Online marketing in today’s business crucial – expert

Online marketing has been identified as a classic example for start-ups to scale through and move higher in today’s business environment. Peter Bankole, director, Enterprise Development Centre, small business arm of Pan Atlantic University, who made the observation as a guest on Fidelity SME Forum, a weekly radio programmed by Fidelity Bank plc, noted that there were now a number of online malls such that rather than physically walk into a mall, you virtually walk into that mall.

“And that is changing a lot of things,” he said, adding, “our people in the logistic business are doing massive operational work. So, a small person that may not be able to afford a rent or an outlet in Victoria Island suddenly has an outlet online that is accessible to everybody in the entire world. People are beginning to benefit from that and because of mobile technology and all the associated technology, they receive payments on time, they are able to get the good delivered and this was how Jumia, Konga, among others, have been able to develop in such a very short time.”

Bankole further stated that any business must make sure that whatever product or service they were providing was of quality and could match anything. “Once you have that, then you need to integrate into different networks. Again, make sure that you are also able to connect to some distributive systems which could be the likes of Shoprite, etc.,” he said.