Kenyan P2P vehicle marketplace Sokompare is now Findit after pivoting to a new model connecting users with businesses and service providers across a variety of categories.
Disrupt Africa reported back in 2017 on the launch of Sokompare, which allowed users to buy, sell, insure and finance their vehicles. But chief executive officer (CEO) Viral Shah told Disrupt Africa the startup had been forced to change approach given its experience with the market.
“Competing with Cheki was too much, plus online insurance sales was not working for the common Kenyan. Instead we looked at a wider scope where we can connect all businesses to users,” he said.
That approach is now manifested in Findit, which allows businesses to list and showcase their products, services and special offers.
“Unlike other e-commerce platforms currently in the market, we allow users to directly communicate with the businesses and purchase products or services through them,” Shah said.
“We initially developed an online directory. But we saw that users were not interested in contact information only, but wanted to know what products the business offers, what quality it is, and if they can get a good deal for the product.”
He said since its beta launch Findit had seen a good response from businesses and service providers such as dentists, lawyers, manufacturers and wholesalers. Businesses can sign up across a variety of differently-priced packages, with more than 1,500 having done so at the time of writing.
