Pride Magazine Nigeria speaks to the CEO/Co-Founder, of RewardsNG, Mr Lawrence Okpako. RewardsNG is a new indigenous online shop/marketplace
in Nigeria. In this interview, Mr Okpako reveals what makes his platform a unique and different online shop.
PNG: Can you tell us about RewardsNG?
Lawrence Okpako (LO): RewardsNG is an e-commerce online marketplace uniquely created to conveniently reward and empower various buyers, sellers and those seeking opportunities in their everyday economic transactions of buying and selling. That is, we aim to better the quality of lives in a most rewarding and innovative way each time people interact with our platform.
The platform is specially developed to empower different people in different places. They include students in higher institutions, entrepreneurs, unemployed, underemployed, housewives, retired-but-not-tired, and all who seek valuable ways to buy, sell and create weal
th for themselves and those around them.
PNG: What’s the meaning behind the name RewardsNG?
LO: Rewards and empowerment. At RewardsNG you are rewarded for every transaction you make on our online marketplace without the everyday barriers and limitations. We have created A LIFETIME UNLIMITED EARNING POTENTIAL FOR ALL willing to invest their time to change their lives forever.
PNG: We have a few online stores in Nigeria, including big players like Jumia and Konga. Your company is coming into a competitive space, so what makes your offering different from theirs? What’s your unique selling point?
LO: We are designed NOT to operate like Jumia, Konga and others. Our business objectives and focus are different, both in terms of products and services offered – we are a REWARD AND EMPOWERMENT COMPANY. We are the only online marketplace with thousands of products and services in the whole world where people are rewarded and empowered with cash and other rewards every time, everywhere, and every day of their lives as they buy in our marketplace. The various products sold on our platform is not our focus. They will keep increasing while we will keep on innovating on our rewards programme. Our USP is Rewards and Empowerment. This is reflected in our iBuy, iSell, iRefer, iEmpower concept.
PNG: Beyond the Nigerian market, how do you plan to measure up with the likes of Amazon in delivering world-class service and an immense range of products?
LO: We have a very scalable model and plan for growth like Amazon and others by putting our customers’ satisfaction first and securing the right capital for expansion. We want to be known as the best rewards service delivery that anyone can ever get as a consumer and supplier anywhere in the world. We have on sale, thousands of different products and services (local and international brands) that compare to world-class products and services anywhere in the world for our customers’ satisfaction.
PNG: What range of products will RewardsNG offer?
LO: So many everyday consumables and services – thousands of different products and services from local and international brands.
PNG: If a customer orders some items from RewardsNG, how are the goods to be received? Do you ship the goods free as is common with online stores once you buy items worth a certain threshold?
LO: We have MULTIPLE FREE PICK UP locations and DOOR-TO-DOOR DELIVERY arrangements in place for all our customers, which are very affordable. Once you buy items worth a certain threshold, we also offer free door-to-door delivery.
PNG: Nigeria lacks the requisite infrastructure and logistics for prompt and easy delivery of goods ordered. How is RewardsNG planning to overcome this challenge?
LO: We plan to overcome infrastructure and logistics for prompt and easy delivery of goods ordered by our operational design and strategy. We also have a backup 100%-owned FT-Delivery Support Intervention Solution (FT-DSIS) to ensure deliver on our promises and our customers are satisfied.
PNG: Do you have a warehouse to stock the goods on offer and ensure customers of RewardsNG get their orders met?
LO: We have a warehousing support solution put in place to take care of our warehousing needs. All orders are met based on the logistics solution we have put in place for the satisfaction of customers that come to our marketplace.
PNG: How do you ensure that your customers get exactly the things they ordered and of the right quality?
LO: We have structured our operations with the right processes, a professional team, partners and technology to process customer orders to ensure that fulfilment is made according to customer orders.
PNG: Online shopping is popular abroad because of the competitive prices consumers get from online stores. In Nigeria, prices at online stores are usually higher compared to those in physical stores. How does RewardsNG make sure customers are not put off by the prices offered for items?
LO: We have designed our business model to make our offerings to our customers very competitive in terms of pricing and other metrics. We don’t have such pricing policies at the moment. Since our objectives are different from most of the existing online companies as earlier stated, we actually add value more than what you can get in your regular everyday transactions as a customer. Our prices are mostly the same with those of the everyday walk-in shops.
PNG: Online shopping in Nigeria is considered as something for affluent and young adults with some disposable income. How is RewardsNG positioning to be perceived differently?
LO: RewardsNG is designed and positioned to be perceived differently in our business model, objectives and unique general rules governing our online marketplace. We are designed to empower mostly those who cannot really be classified as affluent – students, unemployed, underemployed, fulltime housewives, retired-but-not-tired, etc. We are in the market to make things easy for those who may have been forgotten by others. However, the affluent are also welcome to our platform because it’s created for all, especially those whose needs we can meet.
PNG: A lot of Nigerian online stores have no relationship with manufacturers or major suppliers of the goods and products they are selling, making it hard for them to offer valid warranty on the products they are selling. Is this any different with RewardsNG? Will you offer warranty?
LO: Yes. There is a little challenge there. We have limited warranty that is limited to what the supplier offers. However, we have other plans to ensure our customers are delighted all the time.
PNG: Will RewardsNG have a policy on missing, defective or returned items which will protect the customer?
LO: Yes. RewardsNG customers are protected based on terms and condition of our partners and our marketplace in these areas.
PNG: Given the problem of valid addresses in a big city like Lagos and across the country, how does RewardsNG intend to tackle this challenge with respect to delivery of goods ordered?
LO: We understand this challenge. We plan to address it with the inbuilt operational logistics system riding on technology and team put in place to proactively address this challenge. We also have a customer support team put in place to look into any challenge not proactively addressed.
PNG: How do you plan to address the challenge of identifying the customer who the goods are supposed to be delivered to given that some people have the propensity for fraudulent activities?
LO: We intend to address this by making delivery based on valid means of government-approved identification cards and order number confirmation process.
PNG: What mode of payment is the RewardsNG platform using to receive payment for goods?
LO: Payment for goods and services are made on the platform with electronic debit/credit cards (VISA, Mastercard, Verve), direct debit, and account-to-account transfers for now. We are also introducing the USSD very soon.
PNG: How does RewardsNG plan to convince customers who are afraid of electronic payment services because they fear their accounts will be hacked and money stolen because online platforms are not safe?
LO: We have provided non-electronic payment options like direct debit, account-to-account transfers and USSD to address this group of our customers.
PNG: Nigeria is a largely unregulated market. Anyone can buy and sell anything – new, used, fake and banned, leaving the online shop owners and customers with little protection or recompense. How do you plan to deal with this at RewardsNG?
LO: We have a proactive quality control and management team with pre-set standards that will ensure within our control processes, screening and selection, that we only partner with credible suppliers of products and services we offer online.
PNG: Given all the challenges, what made you decide to venture into the business of online shopping and what makes you think you will succeed?
LO: With my training and experience, I see opportunity in every challenge. We have therefore decided to develop solutions that will transform challenges in this sector to opportunities on our platform, for the empowerment of many, and to the warming hearts of those who choose to be successful in life. We are very optimistic that we will succeed as we continue to make many people succeed through our platform.
PNG: When is the launch date of REWARDSNG.COM, the new kid on the online shopping block?
LO: We shall officially launch by 1st June 2018
PNG: What is your personal goal in entrepreneurship? What would success look like?
LO: My personal entrepreneurial goal is to launch, grow and develop our RewardsNG online marketplace to a truly global brand, where a minimum of 10 million buyers and sellers interact daily across Nigeria and the rest of Africa via the attractions we have created on our platform and the added innovative value we have created for a better supplier and consumer experience; thereby empowering many individuals and groups seeking for the right opportunity to succeed and become successful in life by 2023.
Success for me would be the fulfilment that would eventually come, with achieving our set goal above; knowing that we have provided a viable platform and opportunities for many stakeholders to be successful and happy in life.
1 Comment
Perfect, what we have been waiting for is finally here.