First, Ikoku is a renowned automobile village in Port Harcourt, Nigeria. IkokuOnline (IkokuOnline.com) as you would have already envisaged is an online version of this market where you can shop for as many car parts as possible.
You would agree with me that the automobile market is very dense, as car owners and users either at a time or the other, would need a spare battery, and a spare tyre or a spare anything. At this point, they would need a platform they can trust to get these parts in good working conditions (road side vendors are not to be trusted), IkokuOnline wants to be that platform.
The concept of IkokuOnline
The platform was launched by Fortune Bekee in March 2017 to provide instant delivery of car parts and car maintenance services to homes and offices. They hope to save customers the stress of going to the market physically, and strolling through it for a very long time when they are supposed to be sitting down and being productive in their offices. What is the point of going to the automobile market when i can shop through it online from the comfort of my home or office? Now, that IkokuOnline solving a problem (an ideal startup).
On IkokuOnline, members would need to create an account, log in and shop for whatever car parts or services they need. There are a variety of products which are listed on the site, and they range from brake pads to tyres, wheels, car grilles, bumpers and many other accessories. IkokuOnline has decided to bring an entire automobile industry online. Bravo.
Ikokuonline is currently providing this service to just Port Harcourt residents, while also having plans to expand to other states. It is evident at this point that investors are needed in the startup, especially given the fact that they are barely two(2) months old. A huge investment at this moment would go a long way to aid their expansion and bring this service to millions of Nigerians in other cities.
According to the founder, Fortune Bekee, “the auto parts market in Port Harcourt, can boast of at least N25million a day and we want to capture a significant share of that daily revenue while solving a bunch of problems faced by car owners, including the stress of leaving their homes or office to the auto parts market”. I must also note that this point that they have picked a very good market.
My thoughts?
First, i think an ecommerce revolution is happening to Nigeria, given the great number of startups that spring up in the sector on a daily. I envisage that very soon, almost all things we need would have a platform we can shop online from, and get it delivered to our doorstep.
On IkokuOnine, we have always advised new startups to try and build their idea to solve an actual problem, and they have not faulted in that aspect. As far as i am concerned, IkokuOnline is addressing at least two problems in their chosen industry. First is helping to reduce the stress customers would have gone through in a physical automobile market, while the second is presenting themselves as a trustworthy platform to get these goods delivered to customers, unlike the roadside vendors.
Do we nurture the same thoughts about IkokuOnline? Let’s hear you.
