Kaymu taps into Uganda's millenials

Feb 25, 2016

more millennials (25– 33-year olds) in Kampala are buying merchandise online rather than at physical shops.

Running a successful e-commerce business is not just about posting items online.

The officials at Kaymu, an online retailer, say it is about doing business with an entirely different mind-set, using a medium that challenges the very basic rules of traditional Ugandan ways of doing business.

E-commerce is a new concept to most and so they are expected to find it quite hard to adapt and also to learn how it works.

However, more millennials (25- 33-year olds) in Kampala are buying merchandise online rather than at physical shops.

Kaymu is working towards attracting and retaining customers using exclusive codes, special discounts and coupons.  

Cynthia Tumwine, a 26-year old TV presenter, says she got her first Kaymu item as a gift.

"A friend asked me to choose a birthday gift from the site. I couldn't believe how easy and convenient it was. I used to have to find time to walk through stores and negotiate with sellers, I don't remember the last time I did that," she says and adds, "My mom doesn't understand it though, she says I'm being lazy."

Millennials are embracing online shopping at a faster rate than the generation before them.  Kaymu Uganda's sales manager Lisa Kaitare says:

"In most European countries, there is more of a direct debit culture, while in Africa and Uganda in particular, consumers tend to prefer paying cash on delivery - and usually not until they have unpacked the goods and tried them out. So we do it the Ugandan way, we'll deliver the order to wherever you are and you won't be forced to pay for it if it doesn't meet your expectations."

In the meantime, Kaymu is connecting global brands with the country's emerging consumers.

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});