Over the weekend, MadeInAba.com.ng,
the website that will let you purchase goods from local manufacturers
with an emphasis on the Aba region in Eastern Nigeria, officially went
live as did its doppelganger, Jumia Local.
If
you haven't heard of Jumia Local, that’s because Jumia only announced
it just after all the buzz about MadeInAba started to hit mainstream. I
think this is just another attempt to grab some headlines and maybe
market share, but what do I know.
Both sites went
live over the weekend and, by and large, they worked as their respective
owners said they would, for the most part.
For
Jumia, who is not having a financially great year so far, the products
listed on the main site are also listed on the Jumia Local site. The
only difference is the small badge that says they are made in Nigeria.
ALSO READ: The people at BalogunMarket.ng are launching a new "chat-commerce" app
MadeInAba, on the other hand, list some pretty pricey items (all this money for Aba-made merch?), but Sam Hart, special Adviser to the Abia State Governor on Communications and PR, says products are still being uploaded.
Jumia has the money, experience and a better understanding of the online marketplace (even if they can't seem to translate it to profit) so it can definitely tension MadeInAba.
On
the flip side, MadeInAba is homegrown, has the support of the Abia
State government and, presumably, the people that manufacture stuff in
Aba.
Either ways, both of them have a lot of work to do if they are going to be successful in this market. May the best win!
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