The annual October 1st celebration has recently been greeted with mixed feelings as many nationals believe there was more that needed to be done for the 62-year-old country, as true independence connotes meaningful development and progress. 

Some also believe that all hope is not lost for a country blessed with exceptional humans that are achieving incredible feats in sports, education, information and communication technology (ICT) and other endeavours.

The boom in the ICT sector over oil dependence gives another dimension  of hope and freedom, as the data made available by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) indicates that the sector had contributed 18.44 percent to the country’s gross domestic product in Q2 2022.

Through its in-depth understanding of the system, e-commerce firms like Alerzo are proffering solutions to the challenges in the industry and, in turn, boosting the economy.

Informal retailers on the Alerzo platform testify to the freedom they derive from the e-commerce firm that is leveraging technology to help micro businesses thrive through a wide array of digital products it provides. For instance, the Alerzoshop mobile app allows retailers to order for goods and get them delivered swiftly to their stores without any delivery fees.

The technology Alerzo provides through the Alerzoshop app ultimately saves retailers from the stress of commuting to major markets to buy stock; they also do not fall victim to buying adulterated products and road hazards.

They are exempted from payments at the open markets and motor parks where they board vehicles to convey their stock to their stores, thus further helping them reduce the cost of restocking.

Alerzo Group CEO, Adewale Opaleye, speaking on the freedom the firm is offering to retailers, said: “Alerzo has deployed technology in addressing the challenges of the retailers who are on our platform. With our free delivery services, retailers save time, energy, and resources that they would have otherwise expended in restocking.’’

A retailer who buys stock from the Alerzo platform said: “Doing business with Alerzo has removed the stress of going to the market to restock. When I come back from the market, I come back with a headache.

“But since I started patronising Alerzo, things are different. Alerzo has a vast assortment of goods. Secondly, Alerzo saves me  money on delivery and transportation aside from the convenience.

“My health has improved because I no longer go through the stress of buying goods in the open market and returning home with a headache. So, I’m enjoying the convenience and it is good for my health and wellbeing,” he explained.

The Alerzopay PoS terminals also make doing business much easier as the retailers can make payment for the goods purchased, conduct cash back transactions, and pay utility bills.

A retailer, Oluwagbemileke Abosede said in her two decades of doing business, her journey with Alerzo has been more rewarding, stating: “I purchase from Alerzo and they deliver free of charge. I was given the Alerzopay PoS machine for payment, some customers won’t buy from you if you don’t have PoS. Since I started using the PoS terminal, my sales have increased.’’

Alerzo is part of those with innovations that are bridging the gap in micro business, as the impacts are being strongly felt even in the rural areas.

Adewale Opaleye, Alerzo Group CEO who is passionate about retailers’ growth, especially with the adoption of technology, said the tech firm provides swift and free delivery of goods ordered by its customers, payment options for retailers for receiving and making cashless payments.

He said Alerzo also helps retailers track store profitability better and facilitate a portfolio of digital services including airtime purchases, bill payments as well as processing peer-to-peer transfers.

Opaleye noted that the testimonials from customers reiterate the firm’s focus “on helping reach more customers seamlessly, we are shifting from a ‘retailers-focused’ business to ‘empowering micro-businesses within and outside of the retail space.’’

He said part of the initiatives in growing retail footprint include: shop now and pay later, savings, loyalty programme, 3P logistics, inventory management and invoicing.

‘‘I am profoundly happy that the work we do at Alerzo Nigeria is greatly impacting the economy of the continent. I founded Alerzo to address most of the challenges that face informal retailers in Nigeria.

‘‘I am happy that, in about three years of operations, Alerzo has deployed technology in addressing the challenges of the informal retailers who are on our platform.

‘‘With our delivery services, retailers save time, energy, and resources that they would have otherwise expended in restocking,” added Opaleye.

A retailer, Oluwagbemileke Abosede said in her two decades of doing business, her journey with Alerzo has been more rewarding.

She shared: “I purchase from Alerzo and they deliver free of charge. I was given the Alerzopay PoS machine for payment, some customers won’t buy from you if you don’t have PoS. Since I started using the PoS terminal my sales have increased.

“People are embracing the cashless policy even when a customer comes in to buy things for N500 or N1000 they ask if I have PoS to make their transactions. They prefer to pay using their ATM cards and I conduct the transactions using Alerzopay PoS terminal. The charges are okay and the transactions reflect immediately.

“Even if a customer attempts to make a deposit using the PoS terminal and it was declined the money would promptly be reversed as the Alerzo pay terminal is working very fine.”

Another retailer, Umar Shuaib aged 26, narrated the impact Alerzo is making on his family’s retail business, as there is plan to expand.

“Alerzo in Kano has helped us immensely because they deliver to our doorsteps  for free any product we order. We thank God Alerzo is here and we are enjoying how Alerzo operates,” he stated.

Some of these challenges include difficulty in accessing goods on time. Dearth of infrastructure such as good road network, long distance to the market and lack of adequate transportation system to move purchased goods are among the factors that constitute access barriers to goods and commodities.

As a result, many owners of micro businesses spend longer time or wait for days and weeks to receive inventory or restock, while oftentimes they experience supply shortages.

The delay or disruption in supply also affects the end-users/consumers, who are unable to purchase things they need as at when due.

Painfully, micro retailers lose sales, and ultimately money whenever they have stocks-out due to inefficient supply cycles.

However, the increasing impact of digital technology that is rapidly transforming every segment of our socio-economic ecosystem is also changing the narrative positively for businesses including retail trade. 

The digitalisation of the economy, which is enabling e-commerce platforms in the B2C segment and lately the B2B segment, has had and continues to have great impact on the manufacturing, distribution and retail value chains.

With B2B e-commerce, tech-driven digital solutions including warehousing and logistics infrastructure and fulfilment solutions are making micro businesses more efficient and better organised in their day-to-day operations, especially those in the underserved remote or rural areas.

So, unlike the past years when micro business owners in underserved areas faced supply hurdles, most of them today can testify of better and faster access to goods and commodities due to B2B e-commerce revolution.

This positive development is not without the efforts of B2B e-commerce platforms like Alerzo whose strong presence in rural areas and commitment to the underserved micro businesses is boosting access to extensive catalogue of products and logistics.

Through SMS, WhatsApp, phone calls or log-in onto its site where applicable, customers now easily place orders and get the goods delivered swiftly without being charged for delivery.

Alerzo’s CEO, Adewale Opaleye stated, “Our strong presence in the South-West, and continued expansion to the North-West and Central consolidate our desire to grow in a sustainable manner and continue to serve those that are underserved.

“On our Alerzoshop retail app, we have a vast assortment available to our customers to choose from, and we offer free delivery in all the over 13 cities we’re currently operational. We change the landscape for them (retailers) through on time delivery.’’

Opaleye added that, ‘‘For the past two years, we have delivered to informal retailers at no cost. With our delivery services, retailers save time, energy, and resources that they would have otherwise expended in restocking. These benefits have resulted in 85% of our retailers reducing their two to four times a week restock trips to zero.”

As digital technology makes deeper impressions on more people, it is also anticipated that the rural communities would also open up. Hence, there is a bigger role e-commerce platforms will play in reaching the underserved in light of government’s focus on leveraging micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and digital economy as critical enablers of national economic growth. 

As the engine of national economic growth, the MSMEs segment is reported to contribute 50 per cent to the Nigeria’s GDP and make up 80 per cent of the country’s total employment, while the informal retail segment is worth $100 billion. E-commerce platforms, in particular the B2B segment would ultimately be needed to bridge the potential supply-demand gap that could arise.