BuildNRun: Building stores for everyone in Africa

Introduction

This is aimed at describing the mission statement of BuildNRun; a software company which focuses on building stores for everyone in Africa. It will, hopefully, explain what BuildNRun is, why we feel this is the right time to build BNR, how BuildNRun is different from her competitors, who we are building BuildNRun for, and how we hope to achieve all we have planned for BNR.

Introducing BuildNrun(BNR)

BuildNRun is a software firm which focuses on building and maintaing Virtual Stores for everyone selling in Africa. The core focus and mission of BuildNRun is to make it extremely easy and stress free for businsses to get online, hereby, making it possible for sellers to focus on operating their businesses while we focus on making their stores work so they don’t have to.

Why we believe building ECommerce in Africa will work

According to statista, In 2022, the revenue generated by online shopping in Africa was estimated to be around 37 billion U.S dollars, increasing from approximately 13 billion U.S. dollars in 2017. According to estimates made by Statista Digital Market Outlook, the e-commerce revenue in Africa would keep increasing between 2022 and 2027. In 2027, the e-commerce sector in Africa might reach a value of over 82 billion U.S. dollars. It is also expected that the e-commerce penetration rate in Africa will continue to increase, and by 2025 reach around 40%. The overall African market is projected to reach $180 billion by 2025.

it is clear that the African e-commerce sector is experiencing significant growth and is projected to continue to grow in the coming years. This presents a great opportunity for companies looking to enter the market and establish a strong presence.

This is where BuildNRun comes in. With the growing demand for online shopping in Africa, there is a need for more online stores to cater to the growing digital audience. BuildNRun can help businesses set up their online stores quickly and easily, allowing them to take advantage of the growing e-commerce market in Africa.

By providing a user-friendly platform that enables businesses to create their online stores without requiring any technical expertise, BuildNRun can help businesses overcome the challenges that may have prevented them from establishing an online presence in the past. This includes providing features such as customizable templates, payment gateway integrations, and inventory management tools.

Also, the increasing adoption of alternative payment methods such as mobile money and cash-on-delivery means that businesses can cater to a wider range of customers, including those who do not have access to traditional banking systems. BuildNRun can help businesses integrate these payment methods into their online stores, making it easier for customers to make purchases.

In conclusion, the growth of the e-commerce sector in Africa provides a great opportunity for companies like BuildNRun to help businesses establish their online presence and take advantage of the growing digital audience. With the increasing adoption of alternative payment methods and the expansion of internet penetration, there has never been a better time for businesses to get online, and BuildNRun is well-positioned to help them achieve this.

Our Target Market

Our target market is anyone who owns a business in Africa and is looking to expand their reach through eCommerce. By offering versatile and adaptable services, we hope to be well-positioned to meet the needs of businesses in a variety of industries.

In plain words, our target market is made up of everyone who owns a business, from physical stores to restaurants, BuildNRun’s services are versatile and adaptable to different industries. This flexibility allows us to help businesses to customize their eCommerce stores to suit their specific needs and goals, making it easier to attract and retain customers.

What makes us different from our PaaS and Saas Competiton

The core difference between us and competitors like Shopify and Flutterwave stores is our implementation approach. Unlike these platforms, BuildNRun is not a platform but rather a software firm, and as such, we have no control over the store once it has been built. This means that if at some point due to certain uncontrollable economic events, BuildNRun folds up, the store remains the property of the business owner. In contrast, competitors like Shopify and Flutterwave stores are platforms, and the businesses that use these platforms are subject to the terms and conditions set by the platform. If the platform were to shut down or change its policies, the business owner would have to comply with the changes or risk losing their online store.

We are also extremly cheap. One of the founding beliefs of BuildNRun is th fact that we believe that every business in Africa should have access to e-commerce solutions that are affordable and accessible, on that note, our price structure factors this in and makes it possible for us to offer tailored solutions that are designed to meet the unique needs of African businesses, without making them break the bank(Things are already difficut in the continent as it is).Our costing will be based on the size and requirement of the store, but starting cost will be 30,000 Nigerian Naira and 5,000 Nigerian Naira monthly for maintanance.

Another key differentiator is our personalized approach to eCommerce store development. The company works closely with businesses throughout the step-by-step process of developing their store, from initial planning to launch. This personalized approach ensures that the store is tailored to the specific needs of the business and that the business owner has a clear understanding of the eCommerce process. In contrast, other platforms often offer a more generic solution that may not be as tailored to the specific needs of the business.

In summary, BuildNRun’s approach is focused on providing a cost-effective, personalized solution for small and medium-sized businesses in Africa. Its implementation approach, which is not a platform, gives businesses greater control and ownership over their online store. Additionally, the company’s personalized approach ensures that each store is tailored to the specific needs of the business, making it a compelling alternative to existing PaaS and SaaS platforms.

How we hope to achieve this

While we see everyone who sells in Africa as our target market, our main focus, as of now, will be people who operate physical stores, where we hope to discuss the advantages moving e-stores provide, in other words, we will develop outreach programs for physical store owners where we discuss the benefits of moving to e-stores. We hope to educate physical store owners on how eCommerce stores can help them reach a wider audience and expand their business.

Our second focus would be entrepreneurs who sell via social media but do not have access to (due to cost) physical locations, we hope to provide e-store development services along with services such as SEO techniques, etc, which will enable these unique entrereneurs move their businesses to the next level to individuals.

Summary

BNR was built with the aim of, essentially, democratizing e-stores for African Businesses. We know how hard ding busines in Africa is and we also know the network effects the internet is capable of providing for businesses and we want to be the ones who help businesses build stores n the internet and partake of the advantages it provides.