General News
E-commerce through and through: My experience with Konga.com
By Edward Mekoma, an estate developer, lives in Lagos
With the covid-19 pandemic still threatening global economies and altering hitherto established social orders, the world is looking to e-commerce as both today’s and tomorrow’s trade solution to overcome the drawbacks created by the pandemic.
Last December, in the midst of the pandemic and its many restrictions on movement, online purchase came in handy for my family. We had stocked up for the Yuletide but we needed to add more choice wines to our wine cellar and guaranty our power supply with a back-up generator. Having not been an e-commerce freak and still old-fashioned about shopping, my wife and I turned to our children for a guide in online shopping.
It was no brainer for them to recommend Konga as our surest bet. On matters of this nature, it was easy to trust their judgement. They are internet denizens and cyberspace is their playground. We had no locus whatsoever to doubt their recommendation or suspect their verdict. But why Konga? Almost in unison, they ran up a SWOT analysis of the top e-commerce outfits in Nigeria and concluded that with Konga, what you see is what you get (WYSIWYG).
They also added that while others may not only deliver a lower or substandard version of what was advertised, they are more likely not to deliver in good time. We trusted their judgement and decided to take the risk with Konga.
An assortment of bottles of wine and a generator was on our shopping list. Because as at the time we placed our order, the hours have raced from morning to afternoon, we had concluded that delivery would happen the next day or in the next 48 hours. But to our pleasant shock, we got our order delivered same day, in the evening which was our preferred option.
This was a pleasant shock. Knowing all the downsides listed by our children about delivery services offered by almost all the other e-commerce houses, we were ecstatic when the delivery man made a call and in a matter of minutes showed up at our gate.
Our shock did not end with the urgency in delivery. Guess who showed up with our order? A senior manager at Konga whom we have never met but was well known to us by reputation. So, why would you be the one to make our delivery, navigating through the often crazy Lekki, Lagos traffic to locate our address? We asked.
“All our delivery staff are on transit, making deliveries. This period is usually our busiest and I thought to make the delivery myself as I reckon you might be needing the services of the generator tonight,” he intoned, betraying no emotions but only exuding a rare sense of dignity in labour and professionalism. We could barely suppress our elation at such sense of duty.
He did not only make our delivery; he took time to give us a short tutorial on how to identify sub-standard generators in an apparent show of confidence in the product (a 7.5kva iTEC generator) he has just delivered. And then, another pleasant surprise: the 7.5kva iTEC generator was able to power the same appliances that a 9.5kva of another brand could not power which include the two air-conditioning units in our sitting room.
Suddenly, it was the turn of our children to say ‘we told you so.’ This singular encounter stirred an emotional and perception switch in me, especially with the sad tales usually told about online shopping in Nigeria. Making physical in-store bargains in Nigeria often presents some challenges, particularly challenges bordering on product quality. You could therefore imagine our apprehension when placing our order online.
But all that disappeared with the professionalism demonstrated by the Konga staff. Amazon is currently the largest online store in the world and by current rating one of the biggest companies on earth valued at $1.7 trillion. But, it has not always been so. Jeff Bezos, a rabidly unconventional character who pumped in huge cash into the business for over one decade when many people scuffed at his ‘folly’, has turned the table with a diversity of unique offerings and deliberate quest for customer satisfaction.
Obviously, Konga is building on pleasurable customer experience as one of its key strength. Making customer experience pleasurable is an essential ingredient in the success of any e-commerce company. Make the customers happy. Give them a feel good service. Treat every customer like a king or queen. If you have to break protocol to pleasantly surprise a customer, please do.
My recent experience with Konga despite the drawbacks associated with online shopping in Nigeria has eroded every cynicism. Customer experience more than anything else sells a brand. In this era of social media buzz and expanding internet penetration, a shabby treatment meted out to a customer will spread globally like wild fire. Same with giving a customer a pleasurable experience, it will trend and become a marketing tool for the company.
We were made to understand that such culture of ‘get the job done’ even if it means breaking protocol runs from top to bottom at Konga, a company that showed great promise at launch but later floundered until it was acquired by the Zinox Group which injected the philosophy of ‘innovation, quality service and promptness.’ In Konga, there is no boss. The real boss is the customer and every staff, from top to bottom, has ingrained this value into their work ethics.
This is why the value of devotion to duty and sacrifice to make customers happy by the staff of Konga is commendable. It’s the type of commitment that has shot top global corporations to the zenith. And this is the work ethic that makes Asians sought after all over the world – individuals rolling up their sleeves to do little things conscientiously in order to create big things. It is lacking in Nigeria where a manager considers himself a big man and therefore should not condescend to do the job of a driver even in moments of emergency. There has been reports that Konga is considering listing at the London Stock Exchange. It’s these positive attributes exhibited by its staff that would make it a huge success in the global arena.
Global e-commerce market is growing faster than anticipated. Valued at USD 9.09 trillion in 2019, e-commerce is projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 14.7% from 2020 to 2027. This is further enhanced by the deepening of internet penetration and growing preponderance of internet-enabled smart phones.
In Nigeria, the number of active telephone lines has significantly increased from about 400,000 (analogue) in 2001 to over 204 million as of December, 2020. This a great leap forward and its direct implication is a boost for e-commerce. Going forward, the exponential growth in internet deployment and its concurrent expansion of broadband penetration is a plus for e-commerce and will ultimately drive indigenous e-commerce players into the global stage. For the old-fashioned analogue shoppers like us, Konga has given us a sense to believe and a reason to convert to on-line shopping.
Author: Edward Mekoma, an estate developer, lives in Lagos.
In the busy Fagge Market in Kano, Zahra Bello, a middle-aged entrepreneur who runs a fabric store, speaks about her experience with mobile banking and how this has simplified business transactions and improved her small business.
Behind the growth of these resilient women entrepreneurs lies a story of transformation powered by technology.
“My name is Zahra Bello, I’m from Dambatta in Kano State, and I’m a fabric trader. I first heard about PalmPay from my elder brother in March 2024. He told me how he used the PalmPay Target Savings feature to buy new machinery for his farm and even earned interest. That inspired me to try it too.”
Zahra downloaded the PalmPay app that very day. By December, she’d used the Target Savings plan to restock her shop with new fabrics, an achievement she never thought possible within such a short period. “I was so happy,” she smiles. “The interest I earned on my savings motivated me to save more. PalmPay has become my savings box. I use it for all my transactions now.”
Her story, like many others, is the inspiration for PalmPay’s evolving vision of inclusive banking in Nigeria’s underserved communities.
Women, SMEs, and Technology
Financial exclusion remains a critical challenge in Northern Nigeria. According to EFInA’s 2023 Access to Financial Services survey, an estimated 28.8 million adults in the North are excluded from the formal financial system, with exclusion rates as high as 47% in the Northwest.
Among women, especially those in rural areas, the figures are even more concerning, as these numbers represent the daily reality of millions of women who run informal businesses and contribute to household income without access to banking, credit, or digital tools.
PalmPay’s initiative addresses this gap directly. 5,000 female entrepreneurs in Kano and Kaduna will receive hands-on financial literacy training on mobile payments and their shops are rebranded with signages, aprons, and other kits that will enhance visibility for their businesses.
“I used to write down every sale in a notebook. Now I track everything with my PalmPay account,” says Rabi Abdullahi, a trader in Kano. “Customers trust me more now that I have a business name and branded store.”
PalmPay has done its due diligence to understand the challenges and has offered a tailored approach to solving these issues which includes this social impact initiative.
Social Impact and Strategic Growth
With over 35 million users in Nigeria, the company is keen to expand in regions where smartphone adoption is rising but digital finance penetration remains low.
Femi Hanson, Head of Marketing and Communications, explains: “We see this as long-term ecosystem building. When you give small business owners the tools to grow, you don’t just gain users, you build loyalty, trust, and sustainable impact.” This also aligns with Nigeria’s Financial Inclusion Strategy goal to reach 95% inclusion by 2025, a benchmark that can’t be reached without focused efforts in the North.
The project has earned the support of traditional leaders, most notably His Royal Highness, the Emir of Kano, Dr. Muhammadu Sanusi II, who praised the initiative and called for greater collaboration between the private sector and community stakeholders.
With the success of this initiative, PalmPay has continued to expand its solutions in these regions offering support to even more women.
In Northern Nigeria, where the need is great and the gap wide, PalmPay is proving that true impact goes beyond offering products to providing support and meeting the needs of its users at the grassroots.
Moniepoint Inc, one of Africa’s leading financial institutions partnered with the Mega Impact Foundation to support the 5th edition of the NextGen Connect Interschool Oratory Competition in Asaba, Delta state. This collaboration showcases Moniepoint’s unwavering commitment to youth empowerment and human capital development across the African continent.
The competition, which was held commemoratively to celebrate this year’s International Day of the Boy Child, brought together SS2 students from across Delta State to address the critical theme: “The Role of Financial Inclusion and Technology in Shaping a Brighter Future for Young People in Africa.” Moniepont has received critical acclaim over its core mission of advancing financial inclusion through innovative digital financial technology solutions and payment services..
The oratory competition showcased exceptional talent among Nigeria’s youth, with Otovo Praise of Crystalloid International School emerging as the champion.
His outstanding performance earned him a full-year scholarship through the Tosin Eniolorunda STEM Foundation, reflecting Moniepoint’s philosophy of investing in educational excellence. Second-place winner Audi Innocent of St Patrick’s College received ₦300,000, while third-place winner, Asher David of Glorious Kids Academy was awarded ₦200,000.
“At Moniepoint, we believe that driving sustainable innovation begins with future-proofing and expanding the talent pool by empowering the next generation with the tools that they need to succeed especially basic literacy skills which remain fundamental pillars in socio-economic development,” said Tosin Eniolorunda, CEO Moniepoint Inc.
“These young voices represent the future of African leadership, and their insights into financial inclusion and technology demonstrate the remarkable potential that exists within our communities. Through our various educational and developmental initiatives such as the CAD/CAM lab we donated to OAU last year or the Moniepoint DreamDevs programme, we are betting big on an investment in Africa’s future.”
The initiative extends beyond monetary rewards, creating meaningful platforms for young people to express their ideas on a global stage. Through its support of the NextGen Connect Conference and Tech-In-School conversations, Moniepoint is fostering an environment where youth can develop critical thinking skills, build confidence, and engage with pressing societal issues.
In her remarks, Founder, Mega Impact Foundation, Florence Ogonegbu said that “we reaffirm our commitment to building an Africa where every young person has simplified access to sustainable education, capacity building, and empowerment.
By leveraging technology and local initiatives, we are creating platforms that enable our youth to thrive and transform their communities. Together with partners like Moniepoint, we are not just shaping futures—we are driving a movement for social development that will resonate globally. Every boy, every young person, deserves the opportunity to unlock their full potential and drive lasting impact across our continent.”
The competition received additional support from the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development, Delta State, highlighting the collaborative approach required to nurture young talent effectively.
African legislators across the continent are increasingly demanding answers from mobile network operators for chronic poor service. Parliamentarians in Cameroon, South Africa and Zambia are demanding answers on data pricing, network connectivity needs in rural regions, contributions to job creation, data security and privacy, and adherence to universal service obligations.
Zambia is the latest country to question telcos over quality of service, and National Assembly speaker Nelly Mutti has ordered minister of technology and science Felix Mutati to deliver a ministerial statement on the Airtel network’s repeat outages and the steps being taken to resolve them.
Lawmakers have expressed concerns about the impact of inconsistent connectivity, particularly in rural areas where mobile communication is important for emergencies and essential services.
This come after telecoms regulator, Zambia Information and Communications Technology Authority (ZICTA) read the riot act to Airtel, after its most recent outage last week.
This was not the first time the telco had experienced service interruption, which prompted ZICTA to threaten the telco with a fine.
Meanwhile, the speaker of parliament declared that the nation has to be informed about the causes for the network provider’s bad service and the steps being taken to address the issue.
Mutti said: “This matter is affecting everyone. We need to know why the services are poor and what is being done to ensure service providers comply with stipulated guidelines.”
The move by the Zambian parliament comes a few days after South African parliament also summoned mobile network operators to respond to a range of concerns that lawmakers felt impacted consumers.
The following issues were considered by parliamentarians: network connectivity standards in rural areas, contributions to job creation, transformation, and economic inclusion and empowerment for blacks in general, women, youth, and people with disabilities, data security and privacy, adherence to universal service obligations, and spectrum conditions for universal connectivity.
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