Well, although the title says ‘international delivery’,this service currently applies to only the United States. Then again, isn’t that where most shipping from online retail come from? ShippyMe is a product of Circuit Atlantic with the aim of making the logistics of getting ordered product from the U.S. delivered to Nigeria stress free.
According to an insider, ShippyMe was developed in-house and is run by an in-house personnel of Circuit Atlantic, a procurement company, helping Nigerians buy from sites in the United States. Prior to the launch of ShippyMe, Circuit Atlantic had several customers who just needed to ship in things from the U.S, and as the demand grew, there was an opportunity to create a separate service offering based on their needs. Hence the birth of ShippyMe.
In 5 steps a user can surf through the service, starting with creating a U.S. delivery address – perhaps the most critical part of the process and the major value that ShippyMe has to offer. Yes you guessed that right: You place an order from U.S. store, they deliver to the created address. The rest of the process is as one would usually make an online order for products – description, review, payment, and confirmation.
SEE ALSO: The Past And Future Of E-Commerce In Nigeria With Dika Oha
Is there a market for this service? Probably yes, as there is an increase of people already going through the hassle of international shipping on a daily basis, and post launch – May 31, 2013, ShippyMe crossed a thousand registered users in about a week, and have had over 50 bookings.
With the increase of online retail culture in Nigeria, thanks to the pioneers like Jumia and Konga (and that was no comparison, just examples), one can only assume that people would want to check out other options from e-commerce sites in the United States, especially if prices are being marked up by local retailers, and ShippyMe is one platform that allows buyers explore these options, as long as delivery charges are reasonable.
