Retailers Set to Source their Inventory through the Newly Launched Tanda App

Tanda, a Kenyan platform designed to make it easier to run a shop by allowing shop owners order and manage their inventory has been officially launched.

The launch comes after a four-month pilot was completed with 200 kiosks spread across Kayole, Kawangware, and Kariobangi.

With an undisclosed seed round from White Rhino Ventures, Tanda is launching out of beta after the four-month pilot having worked with 5 wholesalers with a large footprint in Nairobi.

With Tanda, a shop owner can order all the goods they need for their kiosk and receive free same day delivery, with the added benefit of vending digital financial services e.g. Airtime, Utilities such as power and water bill payment, Banking and Insurance services.

Tanda was inspired by the need to solve some of the most recurring inventory problems faced by micro-retailers.

Features that come with the Tanda App include the following:

Inventory Management

Shop owners rarely know how much inventory they have at any given time up until they run out. We’ve designed a simpler way for them to record all their sales allowing them to know how much they’re stocking from anywhere and at any given time. Once they are almost out of a product, it alerts them and prompts them to reorder.

Ordering

Traditionally, a shop owner has to make at least 5 calls before they get access to a commodity they’ve run out of. The firm has designed a simple way that connects the retailer with tanda’s network of suppliers, allowing the shop owner to get any good delivered to their outlet in under 1 hour

Inventory Credit

Many shop owners run out of stock and often do not have the money to reorder causing most of them to miss out on many sale opportunities.

Leveraging historical purchasing data, Tanda allows retailers to order goods on credit and pay later.

Tanda Wallet

The Tanda Wallet turns a kiosk into a one-stop shop for popular digital financial services. Customers can now buy all airtime, pay their water & electricity bill and access banking & insurance services as a Tanda Agent.

With the seed funding from White Rhino Ventures, Tanda aims to roll out across Kenya in the next few months then expand into 4 more countries in Q3 2019 after a Series A funding round.

For retailers in marginalized areas with no or little access to 4G, 3G, and even 2G networks, Tanda has a simpler version of its services on a USSD platform that’s currently being tested.

Tanda is working to grow the basket of digital financial services accessible at a Tanda Agent with a strong focus on Micro banking and Microinsurance services.

In the coming months, users will be able to get a small loan or renew their health insurance policy in just a few seconds at a kiosk.