Four youthful Malawian entrepreneurs have made history after setting up an online store to revolutionalise the process of selling and buying goods on the Malawi market.
Operating under the brand name QU, the online store offers an online shopping platform and web development services.
The team, comprising of Dingani Ndhlovu, Chinsinsi Chikaoneka, Peter Nkosi and Chiharo Bilima, started doing research on the project in 2014 after which they set up an online shoe store which has since evolved to a fully integrated online market place for different products.
Chief Web Officer for the group, Chiharo Bilima said despite the vast potential the industry offers, online marketing and trading has been done at the most rudimentary level in Malawi.
“Individuals basically trade personal items via social media, for example Facebook but with over one million internet users in Malawi, we believe Malawi can make great strides in the E-commerce sector. Getting into this completely new market has been challenging as E-commerce is still in its infancy in Malawi. Most people perceive online shopping as a scam because of lack of information and understanding of how it works. Even worse, the laws that guide these services in Malawi are still very ambiguous to the general public. The team has taken strategic steps and measures to break this perception and build a legitimate online business,” Bilima said.
Bilima further said the platform opens up new market opportunities for entrepreneurs in Malawi giving their products a wide customer reach at low cost.
“The products from the store can be accessed from anywhere in the country, this will not limit them to selling in their city only,” he said.
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