SHiip, a Nigerian tech-driven delivery startup, has taken the task of powering hassle-free shipping to help African merchants build trust with their customers.
The Quest For A Reliable Shipping Partner
Recent studies show a growing number of online buyers in Sub-Sahara Africa, with Nigeria, South Africa, and Kenya accounting for more than half of the online shoppers in the region. According to Mastercard, 81% of Nigeria Consumers are shopping more online, influenced by the Pandemic. That said, shipping is now a primary concern for African merchants and business owners who need to deliver items to their customers locally and abroad.
Beyond competitive logistic charges, reliable, real-time tracking and timely delivery of goods are essential factors in driving greater customer satisfaction which comes with a hassle for these merchants.
After investing heavily in advertising and acquiring customers, delivery remains the challenge and has cost many online store sales. Research from Ecommerce Nation found that 37% of online shoppers if dissatisfied with a delivery experience, will never use the same online retailer again. Conversely, 75% of people are more likely to buy again from an online store if they are happy with the delivery. This brings about the need for an efficient, reliable, and fast-speed integrated delivery partner for African merchants.
Birthing SHiip To Deliver Seemless Shipping Experience
SHiip’s Co-founder and CEO, Quadry Olalekan, talked about what validates the idea for the startup and why he believes the company will thrive in the African market:
In 2019, we launched Listbuy, an eCommerce platform that allows vendors to own a digital store and sell their goods online. It was going great. However, along the way, we realized that delivery was a big problem for our customers, particularly during the Covid-19 period.
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We noticed how difficult it was for them to find reliable delivery companies that would deliver anywhere in and out of Nigeria on time. According to our findings, businesses earn more sales when delivery is simple, quick, and flexible. All of these got us thinking, “How can we solve this logistics problem for our customers?”
“The necessity of solving these challenges for our customers gave birth to SHiip. We are here to help African merchants move their goods across the world easily, take care of their delivery and waybill while they have more time to handle business and serve their customers better,” says Quadry.
Today, SHiip has over 2000 registered businesses processing their delivery through the company’s channel – Whatsapp, Mobile App, Web, and APIs and have onboarded 51 notable carriers, including DHL, FedEx/Redstar, GIG, Kwik, UPS, Jumia Logistics, Kxpress, and Courier Plus which covers local, national and international shipments for her customers.
“We built the SHiip experience to ensure safety and timely delivery of all our customers’ orders. We have a great customer support team that is always available to provide customers with the necessary guidance to make their experience with us seamless,” remarked SHiip’s co-founder and CPO, Ridwan Rasheed.
In the past 15 months, the startup has shipped over 10,000 items and boasts of a client base including Custruct, Brandbox, Mavins Record, Pepperest, SofreshNG, Flutterwave, Bumpa, etc.
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Kofo Ayeola, the CEO of Emfort Fashion, a top fashion house in Lagos, who has been a long time customer of SHiip, discloses that — “The delivery speed is unbelievable and their service is top-notch. When it comes to shipping orders, SHiiP is your plug. I love the fact that my customers always receive their clothes and accessories sharply.”
SHiip is growing rapidly, and the cofounders are taking intentional steps to fuel the growth. The startup currently has 7 employees with a customer/merchant base of over 100,000 users. Ridwan told Techpression in a chat that the startup is raising funds at the moment to grow its team and onboard new merchants while it looks to expand into other African countries like Ghana, Kenya, and Uganda.
About SHiip
Founded in 2021, SHiiP connects individuals and small businesses with the best delivery options, discounted shipping, and real-time rate comparison from all leading carriers, on-demand tracking, customer shipping notifications, seamless handling of returns, and more.
The startup is on a mission to help merchants and businesses access shipping freedom and become the continent’s most robust shipping and delivery infrastructure. Today, companies use SHiip to improve their supply chain experience, save on shipping, and use business insights to fuel business growth.
With the SHiip APIs, SMEs and enterprise merchants can access large network delivery providers and power their online stores with diverse and streamlined delivery capabilities without hassle.