Youth develops digital shopping, WhatsApp-based insurance service

ONE important lesson the Covid-19 pandemic has taught Zimbabweans and the rest of the world is the need to adopt digital means of connecting businesses to clients.

The travel restrictions and social distancing requirements to curb the spread of the disease, have necessitated creation of an uninterrupted flow of products and services regardless of the situation.

Bulawayo youth, Leeroy Fredericks (34) is one of the innovative few and has developed a digital shopping platform, eGrossa Online, which now offers a WhatsApp-based insurance payment service.

At a time when many enterprises are counting Covid-19 losses, the youthful entrepreneur says opportunity abounds in the digital sphere. Developing digital economic solutions is at the heart of the country’s drive towards an upper middle-income status by 2030.

He told Business Chronicle that eGrossa Online, a Bulawayo e-commerce startup, has set out to develop several innovative ecommerce solutions, the first on the list being “Hi-insure”.

“The new online service allows users to buy their motor insurance and vehicle licensing via WhatsApp and have their licensing disks delivered to their doorsteps in selected cities,” said Fredericks.

“Currently our delivery service is only functional in Harare and Bulawayo and we offer three insurance companies for now. Through this platform, clients can send inquiries and view insurance and licensing pricing.”

While many graduates are holding onto certificates and searching for jobs, Leeroy says the youths must be flexible and use the skills they already have to diversify and create jobs for themselves.

“I have a basic O-level education. But I learnt early that the world has changed. It’s no longer about what you know but what you can do with what you know. So, I learnt different skills in different fields — graphic design, ICT, networking, programming and it’s all just coming together now with this project,” he said.

The insurance WhatsApp service was officially launched online last month and the first week has been exciting, he said.

“We have logged over 100 inquiries and hope that as people get to see the convenience of our service the response will be greater.”

Fredericks says he started the eGrossa Online project last year, as a drop shipping online store selling products from China.

“The main aim of the store was to test the market and find out why ecommerce and online shopping were not as popular in Zimbabwe as in other countries,” he said, adding: “Funding was bootstrapped and all funding came from personal savings.”

The youthful entrepreneur said the relatively high cost of data, inefficiencies in payment methods and the general fear by consumers of being scammed, continue to force many people to seek manual means of transacting.

“Using this information, I developed an ecommerce platform that runs on WhatsApp bot, which is currently the biggest social platform being used in the country, even bigger than Facebook,” said Fredericks.

“The solution is very low on data consumption and we are semi-automated to add a human element. This, we hope, will allow clients to ask any questions and eventually help close the gap.”

He said the Hi-insure product would help decentralise the insurance field by eliminating the need for queuing for enquiries and purchasing products, which also enhances convenience through delivery of licence discs to clients.

“In the near future we will be opening outlets in the main suburbs in Bulawayo to further decentralise the process and collection aspect of our business,” said Fredericks.

“Our hope is to make it keep up with the times and provide Zimbabwe with an ecommerce solution that actually works and allows the continuous flow of products and services between businesses and clients at a zero additional or minimal cost. The service is easy to use.”-chronicle.clz.w