Redefining supply chain in Nigeria’s retail market space
By Olorunfemi Adejuyigbe
There is hardly a neighbourhood in the country where a retailer is not found and a vacuum automatically gets created in the absence of a formal retail store on any street.
The retail business is growing with the redefinition of how supply meets demand. Most recently, retailers need not worry on how to restock their stores with groceries as technology is being deployed by fast rising business to business (B2B) firms.
This evolution is bringing more fulfilment to retailers, wholesalers, manufacturers and these tech firms that play the middleman role with their services readily accessible online and offline.
A micro business owner, Aliyu Bala Idala in Kano is happy that Alerzo, a B2B e-commerce firm goes the extra mile by offering free delivery of goods he orders.
He shared:”I do buying and selling in Kachachi market, a local government in Kano. I sell provisions and food items at wholesale prices. I have been running this business for the past 10 years. We give glory to God that I have been doing business with Alerzo for the past two years and I am happy doing business with them.
“In the past, we usually wouldn’t get goods delivered to us. We would go round the markets buying from one shop to the other. But now we don’t go through the stress of going to the markets; we order what we want and they deliver to us at our shop. This is a big achievement for Alerzo.”
Not only that he and other traders get his goods delivered at the right time for free by Alerzo, he added that Alerzo empowered them with PoS machines, “We enjoy making use of the PoS. It helps in our daily dealings with customers.
