Revolutionizing B2B Trade in Africa: A Case Study on goAfrica
Technology Category
- Platform as a Service (PaaS) - Application Development Platforms
- Robots - Wheeled Robots
Applicable Industries
- Electronics
- Transportation
Applicable Functions
- Logistics & Transportation
- Procurement
Use Cases
- Last Mile Delivery
- Transportation Simulation
Services
- System Integration
About The Customer
goAfrica is a B2B marketplace that aims to facilitate trade within Africa. The platform is designed to be easy to use, with market-leading B2B functionalities designed for mobile access. It offers a wide selection of in-demand products, including mobile phones, electronics, beauty products, and clothing, sourced directly from leading suppliers, predominantly based in China. goAfrica also provides a Request for Quote (RFQ) function, efficient logistics partnerships for cross-border delivery, and verification and inspection solutions to ensure safe trading. The company has developed strong global logistics, bank, and technology strategic partners to reinforce customer access, advanced functionality, and competitive positioning.
The Challenge
goAfrica, a B2B marketplace aimed at facilitating trade within Africa, faced significant challenges in its quest to become the Alibaba.com of Africa. The founders, despite their extensive experience in Africa, were unsure of how to create a global marketplace that could accommodate multiple languages and currencies. They also faced the daunting task of securely handling potentially massive payments. For instance, if a Kenyan buyer wanted to purchase a $500,000 combine from Komatsu in Japan, how could they ensure that the order would be paid for and shipped as expected? The founders needed a solution that would not only provide a secure payment system but also allow for easy communication between buyers and suppliers, real-time currency conversion, and a platform for suppliers to showcase their products.
The Solution
Clarity eCommerce provided a comprehensive solution to goAfrica's challenges. They first integrated the platform with Payoneer, which provided an escrow account for global transfers. This ensured that payments were securely held until the goods were delivered, thus protecting both the buyer and the supplier. Clarity also added multistore and multilingual modules, allowing each supplier to set up their own store, upload products, set pricing, and add images and descriptions. A live chat interface was also included to facilitate communication between buyers and suppliers. To handle the issue of multiple currencies, a third-party API was integrated to provide real-time currency conversion rates. Clarity also added a business directory to help showcase the companies involved in the marketplace. Finally, Clarity implemented Cross-Origin Resource Sharing (CORS), allowing goAfrica to integrate their own WordPress front-end marketing website, which could display the .NET menu, featured products, and more.
Operational Impact
Quantitative Benefit
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