DomotStore revolutionises the online shopping experience by ensuring that "WHAT YOU ORDER IS WHAT YOU GET."
Experience unique shopping at DomotStore. Visit now.
With a mission to eliminate the frustration of receiving wrong or ill-fitting items, DomotStore empowers customers to test and confirm their desired products before making a purchase.
In this feature, the Co-founder and COO of DomotStore, Mr Busayo Felix, shares his insights on the product's success and working partnerships with companies like Union Bank to provide free POS machines to vendors who sign up on their platform. Discover a new era of secure and satisfying online shopping at DomotStore today.
DomoStore is an e-commerce platform that allows customers to shop without the hassle of wrong item deliveries and vendor frictions. By leveraging the expertise of web app development, DomotStore's innovative platform allows users to request vendors who bring items to their doorstep for evaluation.
Busayo Felix, the Co-founder and COO of DomotStore, shares how the platform works, including its unique verification system for vendors and customers and its user interface that encourages window shopping.
The user journey starts with signing up, logging in, and exploring vendors and products. Users can then select a vendor, place an order, and make the necessary payment for the transportation of the vendor to their address. After specifying the delivery date and time, users receive confirmation, and the vendor receives notification. Finally, users have the chance to review the vendor's service. This user-friendly journey ensures a seamless shopping experience on the platform.
Busayo Felix describes the typical user journey from start to finish. The user journey on DomotStore can be summarised as follows:
Sign up and Log in:
Upon visiting the domotstore.com homepage, users are presented with a range of products and navigation options. They can easily sign up for an account or log in if they already have one. This step ensures personalised access to the platform's features and functionalities.
Search for Vendors:
Once logged in, users can explore various vendors and their offerings. The menu on the website provides options such as "Vendors," "Shop," and "How it Works." These options guide users in understanding the platform and its features.
Request a Vendor:
After familiarising themselves with the platform, users can navigate to the shop page to find a wide range of products. Each product is associated with a specific vendor or store. Users can click on a product to view more details and access the vendor's store.
Vendor Completes Service:
Having selected a vendor, users can place their order from that specific vendor's store. Users can only order from one vendor at a time. This approach ensures a streamlined and efficient ordering process. Upon placing the order, users proceed to the checkout stage.
Customer Confirms Service Completion:
At the checkout stage, users are prompted to complete the necessary payment; transportation fees. If users haven't signed up yet, they will be directed to the sign-up page, which includes additional Know Your Customer (KYC) questions for verification purposes. Once payment is successfully made, users receive a confirmation email.
Leave a Review:
After the order is placed and payment is confirmed, users can specify the desired date and time for the vendor to deliver the items to their specified location. This flexibility allows users to plan and customise their shopping experience. Upon delivery and completion of the service, users can leave a review for the vendor, providing feedback on the quality of the service received.
DomotStore was conceived after running an angel-funded startup in the food industry and realising there was a need for a homegrown e-commerce system in Africa. The idea was to leverage app-based technology inspired by the success of mobile transportation systems like Opay and Gokada. The goal was to provide a platform where users could easily order from a variety of vendors who would deliver items directly to their doorsteps.
"Our thought process is that e-commerce models, such as Jumia and Amazon, originated from the West or abroad. So we pondered on the idea of developing a homegrown system that could be scalable across Africa."
Felix explains that traditional offline methods of commerce, such as hawking or bartering, have been prevalent in African countries for a long time. However, the rise of mobile apps for transportation services made them question why a similar approach couldn't be applied to ordering goods from vendors. Recognising a gap in the market, They envisioned an e-commerce platform that combined the convenience of app-based ordering with direct vendor-to-customer delivery.
While other players in the market focused on logistics, Felix and his team saw an opportunity for DomotStore to enable vendors to sell their goods directly. By eliminating intermediaries and allowing customers to see the items physically before making a purchase, the platform provides a trustworthy and efficient shopping experience.
"We envisioned a unique e-commerce platform that eliminates the common hassles faced by shoppers, such as return orders, incorrect item deliveries, scams, outdated product information, and other friction points prevalent in the current market."
Felix expresses excitement about the positive response from vendors and customers who have already made successful sales through the platform.
“The ability for vendors to showcase a variety of items and accommodate multiple selections for a showcase when fulfilling orders often lead to increased sales and offers an opportunity to engage with potential customers as well.”
These early successes validate the vision behind DomotStore and its potential to scale significantly. The platform has relaunched recently but is still working on partnerships with companies like Providus Bank and Union Bank to provide free POS machines to vendors who sign up on their platform.
Busayo expresses the importance of ensuring that customers receive the exact items they order, highlighting the issue of discrepancies on platforms like Jumia. He shares how DomotStore addresses this concern, allows customers to choose vendors close to their location, and maintains trust between vendors and customers.
“If a vendor delivers the wrong item and the customer refuses to make a purchase due to the vendor's mistake, the vendor will not receive the transportation fee. This outcome proves to be a waste of time for the vendor. As a result, vendors are generally diligent and committed to ensuring that they deliver the correct item to the customer."
Busayo Felix shares the importance of vendor security on the platform and the measures taken to protect vendors from fraudulent activities. This includes creating a community-based model and a robust verification system. They have a very stringent vetting process, including ID verification and address cross-checking, to ensure the authenticity of vendors.
Busayo also emphasises the significance of conducting transactions at landmarks. These precautionary measures enhance security and provide peace of mind for both vendors and customers.
"We launched this platform, ensuring security was one of our primary concerns... We realised that creating a vetting system with ID verification would be the best approach. We aim to protect vendors and maintain a safe environment. We also strongly recommend conducting transactions at landmarks, particularly when dealing with valuable items."
In addition to products, DomotStore also accommodates service vendors, providing a broader range of offerings to users. Whether you require medical assistance, cleaning services, or a personal chef, they've got you covered. The process is straightforward: customers pay the transportation fee through the web application, and then they can directly negotiate payment terms with the service vendors. This helps to facilitate seamless transactions and empower both parties to find mutually agreeable terms.
"The reason I feel that works is because I noticed that most apps require customers to pay service providers based on the number of hours worked. However, this approach doesn't make sense when you want to monitor people remotely. In our platform, we allow clients and artisans to communicate and handle their arrangements independently. Our focus is on facilitating the transportation fee, while the specifics of the service are left between them."
Busayo Felix highlights plans for future expansion into other parts of Africa.
"The goal is to become an app similar to Uber with a focus on accurate delivery and customer satisfaction."
They plan to bring more vendors, give users more variety, and support vendors through group sourcing. Busayo also mentioned plans to work improving security on the platform and offer services in addition to products.
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