We are surely making progress in Nigeria. Our first on-line gadget store has just opened. Thanks to Maryjane Ogugua-Verwey of Macmarice Nigeria Limited (with their office on 66, Allen Avenue, Ikeja, Lagos). The dark complexioned and dogged business woman chatted with YES International!’s JENNIFER ORJI on their vision, mission and more…
Tell us about yourself.
My name is Maryjane Ogugua-Verwey, the MD/CEO of Macmarice Nigeria Limited. We have a product called MyGizmoStore.com. We are Nigeria’s No. 1 consumer technology and gadget store. We stock every gadget from phones, cameras, laptops, servers, networking tools, soft wares, etc.
How long have you been into this line of business?
Since September last year, but we officially launched out to the public on the 15th of November.
What made you go into this line of business?
Gadgets. I just like to press, press (Laughs). I like new things, especially when they are technologically-driven and we wanted to see a way where we can have a one-stop shop where when people think about gadgets, the first thing that comes to their mind is MyGizmoStore.com. We bring in every brand so that irrespective of the brand you are looking for, you must find one or two gadgets that you have ever thought of in MyGizmoStore.com.
What stands you out and why should people patronize you?
We have competition, but they have or rather they sell everything; we don’t. Our basic focus is on technologically-driven items. We work with country representatives. We have all kinds of guarantee or warrantee you could ever want for any product. We stand in-between the distributors and the end users. So, if you have problem with any of the products, you would have someone to hold on to and somebody to complain to.
How has the business been so far and what are the challenges?
Basically, Nigerians are used to buying cheap and even fake stuff. To sensitize them, we now have the originals, the real things. Apart from the economy, people being sensitized about buying things online. Nobody wants to part with the person’s money without getting the product. But they are ready to use e-bay from America and it will take seven days to get to Nigeria. So, one of the major challenges we have is having to make people know that buying things on-line in Nigeria is safe because the payment takes place directly from the bank. For instance, we are working with Stanbic IBTC and Diamond Bank at the moment on the payment system. So, if anything happens, you should be able to notify the banks. So, people should learn to trust us when it comes to patronizing Nigerian stuff.
What makes you think that this business of yours would work in Nigeria?
It’s going to work because Nigerians are ripe for a Nigerian on-line gadget store. They purchase from stores all over the world because there is no gadget store here. Our company is the only gadget store; the No. 1 on-line gadget store in Nigeria.
Which countries do you import your products from?
We import from America, U.K, Netherlands, China. We also do Dubai and many other countries. Any product we cannot get from the region, we just have to work with them directly. The countries are so much, but the major countries are the U.K, US, Dubai and China.
How has the patronage been so far?
It’s been okay, but can be better, especially if more people know about it. And also their knowledge of using online shopping increases. Because we save you the stress of going to the shop or to the mall or to wherever it is. We deliver to you wherever you are; it’s nationwide delivery. So far, so good. It’s just okay. But we want to create more awareness and let people know about the product.
How did you raise the capital for the business?
We have investors. Proudly Nigerian indigenous investors and we are also working with major distributors of the products.
Tell us more about the marketing campaign.
The marketing campaign was officially launched on the 15th of November, 2013. It’s now about creating awareness, letting people know what we are doing. We are starting by putting our adverts on five BRT buses, we are also doing 3 million SMS, a million e-mails. Also, we are doing massive twitter and facebook adverts. And we believe that these avenues will create chance for more customers to patronize our business.