Logistics firm Sendy has launched a fulfillment service for online retailers.
Sendy says that the introduction of the service is key because it will see retailers focus their energy on other parts of the business to grow.
Basically, Sendy Fulfilment is an online platform that performs logistics roles or alleviates logistics difficulties from online sellers while also shielding them from high operation costs that are often associated with logistics.
Sendy has developed a Fulfilment Centre, which has many picking locations across Nairobi.
The Centre looks forward to doing business with e-commerce and direct-to-consumer businesses that do not have storage facilities or delivery systems.
To this end, Sendy’s Fulfilment Centre will pick, pack and ship orders to customers for a fee of 13 percent of their product’s selling price.
To note, the price is also inclusive of picking up an order from a vendor’s location, three shipping attempts, 60 days of storage, and inventory tracking.
At the same time, businesses that will choose to use the product will be able to access financing to buy additional inventory and manage their cash flow.
A large portion of Kenya’s 1.5 million registered small enterprises and burgeoning online entrepreneurs face expensive logistics and storage costs, as well as a significant amount of time spent on logistics.
Among the first items to be sold include fashion and electronic accessories, books, packaged food, beauty, baby products, and fitness equipment.
Vendor Registration
Vendors simply register on the Sendy Fulfillment platform by:
- uploading their inventory
- and then send items to a Fulfillment Center near them.
- When a consumer places an order with a vendor, Sendy ships it on the vendor’s behalf from the Fulfillment center closest to them.
An ordinary delivery within Nairobi costs between Sh.300 and 1000 per shipment measured per mile.
Sendy Fulfillment will provide low and mid-priced items with affordable delivery pricing and tracking services, allowing businesses and customers to follow the exact position of their orders while they are in transit.
The customer can also choose a delivery time and location that is convenient for them.
“Online shopping is booming, and locally owned firms are increasingly focusing their efforts on packing and shipping them to customers rather than selling. “We want small business owners to focus on selling and building their enterprises, customer service, and repeat business while Sendy Fulfillment’s tech-enabled platform takes care of the logistics,” said Chris Nyaga, Sendy Fulfilment’s General Manager for East Africa.
“If e-commerce shops and other small businesses do not carefully manage their inventory, monitor, and estimate sales in the post-pandemic economy, they risk dead inventory and financial loss. By combining retail storage and delivery as a service, these expenses are reduced, and supply chain efficiency is improved, ” adds Mr. Nyaga.
