MarketBuddy Debuts to Connect Buyers, Sellers in Nigeria

Agnes Ekebuike

Electronic commerce (eCommerce) web application platform, MarketBuddy has formally debuted in Nigeria with focus to connect buyers to sellers.

Speaking at the formal launch held at The Nest Technology Hub, Lagos, the Founder and Chief Executive Officer, MarketBuddy, Adejuwon Adeboboye, said the firm would among other things, bridge the gap between blue collar artisan, who has no reach on the Internet but that just depends on their traditional day to day pickups from people on the road side by giving them platforms to exhibit products and services globally.  

According to him, in selecting artisans to the platform, “we sent a few agents to the market to survey and introduce the platform to people, especially those with zero online presence. Then we help them to come to the platform after thorough assessment of such artisan, we do this through verification which includes checking their phone number, NIN and business registration number. This verification is done through our partner, YouID, which gives a verdict before they are onboarded.”

Providing more insights, Head of Operations and Product Manager, Raymond Maduawgu, explained that after onboarding the artisans through the verification process, “we have a marketing budget for all artisans, which helps to ensure that their businesses are visible, when that is done, we have a 10 per cent cap, which is the lowest in the market.”

On his part, Data Analyst, Mobolaji Anthony, said the firm made progress significantly and positioned adequately well to benefit for the global ecommerce market put at $6 trillion, which is open to everybody.

At the unveiling, Head of Customer Experience Transactworld Digital Services, Cynthia Alabi, said African artisans and small businesses encountered numerous hurdles: limited access to funding, inadequate infrastructure, and a lack of market visibility among others.