COPIA ECOMMERCE MALL FOR THE RURAL AND PERI-URBAN AREAS(KENYAN AMAZON?)

During Easter holidays i went to shags ,and  discover something very interesting .My mum buys sugar at Kes 85/= per kg from our local shop , i buys sugar at kes 100 per kg in urban area .She told me about this new concept introduced in our village by Copia ,whereby you goes to a shop in your locality browse the catalogue  orders the things you need and wait for them to be delivered for free.  I researched their story and  found that they recent serviced their 1,000,000 order on 21/02/2018 .   They was also another customer who built his house by buying copia  product because it is one stop shop they sell everything and mode of payment is affordable .
 i also found this company uses their  agent as their sales and marketing  team .Agent carries  the tablet which is provided by Copia to churches or chamas where she/he pinches to them how  Copia business model works .

HOW IT WORKS
*Copia addresses the challenges of serving the BoP (BASE OF PYRAMID) with a unique catalog order and delivery system:Customers visit their local shop where the Copia catalog is available

*Customers view the catalog and place orders through the shopkeeper

*The shopkeeper sends the orders by mobile phone using Copia android app which are received by Copia instantly

COPIA ANDROID APP

*Customers pay the shopkeeper for the value of the goods.  They can choose to pay in one lump sum or pay in small installments on a “layaway” plan.  (Spreading payments into smaller increments is a proven, practical method to help the poor manage cash flow)

*The shopkeeper uses a mobile payment system to pay Copia for the ordered products

*Once paid in full, Copia contacts the supplier of the product who transfers the product to the Copia Hub located in a nearby city

*Shopkeepers travel to the Copia hub to pick up orders, bring the goods back to their shops and distribute to their customers

*Once the customer receives the order, the shopkeeper receives a commission from Copia.  

 NB;They also collect your mobile phone number and update you whenever the catalogue changes .

Who are  COPIA 

 Copia was founded by Tracey Turner and Jonathan Lewis, both business executives and proven successful social entrepreneurs.  Peter van As, a former Unilever executive with extensive experience in retail distribution throughout Africa, serves as Special Strategic Advisor to Crispin and as a Board Member.  Other board members include Dr. Jerry Held, a Silicon Valley veteran who has advised dozens of early stage companies, Tim Chege, a Kenyan based senior executive, and Saskia van der Mast, representing Copia’s lead investor, DoB Equity. 

Copia Global Inc (“Copia”) is a consumer catalog order and delivery system for nonperishable and durable goods serving people in the peri-urban and rural villages of the developing world.

 Meaning “abundance” in Latin, Copia was founded by Jonathan Lewis and Tracey Turner and is launching a 12 month pilot in Nairobi, Kenya starting in August 2012.

By making accessible a wide range of consumer goods from thread to sewing machines, from nails to hammers, from matches to solar lights, Copia’s mission is to improve the quality of life of people in rural villages transforming them into empowered global consumers.  Much as the Sears catalog revolutionized life in the pioneer days of the United States and Amazon revolutionized life in the internet age, the Company will apply many of the same marketing and distribution concepts to this huge untapped market.