Category: eCommerce
You asked, here’s how you buy KFC for family back in Zim from where you are using Senditoo
You saw the Senditoo ad and were not sure how to actually go about it. You have been asking. Worry not, here are the answers you were looking for. Oh, and thank you dear Zimbo in the diaspora looking to buy a bucket of KFC chicken for your kin resident over here. You have no […]
Union Hardware revamps online store, Zimbos abroad can pay and have locals collect
We are spending more of our lives online than ever before. Working, socializing, gaming, entertainment all happens online now. The pandemic accelerated this switch and we find ourselves uncomfortable being in the same physical space as other humans. This has necessitated a change in strategy for all businesses. They now have to contend with a […]
Zim partners foreign firm to collect taxes from companies like Facebook. Who is this partner?
Nothing leads to more delays and inefficiencies than a government department/parastatal trying to go it alone. It is therefore refreshing to see more and more public private partnerships in Zimbabwe. We saw the Justice Service commission partner a globally known company to help establish a tech-first approach. Now, the government has partnered with another global […]
Local diaspora retail startup Imets cofounder gives more info on US$20/hr for drivers & more
Early last week we reviewed a US-based local startup called Imets. The company moved into the diaspora grocery remittance space and is akin to Instacart which basically means that you can shop through the isles of OK Zimbabwe, Spar and other local stores, in the diaspora, for your loved ones back home. Or if you […]
InnBucks, Simbisa officially unveil loyalty and rewards program
You will recall that we covered InnBucks about a month ago. We were excited to find out that InnBucks are essentially a new currency. Yes, really. Read more about that here. Simbisa and InnBucks have been testing the new loyalty and rewards program. Looks like it’s ready for primetime and so now they officially unveiled […]
Imets is Zimbabwe’s version of Instacart and more
When it comes to Zimbabwe’s eCommerce landscape I like to consider myself to be a leading expert. I have had my finger on that pulse for almost a decade. There is hardly a store or app that I am not familiar with or so I thought. Over a month ago I wrote about how we […]
InnBucks: the loyalty and rewards program which introduces a compelling new currency
The most annoying problem for businesses and customers when dealing with US Dollars is that of change. We’ve all experienced this, ‘for your 50c change shall I give you water or add some toppings?’ InnBucks aims to solve this problem and more for all Simbisa Brands chains i.e Chicken Inn, Bakers Inn, Pizza Inn and […]
You shouldn’t buy a phone from China online unless you have no other option
I have been a proponent of online buying for a long time. Those who have been reading Techzim articles for a while know that I have reviewed and recommended several Chinese e-commerce sites that sell good tech gadgets at affordable prices. Also, the first smartphone I bought was from China so again I know quite […]
Mature local startups have struggled in the “pandemic eCommerce boom”
So, we have been saying for a long time that eCommerce is on the up in Zimbabwe and that’s true. We have seen a number of new services, as well as traditional players, adopt online buying and selling. Now, as great as this is, there are some considerable problems that eCommerce based startups have faced […]
Cabinet approves eCommerce bill
The Principles for Electronic Transactions and Electronic Commerce (eCommerce) Bill was approved by cabinet according to a report by ZBC News. The nation is being informed that the development of information communication technologies in cyberspace requires that the legal and policy environment be adapted to take into account the relevant changes. In particular, there is […]
Wa-Faya now automatically carries voucher balances over
It’s been two months since Simbisa brands launched their Diaspora focused Wa-Faya vouchers and it seems they are actually working hard to make this a success. They have made a couple of improvements since they started. Including adding the Rand EFT payment option for the sake of those in South Africa but unfortunately, the system […]
Now that Gearbest is gone, here are some alternatives
A few days ago Gearbest’s website went down and the site hasn’t been back up since. There were no announcements or explanations from the owners of the once vibrant Chinese e-commerce store. In fact, a lot of customers who had placed their orders with the site in recent months and weeks are now scrambling to […]
Noted and good day, here is why we use them
Zimbabwean Twitter or Zwitter as it’s sometimes known is an interesting place to be. Unlike the “real world” where people are sometimes afraid to express themselves or engage in certain subjects on Zwitter people are more liberal with their opinion, more fearless and candid. All sorts of topics including politics, health, personal finance, business ideas […]
Simbisa needs to make reloadable Wa-Faya coupons
So it has been weeks since Simbisa launched Wa-Faya and it’s kind of an understatement to say that I have been a regular user of the service. Not only have I been personally buying myself coupons using PayPal, but I have also managed to turn the service into a lazy gift of sorts to friends […]
Wa-Faya now supports buying coupons using Rand EFT, Google Pay and Apple Pay
Last week we talked about how Wa-Faya was Simbisa brands igneous effort to tap into the all-important diaspora market. There was however one glaring oversight. The site only supported paying using PayPal and Credit/Debit cards. While that’s usually adequate in most situations there are a lot of people in the Diaspora that don’t have these […]
Wa-Faya is awesome but it doesn’t yet support Dial a Delivery
At the close of last month, Simbisa brands introduced the Wa-Faya voucher. These vouchers are a great initiative that closes a glaring gap in their line of services. You see, up until we had Wa-Faya it was hard for you to buy fast food for your family back in Zimbabwe if you were in the […]
South Africa’s Post Office wants to block other couriers from delivering packages under 1kg
In a shocking move, the South African Post Office said it was the only entity allowed to handle packages between 0 and 1 kg by law. The organization recently reiterated a ruling made by the country’s Complaints and Compliance Commission (CCC) against a private courier known as Postnet in 2019. The ruling confirmed that in […]
Marketsquare, Zim’s newest online marketplace
Marketsquare is ZImbabwes newest online marketplace application that allows you to buy and sell goods, services and even advertise jobs.
Edgars is now selling on WhatsApp & online
Edgars Zimbabwe has announced that it has launched online and WhatsApp shopping platforms in a move to mitigate sales declines caused by the lockdown.
Gizmo Tech Store is an eCommerce store we’ve used to buy gadgets and we’re impressed
You ever wanted something on sites like Amazon or eBay but you’ve been scared away because of the shipping fees? Usually, the shipping fees are more expensive than the thing you’ve actually bought which makes for a terrible. It costs more to ship the thing over to Zimbabwe than it does to actually buy. Therein […]
Vaya partners with SA company to deliver groceries from across the border
Cassava Smartech’s Vaya has partnered with South African eCommerce retailer Thumela eKhaya. The partnership will allow Zimbos to order groceries and have them delivered back home using Vaya. The goods on offer will not only be from South Africa but will also include some of the Cutting out the middleman For a long time Zimbabweans […]
Senditoo announces US$10 referral program for Zim market
Senditoo has announced that they will be rolling out a referral program that will see Zim residents earn US$10 for new customers they refer or introduce to use their airtime or money transfer services. The ‘Senditoo ‘Refer a Friend’ initiative is one of the largest referral programmes to be run by a remittance company in […]
You can now buy ZESA tokens online on Techzim Market!
A number of Techzim Community members have been asking if they could buy ZESA tokens using the Techzim Market. Electricity is one of those that we can’t do without and the more ways that are available to purchase it the better. In light of this, we are happy to say, you can now buy ZESA […]
ZimArt Shop, an eCommerce platform for visual artists
Antfarm Zimbabwe, a local website and software development company, has announced the launch of an online store called ZimArt Shop. Antfarm launched ZimArt Shop in order to give Zimbabwean artists an online platform to sell their products. The online store is open to visual artists, writers, craft suppliers, local galleries and designers. How do artists […]
Chicken Hut’s new digital menu looks to kill 3 birds with one stone
COVID-19 has presented many pitfalls for businesses and chief among those affected are restaurants and fast food businesses. I was pleasantly surprised to hear that despite all these stumbling blocks Chicken Hut is seeing opportunity in this new reality. Speaking to Chad Chawanda- Chicken Hut’s executive chairman- he explained how they are actually piggybacking on […]
SA fintech Ozow launches zero-rate data payment apps
South African fintech company Ozow (formerly known as i-Pay) has launched two payments apps. One payment solution is a progressive web app that won’t require data and the other is an application that simplifies bank transfers. In what the company is calling the Ozow Revolution, they seek to make digital payments available to every South […]
Joey’s Pizza now has a mobile app
Joey’s Pizza is now available through a mobile application. This development follows on the heels on Fresh in a Box’s app that came out a couple of week’s ago. Both Joey’s Pizza and Bottle Store (Fresh in a Box’s liquor property) were all said to be getting their own apps. Like the Fresh in a […]
Zimswitch announces partnership with Mastercard to “modernise national payments infrastructure”
Zimswitch today announced a partnership with Mastercard that they say will “enable the modernization of Zimbabwe’s payment infrastructure”. Whilst Zimswitch and Mastercard are yet to announce any joint products/services, there are hints as to what they will be working on. Zimswitch issued a press statement on the partnership and some of the things they highlighted […]