Africa’s leading tech-driven delivery company, GIG Logistics, GIGL, has announced expansion of its services to China to boost e-commerce market sector.
This brings the total number of countries it presently operates to four. Beyond the shores of Nigeria, GIGL has already established branches in Ghana, the United States and the United Kingdom.
By leveraging technology and prior experience in the logistics space in four countries, GIGL, through this expansion will help to fix the recurring challenges associated with international purchases as well as increase the opportunities for Africans to buy from merchants in China through the GIGGo app and get superfast hassle-free shipping at affordable rates.
Dr Ocholi Etu, the MD of GIG Logistics speaking on the expansion said:
I can tell you that for GIG whose mission is to become the gateway to Africa and out of Africa, there is a plan to dominate globally but we curate our movements based on where we are seeing heavy demands. We are also thinking of expanding further within Africa.
GIGL, through this expansion will help to fix the recurring challenges associated with international purchases.
In a chat with Dr Ocholi Etu, the MD of GIG Logistics, he told Technext that the launch was originally planned for last year but was postponed due to payment concerns. However, transactions will now be carried out locally using a GIGL local bank account and using Nigeria’s currency, NAIRA.
This is a great idea given the unremitting challenges many Africans face the existing payment options available for carrying out international purchases.
He went on to say that the team is working on more creative ways to provide customers with more enhanced services by deploying technology that will help with goods purchases and transportation. One of these is the creation of Kim, an Artificial Intelligence personal shopper.
Meet Kim, GIG Logistics’ AI personal shopper
Kim is an Artificial Intelligence tool and the new GIG Logistics personal shopper, that will serve as a middleman between Chinese vendors and Nigerian consumers.
The AI feature has been developed to accurately translate languages, improve communication with these Chinese businesses and communicate precise consumer requests.
Conversations with the AI are through WhatsApp and WeChat, and according to Dr Ocholi, the WhatsApp communication option was selected since the aim is to make this opportunity available to everyone.
In a Statista report, WhatsApp is the most widely utilised platform in the nation with over 90 million users, so including it is a really smart move.
With this expansion, GIG Logistics services are available for popular Chinese brands like Alibaba and other local merchants and sites across the country via the AI tool, Kim. With this potential comes the possibility of a protracted hiccup in the refund process.
But Dr Ocholi said that while GIG Logistics is a third party in the game, the merchants’ refund policies are what the customers would be subjected to. However, the GIG Logistics team in China will conduct a comprehensive inspection of the items to ensure quality and to match the customer’s description.
Why China?
China is one of the world’s main manufacturing nations with affordable pricing to buy goods, and many Nigerians have turned to the country to make these purchases. Some small business owners source relatively all of their supplies from here.
In March 2022, Nigeria’s overall imports from China increased to 1.278 USD billion, per CEIC Data. This illustrates the extensive trade that exists between the two countries despite all of the challenges. GIG Logistics intends to alleviate some of these obstacles through this expansion.
However, many variables have influenced the purchasing of international goods, one of which is the CBN-regulated restrictions of international payment services, which GIG intends to address as it develops and expands its services.
Technext
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