It is said that 1 out of every 5 products sold in online marketplaces is fake. This is not because the marketplaces want to sell counterfeit products to their customers but malicious third-party vendors always want a quick buck and try to do everything to beat the set systems. Legitimate businesses online are trying to do everything they can to appeal to their customer base and sell them quality products, as well as implementing estore logistics to help monitor and secure their products, so when fake businesses try and piggyback off of that it has the potential to push customers away if they think it is linked to them.
Seeing the depth of the problem and the value of the opportunity therein, a team of entrepreneurs set out to build an e-commerce platform in which there would never be a counterfeit (fake) product.
Kweli.shop (www.kweli.shop), a premium household furnishing and kitchen appliances e-commerce shop took their first order on April 27th 2019. After working from behind the scenes for 24 straight months, the team thinks it is time for them to go mainstream.
“We have spent 2 years actively preparing this business for success from behind the cameras; testing every part of it, fulfilling every order and learning the customers; now, we are ready for the main stage.” – Stephen Obeli Someday, Founder.
Unlike marketplaces like Alibaba, Jiji and Jumia on which anyone can sell anything, Kweli ensures fakes do not get listed or sold through the platform by pre-verifying and taking supply from only official distributors of top global brands, mostly from Europe and Korea.
Some of the highlighted brands on the platform include; Ariston and Indesit cookers (Italy), LG and Samsung TVs, Fridges and washing machines (South Korea), Sony TVs and Home Theaters, Panasonic and Hitachi (Japan), Moulinex and Tefal (France), Philips (Netherlands) and Bosch (Germany).
A look at some of the reviews left by their customers in 2021 reveals that they have indeed mastered a thing or two;
Lea B, a customer who bought an Indesit brand cooker said “Very happy about the cooker. It’s well assembled and works quite well. What is advertised is exactly what you get. Thanks Kweli for giving us a new opportunity to find goods that are reasonably priced, yet of top notch quality“
Asked if Kweli.shop will be able to cut a substantial slack off the market shares of African e-commerce giant Jumia and premium appliance brand showrooms and supermarkets like Game, Stephen says, “We are well placed to not only compete but to lead in the next few years”.
“Compared to Jumia, we have the advantage of selling top quality appliances, delivering countrywide in under 24 hours and offering customers free delivery and installation (of cookers and washing machines)” He says.
Brand showrooms on the other hand have many disadvantages including the fact that they provide a limited range of options, typically 1-4 brands. Kweli on the other hand is like a combination of all the top showrooms.
Customers can order for products by visiting their website www.kweli.shop, or contacting them on WhatsApp +256754559895 or sending an email to karibu@kweli.shop. Accepted payment methods include Mobile Money/Flexipay, Credit/Debit cards (visa, Mastercard) and Cash.
