Ajemart is a Cool Online Shopping Platform for Groceries, But it Needs to Address Some Issues

Going to the market can be such a stressful endeavor sometimes. Many times, we would prefer alternative where we can shop online and have our groceries delivered to our homes. If you feel this way, then Ajemart is probably the platform for you.

Latifat sells amazing chin chin wey dey burst brain.. Get to her now on #AjeMart .https://t.co/3IcvCo2kTf pic.twitter.com/nA5qdPfrSk

— IFEANYI (@JustECP) March 27, 2019

Ajemart is an ecommerce platform developed to attend to all your food and kitchen needs. The platform aims to connect buyers directly to sellers of locally farmed and locally made products across the country. With the Ajemart platform, users can easily shop for any food item such as palm oil, fresh potatoes, fruits, etc.

A recent social media campaign shows the platform supports other goods beyond food items. However, from its website, food items dominate its listing.

But unlike other ecommerce platforms such as Gloo (now defunct) and Jumia, Ajemart is more of a classifieds listing platform, just like OLX. The platform does not hold an inventory of the items being sold, neither is Ajemart the seller per se.

Rather the platform is simply a medium where farmers and agro-product sellers can market their items. Sellers who already own shops in physical locations can sign-up and use the platform to reach more customers. This option helps to augment the sales of user.

https://twitter.com/fearlezLady/status/1110903345932316672

So you won’t find any check out option on the platform. Instead, users can get in touch with the sellers directly. Just like how Jiji and OLX work.

Now as simple as the Ajemart platform is, it still has a lot of work to do.
For instance, unlike OLX and Jiji which support localization, Ajemart has a national outlook. The platform targets buyers and sellers from all across Nigeria. This isn’t an ideal system for a grocery platform. The platform would work better if it allowed users to select a location closest to them to shop for items.

Then there’s also the issue of goods delivery. True to its classifieds listing alignment, Ajemart does not deliver items to sellers. Rather the platform simply connects buyers to sellers and allows both parties continue any dealings on their own terms and anywhere else. But since Ajemart targets all states in Nigeria, this system could prove ineffective.

https://twitter.com/fearlezLady/status/1110903338130919425

Simply aggregating sellers nationally won’t help anybody because users would have to struggle to negotiate and reach delivery terms on their own. And this defeats the convenience of online shopping.

From my end, Ajemart is cool, but it won’t get much traction. It needs a local focus to start with