Copia Kenya Launches First E-commerce Service for Buying and Sending Goods Upcountry

Copia Kenya, the mobile commerce company, on April 11 launched a new online shopping solution that allows customers to buy goods and have them delivered to their friends and family upcountry.

The new service consists of an e-commerce website that provides consumers living in urban areas of Kenya the ability to shop for products ranging from household goods to farming tools, electronics, construction materials and more.

At checkout, all a customer needs to do is provide the phone number of the friend or family member upcountry. Copia does the rest – locating the recipient, identifying the nearest delivery center agent among its thousands of agents and delivering the goods in two to four days.

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This model transforms e-commerce by affording both urban shoppers and their rural family and friends’ greater choice, affordability and convenience when shopping for everyday items.

“Copia’s rapid growth in just five years shows the demand that exists among Kenyans in both rural and urban areas for digitally-powered solutions that make their day-to-day shopping needs easier,” said Tim Steel, CEO, Copia Kenya while speaking during the launch of Copia Online at Tatu City Industrial Park.

Copia is the only e-commerce company in Kenya delivering goods beyond rural towns to interior areas. Its state-of-the-art distribution model is anchored by a network of more than 3,700 agents across Central Kenya and parts of Rift Valley.

The agents are typically small shopkeepers who operate as ordering and distribution centers within their rural communities.

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To date, Copia has fulfilled more than two million orders and served over 300,000 customers while providing an additional source of income to its agents.

The launch of Copia’s new online shopping service comes just after their move into a new international standard, grade-A logistics and distribution hub at Tatu City Industrial Park.

The 4,000 square meters modern facility helps streamline the fulfillment of customer orders and will help facilitate Copia’s expansion into Western Kenya and other parts of the country.

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“E-commerce has the potential to transform Kenya’s economy while helping to uplift the living standards of millions of people. However, this can only happen if they are rolled-out with logistics and distribution solutions tailor-made to work for Kenya,” concluded Mr. Steel.