In an exclusive interview with Romain Poirot Lellig, Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Africa Delivery Technologies, a tech company trading as Kwik Delivery, he told Nairametrics that the African retail is very fragmented by nature and that is because margins are often slim. Excerpts:
Kindly introduce yourself
I’m the Founder & CEO of Africa Delivery Technologies, a tech company trading as Kwik Delivery. Kwik is using the power of data to provide B2B platform services to Africa merchants, in the domains related to last-mile logistics and trade. We launched our breakthrough on-demand delivery service in Lagos last June and we just crossed the 6000th B2B signed up users mark. Our user base ranges from the Shoe Revamp shop and the Barman.ng liquor store in Yaba to CFAO’s Winpart and prestigious banks and law firms.
Tell us about Kwik Delivery and how it came about?
Kwik’s objective is to enable corporations and traders in large African cities to do “just-in-time” deliveries to their suppliers and customers. African retail is very fragmented by nature. Because margins there are often slim, traders keep inventory levels at a bare minimum. This means that when they need to replenish their stock, they don’t sell and by definition they lose revenue. Just-in-time deliveries are helping manufacturers, wholesalers and retailers to address that critical issue.
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What are the unique features that differentiate you from the rest of your competitors?
Kwik delivers across Lagos State within 2 hours. Customers just have to download our app and can make requests and track their deliveries. We use a fleet of independent contractors that we thoroughly check and control via technology and a very dedicated and hardworking operations team. We just had a record-breaking couple of days with Valentine’s Day as a real booster of commerce in Lagos.
How would you rate the Nigerian business operating environment, bearing in mind how government policies affect startups like yours?
Nigeria is all about opportunities, and there are no opportunities without challenges. On one hand, citizens need to be protected; on the other hand, Lagos has firmly positioned itself as a major hub of innovation in Africa and this needs to continue. The future of African tech is largely being built in Lagos today.
Tell us about the biggest challenges you face as a delivery startup in Lagos?
Without any doubt, the biggest challenge is to convince founders that Nigeria is open for business and that several models that coexist in the same space. Successful entrepreneurs are distinguished by their capacity in convincing funded that it is worth doing things differently.
Do you think the Lagos State Government does a lot to support innovative startups?
I used to work in government in France and abroad and I’m deeply aware of the difficulty to balance out the various priorities that you are facing as a policymaker, especially in a state as large and complex as Lagos.
Where do you see Kwik Delivery in the next five years?
We are well on our way toward 10 000 B2B deliveries per month later this year. In the next five years, we will operate in multiple cities across Africa and continue to introduce disruptive services in Lagos and elsewhere.