Safaricom deal with Kilimall paves the way for use of Bonga Points in buying products

4r Consumers can now pay for their purchases from online shop Kilimall using loyalty points after the retailer entered into a deal with Safaricom, allowing Bonga Points as payment.

Dubbed “Bonga Popote”, the deal sets the redemption value of 10 Safaricom Bonga Points at Sh2.

Kilimall managing director Robin Xie said the deal with the telco giant offers customers a convenient way to pay for their products while saving money.

“We are happy that the biggest mobile brand in the region is supporting the growing e-commerce industry in Kenya. Ultimately, it is the customers who benefit,” said Mr Xie.
Mr Xie was speaking at the firm’s offices in Nairobi during the launch of the “Bonga Popote” payment plan on Friday.

He said Kilimall has enabled its online system to accept Bonga Points under the partnership which runs until January 24.

Safaricom Bonga, which was launched in January 2007, is a loyalty programme where subscribers earn one point for every Sh10 spent on voice calls, text messages, Internet bundles and M-Pesa.

Kilimall will also accept payments combining M-Pesa and Bonga points. The e-commerce company offers more than 100,000 products across categories such as smartphones, computers and tablets, kitchen appliances and fashion items, among others, at discounted prices.

Supermarkets have traditionally dominated the retail space for years, but online outfits are invading this space to serve the tech-savvy and price-conscious shoppers looking for convenience and bargains.

Offline retailers remain bullish, however, with Nakumatt, Kenya’s leading supermarket chain, for instance, projecting a positive sales growth of up to 34 per cent through to January.

Meanwhile, Kilimall has also introduced redeemable shopping vouchers for individuals, companies and other organisations.

“Instead of buying the products you can get the vouchers and give to someone as a reward so they can shop for the products of their choice.

This will work well for companies looking to reward their staff or business partners,” said Mr Xie.