In this piece, ANOZIE EGOLE looks at how small businesses including sellers of local delicacies and drinks are utilising technology and social media to boost sales
According to Worldometer elaboration of the latest United Nations data, the current population of Nigeria as of 7th January 2024 was 226,555,659. Data from the Nigerian Communication Commission shows that as of June 2023, the country’s internet subscribers decreased to 159.49 from 159.59 million in the previous month of May.
With over 200 million people and 159.49 million internet users in the country, there is a sizeble potential market that startups and businesses can reach in no time, particularly those that focus on the local market with the use of technology.
In this era of technology, marketing and sales of products are easier as business operators can sit in the comfort of their house and get in touch with millions of his or her customers far away, without stepping out.
Meanwhile, a report by PriceWaterhouseCoopers Nigeria, in 2020, stated that Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises account for about 96 per cent of all businesses in Nigeria, contributing 49 per cent to the Gross Domestic Product, and employing 84 per cent of the country’s workforce. Therefore, the sustenance of Nigeria’s economy relies heavily on the SMEs.
It is, therefore, safe to conclude that digitalisation and technology are keys to the optimal operation of businesses in the 21st century. The evolution of concepts such as customer satisfaction, advertising, and payment is the result of the heavy involvement of digitalisation in today’s businesses. MSMEs that have embraced digitalisation and technology fare better.
Before now, the use of technology to drive sales was common among high-profile businesses especially the hospitality industry, telecommunication industry, car sales, and job recruitment among others.
The COVID-19 pandemic, however, has opened the eyes of more Nigerians to the Internet of Things as so many were able to transact business in the confines of their homes.
The latest is the introduction of technology to drive sales by small business owners and restaurants, especially those selling local delicacies like Nkwobi, isiewu, asun, cow tail, and catfish barbeque among others.
Nkwobi (which means spicy cow foot) is an Igbo meat delicacy made of palm oil, ugba, pepper, fresh utazi leaves or bitter leaf, ehuru seeds, edible potash and cow foot. It is one of the fast-moving delicacies one can buy in any restaurant in the country even though it comes in different forms and sizes depending on how it was prepared.
It has been observed that so many small business owners including hoteliers are gradually taking advantage of technology and social media platforms, like Facebook, WhatsApp, and Instagram to advertise and drive the sales of these products and educate their customers on the latest development and stocks.
One of them is Miss Felicia Enonche, who runs an outlet where she sells these deserts at one of the popular beer parlours located in Ikotun, a suburb in Lagos State.
The Benue-born Enonche believes the use of technology has helped her market her delicacies which include ‘Nkwobi’.
She said she recently opened a WhatsApp platform for her customers where they discuss how to improve the business and serve them better.
Enonche explained that the idea to create the platform was borne out of her desire to reach out to some of her customers and appreciate them for their patronage in the past years.
“I created the platform towards the end of December 2023. I needed an avenue to reach out to so many of my customers at once and show appreciation for their patronage in the past years. So, I decided to open that platform and it has been working wonders for me,” she added.
Enonche confessed that the use of WhatsApp has boosted her sales, “I am leveraging technology to drive my sales very well. I now know their demands and meet their needs and I would say that it has been serving me very well.”
“At least some of my customers have been able to express their opinion on how we can improve our services through the platform, they have also been able to place their orders and have it ready for their pick-ups,” Enonche added.
Though Enonche couldn’t quantify her sales, one of her customers who is also a member of the platform and doesn’t want his name in prints, told The PUNCH that she had recorded some improvements since it was created.
“A member of the platform on Sunday announced that the first 10 people to patronise the spot would get some rewards. So, you can see that customers are very happy to be there and they are doing everything possible to boost the business,” she said.
Meanwhile, for Chioma Cynthia, the Chief Executive Officer of Drinks Haven, who specializes in wines and cocktails, among others, most of her customers have been people who saw her post on one social media platform or the other.
She said that oftentimes, she would be surprised to get booked for a programme in places she has not been before all because of social media.
“I have gone to different parts of Lagos State mostly for work, and I can tell you that most of the customers that call for such were the people that got to know about what I do through social media including Facebook, X formerly Twitter, Instagram among others and I have never failed them,” she said.
The PWC in a report said that for the growth of an enterprise to be sustainable, it is without a doubt that marketing is essential. Marketing is all about connecting customers to products that companies offer and there is nothing that has a farther reach than the internet. Social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and multi-faceted service providers like Google reach billions of users across the world daily.
‘’These platforms offer the ability to reach a targeted audience on a global scale and get real-time insights into customer preferences in a much more cost-effective way as opposed to traditional methods like TV and radio. In addition to marketing, these platforms can be used for brand exposure and to manage relationships with existing and potential customers,’’ the report said.
For the Chief Executive Officer of Bon Grills, Mr Boniface Adeka, who sells catfish barbeque in the Ikotun area of Lagos State, the use of technology especially, social media has immensely contributed to the growth of his business in the last few years.
“I can categorically tell you that I have been doing this business for close to 10 years now but the type of mileage I have gotten in the last five years, when I started making use of social media platforms to market my goods, I didn’t get it when I started. Sometimes, I get calls from the island from people I don’t know to come and teach people how to make barbeque and all these were from people who saw my post on social media,” he explained.
