By Kokumo Goodie, Lagos, Nigeria
Nigeria’s e-commerce platform, Yudala, says it plans to use drones to deliver orders to customers.
Yudala said this will circumvent the usual motor traffic that has become synonymous with major cities like Lagos, Port Harcourt, Abuja and others.
Online Co-ordinator at Yudala, Prince Nnamdi Ekeh, said the aim of hiring drones is to fast-track deliveries nationwide, adding that when the relevant regulatory bodies approve, the drones will swing into action.
“We have acquired a few drones and working with partners in Asia to develop and deploy these Integrated Drones to avoid vehicular traffic in major cities in Nigeria. We are working to secure appropriate permits from the relevant government agencies. This will go live soon as we live up to our mandate of setting new milestones for the online retail business in the country.”
“For the first time ever in the history of e-commerce in Nigeria, the customer no longer has to face the uncertainty of where to turn for support. We offer core after-sales support on both warranty and out-of-warranty products purchased from our online platform or from any of our offline stores nationwide.
“Most importantly, you are guaranteed peace of mind when you buy Yudala. Apart from the secure, safe shopping experience you enjoy on the website, every product carried on our platforms, either online or offline, comes directly from the Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs). As a result, there are no issues of grey products finding its way into your hands. You also get to enjoy all risks cover (except theft) from Sovereign Trust Insurance Plc. on every product purchased from us. These are the bases for the Yudala management taking responsibility for every product purchased from and delivered by us.
“Thousands of enthusiastic shoppers besieged the Yudala website, which went live at 12 noon, to take advantage of the mega deals and other mouth-watering promotions on offer which ended at the weekend. Yudala Online processed orders and other enquiries from all over the country including Ghana, Cameroon and other countries in sub-Saharan Africa while huge discounts and millions of freebies were enjoyed by shoppers,” he said.
Yudala had launched its Offline Stores Division with simultaneous roll-out of four stores in Lagos: two Experience and two Smart Stores – in July before following it up with the unveiling of its e-commerce platform and the roll-out of more physical retail stores in various locations across the country. These locations include Abuja, Owerri, Asaba, Warri, Port Harcourt, Ibadan and Uyo.
Yudala enjoys strong partnership and comparative advantage for products from major brands including HP, Apple, Lenovo, Tecno Mobile, INNJOO, Infinix, X-Touch, Wiko Phones, SONY, YEZZ, DELL, Philips, ITEL, IBM, Microsoft, APC Schneider, Cisco, Canon, D-Link and many more in the ICT space, with the company expected to roll out additional product lines such as consumer lifestyle, urbane fashion, food, wines and spirits, healthy living products, consumer electronics and many more in segments soon.
Backed by its multi-pronged yet standard business model, the company has a bold ambition to dictate the pace and set new milestones for online and offline retail business, with the delivery of world class products and services in every Yudala store and on the online platform.
