The Paypers

The product has no inventory or warehouse requirements and allows users, after the creation of a profile, to showcase inventory and link up to a payment option, according to TechCrunch. Regarding pickup and delivery, Flutterwave Store operates through existing third-party logistics providers, such as Sendy in Kenya and Sendbox in Nigeria.

The service will start in 15 African countries and, at this moment, Flutterwave will only charge fees on payments. Apart from that, SMEs can create an online storefront and buyers and sellers can transact goods, free of charge. While the initiative is a result of the spread of COVID-19 cases in Africa, there are plans for it to be continued after the pandemic as well, the company’s officials stated.

Overall, there’s a large pool of traders and small businesses across Africa that could benefit by taking their businesses online, as the IFC (International Finance Corporation) estimated that SMEs make up 90% of Sub-Saharan Africa’s business serving the region’s one-billion people.

Flutterwave launches ecommerce portal for SMEs