Determined to grow the businesses of small and medium scale enterprises (SMEs), which occupies a critical part of the nation’s economy, VConnect, an online business directory and local search engine, has perfected plans to equip SMEs with innovative online marketplace solutions that would aid long-term growth.
Speaking recently at a one-day forum in Lagos tagged ‘EMPOWER’, organised by VConnect for select business owners, Deepankar Rustagi, general manager of VConnect Nigeria, identified the need for businesses especially SMEs to leverage on e-commerce solutions to grow and improve their business outputs.
“Businesses can leverage the VConnect marketplace platform to increase visibility and sales because our marketplace platform is designed to enable businesses to gain more visibility and sell to a wider range of audience by unleashing their online marketing potential.”
He pointed out that technology, which the company is rolling out, allows SMEs to increase their productive capacity and also have access to markets which they would not have had without putting their business on the Internet.
Listing the company’s vision, he said that VConnect has a long term vision of connecting buyers and suppliers; providing convenience to buyers to grow suppliers so as to boost the Nigerian economy.
He also stressed the company’s readiness to support Nigerian SMEs that are ready to leverage on ICT solutions to grow their business.
While urging SMEs to step up efforts to integrate ICT into their business models, Deepankar said that ‘EMPOWER’ initiative focuses on creating an interactive environment to bring businesses together and provide them with beneficial information.
“Our strategy is not only for sales of products but also for the companies or manufacturers to be known for further networking. We designed this platform not only for digital marketing purposes but also for physical market interaction as this is where the future lies. Through our multi-pronged strategy, we hope to grow ICT adoption and meaningfully enhance the operations of local SMEs,” he said.
Commenting on the increase of mobile penetration in Nigeria and Africa Deepankar said that the company believed that mobile penetration is the key to the growth of e-commerce owing to the fact that enables more people have access to the internet and to shop online.
Speaking on social Media as an aspect of e-commerce and marketing, Dapo Ladipo, Social Media Lead, VConnect explained that the explosion in social media has offered new opportunities for small businesses to market themselves and build richer relationships with customers.
According to him, customers who are used to the sleek, ICT-based customer-engagement tools of big businesses — be it online banking, booking travel on the web, or purchasing clothes, books and other categories of products and services online, will soon come to expect the same from SMEs, which they deal with, and this will be channelled through social media.
AMAKA ANAGOR-EWUZIE
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