The Computer Warehouse Group (CWG), a leading provider of
information and communication technology solutions has brought Openmall, an
online shopping platform to the International Trade Fair Complex (ITFC) Lagos even
as it targets 34 million small scale businesses, ITRealms
reports.
The Chief Technology Officer, CWG, James Agada, said the
intention of creating the platform is to provide online shop for small scale
businesses to display their goods and services for prospective buyers, adding
that it is designed to make them grow bigger than what they are currently. He
also said that Openmall ensures about 20 per cent discount compared to what is
bought in other e-commerce platforms because his company, unlike others, does
not have its own products so there is no quest for profit maximization.
Agada who was speaking at the ITFC Openmalllaunch,Thursday,
stated that Openmall will enhance job creation, saying that if eachof the 34
million small businesses can employ one
more person in their business, another 34 million jobs willhave been created,
adding that the platform will put in value to the Nigerian economy disclosing
that if this number of businesses came on board with a minimum of N10, 000
each, it will definitely inject billions of Naira into the nation’s economy.
He said Openmall has neither shop nor product to sell but
operates a customer desk that interfaces between the buyers and sellers, saying
that Openmall operates an escrow account system in which the platform ensures
that both the buyer and seller honour their terms of agreement.
“When the buyer confirms interest in a particular goods
or service he pays and the money enters Openmall account, the seller provides
the item which is delivered to the buyer before the money is then released to
the seller, all these within 24 hours,” Agada said.
He said the group is partnering with market associations,
NGOs, market, leaders,currier service companies in case of distant customers and
banks, adding that arrangement is on the way to work with the banks to provide
soft loans to the small businesses in order to enable them stay on business. He
said while the smallest online shop costs N2,500 a month, the biggest size goes
for N10,000 a month.
The Business Development Manager, Openmall, Chidi Asiegbu, ITRealms
gathered, said the society is changing with emerging technologies and people
should embrace the change and advised business owners to own a website through
Openmall platform, saying that the platform will remove logistics both on the
part of the buyer and the seller, adding that the online shop also offers the
seller platform for advertising his goods and services on his own shop which is
embedded in Openmall.
Asiegbu informed guests that the company will be in the
Complex for another five days to enable interested business owners to come and
book their online shops.
Cyriacus Nnaji/GEE
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