As a local business man with over 20 years of practical business experience in diverse fields, our founder realised that most of the MSMEs and SMEs in Kenya have no financial capacity to invest in the development of their own online platform. There are approximately 7.5 million of MSMEs and SMEs in Kenya. About 400,000 of these enterprises do not celebrate their second birthday while few reach their fifth birthday. This raises concern over the sustainability of the sector considering they contribute to about 90% of the country’s GDP. The high business failure rates make it prudent for businesses to move online if they are to survive for the next couple of years and this need is what gave rise to MARIKITI app.:

SPECIALISED SERVICES

Marikiti is a mobile mall with a focus on supporting MSMEs and SMEs in Kenya. It has incorporated 95% of these enterprises onto the app. To a normal user, Marikiti is a convenient way of shopping that has not been done to this scale by any APP in the market. It provides the flexibility and security of shopping from 1,000s of traders from across the country.

To businesses and traders, Marikiti is an APP that has captured all the essential business management, marketing and selling tools that significantly increase the chances of success of any business. It makes use of AI and integration of Data Analysis APIs to learn consumer and business behavior patterns which are essential to the success of a business. Traders are managing their own shops, products and sales cycle end to end.

To financial institutions, the government, insurance companies etc., Marikiti gives the ability to have a true real-time evaluation of any user and business that is trading using the APP. Its evaluation tools can be used by any lender to evaluate business performance in order to administer loans and overdrafts based on actual performance. This is a key tool in mitigating risks especially in lending.

Marikiti opens a whole new world of business by creating new opportunities of business. In spite of the existing competition from its predecessors, our app is still the first of its kind in Kenya and its main unique benefits include:

• Increase in sales and revenue
• Reduction in business running costs.
• Increase in business and product visibility
• Increase in customer base
• Shops are open 24/7
• Increase in product range
• New revenue stream earned from commissions obtained through deposit and withdrawal of funds
• Access to credit facilities
• Access to insurance
• Access to a pension scheme
• Access to other business tools
• Zero investment in developing an online presence
• Targeted advertising that will increase sales
• Access to wholesalers
• Access to other business support systems from partners

Marikiti will offer both a mid-term and long term solution to nearly 95% of all businesses in Kenya. Our goal is to be the largest ecommerce APP in Kenya by number of registered traders and users. We will support as many of our target groups as possible, to grow and be successful as we provide them with opportunities for new business.