Namibian logistics start-up Jabu has reported steady growth in the use of its e-commerce mobile app in South Africa.
Headquartered in Windhoek, Namibia, Jabu says it is reinventing the way retailers in the informal sector order, stock and receive supplies for their shops in Southern Africa.
Launched in December in SA, the app seeks to make the ordering process as convenient and as accessible as possible for its customers since the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the way business is conducted in the informal sector.
The app is available on Android and iOS.
“The mobile app currently has over 6 000 merchants using its platform across SA, which is a 50% increase since the launch of the app. The e-commerce platform is a user-friendly way that customers can buy and receive hundreds of products at the touch of a button,” says David Akinin, founder and CEO of Jabu Logistics.
With a number of big players in the logistics industry, such as FedEx and Value Logistics, Jabu is motivated to offer customers reliable services.
Customers can use the e-commerce platform to place an order, and a Jabu driver partner will pick up the order at a Jabu Distribution Centre. The app offers free delivery of all orders placed before noon, and they will be received on the same day.
According to Akinin, the mobile app does not only benefit customers but their business partners as well, by distributing their products across the country.
“I am changing the way informal sector retailers in Africa source products and interact with brands,” he adds.
Originally from Venezuela, Akinin graduated in economics from the University of Chicago, with courses at Paris Diderot University and Harvard. He worked in Chile at Credit Suisse in global energy and emerging markets, and at Google in business development.
He is completing a Masters in Philosophy in Inclusive Innovation at the University of Cape Town Graduate School of Business.
“We want to be the business-to-business super app for Africa’s informal economy. We are solving significant challenges for our customers – the ordering and supply chain around the stock they sell. In the near future, we want to participate in the way they pay, ride, rent and grow through Jabuwallet, Jaburides, Jaburentals and Jabufinance,” concludes Akinin.
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