#doDifferent by Growing Businesses and Changing Lives
There are many people in South Africa that live in townships, thus there are many businesses that operate within these communities. The economy within townships in South Africa is worth over R260 billion and is becoming more competitive as larger retailers move in to capture a slice of that market, although many consider it too challenging to operate in this terrority. Most food delivery services in South Africa don’t deliver to townships making getting fresh produce and groceries a hassle for township-dwellers who would have to venture outside their community and carry heavy grocery bags on public transport. That’s why this week, we are looking at a #doDifferent business that is using technology to empower local, community-owned businesses.
Yebo Fresh is an award-winning eCommerce platform on a mission to provide township entrepreneurs and community organisations access to high-quality goods and services through their smart technology.
Yebo Fresh has dedicated themselves to addressing the struggles of half a million township entrepreneurs and community organisations. These entrepreneurs and organisations, which contribute in large part to the formation of the backbone of South Africa’s economy, experience a severe disadvantage when competing with formal retail that relies on cost-effective delivery options, advanced retail technology and analytics.
Yebo Fresh now operates in more than 25 major townships across greater Cape Town and Johannesburg and has taken on more than 6 000 entrepreneurs and community organisations as customers, with an ever-expanding offering underpinned by technology. With the expansion, these businesses are creating more jobs and upskilling people within their communities.
However, Yebo Fresh has already made unparalleled roads into the township sector, helping to remedy this situation by harnessing a tech-driven order-to-delivery solution that allows customers to place an order and get free 24-hour delivery of goods to their doorstep. Clients are able to do this online, on the phone or via Whatsapp.
During the initial COVID-19 lockdown, Yebo Fresh grew exponentially as the need to get food into the townships grew. They partnered with local NGOs and provided over 85 000 food parcels to people in need during the hard lockdown.
Yebo Fresh also gives financial services solutions such as buy-now-pay-later offerings, enabling these businesses to grow their stock and pay up to seven days later. Moreover, by mapping, digitising and creating a powerful delivery infrastructure for the communities served, Yebo Fresh creates a digital and physical gateway into the “Kasi” which is monetised in a variety of ways. They have also been able to aggregate learning between the stores they assist - enabling them to offer better business intelligence, such as insights, pricing, etc.
Find out more about them here.
