Make sure your business is a click away

Covid-19 has negatively impacted many offline businesses. Most businesses in Kenya had not dared to explore the online market until recently. Being a developing country, the pace at which businesses have adopted new concepts based on Information and Communication Technology has been slow.

This is despite the fast-paced growth that many businesses across the globe have witnessed as a result of embracing ICT.

As a nation, Kenya has ample resources to sustain her online presence in terms of businesses, big or small. Not having an online presence is a recipe for a slow death to your business.

Given the current state of things, there are barely any systems that sustain offline businesses, especially owing to the impacts of the pandemic.

Creating an online presence for your business will help you to tap into new markets, both locally and globally.

TREMENDOUS RISE

With strong internet quality across sub-Saharan Africa, Kenya has witnessed a tremendous rise in internet users over the past decade. A considerable number of people use the internet to access goods or services, proving the need to work towards a strong online presence.

Not having an online presence reduces your visibility to potential clients who have been forced to switch to online platforms following the restrictions brought by the covid-19 pandemic.

A report released in 2018 on Kenya’s e-commerce landscape reveals that Kenya’s retailing market was valued at $89 million.

By the year 2023, the figure is expected to rise to $1.6 billion.

These figures place Kenya among the nations with a strong online presence in Africa.

The online presence is further facilitated by major data providers like Safaricom, online money transfer service providers, for example M-Pesa and online retailer platforms such as Jumia, which are now being used globally.

Jumia does not limit its operations to its own stakeholders. It allows small and medium enterprises to trade through its platform, further marketing online businesses in Kenya.

It connects more than 81,000 sellers within the continent further boosting the accessibility to goods and services.

Despite your personal standing on the digital world, your consumers are online. Your online presence is dependent on your ability to get to them.

Many other platforms exist to boost the online presence for your business. Statistics prove the growing figures of individuals using social media and the internet.

The pandemic has further suppressed the viability of an offline business, especially because of the cessation of movement and curfews imposed on the state.

That said, limiting your business to the local market only reduces your chances of thriving. Consulting a digital marketing agency opens a world of possibilities to increase your online presence.

Not considering online presence for your business also means ignoring an ideal opportunity for growth. As statistics indicate, a majority of your clients are almost always online.

In 2019, there were around four million searches on Google each minute with most of searches being linked to data on local businesses.

EXPANSION ROOM

While the statistics are not limited to Kenyans, it shows the importance of the internet and how having online presence could boost your enterprise.

It also indicates that you have a chance to expand your presence, and reach more clients on a global scale.

Additionally, you get a chance to educate and highlight the crucial aspects that inspire your business. It is important to note that having a website is not the only thing that matters in the race to create an online presence worth writing home about.

It is how you present your self on the platforms that you for your online presence and business.

Dennis Maina, CRM and Digital Media Manager - Betsafe Kenya