Chommie: Developing an Inclusive eCommerce Community for Namibia

by Jason Shilongo

What really is an Economy? An Economy is simply the way people spend money and the way people make money. The main activities that build up an economy are aimed at satisfying the needs of a vast and diverse population. Keep in mind that there are no identical economies, it is therefore vital that businesses carry out activities that are relevant to their environment and to develop systems that will allow them to serve their business community more effectively.

With the objective of seeking a simple, yet efficient system that can grow into serving the wider Namibian population through eCommerce, Chommie was founded. Chommie is a Namibian start-up that provides eCommerce platforms where businesses and consumers can interact online.?

eCommerce is the process of buying and selling online, including the transfer of money and information in order to complete the transaction.? Through eCommerce, Chommie is building a community that consists of businesses trying to serve a wider population of consumers seeking to find convenient ways of obtaining goods and services.

Chommie also offers an automated last-mile logistics solution to businesses and consumers, when they transact on the various Chommie platforms. After a consumer makes a purchase through the Chommie platform, the goods/products will be transported from the business to the customers’ desired location (Home, Campus, Office, etc).

The first platform created by Chommie is Chommie Bites. Chommie Bites is an inclusive Food-delivery platform where local restaurants and take-away kitchens can sell their food offerings to consumers online, accompanied by an automated delivery system.

Being a start-up in Namibia presents its own set of inevitable challenges; however, Chommie faces a major challenge that is common amongst most African communities; slow adaptation to advanced technology. It is thus their mission to help regular Africans use eCommerce as an alternative for new and sustainable income. By collaborating with other start-ups and more established firms, Chommie aims to create a gig economy ( short-term contracts or freelance work as opposed to permanent jobs). This is to enable job seekers to have a temporary means of earning income, while at the same time providing them with educational support on how they can utilize eCommerce to create more sustainable means of income.

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Through eCommerce, Chommie wants to inclusively serve both businesses and consumers, and at the same time provide long term solutions to national issues on a wide scale by creating a community with different players united under one common objective;? seeking convenient, yet effective ways to serve and support the African economy.

#namibia #ecommerce #community