Month: July 2023

Categories
Android Apps eCommerce Websites

Zimbabwean Marketplace Series: Ownai

 Exactly 10 days after my last article, I return and we continue our marketplace website series, this being day 4. My apologies for being away for the past 10 days, I was working on my portfolio, tino.co.zw which I’m happy to announce that it’s finally online.

As I promised , day 4 will be about Ownai since I was supposed to write about it on day 3. 

Ownai

Ownai is a Cassava Smarttech startup that has almost everything a Zimbabwean would look for in a marketplace. Yeah I gotta break it to you, I’m impressed. Ownai comes with the normal marketplace look whilst including it’s own features. Let’s dig in deeper.

How you can find them

Ownai has a website, ownai.co.zw and mobile apps for both Android and iOS available on their respective stores.

The UI

Ownai comes with a great and usable UI which has a few notable flaws. Firstly the site takes a lot of time to load, displaying it’s preloader on all of the products on the home screen, which drives away potential impatient customers, which is bad. Even the Google Pagespeed Insights test proved this as the site only got a positive result on SEO, you can see for yourself.

Judging by the results, Ownai has a lot to improve. Upon my first trial to view the site, I came across the annoying preloaders but I had to wait for it to load, although it took a lot of time. For someone who’s used to Netone’s bad reception, I thought it was because of my network but after the Pagespeed Insights results, I became certain it wasn’t because of my network. Here’s the screenshot of the specific section.

Content

It’s perfect. That’s what I can say briefly as Ownai comes with perfectly categorized and grouped content. Which I really loved. Their menu has it all, under the correct categories. They even have a gaming category, where you’ll get some of the most popular PC games for sale. See, it’s perfect! 

Conclusion

Ownai has a lot of products available for sale from various sellers too. Their site is perfectly stocked and categorized. The only flaw with Ownai is the time it takes loading, but it’s not really long though. So if you’re looking for a marketplace to sell your products, or to buy something you’re looking for, Ownai is the perfect choice.

Categories
eCommerce Websites Zimbabwe

Zimbabwean Marketplace Series: Idhiri

 

Day 3 was initially supposed to be for Ownai but we’re now going to be talking about Cassava’s marketplace next time. A few minutes ago, I came across this marketplace which seems like it has been operating for a while now but I’d never heard of it. I present you Idhiri, a marketplace website I just discovered. When I discovered it, I just knew I had to write an article on it and here we are now. 

Idhiri

Idhiri seems like it hasn’t been operating for a long time judging by it’s level of popularity and also it’s content. The site just popped up on a google search and who am I to refuse to review something new to me. So I did. 

Design 

This is Idhiri’s most disappointing part, the design. The site’s good and decent to some extent but I just didn’t get those chills I get when I see good design. Starting from the status bar, they’re website has the 2017 experience on it. Especially on mobile. The design is far from modern if you ask me. Scrolling is also not smooth as it feels like it’s hindered by some kind of process which is still loading in the background. Overaly, the design is not bad, it’s just not as modern as I expected it to be. 

Content

As I mentioned earlier, Idhiri doesn’t have that much content as compared to it’s counterparts which might just be one of the reasons holding it down. The site consists of a limited range of products and a few or no services of certain services. This is not Idhiri’s fault though, it’s only influenced by the number of people who are on the site.

Google Pagespeed Insights

Here are the usual, the google pagespeed insights which are surprisingly higher than the othe sites.

Notable features

Not everyone has a bad side, even in terms of websites. Idhiri.com has one specific feature, which I haven’t seen till now. They have multiple types of listings and each listing has it’s corresponding upload steps. Let’s not forget the buy option, with which one can choose to post a listing regarding the item they’re looking for. You can see below:

Conclusion

Idhiri stands out from the crowd with the last mentioned feature. Also with their design which I had some issues with, I can’t say it’s bad though, I’d be lying to myself.

Categories
Android WhatsApp

Oops. Might have jumped to conclusions too soon regarding the GB issue

 So it turns out it might have just been my number which was getting that error message and I might have jumped to conclusions regarding the GB issue. Of course I misinterpreted the situation but at the same time there’s still hope for my dream to come true. I guess.

Last night I revisited my GB WhatsApp once again to check if I was still getting this error:

And unfortunately, I was still getting it. But then I decided to try it with a different number to see what I’d get and to my surprise, the app worked. Now all I can say is the end is now near but it isn’t exactly here. Wow, that rhymed😁. You can also check the previous article regarding WhatsApp mods: Is the death of WhatsApp mods finally here?

Categories
Android Apps WhatsApp

Is the death of WhatsApp mods finally here?

 

Seeing my greatest enemy go down has been my dream. WhatsApp mods(all wrapped up in the name GBWhatsApp) have been on my nerve since day one. Honestly speaking, I never liked those things at all. I think I speak for most when I say my dream was to see these WhatsApp mods go down one day. To my surprise, I think that day is coming soon.

The downfall of WhatsApp mods might just be near after what I witnessed today. Even though I hated the anti delete features and the hiding features a lot, unfortunately the GBWhatsApp was also an essential for me. Funny coincidence. It’s more like my wish for the downfall of mods is the same as praying for my own disadvantage. Till date, I’ve been using the GBWhatsApp on my spare line for sending links in multiple groups(up to 70) at the same time. This was the main reason I had the app on my phone till now but lately I was banned. This wasn’t nothing new to me as I’ve been banned on this number multiple times and the fact that it’s a second number, it doesn’t really hurt me to be banned. But after my number was approved, I wanted to login to the app, so that I would send my new article’s link to my groups as usual and that’s when I got this message.

Initially I thought it would happen for this login trial only so I installed a WhatsApp clone through the dual app option in the phone settings and logged into my WhatsApp with the clone. After this, I went back to my GB to login to my number and still got the same message. Tried clearing data and uninstalling and reinstalling the app but it was of now use.

 This event made me both elated and disappointed at the same time as it gave me assurance that this is likely going to happen to most WhatsApp mod users but I also lost my ability to send a message to 70 groups once. But anyways it’s a win win if this happens to everyone else. If you’re or you were using a WhatsApp mod, share your current experience with the app through the comment section. 

Categories
eCommerce Web hosting Websites Zimbabwe

Zimbabwean Marketplace Series: Tengesai.com

 

Web hosting giant ZimHero brings us Tengesai.com which is going to be our talk for day 2. 

What is Tengesai?

Tengesai is a classifieds platform developed by ZimHero, a popular web hosting platform. Tengesai was launched not long ago but has rapidly grown because of the influence of it’s parent company, ZimHero. We now see Tengesai being a part of the major classifieds and marketplace platforms in Zimbabwe and this is all thanks to ZimHero.

Design

The first thing I’m commenting on is the design. The Tengesai.com design is quite impressive and stands out amongst other marketplace websites here in Zimbabwe. They have a theme colour, a pale shade of green which is very beautiful and unique. Their combination of colours is the most impressive feature of their design, and this site’s design completely overwhelmed me as I was comparing it to others. In terms of mobile usability the site’s great and it’s also responsive, which is also great. We have screenshots taken on both mobile and desktop below.

Desktop version

Notable features

It’s really easy to create an account on Tengesai and it’s also easy to login. No hassle at all. The site also has a limit for listings which I failed to comprehend though. Their banner read:

An account limit has been introduced where you can have up to 5 ads live at any moment. If you need more, you can become premium member to unlock further benefits. To read more about it please visit our FAQ page or contact us. You have currently active 1 listings out of your limit 50 listings (published in 0 days).

 I couldn’t get what they were trying to say here. As the pop-up reads, users can have up to 5 ads live at any moment and then there’s me who currently has 1 active listing out of 50. 

Sellers can also promote their listings, which brings us back to the Pindula concept. One has to pay to be on the front page and also to be featured in WhatsApp groups. 

Tengesai WhatsApp groups

In Tengesai’s case though, you get a badge on your listing and this badge shows that the listing is being promoted. You also get a front page feature on their sponsored section and throughout the website. 

These are the four categories for listing promotion on Tengesai. 

Another notable feature on the Tengesai website is the messaging option as buyers have a chance to chat with sellers in a built-in chat option on the site. Below is a screenshot of my seller profile.

In this screenshot, the chat option is unavailable because it’s my profile and I’m logged into the site so I cannot chat with myself.

Google Pagespeed Insights

It’s now a part of my tradition to feature the Google Pagespeed Insights in every website I review so that I can compare my point of view to that of Google’s. (not literally though)

Here they are. The legendary, extremely long screenshots of the Google Pagespeed page. To clearly see the stats click on the images to view them in full screen mode. 

Content

In this section I don’t have much to say, I might even end up contradicting myself if I talk much. I already mentioned that Tengesai is now one of the biggest classifieds platforms in the country, so I don’t see the need for me to add anything else to that statement.

Conclusion

This is a wonderful ZimHero venture, bravo to the developers. I really liked my experience on the site and loved it’s great UI and colour combinations. It is also reliable in terms of product and service promotion so I positively recommend it.

Categories
TV Zimbabwe

Disney series features Zimbabwean episode
Meet Kizazi Moto, the new Disney animated series which features an episode dedicated to Zimbabwe. For someone who hasn’t watched the series yet, I don’t have much to say but this is all I can tell you. This animated anthology brings together a new wave of animation stars to take you on a wildly entertaining ride into Africa’s future. Inspired by the continent’s diverse histories and cultures, these action-packed sci-fi and fantasy stories present bold visions of advanced technology, aliens, spirits and monsters imagined from uniquely African perspectives. (series storyline). 
Now the 6th episode of the series is the one we’re concerned about. The episode is titled Mukudzei and it is about a Zimbabwean influencer named Mukudzei. The storyline reads ‘After defacing a sacred monument, an influencer is flung into utopian future Zimbabwe.’ And once again, for someone who hasn’t watched it yet, I don’t have much to say. All I can say for now is for you to check out the series on Disney.
Categories
Apps eCommerce Websites

Zimbabwean Marketplace Series: Pindula Marketplace

 

The Pindula Marketplace, which is a part of the famous Pindula Group. The Pindula website itself is stocked with a variety of options, they have a news page, a job board, a marketplace and much much more. We just can’t list all that’s available on the Pindula website. 

Design

In terms of design, Pindula killed it. Their website is very responsive and has an easy to use interface. They also upgraded to a modern design a while back although their old one was not bad at all, it was just simple.  The site is also very fast even on slow networks. Here’s the Google Pagespeed test:

 

To see the detailed information, click on the image and zoom in. Below are both desktop and mobile screenshots of the marketplace.

Content

In terms of content. The Pindula Marketplace is stocked with a lot of products and services by multiple shops. Some of the shops are unverified and some are. It’s easy for shops and individuals to upload their services and products on the Pindula Marketplace and they also have a sale feature which you can use to put your products on sale. The feature has a period of sale which you chose for you listing to be on sale for. Let’s go to the verification process.

Verification process

To be verified on the Pindula Marketplace, all you need to do is to upload a picture of you ID card and also a picture of you holding the card. Below are images of the verification process.

Promoted Products

You can also boost your views but promoting your products on Pindula. One view currently costs $50 which means for $5000 you get 100 views on all Pindula platforms and also the TechZim site. For an additional $50 000 RTGS your listing will get posted on all Pindula WhatsApp groups for a day. See for yourself.

Conclusion

It’s a 10. The Pindula Marketplace works quite well for me and I noticed no bugs. They’re also a well known website which means your products and services will reach most parts of Zimbabwe.

Categories
Apps eCommerce Websites

Zimbabwean Marketplace Series: Introduction

 

So I once wrote an article, E-commerce in Zimbabwe: The top 5. This article was only limited to 5 marketplace websites and didn’t give much information on those 5 websites. Because of this I’m conducting a long term review session for these E-commerce platforms. Each day there’s going to be a new marketplace to review for the next 20 days for me. In addition to that I’ll be updating this post everyday, inserting links of the review posts each one by one in their chronological order. So if you have a marketplace you want me to review, feel free to contact me through the contract form on this site. 

List of E-commerce platforms reviewed

  1. Pindula Marketplace
  2. Tengesai
  3. Idhiri
  4. Ownai
  5. Classifieds
Categories
E-creator eCommerce

E-creator diaries: Jiatong caught

We now witness an interesting twist as the E-creator founder who was claimed to have fled with a million dollars gets caught by the ZRP. A week ago, E-creator posted the following statement informing it’s employees what had happened to their money.

After this the company shut down and took down all of it’s online platforms. I for one didn’t believe this story thinking that it was just a method of going away with everyone’s money. Many thought the same, I reckon. However there has been a sudden twist a week later as Zhao Jiatong is arrested by the ZRP. The police statement read:

With that said, what we can all do now is to just wait patiently and see if the guy has the money or not.

Categories
Apps eCommerce Websites Zimbabwe

E-Commerce in Zimbabwe: The Top 5

Online marketplaces have made their impact all across the nation as most who want to sell their products or services run to them. These stores are the best platforms to get your products or services to the whole of Zimbabwe for a very cheap price or even for free. In this article I’m going to list(ungraded) the top 5 marketplaces in ZImbabwe based on my personal touch. 

Facebook Marketplace

This one is not just unique to ZImbabwe only but since we also utilize it here in ZImbabwe, there was no harm in me listing it. 
The Facebook Marketplace only sells products and not services, which it’s greatest weakness but is also a great tool for those selling physical products. It’s greatest pro is that most prospective buyers are already on Facebook which means that the moment they look for something on Facebook they’ll see the seller’s add which increases the seller’s outreach. You can visit the Facebook Marketplace by clicking the Marketplace icon in your app or browser page. If you do not already own a Facebook account, you can sign up on facebook.com.

Pindula Marketplace

Pindula, which is a widely used online platform in Zimbabwe has a wide range of tools they have for you. The most notable features of their site are their blog, marketplace and job board, although they have other sections. The talk of the day, the marketplace is one of the most used marketplaces in the country which is mostly because of Pindula’s widely known name and also their zero-rated site. Yes, the Pindula site can be accessed without an internet connection which gives them an advantage over other marketplaces. The Pindula marketplace has various built-in categories of products and services and they also have a spotlight feature which places an ad for your product or service on most of their pages and also on the TechZim website. You can also get advertised in their fleet of whatsapp groups for a larger amount. One notable feature of the Pindula marketplace is the verified profile option as a seller is verified upon uploading their ID card and also their picture holding it. Click this link to be redirected to the Pindula marketplace page.

Tisitano

I’m sure you’ve come across their ad on platforms running google ads. This was the major reason that made me check it out. Tisitano is an app available on the Google Play Store, I’m not sure about the Apple App Store though. Tisitano supports both products and services and also offers an option for one to create a shop account which is separate from their original account just like the Pindula marketplace(my bad for forgetting to mention this in the Pindula section). This means that I can create a Tisitano account in my name Tinotenda and then create a shop and possibly name it Oliya Carpets. Tisitano also has a point service with which one can top up their account with points for them to be featured on the Tisitano front page. Apart from this everything else is free. You can download the app on the Google Play Store through this link.

Classifieds

These guys have been available for a long time for now. I can’t even remember when was the last time I began to know of this site but it was long ago. Classifieds might probably be the largest marketplace we have here in Zimbabwe. Their interface is very user friendly and so are those of the sites listed above. They also have a wide selection of categories for your products and services. Classifieds also has a featured ad service which is accessible after paying a small amount. Follow this link to access their site. 

Zimpoint

I just couldn’t go without mentioning this impressive emerging platform. ZimPoint is an online market which just joined the community but is already chilling with the big boys. The have both an app and a web interface which they’re constantly updating. The platform also has a WhatsApp group which is open to all members on weekends only for them to post their ads there. You can access their site using this link and download their app using the following button. 

Get it on Google Play