a nest of technology and start-up companies, earning it the name, Nigeria’s Silicon Valley.

    In Nigeria, AIG’s network of firms include leading brands and the move is one of its efforts to contribute to making Yaba the next technological hub in Africa by building tight links to boost the entrepreneurship drive in the area and securing strategic partnerships to grow the ecosystem.

  • Dettol takes hygiene campaign to schools

    Dettol takes hygiene campaign to schools

    TO promote healthier lifestyles and reduce abstentism of pupils from school owing to sicknesses, Dettol, manufactured by Reckitt Benckiser, has started fresh rounds of visits to schools to educate pupils and teachers on the benefits of hand hygiene.

    The visits, a key component of the Dettol School Hygiene Programme (SHP) initiative, is targeted at driving home the key message of proper hand washing culture as the most cost-effective strategy to reduce potential death-causing illnesses such as diarrhea and other respiratory diseases often caused by germs and poor hygiene.

    Recently in Lagos, the SHP train berthed at Chrisland School, Ikeja during the school’s inter-house sports competition with Dettol Brand Ambassador and veteran Nollywood actress, Patience Ozokwor popularly known as Mama G, leading the highly interactive campaign.

    Through the deployment of audio-visual kits and memorable sing-along songs, the students fully participated in the do-it-yourself six steps of effective handwashing, and they commended Dettol for the initiative.

    While encouraging the students, parents and teachers to imbibe the culture of regular handwashing to live healthy and be active, Ozokwor reminded them that germs posed serious danger to human health and they could cause illnesses such as diarrhea, flu, fever, cough and catarrh in addition to avoidable death.

    She advised: “Nothing else compares to having good health. We are unhappy when we or our loved ones fall sick; we go through pains and unable to go about our regular activities. Germs are found everywhere; on the playground, in toilets and in trash can. It is therefore important that after we play with friends or use the toilet or trash rubbish, we must wash our hands properly with Dettol soap and clean water.”

    She affirmed Dettol’s commitment to the continued empowerment of Nigerians through innovative solutions that could bring about healthier living.

    Chairman of the occasion, Olatunde Babalola-Smith, advised parents to be alive to their responsibilities.“These days the internet and other gadgets are now available for children to operate and they (children) get exposed to different things through these gadgets,” he said.

    On the significance of the Dettol School Hygiene Programme, the Marketing Director, West Africa, Reckitt Benckiser, Mr. Oguzhan Silivrili, enjoined Nigerians to embrace standard solutions such as regular hand washing as one of the cost-effective ways to protect themselves and loved ones against illness-causing germs.

    “Solutions that do not protect from all 100 types of germs are substandard and we, at Reckitt Benckiser, advocate that people do not protect themselves with substandard solutions but with gold standard solution. Dettol is the only antibacterial brand which has been proven to protect from up to 100 illness causing germs which is why we advocate that Nigerians do not take a risk with the lives of their loved ones but rather, adopt the gold standard kind of protection they can get – Dettol,” he said.

    Silivrili added that the SHP was one of the numerous platforms by Dettol to help Nigerians to live healthy lives as well as empower them to remain active. He said over three million children across Nigeria have been reached with the message of hand washing since the inception of the programme in 2009.

    The Marketing Manager, West Africa, Reckitt Benckiser, Mr. Ahmed Shah, said: “Dettol has been reaching Nigerians with different grassroots activities, such as the School Hygiene SHP, the New Mum Programmes (NMP) which has also reached approximately three million new mums in the hospitals since inception and Health On Wheels (HOW), which is a mobile clinic.

    “Over the years of having these programmes, we do not sell products to targets; rather, we enlighten them, give them brochures to help them recall hygiene messages and we give them free products. All of these programmes form the pillar of this campaign and are conveying one singular message of upholding best hygiene practices.”

    Shah said further: “For the School Hygiene Programme (SHP), we believe that the formative age is the best time to inculcate the habit of good hygiene practice in a person. This is the reason we have chosen to work closely with schools pan-Nigeria to empower the children with hygiene messages so as they grow older, it remains a part of them and they can pass it on to generations after them.”

    On the initiative, the Sectional Head, Gopherwood School, Lagos, Mr. Michael Dairo, praised Reckitt Benckiser for being innovative. “Dettol visits our school often and this has really enlightened the pupils on how to wash their hands.‘’

  • Polo Avenue unveils Spring /Summer Collection

    It was an opulent shopping affair at Victoria Island, Lagos a few days ago when Polo Avenue Luxury Store unveiled its Spring/Summer collection.

    The new season collection included goods from international luxury brands, such as Gucci and Salvatore Ferragamo, among other leading international brands.

    The Polo Avenue Store is a subsidiary of the Polo Luxury Group, an American firm which provides luxury goods in clothing, leather goods, fashion accessories, shoes, and fragrances. The   growth of the Polo Luxury Group and the growing demand for luxury goods in Nigeria led to the formation of Polo Avenue, a multi brand specialty retail store, which provides customers easy accessibility to top tier international luxury brands.

    At the event, guests from all works of life had opportunities of seeing top designer items firsthand, making purchases from all collections available. One striking feature in this store is that goods sold here goes for the same price at its other outlets across the globe, thus eliminating the cost of travelling abroad to buy designers items.

    The Boutique Manager, Polo Avenue, Ms.Titilola Akinkugbe, reiterared that the spread of the boutique would save lovers of quality products the stress of travelling abroad. “Rather than flying a plane abroad to buy the same products that we have here, it is advisable to get same items here at the same price. We give you what you are going abroad to look for and at the same rate, you are not paying more,” she said.

    She added that another  unique attribute with the boutique is that old stocks are available on discounts unlike abroad, where one is not sure of getting old stock except he places order for it.

    “This has given us an edge over others; we have numerous customers from far and near; we also welcome prospective ones. At Polo Avenue, we are aware that Nigerians love colours, therefore we have brought in top colourful designs from some of the best designers in the world. This season’s collection is unique with its burst of vibrant colours and feminine feel, appealing to more women across the country,” she explained.

    Ms. Akinkugbe said stocked goods in the Polo Avenue Store are available at fair and comparative prices which can also be compared with prices of same luxury goods internationally. Her words: “Although  no African designer feature in this season’s collection, we continue to project and promote the creativity of African  luxury designers by retailing  their goods for purchase within the store.”

    Executive Director , Polo Luxury Group Jennifer Obayuwana, at the event unveiled the new season’s brand Ambassador, Ms. Osas Ighodaro. He described her as the “obvious choice” because  “her drive in  positively representing women by being the best in her field, finely complements the Polo Avenue brand which continues to celebrate the positive successes of women across all works of life”.

    Adding glamour to the event was  the unveiling of the Polo Avenue brand ambassador for the year. Ighodaro told The Nation Shopping that she was proud to be the ambassador of Polo Avenue. She thanked the Polo Luxury Group for selecting her, adding that the Polo Avenue brand is of particular interest to her as the brand represents innovation in fashion to Nigerian and African luxury customers at large.

    She added that she was glad to represent the brand in providing goods to meet the inner desires of various women and across numerous spheres of life.

    After one year, Polo Avenue intends to spread its tentacles to all parts of the country and  Africa, including Ghana.

  • Samurai Curry launched in Lagos

    Tokyo Boeki enterprise, a trading company that specialises in the importation of finest staple and specialty food products from Japan, has launched a new product into the Nigerian market.

    The product, known asSamurai  Currywill soon be in major shops across the country. It can be eaten  with rice, yam, porridge, noodles, spaghetti, bread, and other varieties of food.

    Samurai Curry contains over 30 spices that are necessary for good health. They include black pepper (which stimulates appetites, digestion and circulation), cardamom (which relieves flatulence and induces sweating), cinnamon (which acts as a stimulant and detoxifier) an cumin (which also improves appetite digestion)

    Others are fenugreek (which reduces fever, helps with acid indigestion and diarrhea), nutmeg (which has analgesic effects and acts as asleep aid) and turmeric which increases liver function, heals fatigue and acts as an anti-cancer agent. There is also a resent research finding that curcumin, used in curry, could help erase bad memories.

    The bright-yellow compound found in the root of the Indian spice turmeric, the study found, prevent new fear memories being stored in the brain and also removes pre-existing fear memories.

    The instant curry sauce has made it easier than ever for families at home to cook delicious curry by using samurai instant curry sauce. The curry manufacturer has created original curries rich in flavor by blending together over 30 spices, carefully selected from about 80 spices around the world.

    The Chief Executive Officer, Tokyo Boeki enterprises, makers of Samurai Curry, Abel Akhigbe,  said: “Curry is widely considered a precious and nutritious health food because of the above spices. These spices are used in a traditional system of Indian medicine called Ayurveda, of life sciences, which incorporates them into a daily routine to assure a long and healthy life.

    “Plans to enlighten people are ongoing at different levels and locations. We want to be able to tell people that the Curry sauce is not restricted to some particular types of food; it can be eaten with any kind of food. We are not asking people to stop eaten the pounded yam and Egusi soup they are use to, we are saying , there is an alternative that is faster than making the pounded yam meal.

    “Samurai Curryhas an 18-month expiry date duration; it sells for N800 per pack and a pack can be used to serve 10 people. Its preparation process is as simple as ABC when users adhere to the simple instructions on it leaflet.’’

    Targeted at low income earners, the company’s management says the firm plans to produce affordable smaller packs. “We are working with NAFDAC to get necessary requirement, and also to bring in smaller package subsequently”.

    Akhigbe added: “We are not afraid of those who might want to counterfeit this product as the mechanics put in place to produce the product can only be found in Japan.  However, I believe NAFDAC will come to our aid if such cases arise and would device other kind of packaging such that will be easy for people to differentiate between the genuine product and the fake.

    To remain in the market, Akhigbe said Samurai Curry Sauce doesn’t have a competor for now and that the product intends to stay in the market for a long time.

    Skeptical that competitions might come in the long run, he said the product would last long.

    His words: “I do not think anyone can beat the quality of this product because the Japanese do not produce with low quality materials and they do not intent to reduce the quality or quantity of this product when it eventually finds it foothold. At the last Lagos International Trade Fair,  we had the opportunity to sell Samurai Curry in large quantities; the positive response we got is prompting  us to see that this product goes round.”

    Recalling his experience before he left the country 27 years ago, Abel Asire Nakipe said then his mother used to go to the market to buy all the ingredients to prepare soup. He saw the stress to prepare a meal for the family and the time spent in waiting for the food to be ready – these prompted him to find out how time could be managed and maximised in cooking through using the Samurai Curry Sauce.

  • Winners emerge at Ikeja City Mall ‘Valendine’ Promo

    Winners emerge at Ikeja City Mall ‘Valendine’ Promo

    The Ikeja City Mall promo tagged “Valendine” promo, to mark last weekend’s Valentine’s day celebration has produced winners. The winners, who were picked through a raffle draw,which was held at the mall’s management office produced 10 lucky winners.

    To qualify, interested shoppers purchased items worth N10, 000 and above from stores located within the mall complex and submitted a single purchase receipts with their contact details in designated boxes at the three entrances leading into the mall. The response was impressive as receipts dropped exceeded over 500. Eight lucky winners were selected by the management, while the other two by City Fm on the ‘City FM’s Gucci Guilty campaign (a radio program) two days ago.

    The winners will be treated to an exclusive dinner with their spouses at Rhapsody’s (a restaurant inside the mall) today. There will be a live performance by Bee-jay Sax to serenade the couples.

    Also, Gucci valentine bags will be made available to all winners. In each bag, there will be scented roses, Gucci Guilty Diamond fragrance, Gucci mirrors, purses and other accessories. Each winner will go home with a Smile Mifi with free 10GB data. And two couples will emerge as winners of one night only in one of the suites at Protea Hotel Select Ikeja.

    The mall’s Marketing Manager, Eniola Ositelu told The Nation Shopping that the aim for this year’s promo is to ensure that the mall remains the choice destination for three things specifically, leisure, entertainment and shopping. He said once the mall can continue to achieve these things, then, it is in line with giving the shoppers’ the ultimate experience that they deserve. “The main idea for the promo is to take advantage of the season because we know that people tend to carry out a lot of shopping during this time , apart from that, we also want to reward our loyal customers.”

    His words: “We will be doing things differently this year. Last year, we gave people cash prices, this year we are venturing into something different, we are giving out very expensive gifts items that will keep memories lingering. The only similar thing we are doing is a dinner, but this time, the gifts are more peculiar with the season and classier.”

    He added: “As it is our tradition at Ikeja City Mall, we will be rewarding our customers often; we will focus more on the community as we give back to the community that patronizes us. We have found out that our foot traffic increases when we conduct promos. These promos attract sales for the mall particularly in months like the Valentine months, Christmas season and others.”

  • Val boom for Lagos traders

    The shift of the elections turned out to be a blessing for traders and other businesses who took advantage of the Valentine’s Day celebration to make good sales. TONIA ‘DIYAN reports. 

    It had hitherto clashed with the Presidential election, but when there was an announcement shifting the election from February 14, a sigh of relief came for both lovers that had planned to have a frolicking time for the day, as well as for traders and other business owners, whose businesses would have suffered considerable loss where the election to hold that day.

    Indeed, over the years, St Valentine’s Day has proved to be an annual business opportunity for entrepreneurs in Lagos. With the election rescheduled from February 14th, traders recorded moderate sales. Chiama Uzor, a clothing retailer at the Arena said “I was actually worried for the fact that it was election and it was also valentine, but thank God it was postponed.  I am happy we had fun making sales, it was a good one. “

    Mutiat Adepoju, a gift items trader at Iponrin market, Surulere , explained that sales of Valentine goods on Valentine Day  is always  a fire brigade approach. We saw more last minute shopping where everybody wanted to go home with something for their partner. Adepoju recalled one of her customers who said to her “ I won’t be able to go home today if I don’t get this scented flowers” when the item was becoming difficult to find in her store.

    For Mary Agbator, a shopper, Valentine items were not too expensive on valentine day.  They were only a little different compared to last year’s.

    On display at some shops in Lagos Island were attractive gift items, and fanciful clothings, which never failed to attract buyers. They were to match blouses and skirts, club tops and trousers, bondage skirts, red bomb short,  white bumshort with club top. Their prices varied between seven thousand and seven thousand five hundred. These prices are attributed to the dollar rate increment, which has gone high.

    For some other retailers at the Oke-Arin market, prices of Valentine items went up a little higher but, retailers at this market said they were able to cope.  And shoppers who visited the Oke Arin market to buy Valentine items said despite the hike in the prices of items on this day, they still had to buy gifts because it was valentine.

    Gloria Thomson sells clothing and beauty accessories, she said She could not travel this year to get stuffs because the exchange rate is high. “I have loads of leftovers from last year’s valentine sales so I just did a little bit of out sourcing from those items I had last year, so I could also sell Valentine stuffs. I was able to outsource and I got some things i didn’t have before and I was able to make sales.” She said.

    Most of the gift items of these retail outlets were imported products. The weak Naira to Dollar exchange rate at N200, has a negative impact on prices, and  for this reason personal budget had to follow scale of preference.

  • Firm launches Innjoo brand of phones

    Firm launches Innjoo brand of phones

    InnJoo has unveiled its flagship Smartphone called “the ONE” at the Lagos Sheraton hotel, Ikeja, Lagos. And for the firm, the phone remains the biggest advancement in its product lineup, featuring a stunning 5.0-inch HD IPS display, and packed with an all-new dramatically thin and light design. The ONE has a glass surface, a 5.0’’ 720p HD IPS display, an Octa-core and InnUI.

    The managing director of the firm, Robert Liang, said: “We believe that emphasis on openness and participation is a big, big part of our journey, therefore, we listen to every word from our end users; we do the localisation and improve on every detail from hardware to software, working with the consumers ‘feedback.”

    He added: “Creating a flagship killer product is driven by the inner motivation and at Innjoo; we insist that users deserve the best device without a high price tag. And here we are today, just like our brand new slogan ‘Be You’, follow your heart and intuition and be you, you can go anywhere you want with the new Innjoo ONE smartphone,” he said, adding that  the phone finds network everywhere.

    He further state that “Until now, we have launched a series of software. Our InnCloud active users reached 2.2 million, InnBrowser active users reached up to 250,000 per week and two million InnStore apps were downloaded. It’s a superb progress in a short period. The growth of InnBrowser is about 20,000 per week. In addition, InnJoo launched the InnForum three months ago, which is the exclusive community for sharing latest news and collect feedbacks and voices from all InnJoo fans and it is committed to create an open and happy platform.”

    The Nation Shopping observed at the launch that the phone comes in brand new designs; entirely new in every way, with beautifully crafted metal frame and glass shield matching the 5.0-inch HD display perfectly. The compact internal component design ensures it dramatically thin, light yet powerful feature.It is sold for N27,999 only.

  • Spaces open for Val

    There are new stores and spaces opened this weekend specifically for Valentine. They offer just about everything a shopper needs to indulge in  this season. Despite their vast sizes, these places, which offer offline and online sales are open to the public with colourful items and mix-and-match household items.

    But surprisingly, everything found at theses places are for sale, “from the candle burning, to the  CDs playing and the sofa one would sit on,” says a space creative personnel Gloria Harrison. “They are  like open, shoppable private homes for everyone to hang out in.” She said.

    At the bazaar in Illupeju- Lagos,  women and men assemble with fashion items amongst other things. And while clothing brand makes the best of the season, local talents are also represented as they indulge in various entertaining activities. From findings, the choice of multifaceted spaces for shopping is making some neighbourhoods become more and more global during festive seasons.

  • Gifts’ prices skyrocket ahead of Valentine’s Day

    Gifts’ prices skyrocket ahead of Valentine’s Day

    Valentine’s Day is tomorrow, and a number of retailers are offering  bouquets of roses as well as other gifts items to customers looking to mark the occasion but at substantial prices.

    Cecilia Agu is the Public Relations Officer of  an online store in Lagos , she said Valentine’s Day is her busiest day of the year.

    “So far it’s not too bad. Mostly the day before and that day, I have a lot of last minute pick-ups,” said Agu, adding that purchasing them last minute costs more. Agu said prices for Valentine items can be five times higher around Valentine’s Day than at other times of the year.

    Normally, the price for a dozen roses in a pack is about N4,500 according to Agu but it goes up as much as N22,500 in some top shops because of the season.

    Those looking for other affordable options can try  their neighbourhood supermarkets or grocery stores; they will get what they pay for. “Grocery stores tend to have them all bunched in a piece of cellophane sitting in baskets and on shelves,” he said.

    Not all gifts’ prices go up during the season, said Tomiwa Oladele of Kaymu.com, another  online store. She said for instance, chocolate is priced the same year-round. The only difference this time is that they are hardly placed in rectangle boxes, they come mainly in heart shapes.